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10th out of 47 books
—
24 voters
The Gemini Contenders
Dead of night.Salonika, Greece, December 1939.A clandestine order of monks embarks on a desperate mission: to transport a mysterious vault to a hiding place high in the Italian Alps.Its sinister contents, concealed fro centuries, could rip apart the Christian world.Now, as the Nazi threat marches inexorably closer, good men and evil will be drawn into a violent and deadly...more
Paperback, 411 pages
Published
July 1st 1989
by Bantam
(first published 1968)
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At first I was a bit doubtful that I was going to enjoy this as much as some of Robert Ludlum's later books such as the Bourne series. But I shouldn't have doubted his skill as a writer and I was nearly immediately engaged in the story. As with all of the other Ludlum books I've read, the story and characters take a little while to get established but after that it's extremely fast paced and you have to try hard to put the book down. I especially enjoyed how dynamic and round all the significant...more
Not at all my usual thing, but this was quite good. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't something this inventive and with good pace and drive to the narrative. not always 100% believable, but that's the point of adventure, sometimes it is a bit out of the ordinary.
Starts in 1939, with a Greek monastic sect (who are very slightly round the bend) smuggling a big crate of something that would have repercussions on the fate of the whole world, it would divide the allies and change the e...more
Starts in 1939, with a Greek monastic sect (who are very slightly round the bend) smuggling a big crate of something that would have repercussions on the fate of the whole world, it would divide the allies and change the e...more
ISBN 0440128595 - Long before The DaVinci Code there were The Gemini Contenders - proving that fictional thrillers and religion have a long history of making good books together.
Savarone Fontini-Cristi has a 2000 year old secret. It's been in safe hands for a long time, but Hitler is leaving very few places safe enough for a secret like this one. To keep it hidden, the monks of The Order of Xenope turn to Savarone, who is among the first of many who die to protect it, or just because of it's exi...more
Savarone Fontini-Cristi has a 2000 year old secret. It's been in safe hands for a long time, but Hitler is leaving very few places safe enough for a secret like this one. To keep it hidden, the monks of The Order of Xenope turn to Savarone, who is among the first of many who die to protect it, or just because of it's exi...more
This is up there with Ludlum's best work, which for me includes "The Matarese Circle" and "The Holcroft Covenant." A superbly written thriller spanning almost 5 decades and WWII. Plus if you're into books with religious intrigue by author's not named "Dan Brown," you might wanna give this one a try.
::SPOILER ALERT::
As a student of theology, one problem I had with the book was the way that Ludlum talked about the filioque controversy and how it led to denials of Christ's divinity. In reality, the...more
::SPOILER ALERT::
As a student of theology, one problem I had with the book was the way that Ludlum talked about the filioque controversy and how it led to denials of Christ's divinity. In reality, the...more
I love Ludlum's books (except the Covert One series, and I'm not too crazy about the Bourne series either, yet).
I love also following how his style developed over the years. The Scarlatti Inheritance was a surprising read, after having started with The Sigma Protocol, then reading the Matarese Countdown and Circle (again, wrong order), proceeding with the Aquitaine Progression, The Holcroft Covenant, and other books of this era. Cold War. Those are all completely different from Ludlum's first bo...more
I love also following how his style developed over the years. The Scarlatti Inheritance was a surprising read, after having started with The Sigma Protocol, then reading the Matarese Countdown and Circle (again, wrong order), proceeding with the Aquitaine Progression, The Holcroft Covenant, and other books of this era. Cold War. Those are all completely different from Ludlum's first bo...more
I should know better by now that I shouldn't start reading a Ludlum novel when I have other things I have to do (homework, mowing the yard, feeding my children, sleep), but I still get them, and I love them! In the first 4 chapters, Ludlum has a conspiracy that involves the disciples of Christ, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Nazis, the Fascists in Italy, the Corsican crime syndicate, British intelligence, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Communists underway, that expands to include US Army I...more
Oh yeah, this book is like riding a rollercoaster. No wonder Robert Ludlum is the king of thrillers. There are so many surprises in this book and the best one of all is the content of the hidden parchment that is stored from the larger world. The twins, Adrian and Andrew, are searching for this parchment at the end of the book. They are the Gemini contenders and take the theory of the good twin versus evil twin to a whole new diabolical level. Great book. Great ending. I liked thinking about how...more
Sometimes old is good. Just finished listening to an old book by Robert Ludlum entitled The Gemini Contenders. Wow. You gotta wonder if Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code might have been inspired by this Ludlum? As a Da Vinci fan, I was most impressed by Gemini. I won't spoil the plot, just take my recommendation to read (or listen to) this book. You can find it on Amazon in a few formats. For the audio version, I used audible.com to download the book in their format. Recorded in the early 90's, audible'...more
I am a big fan of Robert Ludlum, but this book was like Urgh!!! What was he thinking??? The most boring book ever, it took me like months just to finish it, and yah I had to finish it, the perfectionist in me just wouldn't allow me to let go. Hmmm, no wait, perhaps I am being a bit harsh, there were some good moments in which I couldn't wait to know what will happen next, and it did expand like generations. Some of the story attached to Victor was good and some things associated with his twin ch...more
At the start of World War II a train departs from Salonika and heads for the Italian Alps, carrying a mysterious cargo. Over the next four decades, various members of the wealthy Italian Fontini-Cristi family, and a small brotherhood of priests with the name Xenope, struggle to locate and control the deadly secret cargo. A parchment was taken from a Roman prison cell in the year 65 A.D. It is a letter written by a prisoner named Simon Bethsaida, renamed 'Peter' by Jesus Christ. In the letter, Pe...more
Plot covers a 3-generations long hunt for a hidden religious document that could discredit the New Testament by an Italian noble family, Greek Orthodox Christians, Nazis, Catholics, the MI6 and so on. Definitely better than a Dan Brown novel with lots of well-written action and a very fast-paced plot, though at times it's too fast-paced. Many of the subplots are finished or dropped before they get interesting, and much character development happens too quickly to be believed. Kinda feels like an...more
Mar 01, 2012
Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
spionaggio,
guerra
Robert Ludlum, come già detto molte volte nelle mie precedenti recensioni è un maestro indiscusso del genere spy-story, tanto da meritarsi l'appellativo di "Mr. Plot", signor complotto. . I suoi libri sono stati tradotti in 32 lingue in oltre 40 paesi. Il totale delle vendite dei suoi libri supera i 200 milioni di copie.
È diventato celebre per la serie di romanzi The Bourne Identity ai quali sono stati vagamente ispirati tre film.
Questa è un'opera giovane e ne risente un poco, la storia: nel 193...more
È diventato celebre per la serie di romanzi The Bourne Identity ai quali sono stati vagamente ispirati tre film.
Questa è un'opera giovane e ne risente un poco, la storia: nel 193...more
This book was a surprise but also a deception.
You can divide it in two halves: the story of Vittorio and that of his children. If the first half was well done and revealed itself as a surprise, as I didn't think this book would caught me like it did, the second half became a disappointment.
A train leaves from Salonika, in the beginning of WWII, with documents which, in the bad hands, could endanger de faith of millions and that way be used as a weapon. Such documents were so dangerous that many...more
You can divide it in two halves: the story of Vittorio and that of his children. If the first half was well done and revealed itself as a surprise, as I didn't think this book would caught me like it did, the second half became a disappointment.
A train leaves from Salonika, in the beginning of WWII, with documents which, in the bad hands, could endanger de faith of millions and that way be used as a weapon. Such documents were so dangerous that many...more
3 likes · like · see review
I always picked up Ludlum's books for my husband at the library but never got into them myself ... until later in life when I read The Bourne Identity and discovered I liked his style of writing. I enjoyed the first half of the Gemini Contenders, the second half, not as much - it totally changed gears. The story almost should have ended with the second generation (story-wise) of the Fontini-Cristi family, but then where would the title fit in?
I checked this book out from the library to see what the work of the man who invented the Jason Bourne character was like. _The_Gemini_Contenders_ was interesting and exciting, one of the first books that I have devoured in quite some time. This is not the kind of book that one reads to cultivate reflective thought, but it serves its purpose as an action/thriller book well. Another book by Robert Ludlum is next on my reading list.
The first half of this book was a mediocre thriller with your typical The Perfect Man sort of main character. The second half (which is labeled "Book Two", starting about 200 pages in) is MUCH better, with a very interesting plot that pits one brother against the other in a complex emotional race against the clock.
Worth reading just for part two, if you don't mind powering through the first half.
Worth reading just for part two, if you don't mind powering through the first half.
A story of revenge. Set in the late 1930s, Vittorio Fontini Cristi (Victor Fontine) escapes the gruesome massacre of his family at Campo di Fiori, with the forceful help of his friend, Barzini.
Vittorio's survival leads him into a world of adventure. The plot thickens as he unravels his father's dying words; a secret that could have the potential to shake up the world of Christianity for ever.
Vittorio's survival leads him into a world of adventure. The plot thickens as he unravels his father's dying words; a secret that could have the potential to shake up the world of Christianity for ever.
Tough read for me. Starting during WWII and goes on for three or four decades regarding a train full of mystery cargo. Religious twists to family in fighting. I remember not getting all the plots so having to return to early chapters for some sort of explanation. Vague past for me. Maybe too beach drunk to remember.
it's a 3.5 rating really.... felt like two books clumsily stapled together, not one perfect volume. But it sufficed. It was an easy, and enjoyable, read.
I really like the idea that a crucial bit of history could be stored away from prying eyes for CENTURIES.
It's probably true, too.
LOL
:)
I really like the idea that a crucial bit of history could be stored away from prying eyes for CENTURIES.
It's probably true, too.
LOL
:)
Great book. This was one of the first Ludlum books that I've read, and I will definitely read another one. I will say that I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot more than the second half - the second story seemed a bit more disjointed and slow in pace. But overall, it was a good read.
Very similar in style to many of his other books, The Gemini Contenders is, for me, another book based around a fascinating concept by Ludlum. Again, there is a race against time which pushes the book along at quite a pace, with twists and turns along the way.
I don't know, I really went back and forth between 2 and 3 stars with this one. I usually really like thrillers from the World War 2 era but for some reason, this book along with the characters didn't really click with me. He is a great writer though.
The first part of the book was great. I couldn't put it down! Once I neared the last quarter though it started getting a bit stale. Overall a great suspense novel and well written. Read if you are looking for a quick page turner with twists and turns!
Picked this up to read on the beach. It was awful. Hard to follow and yet predictable at the same time. Sort of an early version of a Dan Brown novel. Includes a graphic gang rape and lots of sexist ideas in general. 2 thumbs down.
i learned so much about espionage, WWII intelligence tactics, Italian families.. it was just so complex. you have to kind of commit, but it's so fascinating that it was another one I could hardly put down. great pacing and suspense.
Initially I was finding it difficult to take interest in the book, but got glued to it after the first chapter. Personally I do not like war settings, but the book comes out of it and holds in front of you the charactersitics of a hman mind, each more complex than the other. The death of Vittorio is but obvious, and handled extremely non-pomputuosly..still, his death leaves a hollow in your mind. You would identify yourself with him throughout the book and appreciate his shrewdness. It is actual...more
secrecy, generational conflict, WWII aftermath, but author's development of characters is excellent at the beginning of the story and then becomes unbelieveable as the story progresses.
I have red all his books. They are great intriguing novels. Even the ones that have been penned in his name after his death have been excellent.
interesting religious tilt to the book. Pretty typical Ludlum. Intricate plot, but disjointed writing style. It doesn't flow well.
A fast-paced read with a very interesting and compelling premise. Think DaVinci Code but with actual depth in the writing.
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Robert Ludlum was an American author of 25 thriller novels. There are more than 290 million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 32 languages. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.
Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch,...more
More about Robert Ludlum...
Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch,...more
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“It was important to keep moving. Certain struggles continued. Others had to be brought to a close. The wisdom was in deciding which.”
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Sep 03, 2011 11:51pm