The Prometheus Deception

by Robert Ludlum

Book Overview

Robert Ludlum is the acknowledged master of suspense and international intrigue. For over thirty years, in over twenty international bestsellers, he has a set a standard that has never been equaled.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031225346X
• ISBN13: 9780312253462
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 1.6" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

He's Back

You simply must read this book. It is one of the most frigthening and accurate novels to address the overt excesses of the information age. I'll be the first to say that this is not Ludlum's best. It is, however, his best in quite some time. And, let's be realistic about this, Ludlum when he is only good, is better than virtually anyone else at their best. While, it is by far his best novel in ten years I consdidered only giveing the book four stars. But, I realized to do so would be to pusnish Ludlum for the extrodinary body of work during his first fifteen years of writing.The book is topical, frightenly realistic and crafted masterfully. Few wirters of this genere tell a story and hold your interest in the manner that Ludlum repeatedly does. While I do miss some of the innocence of past Ludlum protagonists, he always makes his hero real. They try, they fail, they win, they lose, they hurt and they bleed. And, they almost always fall in love. Or in the case of this novel, they fall in love all over again.While the villian of this novel bares a striking resemblance to Bill Gates, the evil that the book describes is layed out in layman language with striking accuracy and in a manner that should remind all of us that the remarkable technological age that we live in cuts both ways.If you have never read Ludlum before, you will be blown away. If you are a long-time fan, his unique talent will be reinforced in your mind. This book will deliver everything that Ludlum is famous for.

The best Ludlum in at least a decade

Maybe because I do so much flying for work, I've read a lot of Ludlum, but "The Prometheus Deception" really blew me away. For one thing, I happen to work in the tech sector, and the book was really smart in the way it touched on that world. I guess Ludlum's been writing books for three decades, but it turns out he really keeps up, the way a reality-based novelist ought to. Tom Clancy, watch your back! For another thing, the plot is incredibly inventive: the story elements in the first forty pages alone would have sufficed for a dozen run-of-the-mill thrillers. And then it just doesn't stop. Nobody's going to confuse Ludlum with Henry James, or Graham Greene for that matter. The writing is strong and vivid, but this is more of an amusement park ride than a wallow in existential despair. "Brighton Rock" it ain't, and thank god for that. I did have some complaints: the hero, Nicholas Bryson, is actually too skillful - hell, he's practically invincible, to the point that plausibility is a bit strained. I miss the slight cluelessness of some of Ludlum's earlier protagonists, like Noel Holcroft or Joel Converse. But these are minor misgivings. Overall, this novel--which I started on a plane from Seattle to New York and finished on the back again -- left me with a great buzz. As a Ludlum fan, I also found it heartening to think that there might be more like this one to come. This summer I read "The Hades Factor," or the first half of it anyway. It was shockingly bad. And since "The Apocalypse Watch" and "Matarese Countdown" were sort of lame, I'd begun to worry that Ludlum had run out of steam. "The Prometheus Deception" put that worry to rest. The guy's back, and at the top of this game.

He keeps the action going and suspense in every page.

I,ve read almost all of his books. Clive Cusler, Morrell, Clancy, Wilbur Smith and Ludlum are for me in the same clan. This book is one that I enjoy getting back to every night and I am expecting to finish it during the weekend. If you liked The Matarase Circle, from Ludlum or The Scarlatti Inheritance you're not making a mistake with this one.

Calliope Would Approve Of Mr. Ludlum?s Prometheus

Wherever you keep your favorite works by Mr. Ludlum, "The Prometheus Deception" deserves equal space. It has been too long since there has been a Ludlum book that belonged with the best of what he has written. "The Hades Factor", was to some unknown degree his work, it was wretched, and even though I am an admirer who has read all his published works, that co-authored mess received a one star rating. A rating denoting a book that should have never left the realm of Hades.This is top tier writing from Mr. Ludlum. To the extent there appears to be familiarity, it usually is due to the number of imitators that have tried to emulate the real masters of this genre like John Le Carre, and Mr. Ludlum. The imitators are usually one hit mediocrities whose borrowing from the real craftsmen may put a nick or two to a work, but after 30 years and 22 novels, Mr. Ludlum stands, if not alone, then certainly with very few peers.This work will bring veteran readers back to the days of the original "Matarese" and "Bourne" books, in terms of their complexity, their cadence, and quality. This book is not perfect, but in spite of those readers whose constant refrain of, "it could have been better"; this is escapist fiction at its best. And while many readers, myself included, can romanticize the memories of the first book or two we read by Mr. Ludlum, if you actually do go back, like many memories they are selective. A subsequent book rarely compares to the thrill of finding a new Author and enjoying that first read. "Prometheus", for first time Ludlum readers, will remain a favorite, as the original "Matarese" has for me.Mr. Ludlum has managed to reinvent some of the relationships from the Cold War in this construct of deceit, this nesting of lies within one another, just as Matryoshka Dolls hold an uncertain number within, with each getting smaller, until the final number is known. It is the same, as there are more deceptions than the one named on the cover, and some are not really deceptions at all. Does double deception equal truth? You can decide for yourself as Ludlum skips around to the familiar haunts of, Geneva, Brussels, Moscow, Washington, and a dozen others. This time the events are as well done as his original early works. Mr. Ludlum has clearly learned about the newest technologic exotica, how it works, and how it can be used. This is not generic phrase dropping he really knows the material.The book is not perfect; please note Mr. Ludlum, video cameras do not use "film", never have, and never will. The book also builds on situations and people that are non-fiction, but to tell his story realistically, to spin the tale with substitute players it would have been just as obvious who the real world counterparts are, would not have been credible, and would have detracted from the book.Not every idea is new, but how many new books are truly absolutely original? The difference is that Mr. Ludlum can write, so everything old and badly written, is new again, and

Ludlum's best thriller so far!

I haven't read all of Ludlum's novels, but quite a few and this one is certainly his best yet. I like the international intrigue in it as he takes us on a journey around the world where there are terrorist activities everywhere. Who's behind it all? Well that's a surprise. There's plenty of action and suspenseful scenarios. I also appreciated that this book is kept shorter than his previous works which makes this book a faster read. Another brand new book that I enjoyed a lot and it is strongly recommended as it is along the lines of Ludlum's new book, but it is faster paced is the international megathriller "The Consultant" by Alec Donzi.