''Bourne'' are a series of three novels by

Robert Ludlum Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original '' The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated b ...

based on the fictional spy

Jason Bourne Jason Bourne () is the title character and the protagonist in a series of novels and subsequent film adaptations. The character was created by novelist Robert Ludlum. He first appeared in the novel '' The Bourne Identity'' (1980), which was ...

. The series has since been further extended by

Eric Van Lustbader Eric Van Lustbader (born December 24, 1946) is an American author of thriller and fantasy novels. He has published as Eric Lustbader, Eric V. Lustbader, and Eric Van Lustbader. He is a graduate of New York's Stuyvesant High School and Columbia ...

after the death of Robert Ludlum. When

decided to stop writing the Bourne novels during the writing of The Bourne Nemesis, Brian Freeman was approached by the Ludlum estate to continue the stories of Jason Bourne.

Novels by Ludlum

The original three Bourne novels are: *'' The Bourne Identity'' (1980) *''

The Bourne Supremacy ''The Bourne Supremacy'' is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum, first published in 1986. It is the sequel to Ludlum's bestseller '' The Bourne Identity'' (1980) and precedes Ludlum's final Bourne novel, '' The Bourne Ultimat ...

'' (1986) *''

The Bourne Ultimatum ''The Bourne Ultimatum'' is the third Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to ''The Bourne Supremacy'' (1986). First published in 1990, it was the last Bourne novel to be written by Ludlum himself. Eric Van Lustbader wrote ...

'' (1990)

Novels by Eric Van Lustbader

The

continuation novel A continuation novel is a canonical sequel novel with continuity in the style of an established series, produced by a new author after the original author's death. Continuation novels may be official, produced with the permission of the late a ...

s are: *'' The Bourne Legacy'' (2004) *''

The Bourne Betrayal ''The Bourne Betrayal'' is the title for the novel by Eric Van Lustbader and the fifth novel in the Jason Bourne series created by Robert Ludlum. It was published in June 2007. It is Lustbader's second Bourne novel, following '' The Bourne Le ...

'' (2007) *''

The Bourne Sanction ''The Bourne Sanction'' is the title of Eric Van Lustbader's third Jason Bourne novel, and the sixth novel in the ''Bourne'' series created by Robert Ludlum. It was released on July 29, 2008, following Lustbader's ''The Bourne Betrayal'' that ...

'' (2008) *''

The Bourne Deception ''The Bourne Deception'' is a novel by Eric Van Lustbader, the seventh in the Jason Bourne series created by Robert Ludlum. It was released on June 9, 2009. It is Lustbader's fourth Bourne novel, following '' The Bourne Sanction,'' which was pub ...

'' (2009) *''

The Bourne Objective ''The Bourne Objective'' is the eighth novel in the Bourne series and fifth by Eric Van Lustbader Eric Van Lustbader (born December 24, 1946) is an American author of thriller and fantasy novels. He has published as Eric Lustbader, Eric V. L ...

'' (2010) *''

The Bourne Dominion ''The Bourne Dominion'' is the ninth novel in the Bourne series and sixth by Eric Van Lustbader Eric Van Lustbader (born December 24, 1946) is an American author of thriller and fantasy novels. He has published as Eric Lustbader, Eric V. Lus ...

'' (2011) *''

The Bourne Imperative ''The Bourne Imperative'' is the tenth novel in the Bourne series and seventh by Eric Van Lustbader. The book was released on June 5, 2012, as a sequel to '' The Bourne Dominion''. Plot summary The man Jason Bourne fished out of the freezing s ...

'' (2012) *''

The Bourne Retribution ''The Bourne Retribution'' is the eleventh novel in the Bourne series and eighth by Eric Van Lustbader. The book was released on December 3, 2013, as a sequel to '' The Bourne Imperative''. It was followed up with ''The Bourne Ascendancy The B ...

'' (2013) *''

The Bourne Ascendancy The Bourne Ascendancy is the twelfth novel in the Bourne series and ninth by Eric Van Lustbader Eric Van Lustbader (born December 24, 1946) is an American author of thriller and fantasy novels. He has published as Eric Lustbader, Eric V. Lustb ...

'' (2014) *'' The Bourne Enigma'' (2016) *'' The Bourne Initiative'' (2017) *'' The Bourne Nemesis'' (abandoned)

Novels by Brian Freeman

*''The Bourne Evolution'' (2020) *''The Bourne Treachery'' (2021) *''The Bourne Sacrifice'' (2022) *''The Bourne Defiance'' (2023)

Treadstone Novels by Joshua Hood

A new series, inspired by Robert Ludlum's Bourne universe and centered on Adam Hayes, another Treadstone agent, began publication in 2020, written by Joshua Hood: *''The Treadstone Resurrection'' (2020) *''The Treadstone Exile'' (2021) *''The Treadstone Transgression'' (2022)

Films and TV

''The Bourne Identity'' has been adapted into live action twice. The first adaptation is a 1988 television film starring Richard Chamberlain and

Jaclyn Smith Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith (born October 26, 1945) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best known for her role as Kelly Garrett in the television series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), and was the only original female lead ...

. The second is a 2002 feature film series starring

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...

, which proved to be a strong critical and commercial success, launching the ''Bourne'' film series, which consists of five films, with the fifth being released in July 2016. The television series ''

Treadstone ''Treadstone'' is an American action drama television series, connected to and based on the ''Bourne'' film series. A "special preview" of the pilot aired on USA Network on September 24, 2019, ahead of its October 15, 2019, premiere. The ser ...

'' was connected to and based on the book series. The show was created by

Tim Kring Richard Timothy Kring (born July 9, 1957) is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his creation of the drama series '' Strange World'', ''Crossing Jordan'', ''Heroes'', and ''Touch''. Early life Kring was born in El Do ...

and premiered October 15, 2019. In May 2020, the series was canceled after one season.

References

{{Jason Bourne Book series introduced in 1980 Novel series American novels adapted into films Novels adapted into video games