I know that both of these guys are very great writer let me give you some of there work:

Robert Ludlum: The Bourne Ultimatum,The Bourne Supremacy,The Bourne Identity, The Sigma Protocol,The Prometheus Deception,The Matarese Countown,The Scorpoio Illusion,The Scarlatti Inheritance and so on

John Grisham: The Summons, The Brethren , The Street Lawyer ,The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Broker, The Testament ,The Runaway Jury to mention a few.

If you have laid your hand on the book of the author, please let me know which one you prefer more and why and if you haven't read any of this authour book, YOU ARE REALLY MISSING so try your hand on one and i promise you that you wont stop reading them.

Both of them are very good writers. While I like reading Ludlum books based on the tension, I prefer Grisham for content. Ludlum's story always revolves around a superman or superwoman who goes all out against the world while roping in the entire us politics into a sinister organization [Inver Brass, Scorpio etc etc] that threatens him / her. In the end, they always get a partner.

Grisham prefers to use not-so-good lawyers [like in The Rainmaker] who get through on a stroke of luck. You never know how it's going to end.

i have read ludlum's Matarese countdon and i found it very intruiguing. so i therefore think that he is good.

I count myself as somewhat of an authority on both authors -- i've read over 7 grisham books and over fifteen ludlum novels. I'm telling you -- he's very predictable. Grisham is not.

I think kinglarry is rather cruel to make me compare two of my favourite, nay two of the world's greates writers.
But i must agree that Ludlum is kinda predictable. Grisham has managed to shock me with almost every story, and at first i thought 'how many stories can you weave around a courtroom'.
I didn't expect 'A Painted House' though. Have any of you read it?

i love Grisham, but, his books are extrmely gripping at the begginnig of the story, the middle ( noting special) your reading because of the beginning and you want to know what happens at the end. the end always has a twist. where the protagonist loses out on what was expected.

Rainmaker- young lawyer lost out on his billings when the insurance firm claims bankruptcy
the one about the nun- the money is given to charity
the one where the racist is on deathrow- he ends up dying instead of being freed.
the one where the guy stole $90 million - the chick runs away with cash


great books no doubt , but you can tell in the end after all the hard work the protagonist is going to lose.

Grisham's stories portray what happen in real life. If you read The Brethren you'll know what I mean. If Ludlum were still alive you'll be able to predict that there will be some love-mate for the protagonist. You get screaming of nonsense code-words and heroes who are too super-human to be natural. He also uses "Beyond Salvage" too many times.

Like I've said, he always likes creating Sinister Organisations that operate incredibly with lots of power [Inver Brass from The Chancellor Manuscript and The Icarus Agenda, The Matarese from The Matarese Circle and The Matarese Countdown, Scorpio from The Scorpio Illusion and a host of others]. Let's face it -- the characters don't talk like humans [more like robots] even when expressing feelings to each other. The tension however makes up for it.

If you want good strategy read Tom Clancy. He builds up things very clearly and links seemingly unrelated events. He also understands what he's saying [he lectures CIA excos and is the foremost expert in NATO operations in the world as Frederick Forsyth admitted in a book -- I think The Fist of God]. Give him a try and you'll know what I'm talking about.

The Parsifal Mosaic, The Matarese Circle, The Gemini Contenders and the list of his great books go on. For me, Ludlum is one of the greatest writers of suspense.

Grisham comes way down on my list and in my own honest opinion is not even as good as Forsyth, or Lustbader not to talk of the master himself.

But then that is just my own opinion.

Grisham is not a suspense writer -- he writes law like Richard North Patterson and Scott Turow. I guess the problem came from comparing writers accross different genres. If I'm a law-book freak I can say most of Ludlum's suggestions go against the law and he doesn't have any idea of the law. Sounds stupid doesn't it?

If you need suspense I think you'd better try Dean Koontz [horror suspense] or better still Michael Crichton [technothrillers]. Again they can't be compared because they obviously write in different genres. It's a matter of opinion.

For me John Grisham is the MAN. I love the real life feel of it. And the excitement associated with the justice system.

I read all -- most authors have disappointed me at least once so I decided not to have favourites [just guys whose boks I love reading].

ROBERT LUDLUM was the author of twenty-one 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.


John Grisham graduated from Law School in 1981 and for nine years ran his own law firm. Following the extraordinary success of The Firm, John Grisham gave up his practice to write full time. He lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Tow of them are good writers. have no choice here

Good! I love the guys here -- close to my heart. How manyguys have tried Leon Uris [Trinity, QB VII, Battle Cry] or Nicholas Evans [The Horse Whisperer, The Loop, The Divide]?

I didnt even know Robert Ludlum is dead. I first knew about him last year. I read "Icarus Agenda". I LOVED it!!!

I've read only one John Grisham book, "The Client". It was gr8!

They're both gr8, but I love suspense so much and I think Ludlum has got more of it.

How about Jeffery Archer, Lawrence Sanders?

Definitely Grisham, that man is the BOMB. I've read pretty much all of his books, and he is soo good. I would rank him among Sidney Sheldon and Ted Decker. He's an excellent writer.

Unfortunately, this might come as a surprise but I don't like Sidney Sheldon. The only books of his that impressed me were Windmills of The Gods and The Sky is Falling. Most of the rest are not so high on content. When you read Tom Clancy you'll know you're dealing with an authority in international espionage and technology.

The thing is it depends on the content, Grisham's style is law stuff and/or crime. For me, after a while it pretty much becomes boring. This is especailly true when you get the watch the movies of the books. The movie "The Firm", "The Client" et al are just too predictable, too closely identical. Sort of like all he does is change the characters, plot and base them on the same framework.

Ludlum on the other hand I find is refreshing and hard to put down. He weaves his stories on conspiracies- each with it's own uniqueness and terror. I read books and lookout for the movies or vice versa; The Bourne Identity (The one made in 1988) is a very credible remake of the book and it takes you along as you watch, making you ask 'Is he or is he not?' The remake is not too far off as well but I find all that high tech stuff just too artificial for my tastes!

Us Ludlum fans often get together and actually place ourselves in Jason Bourne's shoes, trying to imagine what it must be like, pondering your next move and so on. The Authors style allows you room to "role play". Just like in The Aquitaine Progression.

Stephen King is my King of the authors though; How can he possibly not go nuts sometime?? Dean Koontz? nah, scifi is not my style.

hey dargly, i love that it seems you are seeing the same thing I see or feeling how i feel, infact "I am feeling you"

It is all a question of plot as a lot of people have agreed on. Ludlum is a master story teller though not as realistic as a Frederick Forsyth but his characters are too fantastic and its is good to dream such prowess but you will always know that with their strength and abilities, they will survive.Grisham, not too fantastic story telling but a lot more flexible resloution of conflict-you would not know how it will go.

I will give it to Grisham.

And Grisham is comtemporary.

You see? I said Ludlum uses "Supermen" or "Superwomen" -- usually the very best at doing something. Grisham uses amateurs and you can never tell where it's going. . .

To comapre the film adaptation so any work will not be fair at all.No film can bring out the streams of consciousness;the deep thoughts that shape the actions of the character like good writing.Bourne identity-the film- is no where in this world near the novel.How do you dramatize thought without losing meaning?

Someone made an allusion to Frederick Forsyth as not being in the same category as Ludlum.Maybe. But you can never beat him in attedance to details and being as close as possible to the actual event.He used to present a documentary 'Soldiers' they show on NTA in the eigthies.

Has anyone read the classic 'The day of the jackal' Every reader of espionage novel must have read that .It is a 101 course!!

Some film adaptations aren't good at all. For one, I hated The Godfather when I watched it but when I read the book it was something else. Watching Jurassic Park and reading it, you'll know there's a big difference.

Good writers, good books. Anyone here interested in exchanging some with a bookworm like me?

I have a mighty library in PH but I'm not in PH for now [studying]. I'd have loved to. I hated lending my books to people when I was back home because some people don't love them the way I do. Books I've owned for years and that look as if I just bought them came back tattered. I used to get real MAD

how about Mario Puzo?

He's good -- Mario Puzo.

As zahymaka pointed out Ludlum's books always revolve around a "non-person"-impossible feats.His style is to create a character that cannot exist:This might sound too critical but Robbie shoots himself in the foot by using characters that are at the centre of a circle and every other person works in perfect harmony for or against the Hero.
Take the case of "The Icarus Agenda".It is inconceivable that anyone had such a smooth flow as Kendrick did.
what do I mean? the goodguys were all focused on helping Kendrick and all the bad guys were anti-kendrick.we did not have anyone in between.
In my humble opinion Weingrass and Bollinger were the only perfect-non-perfect characters.

anyways Uncle Bob does a great work,

John Grisham absolutely gripping.

I am guilty of posting without reading.I didn't know Ludlum is Late.
@zahymaka I read just read your points and I think you hit the nail squarely.
Interesting posts from everyone though.

@zahy

u mentioned leon uris, he is good but i think he is too inclined towards the jewish cause,

for example, the hajj, not to mention angry hills, but i like him

and talk of ludlum and grisham

ludlum is good and better anyday (my opinion), when u start reading a ludlum, u will not let go till u finish the book

have u read cry of the halidon, talkless of the bourne series(identity, supremacy and ultimatum) then the materese series(circle and countdown)
this guy is the best, then Chancelllor manuscript (lovely),

they are incomparable

grisham has such monotonic titles like,
The client
The firm
The summons
The, wateva,

the first grisham book i read took me 2 months, i read 4 books in between, it was borinnnnn, (summons i mean)
i was disappointed,

but the firm is lovely,

anyone tried Fredrick forsyth, he's an old skool just like ludlum but he's good, try Devils alternative for start, then the negotiator, u guys will love him

Uris doesn't stick to the jewish cause. Have you read Trinity and Battle Cry?

@zahy
no i've not, so maybe i should not conclude, then because of the two books i've read, but i wish i had trinity though

@ gigid, perhaps basing my arguments on the movie adaptations is not entirely foolproof; I for one do know that alot of originality is lost in translating novels to movies. Nonetheless, there are some that give you an almost intimate feel of what the author intended. I have read The day of the Jackal, and I have watched the movie and I guarantee that any novice can watch the movie first and claim to have read that novel because the intepretation was a masterpiece, same goes for The Odessa File(both by Frederick Forsyth).

The thing is they're a parallel- movies and novels,they cater for 2 diverse classes and I do prefer reading the novels to watching the movie adaptations!

Anybody read any Wilbur Smith? "Shout at the Devil", "Gold"? Most of his settings are in Africa, excellent stories!

Wilbur Smith is another master. I love reading his books.