The promised Jason Bourne, Treadstone series book and tv series is almost ready!

I know you, like me, have been waiting for some new stuff from the Robert Ludlum, Jason Bourne, Treadstone world…well, now it’s got dates, pictures and even trailers!

There has been word of a tv series in the works for a while, but now there is a name ‘Treadstone’ and a trailer. I’m not sure which network is behind it – ie where I can see it – but I don’t think it’ll be on Netflix. Anyway, wherever it eventually gets shown, you can see a trailer here.

However, the really interesting news is, that you can now order the first of a new series of books set in the Bourne/Treadstone world. A good while back Eric van Lustbader announced that he had decided not to continue writing ‘The Bourne…’ follow-up books (the final one, was to have been Bourne 15, and called The Bourne Nemesis). I thought most of the EvL books were pretty good, though there were purists that disagreed. If it was this criticism, or he just wanted to move on, I say fair enough, and thanks Eric. Then, the Ludlum estate announced it had commissioned an author to continue the books, kind of. It seems that author Joshua Hood has now written the first book in a new series, but a ‘Treadstone’ series, This first book is called The Treadstone Resurrection. It comes out this autumn, October, to be exact. The speculation in the article linked to above, is that the TV series will hit the screens – probably of just USA – at the same time.

So, what does – do – The Treadstone Resurrection cover(s) look like? A little like this:

The US cover is on the left, the UK cover on the right.
And you noted of course that they have also kept the Robert Ludlum three word title tradition.

The synopsis on Amazon, goes like this:

“Operation Treadstone has nearly ruined Adam Hayes. The top-secret CIA Black Ops program trained him to be a nearly invincible assassin, but it also cost him his family and any chance at a normal life. Which is why he was determined to get out. Working as a cabinet-maker in rural Oregon, Adam thinks he has left Treadstone in the past, until he receives a mysterious email from a former colleague, and soon after is attacked by an unknown hit team at his job site.
Adam must regain the skills that Treadstone taught him lightning reflexes and a cold conscience in order to discover who the would-be killers are, and why they have come after him now. Are his pursuers enemies from a long-ago mission? Rival intelligence agents? Or, perhaps, someone inside Treadstone? His search will unearth secrets in the highest levels of government and pull him back into the shadowy world he worked so hard to forget.”

Now there will be some – me, for instance – asking ‘who the blithering blue blazes is Joshua Hood?!’ Well, ask no longer, again from the Amazon page for ordering :

“Joshua Hood graduated from the University of Memphis before joining the US military and spending five years in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was a team leader in the 3-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment in Iraq from 2005-2006 where he conducted combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. From 2007-2008, Hood served as a squad leader with the 1-508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan where he was decorated for valour in Operation Furious Pursuit. On his return to civilian life he was a sniper team leader on a full time SWAT team in Memphis, TN, where he was awarded the lifesaving medal. Currently he works as the Director of Veteran Outreach for the American Warrior Initiative. He is the author of ‘Warning Order’ and ‘Clear by Fire.’”

So we’re talking ex-military man must be the best for writing a Bourne/spy/military novel, because he’s, well…been one. There are a plethora of ex-this, ex-that and ex-the other military people writing books – of varying quality – out there right now, so we’ll have to wait and see how this turns out. I imagine he’s ‘inked’ a deal for three books, that’s usually how these things work.

So…finally, while we’re talking Treadstone and Bourne – the cancelled Bourne 15, The Bourne Nemesis, what did the cover for that look like?
*It could well be that this isn’t the final cover for Resurrection, but it could also be that Head of Zeus are maybe into recycling covers to help climate change?