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 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.
Rating:
Summary: It was a realistic book and I enjoyed reading it
Review: This book must stand on your bookshelf ! It is worth it !! Buy one toda
Rating: 
Summary: a good book with some really silly references to icecream...
Review: This book opened marvelously, but it quickly went downhill after the main character's visit to the icecream castle to find the significance of the 94 men's deaths. I can accept the Mr. Liebermann has a great deal of intuition, but his conclusions here are beyond unrealistic. My favorite part was definetly when our hero chained the dreaded Mengele to a tree and emptied the can of spray-on moose pheromones onto the villain's back. You really redeemed yourself here, Ira!
Rating:
Summary: captivating summer reading
Review: This is a very interesting book to take with you on vacation -- there is no chance you will get bored. It is not a piece of literature that requires great deals of concentration. No way! But it is an easy-to-read and captivating story, which shows that Ira Levin has plenty of imagination and a gift for creating suspense.
The story takes place in 1974 and involves Dr. Mengele, known as the Angel of Death, a famous figure in the concentration camp of Auschwitz during World War II. In the story, he is involved in a crazy and revolutionary project, designed to lay new seeds for the Aryan dominance in the world.
I admire the writer's gift for creating vivid dialogue and a well built story so compelling that it was difficult for me to put the book aside, just what I wanted for perfect reading at the seaside.
| 
