Good

Good

Some spy novels get better and more relevant with age, and Robert Ludlum's fabulous The Matarese Circle falls into that category. What it lacks in literary aspirations it more than makes up for in sheer excitement and fun.

Written decades ago, the story-line of Matarese Circle seems almost prophetic despite it being dated, the world finally catching up to the plot. A spy thriller this wildly entertaining isn't supposed to give you such pause afterward, as you look around the globe, yet it does. Riveting is a word too often used by publishers attempting to hype their book and generate sales. It is the perfect word to describe the narrative between the covers of this terrific thriller.

Two high level executions are mere tests of controlled reactions by a group whose name is not even whispered within the hallowed corridors of power in Washington or Russia. It began in the hills of Corsica decades before, and now moves covertly in the shadows. Two men on opposite sides, both the best in their field, are on the receiving end of one order: unsalvageable. Brandon Scofield and Vasili Taleniekov have been on a collision course for decades, but now the Russian will secretly reach out to his deadliest enemy in order to prevent the Matarese from controlling the world.

This is a lightning-paced spy thriller with more globe-trotting action than any ten others in the genre combined, yet on some level, it comes off as eerily plausible. The Matarese foster chaos in governments through financial control and political upheaval, like a puppeteer. Violent groups remain unaware, however, that they are mere pawns of the Matarese. Unless Scofield and Taleniekov can stop them, the Matarese will soon, through assassination and through democratic election, control the superpowers completely. What began in those Corsican hills, will finally span the globe.

A young woman from Corsica will give Brandon Scofield new life, but perhaps too late, as he may have to sacrifice it to save his country. And Taleniekov will discover just how far the fever has spread when he contacts old friends. Only Beowolf and the Serpent can track down the heirs and heiresses to a group so deadly and insidious a simple whisper means death. For the reader, it is a spellbinding ride that keeps pages turning late into morning. A book so exciting, written over thirty years ago, in the midst of a cold war which supposedly no longer exists, isn't suppose to be this much fun. Nor should it be so eerily disturbing.

Ludlum later revealed to readers he patterned the Shepherd Boy after Spanish financier Juan March Ordinas, and the Matarese idea sprung from rumors that the Trilateral Commission was attempting to create one world government. He embellished on this premise and created one of the most action-filled spy novels ever written. A wild ride that is both gripping and tremendously enjoyable. If you read for entertainment purposes, you can't go wrong with this one! ( )

"Las autoridades rusas sospechan que Vasili Talienikov, ex director de la KGB, se oculta detrás de un terrible atentado. En Estados Unidos, Brandon Scofield, el asesino profesional más eficaz del mundo occidental, pasa a ser de pronto considerado peligroso e inestable, y debe ser eliminado. Estos dos hombres son enemigos, con un odio antiguo y profundo. Pero ahora deben sumar sus fuerzas para enfrentarse a la organización criminal más terrible de toda la historia: el círculo Matarese. En las más altas esferas, pronunciar el nombre de esa organización puede equivaler a una condena a muerte. Asesinos despiadados, sus acciones han modificado el curso de los acontecimientos durante toda la historia moderna. Mandatarios de todo el mundo están a su merced. Sólo Talienikov y Scofield, si consiguen hacer a un lado sus diferencias, pueden detenerlos, e impedir que el mundo se hunda en una espiral de caos y destrucción"

406/83-Είναι το δεύτερο βιβλίο του συγγραφέα που διαβάζω. Το προηγούμενο " Το χειρόγραφο Τράνσελορ " ομολογώ πως δε με είχε ενθουσιάσει αρκετά.
Το συγκεκριμένο κινείται στο ίδιο ύφος , μια περίεργη ίντριγκα , που από πίσω κρύβονται επώνυμοι ( motto : λίγοι και καλοί ) .
Αυτή τη φορά επιστρατεύεται ένα ιδιαίτερο δίδυμο - οι καλύτεροι πράκτορες Αμερικής και Ρωσίας , μέχρι πρότινος φανατικοί εχθροί -οι οποίοι αντιλαμβάνονται τη σοβαρότητα της υπόθεσης και αποφασίζουν να δράσουν κρυφά - ομαδικά . Προφητικό βιβλίο , γιατί ο μύθος που περιγράφει είναι κάτι που δε ξενίζει πια στις μέρες μας . ΄Οπως και στο βιβλίο είναι κάτι που προσωρινά αναστέλλεται , αλλά μετά από χρόνια ξαναγεννιέται.
Οι χαρακτήρες του διδύμου εντυπωσιακά απλοί , χωρίς να γίνονται βαρετοί ,
σε κερδίζουν από τη πρώτη στιγμή . ( )