Rating: 
Summary: A tale for two reading sessions
Review: The Boys From Brazil does seem a little dated well more than a quarter century after it s publication. But the book remains a tightly constructed and fast-paced story, interesting without being complicated. Basically, classic pulp fiction.Admittedly, advances in cloning in recent years make the characters who never heard of the subject seem a bit dim by modern standards. And the old-fashioned communications methods (e.g., having an operator call you back in order to place an international call, or misunderstanding things because connections are so bad) seem almost contrived. Even the Cold War-type mentality can at first seem cartoonish. But remember that this is taking place in 1974-75 ... that's the way it was. I first read the book around 20 years ago and I remembered enjoying it well enough. Recently, I picked it up again when I wanted something easy to read on train journey, and it was just what I needed: absorbing without the thought that would require me to resent the porter when he came by to check my ticket. In the end, I read it in two long reading sessions. If you are looking for something along those lines, then I'll say you can do a lot worse than The Boys From Brazil.
Rating: 
Summary: Elementary
Review: The Boys From Brazil is 12th grade reading with a 5th grade concept. It begins with big, bad Josef Mengele and the "boys from brazil" planning the 4th Reich. It's been done. I also thought the central concept (cloning) was a bit simplistic. Ditto for the idea of ex-Nazis camping out in South America making s'mores. At the time it was written, the concept was science fiction. However, by today's standards, the concept itself, is almost a cliche. That's not to say that I blame Mr. Levin for this weakness. At the time it must have been a thoroughly provocative concept. However, Levin does do a good job backing it up with the genetics vs. environment debate which probably was not as self-evident then as it seems today. I will also say that Levin's choice of a protagonist is refreshing compared to the heros that end up being played by Mel Willis or Bruce Gibson after the screenplay machine whorks a conversion onto the silver sceen. The ending is also interesting and humorous in political terms. All that aside, I did enjoy the "entertainment" the book provided so I'll give it a "paperback" reccomendation.
Rating:
Summary: Elementary
Review: The Boys From Brazil is 12th grade reading with a 5th grade concept. It begins with big, bad Josef Mengele and the "boys from brazil" planning the 4th Reich. It's been done. I also thought the central concept (cloning) was a bit simplistic. Ditto for the idea of ex-Nazis camping out in South America making s'mores. At the time it was written, the concept was science fiction. However, by today's standards, the concept itself, is almost a cliche. That's not to say that I blame Mr. Levin for this weakness. At the time it must have been a thoroughly provocative concept. However, Levin does do a good job backing it up with the genetics vs. environment debate which probably was not as self-evident then as it seems today. I will also say that Levin's choice of a protagonist is refreshing compared to the heros that end up being played by Mel Willis or Bruce Gibson after the screenplay machine whorks a conversion onto the silver sceen. The ending is also interesting and humorous in political terms. All that aside, I did enjoy the "entertainment" the book provided so I'll give it a "paperback" reccomendation.
Rating: 
Summary: A thriller that has not aged well
Review: THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL is one of those novels that you hear about, but never find the time to read. It sits on the library shelf, desperately awaiting the rare occasion when someone is overcome by their curiosity, and decides to give it a chance. That's what happened to me. Unfortunately, the above tale of library derring-do is about as exciting as anything found within Ira Levin's tale. It starts off compellingly enough. A group of former Nazis meet to discuss the details for a new attempt at world domination. Dr. Josef Mengele is discovered to be involved, and it is up to Nazi-hunter Liebermann to unearth the sinister plot. So far, so good. All the elements of good pulp fiction are in place. And let's not be fooled: Despite the theme of renewed Nazi powers, this IS a pulp novel. Nothing wrong with that, really. But it's not a GOOD pulp novel. A large part of the problem is the cartoonish nature of the lead characters, particularily Mengele. He is a truly evil man, in all respects, but his actions in BOYS tend to create giggles, in the place of fear. As well, his fanatical devoltion to Adolf Hitler, which in reality is a cause for great alarm, comes across on the page as rather silly. Some may claim the novel has more relevance in today's climate of cloning advances, but that's hogwash. BOYS is not a cautionary tale of the horrors of science. What it is, is ridiculous. And barely entertaining. Still, some scenes do serve to help the novel pass the time. The final confrontation is well paced, if overblown. There are some asides as to the importance of war crimes tribunals that certainly remain relevant today. And it is certainly better than Ken Follett's THE THIRD TWIN, another thriller based on cloning that is one of the worst [books] I've ever read. But where TWIN is garbage, BOYS is merely innocuous. It may have been groundbreaking when it was written, but it functions more as a curiosity now than anything else.
Rating:
Summary: A thriller that has not aged well
Review: THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL is one of those novels that you hear about, but never find the time to read. It sits on the library shelf, desperately awaiting the rare occasion when someone is overcome by their curiosity, and decides to give it a chance. That's what happened to me. Unfortunately, the above tale of library derring-do is about as exciting as anything found within Ira Levin's tale. It starts off compellingly enough. A group of former Nazis meet to discuss the details for a new attempt at world domination. Dr. Josef Mengele is discovered to be involved, and it is up to Nazi-hunter Liebermann to unearth the sinister plot. So far, so good. All the elements of good pulp fiction are in place. And let's not be fooled: Despite the theme of renewed Nazi powers, this IS a pulp novel. Nothing wrong with that, really. But it's not a GOOD pulp novel. A large part of the problem is the cartoonish nature of the lead characters, particularily Mengele. He is a truly evil man, in all respects, but his actions in BOYS tend to create giggles, in the place of fear. As well, his fanatical devoltion to Adolf Hitler, which in reality is a cause for great alarm, comes across on the page as rather silly. Some may claim the novel has more relevance in today's climate of cloning advances, but that's hogwash. BOYS is not a cautionary tale of the horrors of science. What it is, is ridiculous. And barely entertaining. Still, some scenes do serve to help the novel pass the time. The final confrontation is well paced, if overblown. There are some asides as to the importance of war crimes tribunals that certainly remain relevant today. And it is certainly better than Ken Follett's THE THIRD TWIN, another thriller based on cloning that is one of the worst [books] I've ever read. But where TWIN is garbage, BOYS is merely innocuous. It may have been groundbreaking when it was written, but it functions more as a curiosity now than anything else.
Rating:
Summary: a somewhat dated yet very enjoyable thriller..
Review: The Boys From Brazil is probably better known by its late 1970s screen adaptation than the novel by Ira ("Rosemary's Baby") Levin. Since I hadn't seen the movie I thought I'd give the book a try. And I was pleasently surprised. The story is about elderly Nazis in Brazil, led by the ingenius yet wicked Mengele, seeking to clone Hitler. In fact they had done this some years back, cloning 94 genetic equivalents of bad ol' Adolph. Now in the mid-1970s they need to embark on a murderous rampage to fulfill their objectives (..no spoilers here). Bring in an aged Nazi hunter from Vienna and we have a tight, compulsively readable little thriller. Of course we know really that the story deep down is very contrived, even for when it was written (1970s). So I recommend not taking the story too seriously. It is well-written, and there are a couple of most memorable scenes. Bottom line: bio-terrorism and Nazis. Turn off your brain and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: a somewhat dated yet very enjoyable thriller..
Review: The Boys From Brazil is probably better known by its late 1970s screen adaptation than the novel by Ira ("Rosemary's Baby") Levin. Since I hadn't seen the movie I thought I'd give the book a try. And I was pleasently surprised. The story is about elderly Nazis in Brazil, led by the ingenius yet wicked Mengele, seeking to clone Hitler. In fact they had done this some years back, cloning 94 genetic equivalents of bad ol' Adolph. Now in the mid-1970s they need to embark on a murderous rampage to fulfill their objectives (..no spoilers here). Bring in an aged Nazi hunter from Vienna and we have a tight, compulsively readable little thriller. Of course we know really that the story deep down is very contrived, even for when it was written (1970s). So I recommend not taking the story too seriously. It is well-written, and there are a couple of most memorable scenes. Bottom line: bio-terrorism and Nazis. Turn off your brain and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Novel
Review: The first 3/4 of this novel are amazing. It is suspensivefull and masterfully orchestrated. Despite (what I thought to be) a laxluster climax, "Boys from Brazil" is nevertheless a thought- provoking and entertaining novel. It's a fun book to read, and leaves you with a lot to think about once you've finished.
Rating:
Summary: The Fourth Reich
Review: The writer of this book was Ira Levin. This is a story about Nazi Germans plotting to spark the beginning of a fourth Reich by systematically murdering 94 men who are 64 to 66 years old.
I sort of liked the book because I like learning about WW2 stuff. The science behind this book is relevant to today. It's kind of scary to think of what would happen if it were real.
Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous Fun
Review: This book is wildly implausible but irresistably fun. Levin adds the gravity of human responsibility to his nutty mad-scientist story to keep it from flying off into camp. The suspensefull ending is particularly satisfying.
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