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119th out of 270 books
—
127 voters
The Boys from Brazil
by
Ira Levin
Alive and hiding in South America, the fiendish Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele gathers a group of former colleagues for a horrifying project—the creation of the Fourth Reich. Barry Kohler, a young investigative journalist, gets wind of the project and informs famed Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman, but before he can relay the evidence, Kohler is killed.
Thus Ira Levin opens one of the s
...moreHardcover, 312 pages
Published
February 12th 1976
by Random House (NYC)
(first published January 1st 1976)
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When I was in Hebrew school, the teacher had us listen to the first chapter on audiobook, and promised to let us hear the rest. When he realized that the book had dialog such as "Fucking bitch, I'd like to cut her tits off," he reconsidered his plans.
My one-phrase rundown: a dated but well-penned and addictive tale of suspense
I read this book for two reasons: one, it was escapism conveniently located in the ‘free paperback’ bin at the library, and secondly as a minor nod to my father. My dad had a bookshelf brimming with cold-war and spy novels, and I vaguely remember him telling me about the plot of the book when I was a kid.
Associating it with my father probably places me in the last generation which can connect with the book, involving as...more
I read this book for two reasons: one, it was escapism conveniently located in the ‘free paperback’ bin at the library, and secondly as a minor nod to my father. My dad had a bookshelf brimming with cold-war and spy novels, and I vaguely remember him telling me about the plot of the book when I was a kid.
Associating it with my father probably places me in the last generation which can connect with the book, involving as...more
6 likes · like · see review
Set in the mid-1970s, Ira Levin’s “The Boys From Brazil” concerns a famous Nazi hunter who stumbles across a plot to murder dozens of men who seem to have no connection to each other. The hunter must uncover the reason for the murders in order to learn who will be next and hopefully stop the killers.
In all three of his books that I’ve read, Levin creates a ticking clock early in the story. In “Rosemary’s Baby”, it’s the term of her pregnancy. In “The Stepford Wives”, the main character realizes...more
In all three of his books that I’ve read, Levin creates a ticking clock early in the story. In “Rosemary’s Baby”, it’s the term of her pregnancy. In “The Stepford Wives”, the main character realizes...more
A well paced suspense thriller with a sci-fi twist. Ira Levin takes an idea that seems far fetched and makes it plausible. The story was also an interesting look at the work of Nazi hunters. It's truly frightening to think that the real Mengele escaped to South America and evaded capture.
I thought the ending was quite interesting also, when Liebermann and his acquaintances at the Young Jewish Defenders are faced with a huge decision, regarding the results of Mengele's sinister plan to bring abou...more
I thought the ending was quite interesting also, when Liebermann and his acquaintances at the Young Jewish Defenders are faced with a huge decision, regarding the results of Mengele's sinister plan to bring abou...more
A masterful book which sees famed Nazi hunter Yakov Liebermann attempt to uncover a huge plot by Nazis in South America, led by Auschwitz's "Angel of Death" Josef Mengele. The Nazis plan to kill 94 sixty-year old civil servants, all with 13 year old sons, at various times and places across the world. Liebermann was told of this by a young man who overheard Mengele giving out the instructions but the man was killed before Liebermann could find out more.
It's effectively a detective story, with Li...more
It's effectively a detective story, with Li...more
This is probably the best sci-fi thriller about Hitler I've read in a while, since Norman Spinrad's The Iron Dream (okay, I had to think for a bit, but there are actually other examples in this category; does Philip K Dick's The Man In The High Castle count as well?). I was vaguely familiar with the plot already (spoiler: Hitler), but I still liked the pacing, and of course the concept of trying to reproduce the impossibly specific environmental circumstances that made Toothbrush Moustache who h...more
* So long had it been since the first and only other time I read this book that I had forgotten virtually everything about it, didn't even remember what the title should have told me to begin with. And toward the end of it, I was getting worried that a plot so grandiose was winding down toward a very small confrontation between a couple of old men. I shouldn't have worried. Levin isn't that kind of writer. The climax is a beautiful piece of work, suspenseful and frighteningly revelatory: by this...more
I've never read of a more ludicrous plot than that of The Boys from Brazil: the heinous Dr. Mengele (director of the human experiments at Auschwitz) who at the time this novel was published was still alive and well somewhere in South America, devises a scheme to clone Hitler 94 times depositing the young Hitler's in various locations throughout the world in families that were similar to Hitler's own with the intention that at least one of the boys will subsequently grow up to become a new Hitler...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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"The man in white put his snifter aside and said, 'Let's get down to business now, boys.' Tipping his cropped gray head, he pushed his glasses lower on his nose and looked at the men over them. They faced him attentively, cigars poised. Silence took the room; only a low whine of air conditioning persisted against it.
'You know what you're going out to do,' the man in white said, 'and you know it's a long job. I'll fill you in on the details now.' He leaned his head forward, looking down through...more
'You know what you're going out to do,' the man in white said, 'and you know it's a long job. I'll fill you in on the details now.' He leaned his head forward, looking down through...more
This book had me on the edge of my seat; it's worth suspending disbelief for. The cat-and-mouse game between Josef Mengele and a Nazi hunter, mixed with a sci-fi plot about nature versus nurture, makes for a fast, absorbing read.
If you're not familiar with Josef Mengele, read up on him before you begin. The book only hints at what a butcher this "Angel of Death" was. (Knowing he was still alive and at large in South America when this book came out gave me pause while reading it.)
My one complaint...more
If you're not familiar with Josef Mengele, read up on him before you begin. The book only hints at what a butcher this "Angel of Death" was. (Knowing he was still alive and at large in South America when this book came out gave me pause while reading it.)
My one complaint...more
People say "don't judge a book by it's cover" but when a cover has a swastika on it, I'm like a moth to a flame. Short version: It's the 1970s and a bunch of Nazis who have been in hiding in Brazil decide the time has come to initiate a plan to start up the Fourth Reich and finally achieve Aryan supremacy. So to Europe they head. Meanwhile, a Nazi Hunter is still looking for them. Now.... honestly.... how can you say 'no' to that?
The Boys From Brazil is a brilliant yarn and has nice twists and t...more
The Boys From Brazil is a brilliant yarn and has nice twists and t...more
I won't bother recounting the plot as I think it is pretty well known to all and sundry. It is a suspenseful thriller, but some of the suspense is taken away when you come to the book having already watched the film (admittedly years ago). I mean, you can hardly forget the dobermans. So with that taken away some of the power of the book as a story is blunted a bit. I enjoyed it and battered through it in a couple of sittings, but could have read it faster if I'd taken it out and about with me. A...more
Book club book. Approached with some caution seeing as it was the 'boy' pick but actually quite enjoyed it. Not entirely sure whether modern biology has the technology to achieve the 94 hitlers let alone the time frame mentioned in the book but that could just be my shaky grasp on modern genetic breakthroughs. A theory can be published in such cited magazines as the Lancet and create a great stir, much social comment and of course spark the idea machine in a writers head. Sadly I have to say tha...more
In a recent minor binge of classic thrillers, I found this one perhaps the best. The evil Dr. Mengele has - decades ahead of the game - perfected human cloning. But what on earth could that have to do with an elaborate plan to murder almost a hundred unexceptional non-Jews in several countries, all of whom are minor civil servants of the same age? The answer seems a little implausible, now, or it seems implausible that anyone (even a sadistic, messianic Nazi nut job) would believe what Mengele i...more
It's a mark of Levin's skill as a writer that he can make (with hindsight) one of the most ludicrous plots I've ever come across into a convincing, gripping narrative. Every character is beautifully drawn, with scarcely a hint of caricature; even the Nazis rise above the pulp fiction status they're normally afforded in literature. I won't give the story away, because it does have some neat twists; but it's basically entertaining nonsense, outstripped both by events (what actually happened to Men...more
Short clever book about Josef Mengele, the angel of death. Dr. Mengele is the real life Nazi doctor who did experiments on Jews in the prison camp Auschwitz. In this book Dr. Mengele is hiding out in Brazil and he hasn't given up his experiments. He has cloned Hitler 94 times and given the little babies to 94 couples thoughtout the world who most closely mimic Hitler's parents. Now when the boys are 13 he is going to have the 94 fathers killed just like Hitler's dad. With 94 exact duplicates gen...more
The Boys from Brazil is about man's desire to play around and experiment with nature, along with a desire for evil to persevere. A Nazi hunter gets a phone call from a man who overheard Mengele--the Angel of Death who held concentration camp prisoner's lives in his hands--plotting to kill 94 civil servants, all with 13-year-old sons. Sounds odd, but the Nazi hunter investigates and stumbles on a plan to recreate one of the world's most hated dictators.
It's been decades since I read this book, bu...more
It's been decades since I read this book, bu...more
The first time I read this book was for my final oral exams English at High-school. Then I thought that the writer had an extremely vivid imagination to come up with a story like this. What did I know then about clones and genetic research? Not much. It was fun to read it again after many years. Because now it's not fantasy anymore, it could be reality and that makes it even more scary.
Although this is not my favorite book by Ira Levin, I think he did a great job. Anyway I love all his books eve...more
Although this is not my favorite book by Ira Levin, I think he did a great job. Anyway I love all his books eve...more
I read the book, saw the movie, and then re-read the book again lately. In my mind's eye I kept seeing Olivier as the Nazi hunter and Peck as Mengele and they hammed it up pretty badly in the film. That aside, the story although pretty far-fetched (well, maybe not so far fetched in the modern world of cloning) still intrigues. At the time it was written, many of the Nazis responsible for the atrocities were still living......hiding out or hiding in plain sight. It made the story a part of living...more
I couldn't put this book down. It was a thrilling read that played out like a movie in my mind. Hollywood could easily adapt this into a movie... oh wait, they did, in 1978(!). Despite the years since the book's publication and the end of WWII, the premise of this book is still chilling and horrifying to me. If social conditions are right and there is an enigmatic leader, could we really have a replay of what happened in Germany in the 1930s on our hands? The book suggests that this is a possibi...more
This is one of the most chilling books I have ever read. With the cutting-edge scientific theme (for when it was written in 1976), this really could be called a technothriller.
The book begins with a secret meeting in Brazil, in the 1970s, by Nazis who have survived and are planning the Fourth Reich. They are led by Dr. Joseph Mengele (a real historical person), who conducted many experiments on concentration camp prisoners in World War II. The group's plan is to kill 94 civil servants, scattered...more
The book begins with a secret meeting in Brazil, in the 1970s, by Nazis who have survived and are planning the Fourth Reich. They are led by Dr. Joseph Mengele (a real historical person), who conducted many experiments on concentration camp prisoners in World War II. The group's plan is to kill 94 civil servants, scattered...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Darren picked this one off his bookshelves for me; and he picked pretty well. I asked for something light and rather thought that it was going to get all too heavy when I got tangled up with Nazis hiding out in South America and planning the deaths of ninety four civil servants for no apparent reason. It's a really good read though and I'd recommend it myself now. Also, without giving the plot away, it's interesting to read it now as some of the things that are speculated about in the book have
...more
I really enjoyed this book even though it is dated in alot of ways. I don't think many people realize that a certain amount of our medical knowledge on subjects such as hypothermia and first aid come from the horrible experiments that the Nazi's performed on death camp inmates. Due to this background I can completely see them trying out cloning and adding the psychological triggers to go along with it. In that regard I feel the plot works. I sometimes wish that Levin would dig a little deeper in...more
May 06, 2013
Holly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of crime or conspiracy novels
Recommended to Holly by:
the movie
Shelves:
fiction
The Boys from Brazil was just laying around the house back in 1996. I'd never read it and my husband never recommended it. One night, completely out of new books to read, I picked it up off the kitchen table - okay, I'm not the world's greatest housekeeper - skimmed the first few pages and hardly drew breath while I finished it. The premise of cloning Hitler was just possible since the first mammal, a sheep, was cloned in early 1996. The writing of the story is tight and dramatic. Dr. Mengele's...more
A well-documented, thoroughly believable thriller. The concept itself is so far-fetched that if Levin hadn't such a sure hand with the material, it would be trite and tasteless. As is, this is a very suspenseful and thought-provoking horror story. The reader is kept in the dark about what is really at stake here until almost two-thirds of the way through the book, and when the book's hero discovers it at the same time the reader does, it is shocking and quite disturbing to consider. The book rac...more
BLOWN AWAY. I'M REALLY STARTING TO HAVE A HARD TIME DECIDING WHO INSPIRES ME THE MOST AS AN AUTHOR. MR. LEVIN'S WORK IS FLAWLESS. I'LL NEVER RELATE TO AN AUTHOR MORE THAN I DO BRET EASTON ELLIS, BUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE, I'M STUDYING THE MASTERS OF STORY-TELLING. SHELDON'S MASTER OF THE GAME MADE ME REALIZE THAT I WANT TO DO MORE THAN JUST HORROR AND ELLIS INSPIRED WORK. I LOVE A GOOD STORY. BRAZIL DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. I'M ALMOST OUT OF LEVIN MATERIAL SO I'M GONNA HAVE TO READ HIS NEXT ONE S...more
This is the worst book I have read recently. The concept seemed interesting, but Ira Levin's writing is like getting hit with a bag full of hammers. I stopped reading around page 50. My intelligence couldn't suffer further insult. I remember one particularly bad paragraph went back and forth between a "brown-haired man" and a "blonde-haired man," repeating the two phrases until I wept. Levin interrupts dialog to make us aware of every little gesture his characters make.
This book is not a book. T...more
This book is not a book. T...more
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Levin graduated from the Horace Mann School and New York University, where he majored in philosophy and English.
After college, he wrote training films and scripts for television.
Levin's first produced play was No Time for Sergeants (adapted from Mac Hyman's novel), a comedy about a hillbilly drafted into the United States Air Force that launched the career of Andy Griffith. The play was turned int...more
More about Ira Levin...
After college, he wrote training films and scripts for television.
Levin's first produced play was No Time for Sergeants (adapted from Mac Hyman's novel), a comedy about a hillbilly drafted into the United States Air Force that launched the career of Andy Griffith. The play was turned int...more
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“They were confident and cunning. They weren't mucking around looking for nuclear weapon secret sloppy seconds in America. They could care less about America. They were busy with the whole world domination thing.”
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Jul 10, 2008 05:53am
Jul 10, 2008 05:56am