The Bourne Treachery is a superb fast-paced follow-up to the recently rebooted ‘The Bourne Evolution’ which came out last year. Jason Bourne felt more closely aligned with the killer we have come to love from Robert Ludlum’s original awe-inspiring trilogy. The profound twists throughout the story felt reminiscent of Robert Ludlum’s shock-and-awe style of writing and shook the entire narrative to its core.
Jason Bourne goes after a notorious and enigmatic terrorist known to the intelligence community only as Lennon. With a penchant for John Lennon’s music along with twisted lust for violence, brainwashing, and staying anonymous, he proves to be just as great of a threat as Carlos The Jackal from Bourne’s past, if not greater. As Bourne fights his way out of sticky situations, he can’t shake the feeling Lennon is someone from his amnesia-stricken past. From the first chapter itself, there is a big showdown in the making with two lethal killers trying to outfox each other and share a past that Bourne may not remember until it is too late.
The non-stop action is a mix of deathly fisticuffs and shootouts which continue to demonstrate Bourne’s badassery in high spirits from the Ludlum books. I did find the lack of descriptions for weapons to be a little out of character for Jason Bourne stories. Weapons help develop an action-icon just as much as any other personality trait. The nomenclature and descriptions of weapons also allow for a more realistic visualization of action sequences, an aspect the next Jason Bourne action thriller can immensely benefit from.
I loved that the story developed smoothly over the narrative, tying up the necessary events but leaving the larger mystery for the next book. Even decades later, Jason Bourne continues to be a must-read action-icon thanks to a much-needed rejuvenation by Brian Freeman. A wisdom nugget: read the last chapter while listening to Extreme Ways by Moby. You’re welcome!
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