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...

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...

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:)

not as exhilirating as brown's the da vinci code, but it does present a similar sacrilegious concepti wonder if this caused a similar stir back in 1976p137: he was blinded; a breathless vacuum was being imposed on him, without light, without air.p212: the boy was a black, with a growth of beard on his face.p260: "... i couldn't swear to it--that car's totalled--but your friend could have taken a short blast from a shotgun."

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...

As with the Bourne thrillers The Gemini Contenders is a fast paced novel with a generous mixture of action, suspense and plot twists. The main crux of the story is the quest to unearth sacred religious documents from the contents of an iron box, which if exhumed, could trigger a holy war and have a profound impact on the Second World War. As the book moves into the 1970s the threat of holy war diminishes and instead its acquisition becomes a personal goal of the two main antagonists who wish to

Let us go through certain half-deserted streetsThe muttering retreatsOf restless nights in one-night cheap hotels...To lead you to an overwhelming question.T.S. EliotMy memories of this hastily recycled book will always now be indelibly soaked in the redolence of the rain-soaked, mustily-mildewed wallpaper of cheap Edinburgh eateries - all we could then afford back then, during my first ventures into Scottish life - back when I was twenty-something.The flight from Mirabel was uneventful, but the...

THE GEMINI CONTENDERSAnother one of Robert Ludlum’s (R.I.P.) novels that I first read as a middle school-aged kid back in the late 1980s that I’ve now re-read as an adult with the added experience of military and foreign travel experience. Admittedly the book’s title was an additional motivational factor to re-read in this case, as my wonderful girlfriend happens to be a Gemini. ;-)As in typically the case with a Ludlum novel, “The Gemini Contenders” is full of (bloody, gory, violent) action, in...

I first read The Gemini Contenders a little under forty years ago and remembered that I enjoyed it very much. I was looking forward to a second read. I'm disappointed to say I was slightly underwhelmed.Like all off Ludlum's novels, the plot is convoluted, twisting and full of red herrings. It's also a load of nonsense but that's what you expect from the author of the fabulous Bourne Trilogy. The narrative of The Gemini Contenders stretches from 1939 to 1973. In a sense it's a religious thriller

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...

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 generally like this type of adventure book, set over a long time period or several generations. This had many of the elements I like, including multiple settings across Europe, some spy stuff during the war, family drama, secret societies, etc. but I didn't think the writing was very good. The descriptions were long, unwieldy and confusing. The characters were pretty good, although most were pretty extreme and I hated that the only female of importance was tossed aside and rarely mentioned - w...

The first half was compelling and at times tense, with a well fleshed out protagonist. However the second half, whilst dramatic and at times a real page turner, failed to live up to the books excellent start. The twins were disappointing, and you never get to feel anything for them as they have no time to develop. The plot was mostly good, which redeemed the sub par characters.

This is a 1976 entry in the fanatical/psychotic Christian sect - world shattering Religious Artefact supressed for centuries sub-genre of the thriller. It's a good deal more competent than a more recent such book that also features a trip to the Louvre, but then so are my schoolboy fictions.It deviates somewhat from the standard Ludlum formula, being one of the few with a historical setting and straggling through three generations of protagonists. This latter is a bit disconcerting but this volu...

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

On the cover of the paperback a NYT reviewer called this book Ludlum's "most ambitious" novel. I would call it undisciplined. One has the distinct impression that he got near the end of a pretty good story and then just kept going as if he did no know how to end it. The second part introduces new characters, re-runs of characters in the first part, and ends with a melodramatic finish. Sure it is just a novel, of the beach vacation variety, but it could have been better.

Turgid espionage novel, like a 70's version of Dan Brown.In WWII, the Italian Fascists execute an entire family save one member, who makes his way out of Italy, and joins the resistance. Eventually we get to the 1970's, where there a train is taken over by religious zealots.I had trouble keeping interested.

I read this for the 2019 Popsugar Challenge category of "A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title". I have read quite a bit of Ludlum over the years, but apparently missed this one when it was published in 1976. I have to say, I didn't like this as much a I expected to. I found the writing a bit overwrought at times, and saw way more typos than I would expect from an author at this level. I don't know whether my tastes have changed over time, or this one just wasn't one of his best.

An order of Greek monks during World War II want to smuggle documents relating to Jesus that have been safeguarded for two thousand years. They turn to a wealthy family for assistance. Things go wrong and for several generations the family is pursued by various forces. Like the rest of Ludlum's novels the story is fast paced and gripping.

Yet another awesome Ludlum thriller from Pg1 to Pg 502. The first half where Vittorio Fontine is the Hero is classic; the second part where the brothers are pitted against each other is quite stereotyped though; However the last few chapters are quite griping and hard to put down. I really liked the way the author has created the character called Vittorio (Victor) and gone to great details on how he thinks and what he feels. No one can beat Ludlum at this. He portrays the generational shifts as