Robert LUDLUM an outstanding and Prolific Authored 29 books

I resisted reading Robert Ludlum’s books up to two years ago: -

On the Gold Coast two years ago, staying with Son Two and his wife. The weather was terrible and cold, with nothing to do. Picking up the Bourne Identity, I literally finished before going to sleep that night.

The other two books of the Bourne trio were there and within the two week stay I had read all three. I Thoroughly enjoyed all three of them. Have since read say twenty of his 29 published books. He was a prolific writer enjoyed by millions of people.

He died leaving several titles, which other authors have run with and co-authored in both Names. The Bourne Betrayal by Eric Van Lustbader:

The Hades Factor by Gayle Lyndes

Robert Ludlum

(1927-2001)

• Books by Robert Ludlum (Bibliography)

Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 New York City - March 12, 2001 Naples, Florida) was an American author of 29 thriller novels. There are more than 210 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into 32 languages. He passed away in 2001, allegedly leaving behind several unpublished manuscripts and rough outlines, which continue to be dusted off and published with the help of ghostwriters. This is a testament to his continued popularity.

Ludlum was once a theatrical actor and producer, and showed an intimate understanding of the energy, escapism and action that the public wanted to see in a novel. He once remarked: "I equate suspense and good theatre in a very similar way. I think it's all suspense and what-happens-next. From that point of view, yes, I guess, I am theatrical."

His stories typically feature one man or a small group of individuals up against powerful adversaries capable of using political and economic machinery in frightening ways. Ludlum's vision of the world is one where global corporations, shadowy military forces and government organizations conspire to undermine the status quo. With the exception of occasional gaps in his knowledge of firearms, his novels are meticulously researched, replete with technical, physical and biological details, including research on amnesia for The Bourne Identity.

Despite his success, Ludlum has never received the acclaim found by other writers of the genre, such as John Le Carre. Critics dislike his use of italics, short sentences, exclamation marks, dashes and other techniques, and found fault with his abundant melodrama, simplistic characters and limited psychological development.

However, it was Ludlum who first wrote the thriller in the modern style that we know today, setting the stage for writers such as David Morrell and Gayle Lynds. He popularized the notion of American and Soviet intelligence operatives working together, and the CIA conducting illegal operations on American soil. Both premises, once derided as being fictional, are now accepted as fact.

Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, and The Bourne Supremacy. The Bourne series, starring Matt Damon, has been very successful commercially and critically, despite departing significantly from the source material.

A PREVIOUS INTERVIEW:

Bestselling author Robert Ludlum has earned his place in the annals of writing history with more than 210 million copies of his novels sold around the world, all 21 thrillers appearing on the New York Times bestseller list. At the time of this interview, he had just completed THE MATARESE COUNTDOWN, which revived the dynasty created in THE MATARESE CIRCLE and revered by Ludlum fans. Bookreporter.com was lucky enough to be able to send a few questions Ludlum's way. His answers were tightly woven --- just like his writing. Read on for a brief glimpse of the man who has kept readers on the edge of their seats for more than three decades.

TBR: Has the end of the Cold War changed your writing? How so?

LUDLUM: Outside of the obvious --- the struggle between two ideological enemies --- not really. I have always preferred conflict of individuals over the battle of extreme ideologies.

TBR: Your books have gotten more complex as you have progressed in your writing. Do you ever have the urge to write a simpler book?

LUDLUM: Life is extremely complicated, I try as best I can to enter the realm of nuances of human behavior and alternatives of that behavior.

TBR: What made you decide to return to the Matarese in THE MATARESE COUNTDOWN?

LUDLUM: With all the mega-mergers, national and transnational --- i.e. global --- if this continues to its illogically logical progression there will be fewer and fewer choices in this world.

TBR: What topics in the international world of politics concern you the most?

LUDLUM: All of the aforementioned because it means that greater economic power will be in the hands of too few.

TBR: What are the most important qualities of a villain for you?

LUDLUM: Basically two qualities: credibility and an interesting persona.

TBR: Your background is in theater. How does this help or hinder your fiction?

LUDLUM: Helps immensely, as characterization is integral to the theatrical experience. Add to this dialogue and the "architecture scenes" (a theater person should know what holds an audience and what does not).

Robert Ludlum

Matarese dynasty

1. The Matarese Circle (1979)

2. The Matarese Countdown (1997)

Bourne

1. The Bourne Identity (1980)

2. The Bourne Supremacy (1986)

3. The Bourne Ultimatum (1990)

The Bourne Trilogy (omnibus) (2003)

4. The Bourne Legacy (2004) (with Eric Van Lustbader)

5. The Bourne Betrayal (2007) (with Eric Van Lustbader)

Covert-One

1. The Hades Factor (2000) (with Gayle Lynds)

2. The Cassandra Compact (2001) (with Philip Shelby)

3. The Paris Option (2002) (with Gayle Lynds)

4. The Altman Code (2003) (with Gayle Lynds)

5. The Lazarus Vendetta (2004) (with Patrick Larkin)

6. The Moscow Vector (2005) (with Keith Farrell, Patrick Larkin)

The Arctic Event (2007) (with James H Cobb)

Novels

The Scarlatti Inheritance (1970)

The Osterman Weekend (1972)

The Matlock Paper (1973)

Trevayne (1973) (writing as Jonathan Ryder)

The Rhinemann Exchange (1974)

The Cry of the Halidon (1974) (writing as Jonathan Ryder)

The Gemini Contenders (1976)

The Chancellor Manuscript (1977)

The Holcroft Covenant (1978)

The Parsifal Mosaic (1982)

The Aquitaine Progression (1984)

The Icarus Agenda (1988)

The Scorpio Illusion (1993)

The Apocalypse Watch (1995)

The Prometheus Deception (2001)

The Sigma Protocol (2001)

The Janson Directive (2002)

The Tristan Betrayal (2003)

The Ambler Warning (2005)

The Bancroft Strategy (2006)

Omnibus

The Scarlatti Inheritance / The Osterman Weekend: The Matlock Paper / The Gemini Contenders (1979)

The Ludlum Triad (1989)

Three Great Novels 2: The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Osterman Weekend, The Matlock Paper (2004)

Three Great Novels 3: Trevayne / The Cry of the Halidon / The Rhine Mann Exchange (2005)

Robert Ludlum

A CLASSIC TRILOGY IS BOURNE:

Robert Ludlum's trio of international suspense novels featuring Jason Bourne have become a standard of measure for all who have longed to attain Ludlum's status as an author. The overwhelming success and continuing popularity of all three novels --- THE BOURNE IDENTITY, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM is a remarkable feat seldom achieved by any author attempting to follow a bestseller with even a single sequel, let alone two. Although Ludlum penned a lengthy list of bestsellers throughout his career, (with many more yet to be published posthumously) it is the Bourne trilogy that became the coveted anchor in every fans' collection, elevating Ludlum's masterful saga into the enviable category of a twentieth century classic.

THE BOURNE IDENTITY

Bantam Books

ISBN: 0553260111

In the shadowy world of international conspiracies it's difficult to know who to trust --- who is your friend, who is the enemy. In Jason Bourne's world, things are vastly more complicated because he isn't even sure who he is. Pulled from the Mediterranean Sea, critically injured from gunshot wounds and with no memory of his past, there are few clues to help him sort out his identity. A microfilm surgically implanted beneath his skin contains the key to a Swiss Bank Account flush with funds; his facial features have been altered by plastic surgery. For Jason Bourne, his perilous struggle to outwit those who are trying to kill him, specifically the evil assassin Carlos, soon pales in comparison to his growing fear that he, too, may be an international terrorist on the run.

THE BOURNE SUPREMACY

Bantam Books

ISBN: 0553263226

Jason Bourne has returned, creating a bloodbath in his wake, and the world trembles in fear of who's next on the legendary assassin's list. But the reality is that there are two Jason Bournes: the undercover operative who uses the fictitious name to infiltrate and dismantle the plans of international conspirators, and the unknown assassin who has stolen his identity. In this sequel to THE BOURNE IDENTITY, Bourne is drawn into a deadly game of intrigue as he races to find and expose the impostor before international detente is crippled beyond salvage.

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

Berkley Publishing Group

ISBN: 0553287737

Carlos, the Jackal, is obsessed with eliminating his rival, the fictitious assassin Jason Bourne. And the man he stalks, who had resumed a life of normalcy, finds himself thrust back into the covert life and legendary guise of Jason Bourne to hunt down the notorious terrorist, Carlos. Their final confrontation was inevitable from the first explosive pages of THE BOURNE IDENTITY, and now Bourne must become the bait to draw the Jackal from his lair. Readers will be on the edge of their seats, knowing that when this trilogy comes to a close, only one assassin will emerge triumphant.

THE COVERT ONE SERIES:

Prior to his death in March of 2001, Robert Ludlum began a new series in collaboration with other well-known international suspense writers entitled The Covert One Series. The novels feature a top-secret team of political and technical experts who fight corruption and conspiracy on an international level. Col. Jonathan Smith and his fellow Covert-One operatives, MI5 agent Peter Howells and CIA agent Randi Russell, are the continuing characters of the three Covert One novels published to date:

THE HADES FACTOR

(With Gayle Lynds)

Griffin Trade Paperback

ISBN: 0312973055

THE CASSANDRA COMPACT

(With Philip Shelby)

St. Martins Press

ISBN: 0312981589

Read a Review

THE PARIS OPTION

(With Gayle Lynds)

St. Martins Press

ISBN: 0312289871

Read a Review and Excerpt

THE PROMETHEUS DECEPTION

St. Martin's Press

ISBN: 031225346X

THE SIGMA PROTOCOL

St. Martin's Press

ISBN: 0312982518

THE MATARESE COUNTDOWN

Bantam Books

ISBN: 0553579835

If you loved THE MATARESE CIRCLE, then Robert Ludlum's newest thriller is the sequel you've been waiting for. The Matarese dynasty is back with secret deals, mysterious money shifts, corruption --- all the stuff of the best espionage thrillers that have garnered Ludlum millions of fans. One man, a CIA case officer named Cameron Pryce, has enough knowledge to stop the secret Matarese. But he may not have enough time. The countdown has begun and Pryce has only one chance to stop it. Let yourself be drawn into Ludlum's top secret world of THE MATARESE COUNTDOWN.

Robert Ludlum Eric Van Lustbader

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Betrayal by Eric Van Lustbader. Published 40 countries in 32 different languages. With The Bourne Legacy, Eric Van Lustbader brought Bourne to a whole new audience. Reenter the shadowy world of Jason Bourne, an expert assassin still plagued by the splintered nightmares of his former life. Now he’s back and the stakes are higher than ever. Book Description: Jason Bourne takes a mission to rescue his only friend in the CIA, Martin Lindros, who disappeared in Africa while tracking shipments of yellowcake uranium. Once safely back in America, Lindros persuades Bourne to help track the money trail of terrorists buying the nuclear material in Odessa. But once there, Bourne is hampered by confusing flashbacks of unfamiliar places and events and he wonders: Is someone brainwashing him in order to throw him off the trail? Worse, is the man he saved in Africa really Martin Lindros? Now, Bourne is alone gathering evidence while trying to stay one step ahead of the terrorists who won't let anyone stand in their way of destroying the U.S. About the Author: Eric Van Lustbader is most widely known as the author of twenty international bestselling thrillers, including The Ninja and Black Heart. He is also the author of two successful and highly regarded series of fantasy novels, The Sunset Warrior Cycle and The Pearl Saga. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages. Lustbader was born and raised in Greenwich Village. He and his wife, Victoria, have been residents of the South Fork of Long Island for more than fifteen years.