Brittany McCann's Reviews > The Bourne Betrayal

While Eric Van Lustbader stayed very close to Robert Ludlum's original view of the Bourne-verse in the last book, this one, he hits the ground running with his own interpretation of the character and stretches his legs on how far he can take him and the storyline. It's not unlike the comic world that featured many different writers who had their own ideas, and I can respect him wanting to take on the reins of Bourne as his now.

It was a bit jarring initially because there were characters that I LOVED from Ludlum's version, especially Marie. Ludlum's Bourne had more humanity and less machine, whereas Van Lustbader's Bourne had more machine. But if you understand the story, you can see that it was necessary. Sometimes, in order to understand insanity and evil, you must become a version of that yourself. This was perfectly personified.

The craziness was really something has run rampant in any Bourne verse, this slightly sci-fi acceptance of sleeper cells on steroids, for lack of a better description.

In this one, there is some mind manipulation and many body parts WERE harmed in the process. Bourne is still fighting to regain memories, while having also to fight everyone on all sides.

There are some amazing, thrilling action scenes, and I liked that many characters playing both sides of the issues were exposed.

This was crazy, but what Bourne book hasn't been? You didn't come here for reality. This is fiction.

4 Stars