I review the ninth novel in the
bestselling Jason Bourne series, The
Bourne Dominion, written by Eric Van Lustbader and continuing the works
begun by Robert Ludlum. The book is currently available to buy in paperback and
online and was first published by Orion in 2011.
Bourne's enemies are gathering force.
Severus Domna, a secret and ancient cabal, has called forth its members from
around the globe, with one objective: to vanquish the last person capable of
destroying their bid to de-stabilize the world economy - Jason Bourne.
The Jason Bourne novels are something that I’ve been meaning to get to
for a long time now. The Bourne Dominion may
be the ninth book in the series, but it was the only one that the store on the
Ferry back from France had, and none of the other books that were on offer
really grabbed my attention. So I picked it up (Along with a Star Wars tie-in, Christie Golden’s Ascension, but more on that later), and
devoured it quickly on the overnight journey home, and despite having only read
the first novel (which I really enjoyed) and seen the films (which are probably
my favourite set of spy movies, aside from The
Bourne Legacy of course, which I wasn’t too keen on), it was accessible,
fast paced and entertaining, even if it wasn’t the strongest written book in
the world, and was perfect for a good, light slice of holiday reading and a way
to return to one of my favourite fictional characters, even if for Bourne, a
long time has passed since the conclusion of the novels that the film trilogies
were adapted from.
The
Bourne Dominion is Eric Van Lustbader’s sixth entry into the
Bourne series and he delivers a fast paced, high adrenaline read. The book pits
Bourne against a mysterious secret cabal known as Severus Domna, who only have
to kill one person if they want to wreak havoc to the world’s economy,
essentially destroying it. However, the bad news for them is that the one
person happens to be Bourne, who, as fans of the series will know, is pretty
hard to take down. However, Severus Domna have come up with a plan, to turn one
of Bourne’s most trusted friends, Boris Karpov, who will be promoted to the top
of the FSB-2, Russia’s most powerful spy agency, but only if he can kill Bourne
first.
So naturally, he’s pitted
against the odds as we embark on a global thrillride that features as many as
three different continents visited in this novel alone. The stakes are
naturally incredibly high and the espionage and intruige is pulled off well,
pitted against a fascinating web of conspiracy that keeps unfolding as the plot
develops. If you’re looking for a complicated and unpredictable thriller that
isn’t afraid to pull twists and turns, then this novel is your best bet, even
if it’s likely that veteran fans of the Bourne series will have probably long
since passed their judgement on this book. Something that I was annoyed at
however was the fact that even in the ninth book, Bourne’s loss of memory still
haunts him, and prevents him from remembering key information which can be frustrating
at times. However, that I found, was only one minor niggle, and although the
writing may not quite match Ludlum’s
original quality, it is still a decent efford from Lustbader who has had plenty
of practice with the popular thriller character.
The book may take a while to
get going, throwing in too many characters too early, but if you can put that
aside, The Bourne Dominion will be
worth the effort as the payoff in the third act is a lot stronger than what
come before. There’s some good character development and the story moves at a
quick pace, and there’s enough there to keep you coming back for the follow up,
The Bourne Imperative, which is high
on my to-read list and I’ll be checking out when I get the chance, as well as
going back to read the older novels that I haven't yet read. With everything taken into account, it comes with a cautious
recommendation for thriller fans.
VERDICT: 7/10
The
Jason Bourne Series: The Bourne Identity by
Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Supremacy by
Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Ultimatum by
Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Legacy by
Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Betrayal by
Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Sanction by
Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Deception by
Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Objective by
Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Dominion by
Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne Imperative
by Eric Van Lustbader, The Bourne
Retribution by Eric Van Lustbader, The
Bourne Ascendancy by Erick Van Lustbader
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