The Gemini Contenders

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 entire course of history should it fall into the wrong hands. They trust an Italian aristocrat with the secret and he hides this away in a secret location. Due to an nasty incident, the family's reduced to just the eldest son, who hasn't been show more taken into his father's confidence, but has an uphill struggle trying to get anyone to believe that. The contents of the crate diminish in importance under some classic WW2 derring-do, but surface intermittently, when it becomes clear that someone's not been telling the whole truth here. There's an attempt to resolve the situation at the end of WW2, but that has some unpleasant consequences, and the son puts it behind him.
But that's not the end of it. Some 30 or so years later, a few strange coincidences start to crop up, leaving the son with one last attempt to try and solve the riddle. This proves his undoing and the baton is passed to his twin sons, (the Gemini of the title). They're about as different as chalk & cheese, one being a lawyer, the other a soldier. They are brought together and their father plainly hopes they will work together to solve the problem, bringing their different skills to bear. Need I say it doesn't work out that way?
This has overtones of [b:The Da Vinci Code|968|The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)|Dan Brown|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1303252999s/968.jpg|2982101], with a powerful secret that could blow apart the modern church which is being sought by conflicting parties, some nicer than others. However, it's some significant portion better than that tommy rot. This has pace, engaging characters and I found myself being sucked along with the rollercoaster ride. This is shelved on my husband's bookcases, along with a fair few other examples. I might not devour them in one go, but I might well take another visit to that corner of the bookcase. show less

In my opinion, not one of Mr. Ludlum's best and not one of his worst novels. "The Gemini Contenders" The novel starts off in 1939 and follows the lives of the Fontini-Cristi family over the next several decades, as they navigate the mysteries of religious documents that, in the wrong hands, could endanger the faith of millions of Christians across the world. The plot is full of twists and turns, which keep the novel interesting. A bit graphic and violent at times. If you are a fan of World War II historical fiction and you haven't read this novel, you may wish to add it to your tbr list.

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 volume is still a swift read, full of incident. Neither in the top nor bottom rank of Ludlum's many works.

In my opinion, not one of Mr. Ludlum's best and not one of his worst novels. "The Gemini Contenders" The novel starts off in 1939 and follows the lives of the Fontini-Cristi family over the next several decades, as they navigate the mysteries of religious documents that, in the wrong hands, could endanger the faith of millions of Christians across the world. The plot is full of twists and turns, which keep the novel interesting. A bit graphic and violent at times. If you are a fan of World War II historical fiction and you haven't read this novel, you may wish to add it to your tbr list.

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.

Absurd thriller in which an obscure religious artefact is considered more important than the outcome of WW2. Fragmented narrative doesn't help.

Typical formula Ludlum. Not his best writing, though not as horrible as some of his work in the 90s.