The Aquitaine Progression: A Novel

(Spoiler Alert) I have read maybe 7 of Ludlum's books so far, and this one is my particular favorite, even more satisfying than the Bourne trilogy. The plot unfolds almost exclusively from the point of the protagonist who unknowingly is drawn in to save the world, for most of the novel, single-handedly. Because Ludlum writes the plot in a way that the other characters don't offer much info that's known to the protagonist, thus the reader is in the same position as the protagonist- of not knowing- I found the extent to which this was done very riveting. To add to this thrill is that there are good guys and bad guys in each country referrred to in the book, and you don't know (besides a couple of characters) which is good or bad until they're exposed or it's the end of the book. What's particularly nice is that although the protagonist (Joel Converse) has to act as a professional spy (including killing when necessary), it's (somewhat) on the job training, something he figures out as he goes along, since he's actually an attorney. (He does use his prior Vietnam experience to help him make decisions and act.) The plot and flow is very tight and intricately weaved. There's one unnamed, secondary character who pops up now and then in the story, and suddenly, at the end, you find out who he is, and it puts a lot of little pieces together. Unlike the other Ludlum books I've read where a romantic relationship is already established, it's nice to see how Converse and his ex-wife have a relationship that (re-)develops over time. I love the varying narrative formats that help tell the story; besides the normal storytelling, there are briefs and depositions that create the narration. I have to say that the way Converse develops a plan to finally nail the major villains of the grand scheme to take over the world- via lawyerly tools- is brilliant. (I thought that approach, which is stated outright at the beginning of the novel, might be a boring solution.) And for me, this being 2014 in America, there were some scary parallels of countries of people being okay with the government making their security decisions for them without their consent.Only a couple very minor points seemed less than believable to me in the book. One is where the ex- Mrs. Converse is able to fluently speak in code over the phone with her husband, having no prior experience in this area, and being simply a professional artist/painter. Her ability, especially under duress, seemed unrealistic given her lack of experience and her background. The other is when she is assigned to be the radio backup/contact for the raid on island at the end. Again, she has no experience in this, a fact which could seriously jeopardize the mission if she made a miscue. I understand Ludlum's motive in keeping her in the story here, but it wasn't really necessary and stretches believability in my mind.

Aquitaine and the Bourne trilogy set the standard for spy thriller stories. Ludlum was adept at precise description to ensure the reader saw the scenes exactly as the author intended. The theme is equally relevant today. A few political charlatans amass wealth and power to turn world events in their favor. A lawyer with a brave military past is thrust in their path and must morph into a combination of 007 and Rambo to defeat them, all while lamenting a bad marriage and trying not to enjoy dispelling bad guys. The first person omniscient perspective ensures you are thoroughly familiar with all motivations, fears, doubts, likes, dislikes, etc. of every character. Today, Baldacci, Brown, Koontz and others have advanced the art to paint equivalent plots with fewer strokes. Though the plot moves at a reasonable pace, I found myself getting annoyed once in a while at the 6th or 7 th time the protagonist reviewed his POW and marriage flashbacks. At the three-quarter point, as Converse flees through Europe and encounters malevolent pursuers at every turn, Ludlum got into a wash, rinse, repeat cycle that started to wear thin. And then after the adversary is built into an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient feind, a few do the near impossible and all is well. What? As it feels like someone rang the dinner bell and told Ludlum to wrap it up, he ties up the loose ends as concisely and simplisticly as possible and unicorns go galloping round rainbows as everyone hugs. Definitely worth the read, this is definitely in the top 10 of Ludlum's novels. It's a page turner that while verbose and sentimental at several points, contains a satisfying amount of sneaking, peeking, deceiving, shooting, and running through the heart of circa 1990 Europe.

In light of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the premise of this book doesn't seem as far fetched as would otherwise be the case: people try to take over governments by creating chaos. But to get to that point, one must wade through so many anachronisms that it is distracting: Bonn is the Capital of (West) Germany, there are border formalities between EU members, smoking takes plain hotel rooms, taxis, and elevators, each country has its own currency, etc. Ludlum refers to Embassy Attachès as "Chargès d'Affaires (a Chargè is the Acting Ambassador). Those inaccuracies detract from the story. On the other hand, the Vietnam War-era backstory makes for interesting parallels, and Ludlum can write dynamic stories. I just with I had read the book 25 years ago.

This was one of my mother's favorite books. She tried for years to have me read it, for she knew how much it would be enjoyed. I tried once, but could not get myself through the early backstory and exposition. She died without us ever having a chance to discuss it. Two years after her passing, I picked it up and forced my way into the meat of this amazing novel. I finished it in two days. Now, 15 years later, I rewarded myself with another reading of this masterpiece. If Jason Bourne (he of the first three novels, not the films) is the ultimate weapon, Joel Converse is how every man wishes he would respond to dire circumstances. Having heard and seen things I cannot repeat, there was a time when the very scenarios painted by Ludlum could have happened; maybe they are still possible today. Regardless, this is a thrill ride that only Mr. Ludlum could paint. His location descriptions are fantastic, and his characters fill the page. I cannot recommend this work, or the original Bourne books, highly enough.

with this author you know all the characters are going to be larger than life and the plot requiring some suspension of belief but this book takes it too far. The hero manages to have a lot of people killed and defy death at regular intervals in an increasingly unrealistic plot. Definitely not one of his best

Looking forward to reading it.

perecto

Best story tell for me

excellent