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The Gemini Contenders
Salonika, Greece: December 1939. In the dead of night, a clandestine order of monks embarks on a desperate mission: to transport a mysterious vault to a hiding place high in the Italian Alps. The sinister cache, concealed for centuries, could rip apart the Christian world. Now, as the Nazi threat marches inexorably closer, men both good and evil will be drawn into a violent and deadly hunt, sparking a relentless struggle that could forever change the world as we know it.
Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Gemini Contenders
“[Robert Ludlum’s] most ambitious novel . . . Its twist and turns carry the reader on a fast bobsled run. . . . A marvelously unflagging imagination.”—The New York Times
“A winner . . . one of those books you intend to put down after just one more chapter . . . suddenly it’s two in the morning and you’ve read the whole thing.”—United Press International
“A skyrocket of a book . . . The action never stops for a second.”—The Plain Dealer
“Packed full of excitement.”—The Denver Post
Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Gemini Contenders
“[Robert Ludlum’s] most ambitious novel . . . Its twist and turns carry the reader on a fast bobsled run. . . . A marvelously unflagging imagination.”—The New York Times
“A winner . . . one of those books you intend to put down after just one more chapter . . . suddenly it’s two in the morning and you’ve read the whole thing.”—United Press International
“A skyrocket of a book . . . The action never stops for a second.”—The Plain Dealer
“Packed full of excitement.”—The Denver Post
411 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Robert Ludlum
506 books4,785 followersRobert Ludlum was the author of twenty-seven novels, each one a New York Times bestseller. There are more than 210 million of his books in print, and they have been translated into thirty-two languages. He is the author of The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript, and the Jason Bourne series--The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum--among others. Mr. Ludlum passed away in March, 2001. 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, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A non-Ludlum book supposedly inspired by his unused notes, Covert One: The Hades Factor, has also been made into a mini-series. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.
Some of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A non-Ludlum book supposedly inspired by his unused notes, Covert One: The Hades Factor, has also been made into a mini-series. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
January 14, 2024
Let us go through certain half-deserted streets
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels...
To lead you to an overwhelming question.
T.S. Eliot
My 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 adjustment would prove unnerving.
Driving from Glasgow was as halcyon as our flight, but arriving in an out-of-the-way cul-de-sac pauper’s hotel in central Edinburgh as evening fell marked the downward descent from glossy brochures: into brute reality.
While overseas, we had paid our money - now in Scotland we were about to take our chances!
Our spartan, tiny room bode ill for us too. I was jet-lagged, though, and had to get ready to turn in, fast...
Escaping from its tight confines onto the second floor landing, I made for a cozy-looking reading lounge, to forget my cares in Robert Ludlum’s sheer suspense.
But the characters all seemed carbon-copy clones of each other (topic for a graduate thesis: The Archetype of Banality in the Oeuvre of Ludlum?).
So it WAS to be a restless night in a cheap hotel. And a ONE-NIGHT cheap hotel at that, bless my soul...
For as I tried to concentrate on the postmodern drugstore thriller in my hand, I heard a creak of heavy treads on the landing.
Then, two minutes later, more leaden footfalls... I peered out of the glass French doors of the reading room.
Slightly inebriated middle-aged men were following one another grimily into similar spartan sleeping cells for a bit of respite from their weary workaday daily routine...
Oh, do not ask what is it!
That was a venue NOT to visit...
If this story was not to your liking, imagine me, sleepless in Scotland!
“Whatsa matter, Fergus? Brute Reality too much for you? Some guys, as William Blake says, havta make their Heaven in Hell’s Despite!”
Well, I know - but even back then I had my handy tranquillizers at the ready.
Avoiding any further disruptions, I returned to our sleazy cell, brushed my teeth, and popped my pill.
Next thing I knew, it was morning, and my senses were for the first time during that trip assaulted by the acrid smell of timeworn damp wainscotting.
A Scotch mist was penetrating the room.
I shaved while still-a-bit-dreamily getting the feel of Scottish music (My Baby Takes the Morning Train - remember that showstopper?...
Work all day to earn our pay
So we can play all night.)
Yikes.
Then I ambled down those selfsame creaky stairs to have some brunch (one of the perpetual standards on their home-cooked menu, I remember - cause it sounded odd to my North American ears - a slapdash but Scots-sounding Mixed Grill, which was fairly decent).
Then, outward and onward I wended my way to the nearby incredible Scottish Portrait Gallery, while my Dad (on whose dime we were travelling) went about his business.
The weather was clearing up, and things augured well for us...
But for the next two nights in that one-night cheap hotel would be spent with dutiful dollops of that best of all insomniacs’ soporifics -
The Gemini Contenders, and many more dangerous (to then-innocent me) duos -
Otherwise, this was to me an eminently forgettable book.
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels...
To lead you to an overwhelming question.
T.S. Eliot
My 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 adjustment would prove unnerving.
Driving from Glasgow was as halcyon as our flight, but arriving in an out-of-the-way cul-de-sac pauper’s hotel in central Edinburgh as evening fell marked the downward descent from glossy brochures: into brute reality.
While overseas, we had paid our money - now in Scotland we were about to take our chances!
Our spartan, tiny room bode ill for us too. I was jet-lagged, though, and had to get ready to turn in, fast...
Escaping from its tight confines onto the second floor landing, I made for a cozy-looking reading lounge, to forget my cares in Robert Ludlum’s sheer suspense.
But the characters all seemed carbon-copy clones of each other (topic for a graduate thesis: The Archetype of Banality in the Oeuvre of Ludlum?).
So it WAS to be a restless night in a cheap hotel. And a ONE-NIGHT cheap hotel at that, bless my soul...
For as I tried to concentrate on the postmodern drugstore thriller in my hand, I heard a creak of heavy treads on the landing.
Then, two minutes later, more leaden footfalls... I peered out of the glass French doors of the reading room.
Slightly inebriated middle-aged men were following one another grimily into similar spartan sleeping cells for a bit of respite from their weary workaday daily routine...
Oh, do not ask what is it!
That was a venue NOT to visit...
If this story was not to your liking, imagine me, sleepless in Scotland!
“Whatsa matter, Fergus? Brute Reality too much for you? Some guys, as William Blake says, havta make their Heaven in Hell’s Despite!”
Well, I know - but even back then I had my handy tranquillizers at the ready.
Avoiding any further disruptions, I returned to our sleazy cell, brushed my teeth, and popped my pill.
Next thing I knew, it was morning, and my senses were for the first time during that trip assaulted by the acrid smell of timeworn damp wainscotting.
A Scotch mist was penetrating the room.
I shaved while still-a-bit-dreamily getting the feel of Scottish music (My Baby Takes the Morning Train - remember that showstopper?...
Work all day to earn our pay
So we can play all night.)
Yikes.
Then I ambled down those selfsame creaky stairs to have some brunch (one of the perpetual standards on their home-cooked menu, I remember - cause it sounded odd to my North American ears - a slapdash but Scots-sounding Mixed Grill, which was fairly decent).
Then, outward and onward I wended my way to the nearby incredible Scottish Portrait Gallery, while my Dad (on whose dime we were travelling) went about his business.
The weather was clearing up, and things augured well for us...
But for the next two nights in that one-night cheap hotel would be spent with dutiful dollops of that best of all insomniacs’ soporifics -
The Gemini Contenders, and many more dangerous (to then-innocent me) duos -
Otherwise, this was to me an eminently forgettable book.
July 25, 2016
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 Eastern Orthodox have never denied Christ's divinity at all, rather the understanding of trinitarian unity is different for the East and West. Roman Catholics (and most western offshoots of them) believe that Christ is co-equal with the Father and the Spirit in trinitarian theology. The East does NOT deny Christ's divinity or trinitarian right, rather they believe that because God is the source, the original creator, that the Holy Spirit cannot proceed through the Father AND the Son since the Father is the source (despite what is written in the Nicene Creed). Finding sources is very critical to eastern thought and it once again proves that religion (no matter what you believe) is often viewed through the lens of culture. I did my senior paper on the filioque controversy so I felt compelled to add this. It did not detract from what was otherwise a marvelous read, rather just was a recurring annoyance. Were I raised in the Eastern tradition, I would probably have been more upset.
::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 Eastern Orthodox have never denied Christ's divinity at all, rather the understanding of trinitarian unity is different for the East and West. Roman Catholics (and most western offshoots of them) believe that Christ is co-equal with the Father and the Spirit in trinitarian theology. The East does NOT deny Christ's divinity or trinitarian right, rather they believe that because God is the source, the original creator, that the Holy Spirit cannot proceed through the Father AND the Son since the Father is the source (despite what is written in the Nicene Creed). Finding sources is very critical to eastern thought and it once again proves that religion (no matter what you believe) is often viewed through the lens of culture. I did my senior paper on the filioque controversy so I felt compelled to add this. It did not detract from what was otherwise a marvelous read, rather just was a recurring annoyance. Were I raised in the Eastern tradition, I would probably have been more upset.
July 3, 2007
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 died to protect them. Between those victims, is the family of Victor Fontine, born Vittorio Fontini-Cristi, the only one to escape alive and who resolves to revenge his family. Not knowing about the box containing the documents so many are looking for, and in the middle of WWII, Victor does what he can to help the Allies destroying the German war machine, which is probably the most interesting part of all book, while gets some information about the train here and there.
30 years later, it's his children, the twins (or Gemini) Andrew and Adrian, the ones left to continue the search for the documents. For characters that gave the title to the book, they're poorly developed as characters, with the author making use of the cliché evil twin/good twin. And you can imagine the end.
Even the secret hid in the documents leaves a bittersweet taste, but is far more interesting and poses more questions about our faith in the Church than the question from The Da Vinci Code, in my opinion.
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 died to protect them. Between those victims, is the family of Victor Fontine, born Vittorio Fontini-Cristi, the only one to escape alive and who resolves to revenge his family. Not knowing about the box containing the documents so many are looking for, and in the middle of WWII, Victor does what he can to help the Allies destroying the German war machine, which is probably the most interesting part of all book, while gets some information about the train here and there.
30 years later, it's his children, the twins (or Gemini) Andrew and Adrian, the ones left to continue the search for the documents. For characters that gave the title to the book, they're poorly developed as characters, with the author making use of the cliché evil twin/good twin. And you can imagine the end.
Even the secret hid in the documents leaves a bittersweet taste, but is far more interesting and poses more questions about our faith in the Church than the question from The Da Vinci Code, in my opinion.
December 6, 2020
THE GEMINI CONTENDERS
Another 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, intricate plot twists, and exotic locales...but also the author’s annoying tendencies to (1) incorporate multiple foreign language sentences without the common courtesy of translating for his readers’ benefit, and (2) woeful technical gaffes with descriptions of firearms.
GAFFES:
—A “revolver” with a safety under the barrel?
—A Beretta is a “revolver,” yet a .357 Magnum is a “pistol” (I’m 99% sure that neither the Desert Eagle nor the Coonan .357 autopistols had yet been invented back in 1973). An 8-shot .357 Magnum no less! A custom Smith Model 27 perhaps? Oh wait, those didn’t come out ‘til 1996, never mind...
—Old man Goldoni’s “shotgun” (AKA “lupo”) suddenly become a “rifle.”
—Italians using miles and inches instead of the metric system??
—“Magazine-clip pistol.” You mean a semiautomatic pistol AKA an autopistol, Mr. Ludlum?
Another 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, intricate plot twists, and exotic locales...but also the author’s annoying tendencies to (1) incorporate multiple foreign language sentences without the common courtesy of translating for his readers’ benefit, and (2) woeful technical gaffes with descriptions of firearms.
GAFFES:
—A “revolver” with a safety under the barrel?
—A Beretta is a “revolver,” yet a .357 Magnum is a “pistol” (I’m 99% sure that neither the Desert Eagle nor the Coonan .357 autopistols had yet been invented back in 1973). An 8-shot .357 Magnum no less! A custom Smith Model 27 perhaps? Oh wait, those didn’t come out ‘til 1996, never mind...
—Old man Goldoni’s “shotgun” (AKA “lupo”) suddenly become a “rifle.”
—Italians using miles and inches instead of the metric system??
—“Magazine-clip pistol.” You mean a semiautomatic pistol AKA an autopistol, Mr. Ludlum?
September 20, 2015
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 about some ancient papers which, if they fell into the wrong hands, would 'blow the world apart.' It has a well-drawn and sympathetic hero, some awful villains (usually in black robes)and a glamorous heroine.
The Gemini Contenders starts very well and picks up pace during the war years but then flags. It's perhaps too long and I found myself become irritated towards the end with a drawn out climax in which yet another priest appeared. Nonetheless an entertaining read.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at War, all published by Sacristy Press.
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 about some ancient papers which, if they fell into the wrong hands, would 'blow the world apart.' It has a well-drawn and sympathetic hero, some awful villains (usually in black robes)and a glamorous heroine.
The Gemini Contenders starts very well and picks up pace during the war years but then flags. It's perhaps too long and I found myself become irritated towards the end with a drawn out climax in which yet another priest appeared. Nonetheless an entertaining read.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at War, all published by Sacristy Press.
June 24, 2011
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 Inspector General's office and U.S. Department of Justice. By the end, there are no loose ends, and nothing seemingly closed without satisfaction.
I like this typ of novel in general, but Ludlum is one of the masters. You definitely have to read this closely to keep everything straight, so no just a beach blanket read.
I like this typ of novel in general, but Ludlum is one of the masters. You definitely have to read this closely to keep everything straight, so no just a beach blanket read.
August 31, 2017
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.
February 22, 2016
Ако требаше да ја оценам книгава според преводот и печатните грешки, сигурно немаше ни да ја чекирам како прочитана. На Марија и Данче голема благодарност за подарокот, но македонското издание на никого не би го препорачала, жалам што ниту во една единствена страна неможев да уживам, грешките како да ми ги „бодеа“ очите....поздрав!
May 14, 2022
Too many books coming off hold + losing interest in this book = DNF @ 33%.
This isn't bad really. It's about a rich Italian playboy whose family has ties to a mysterious order of monks going back 1500 years. In 1939, a group of Nazis take out his whole family at once, including the youngest children. As the sole surviving Fontini-Cristi, he joins forces with MI6 agents to get revenge on the murderers.
Of course, the Nazis were after something specific; the British secret agents want something too, and Vittorio Fontini-Cristi is just a pawn, in over his head and as naive to spycraft as a babe in the woods. The premise is appealing, but the MC being so completely lost and making bad decisions got tiresome.
This isn't bad really. It's about a rich Italian playboy whose family has ties to a mysterious order of monks going back 1500 years. In 1939, a group of Nazis take out his whole family at once, including the youngest children. As the sole surviving Fontini-Cristi, he joins forces with MI6 agents to get revenge on the murderers.
Of course, the Nazis were after something specific; the British secret agents want something too, and Vittorio Fontini-Cristi is just a pawn, in over his head and as naive to spycraft as a babe in the woods. The premise is appealing, but the MC being so completely lost and making bad decisions got tiresome.
November 15, 2017
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 books by the style.
The Gemini Contenders (1976) is surpisingly alike to The Scarlatti Inheritance by the slightly Godfather-esque storytelling. This is an adventure saga of the Fontini-Cristis, and their mission to protect - or uncover - the secrets that were in a Salonika train, disappeared in 1939.
There's a secret so powerful that it could tear nations, and cause a lot of death and wars, if found by wrong hands, in a cargo that was sent in a train from Salonika in 1939. Savarone Fontini-Cristi, a man of a powerful, rich family, helps hide the Salonika content, to keep it away of the nazis. Then Savarone is killed before he can reveal the secret or the location of the content, and his son Vittorio has to protect the contents without knowing what or where it is.
And murders follow him... Vittorio is helped to escape from Italy to UK, and later to US. The first part follows Vittorio's, now Victor Fontine, story with trying to discover the location and the secret. But it will be Victor's twin sons who'll have the task next, Adrian and Andrew. And over 30 years after Victor's nightmares began, the hunt for the secret is on...
The first half, with Victor, is more surprising in what happens next than the second half, with Andrew and Adrian.
But anyway, enjoyable action. I'd give it 3.5 to 3.75 stars out of 5, but I love Ludlum, and this is still just perfect action when one needs that that it's a 4.
I think I have 2 copies of this book, the first one will travel http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6...
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 books by the style.
The Gemini Contenders (1976) is surpisingly alike to The Scarlatti Inheritance by the slightly Godfather-esque storytelling. This is an adventure saga of the Fontini-Cristis, and their mission to protect - or uncover - the secrets that were in a Salonika train, disappeared in 1939.
There's a secret so powerful that it could tear nations, and cause a lot of death and wars, if found by wrong hands, in a cargo that was sent in a train from Salonika in 1939. Savarone Fontini-Cristi, a man of a powerful, rich family, helps hide the Salonika content, to keep it away of the nazis. Then Savarone is killed before he can reveal the secret or the location of the content, and his son Vittorio has to protect the contents without knowing what or where it is.
And murders follow him... Vittorio is helped to escape from Italy to UK, and later to US. The first part follows Vittorio's, now Victor Fontine, story with trying to discover the location and the secret. But it will be Victor's twin sons who'll have the task next, Adrian and Andrew. And over 30 years after Victor's nightmares began, the hunt for the secret is on...
The first half, with Victor, is more surprising in what happens next than the second half, with Andrew and Adrian.
But anyway, enjoyable action. I'd give it 3.5 to 3.75 stars out of 5, but I love Ludlum, and this is still just perfect action when one needs that that it's a 4.
I think I have 2 copies of this book, the first one will travel http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6...
June 21, 2020
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.
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.
June 9, 2022
I first read this thriller in 1973 at the beach, after picking it off the drugstore shelf at random, and vividly recall how transfixed I was as this was my first Robert Ludlum book. This launched me into many years of follow up novels by the author, all punctuated by many late nights desperately turning pages after every chapter. I decided to pull this off my bookshelf and re-read the book 49 years later, and instantly I was reliving the magic of the mysterious vault being moved through the Italian Alps. The great prose, pulsing sentences, intricate characters, exotic international venues, serpentine plots, and competing twin brothers simply kept me riveted again. The plot details had faded considerably for me over the years, but once again, Ludlum shows why he was the best of his craft and why I kept coming back. For many of us, your first Ludlum book is your favorite one, and that remains the case for me.
December 28, 2011
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
:)
August 24, 2009
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.
March 1, 2016
Brisk paced thriller.
February 16, 2019
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. That's not to say that it wasn't an entertaining enough story with lots of action and intrigue, it just wasn't great. Still, if you like books set in WWII and beyond, and with some family drama and religious historical drama, you might want to give it a try.
July 25, 2017
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 - would have liked to have some of her POV. A fun book but nothing special.
Definitely PG-13 or R for violence, occasional language, drug use, and a few sex scenes.
Definitely PG-13 or R for violence, occasional language, drug use, and a few sex scenes.
December 30, 2018
not as exhilirating as brown's the da vinci code, but it does present a similar sacrilegious concept
i wonder if this caused a similar stir back in 1976
p137: 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."
i wonder if this caused a similar stir back in 1976
p137: 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."
April 10, 2017
Въпреки че на моменти твърде много ми идваше политиката, мнението ми е, че историята е увлекателна, напрегната и държи читателя в напрежение. Втората част за близнаците беше за мен по - интересната, може би, защото там беше кулминацията. Една от книгите, които не ти се иска да оставиш, за да разгадаеш по - бързо мистерията и да разбереш каква е развръзката.
September 18, 2019
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.
November 5, 2021
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.
July 11, 2021
Moje pierwsze spotkanie z Ludlum jak najbardziej udane 👌🏻
May 8, 2012
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 existence. His son Vittorio spends a lifetime not knowing, or even caring all that much, about this secret - but many men, for many reasons, believe he knows more than he realizes or admits and are determined to find where Savarone has it hidden, at any cost. Only shortly before his death does Vittorio - now living in America as Victor Fontine - decide that the vault that disappeared thirty years before must be found. Knowing his death is near, he turns the secret over to his sons, the Geminis, twins who could not possibly be more different from one another. The future of the Christian world hinges on the right twin finding it.
There are a few things that bothered me about this book. For one thing, a review of it is hard to do in just a few short paragraphs, because it does span thirty years and gets a bit convoluted. Apparently, in the 1970s, black people were Black people, which was just distracting. Deaths were frequent and sudden, but I wrote that off as part of WWII and, later in the book, as necessary to the story. It would have seemed bizarre if the story had had a completely peaceful ending, considering all the death leading up to it. Still, the characters I came to care most about died without fanfare and the twins of the title weren't developed much at all. The story itself outweighs the nitpicking, however, and I'd definitely recommend it!
- AnnaLovesBooks
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 existence. His son Vittorio spends a lifetime not knowing, or even caring all that much, about this secret - but many men, for many reasons, believe he knows more than he realizes or admits and are determined to find where Savarone has it hidden, at any cost. Only shortly before his death does Vittorio - now living in America as Victor Fontine - decide that the vault that disappeared thirty years before must be found. Knowing his death is near, he turns the secret over to his sons, the Geminis, twins who could not possibly be more different from one another. The future of the Christian world hinges on the right twin finding it.
There are a few things that bothered me about this book. For one thing, a review of it is hard to do in just a few short paragraphs, because it does span thirty years and gets a bit convoluted. Apparently, in the 1970s, black people were Black people, which was just distracting. Deaths were frequent and sudden, but I wrote that off as part of WWII and, later in the book, as necessary to the story. It would have seemed bizarre if the story had had a completely peaceful ending, considering all the death leading up to it. Still, the characters I came to care most about died without fanfare and the twins of the title weren't developed much at all. The story itself outweighs the nitpicking, however, and I'd definitely recommend it!
- AnnaLovesBooks
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August 21, 2023Yet 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 the burden that needs to be carried on from Savarone to Victor and ultimately to Adrian up until the very last page. Just for that, this book deserves a five star !! Thank you Mr.Robert Ludlum !!
5/15/15 1:15AM
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 the burden that needs to be carried on from Savarone to Victor and ultimately to Adrian up until the very last page. Just for that, this book deserves a five star !! Thank you Mr.Robert Ludlum !!
5/15/15 1:15AM
December 1, 2010
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.
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.
November 22, 2014
I had good memories of Ludlum’s book. This one is really bad. Even if you go along with the hair brained story (the search for some manuscript that will turn upside down the Christian world) it is tough going. The story is a bit disjointed. We spend a lot of time on the activities of the father during the war although it has little to do with the main story; then we switch to the twin brothers, one of which starts out as a stiff military type who wants to stop corruption in the army and turns into a bloody murderer in just a few pages. Even making an effort none of this is very credible. Even the end is a letdown.
December 6, 2010
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?
January 3, 2016
Troppo macchinoso e arzigogolato per essere avvincente, sono arrivato a fatica alla fine.
Forse ultimamente queste macchinazioni planetarie mi hanno un po' stufato ma l'ho trovato...troppo. Troppo inverosimile, troppi morti, troppi intrallazzi. E ha stroppiato.
Forse ultimamente queste macchinazioni planetarie mi hanno un po' stufato ma l'ho trovato...troppo. Troppo inverosimile, troppi morti, troppi intrallazzi. E ha stroppiato.
June 9, 2020
This is the story of the Fontini-Christi family, Savarone, the father, Vittorio, the eldest son, and Vittorio's twins - Andrew and Adrian. It is divided into parts. In Part One, we meet two brothers, Petride, a priest, and Annaxas, a train engineer. They partner to take a very secretive vault into the mountains. But when they reach their destination, the priest kills his brother and commits suicide. In Part Two, we meet the Fontini-Christi's. Savarone is waiting for his eldest son to appear at a family gathering. He plans to tell him about the secret vault. Just as Vittorio arrives, a group of Germans appear and massacre the entire family, Savarone, his other sons, their wives and children. Vittorio is the only one who lives. As Vittorio tries to determine why his family is massacred, he meets up with British intelligence and military officers, who also want to know about the secret vault. Vittorio tells them he doesn't know where it is. He helps them in the WWII effort, marries a woman named Jane, who gives birth to twins on the night the secret compound where she has been staying is attacked by the Germans. Then the next part. Vittorio changes his name to Victor Fontine. They move to the USA. He rebuilds the Fontini businesses. At the same time, he tries to discover why everyone is interested in the secret vault and where it is. (The secret vault has documents that question the validity of Jesus, and includes a confession from St. Peter. Everyone is concerned that the contents will pit religion against religion and throw the world into great turnmoil. The vault is sought by monks/priests from the Order of Xenope, as well as other entities who feel possessing the vault will give them power.) In the last part (I think) the twins are adults in their late 20's. They do not get along. Andrew is in the military and is a member of a secret group of officers called Eye Corp, who are gathering incriminating evidence on many military higher ups. They hope to come in one day soon and take over the pentagon. Adrian is a lawyer who is part of a group who has discovered Eye Corp and wants to dismantle it. Their father tells them about the vault. Andrew immediately sets out to find it because he wants the power it will give him. Adrian also sets out to find it but more to keep it out of the hands of Andrew and Eye Corp. Adrian eventually ends up with the documents. His girlfriend is a history professor who is aware of some of the documents. She confirms they are real. But even at the end of the book the reader does not know what is happening to the documents, leaving the possibility of a sequel. I had a hard time keeping up with this book. There were so many moving parts and so much going on, I struggled reading it. Having said that, it's a good story. This couldn't be a movie. It would have to be a mini series. It's a lot to consume in one book. I would probably have to read this book again before I read a sequel so I could follow the next story correctly.
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