Lasse Carlsson's Reviews > The Bourne Ultimatum

I am quite the fan of the Bourne film series. Matt Damon's incredible performance as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne really refined the vulnerable yet brutal everyman action hero that many action films have tried (and failed *cough* Quantum of Solace) to emulate since his debut. Both Damon and his directors understood what made the character of Bourne great. He is a sympathetic man that will turn into a monster during dangerous circumstances but always fight for the good cause, and in this book Ludlum really nails Bourne's imner conflict.
It has been 13 years since Jason Bourne woke up with memory-loss on a beach in France and discovered his true identity as David Webb, an undercover CIA operative in pursuit of the dangerous terrorist Carlos the Jackal. Since then he has lived a happy life with his wife and kids as a professor of Asian languages in Maine, but when Carlos the Jackal makes an attempt to kill David's friends Alex Conklin and Dr. Panov he must once again become Jason Bourne and continue the hunt in order to protect his kids. While setting up a trap for Carlos, the three friends end up stumbling on a conspiracy that has members in the highest levels of the American and Soviet governments.
My relationship with the Bourne books has always been a bit strained. The first one had an interesting mystery but felt very long and tedious, and the climax was extremely underwhelming. The second book was a lot better; it dealt masterfully with the split personality disorder, showing us a Bourne in his prime as a trained killer, but also some chapters about David's wife that were a chore to read and a quite convoluted plot. This book, however, has it all. A great plot with many twists and turns, a fascinating and ruthless villain, exciting locations, interesting side characters, and an amazing climax at a KGB training facility. All this serves to tell the story of a man on a reluctant quest for peace; a man who must either reconcile two conflicting character traits or plunge into madness.
This is definetely the first Jason Bourne book I really enjoyed and it serves as a great farewell to the story and characters Ludlum introduced in The Bourne Identity. I am excited to see what author Eric van Lustbader will do with the story of Bourne, but I honestly think this book will be hard to top. This is without doubt one of the most positive surprises I have had this year, and I warmly recommend reading this action packed thriller, even if that means dragging yourself through its quite subpar predecessors.