Jack Ryan
thriller
Series · thriller
Jason Bourne
The Jason Bourne series by Robert Ludlum has 22 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Bourne Identity (1980).
- Books
- 22 books
- First published
- 1980
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: The Bourne Identity (1980) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Bourne Identity
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Identity - Book 2:
The Bourne Supremacy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Supremacy - Book 3:
The Bourne Ultimatum
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Ultimatum - Book 4:
The Bourne Legacy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Legacy - Book 5:
The Bourne Betrayal
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Betrayal - Book 6:
The Bourne Sanction
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Sanction - Book 7:
The Bourne Deception
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Deception - Book 8:
The Bourne Objective
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Objective - Book 9:
The Bourne Dominion
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Dominion - Book 10:
The Bourne Imperative
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Imperative - Book 11:
The Bourne Retribution
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Retribution - Book 12:
The Bourne Ascendancy
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Ascendancy - Book 13:
The Bourne Enigma
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Enigma - Book 14:
The Bourne Initiative
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Initiative - Book 15:
The Bourne Evolution
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Evolution - Book 16:
The Bourne Treachery
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Treachery - Book 17:
The Bourne Sacrifice
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Sacrifice - Book 18:
The Bourne Defiance
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Defiance - Book 19:
The Bourne Shadow
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Shadow - Book 20:
The Bourne Vendetta
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Vendetta - Book 21:
The Bourne Escape
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Escape - Book 22:
The Bourne Revenge
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bourne Revenge
About the Jason Bourne series
Jason Bourne is a black-ops assassin found half-dead in the Mediterranean with no memory of who he is, only the physical instincts of a killer and a Swiss bank account number tattooed into his subconscious. Robert Ludlum's original trilogy (1980-1990) is a paranoid, pre-internet Cold War chase built entirely around Bourne's amnesia and his hunt for his own identity against the CIA program (Treadstone) that made him. After Ludlum's death in 2001, Eric Van Lustbader continued the character for eleven novels, moving the series toward globe-spanning geopolitical conspiracy and giving Bourne back most of his memory; Brian Freeman has continued it since 2020, keeping the globetrotting-conspiracy template while updating the tradecraft for an era of AI surveillance and cyberwarfare.
Note the books and the Matt Damon film franchise are largely separate creative works after book one — the films borrow the amnesiac-assassin premise and character names but invent their own plots from The Bourne Supremacy onward, so readers expecting the movie storylines will find the novels go somewhere very different. It's for readers who want dense, research-heavy spy tradecraft and don't mind a series that's been sustained by three different writers across nearly five decades.
Frequently asked questions
How many Jason Bourne books are there?
22 novels, from The Bourne Identity (1980) to The Bourne Revenge (January 2026), written by Robert Ludlum, then Eric Van Lustbader, then Brian Freeman.
What order should I read the Jason Bourne books in?
Publication order throughout. Each author continues directly from the previous book's ending, so there's no separate chronological order to consider.
Are the Jason Bourne books the same story as the Matt Damon movies?
Only the first book maps loosely onto the films. From The Bourne Supremacy onward, the novels and the movie franchise tell completely different, unrelated stories that happen to share character names.
Who writes the Jason Bourne books now?
Brian Freeman has written the series since The Bourne Evolution (2020), taking over from Eric Van Lustbader, who wrote eleven novels (2004-2017) after original creator Robert Ludlum's death in 2001.
What is the next Jason Bourne book?
The Bourne Revenge (January 2026) is the latest release. No new title has been announced yet as of August 2026.
If you like the Jason Bourne series
Reading order last verified .