I read this book in a single day.

There are novels that are tightly linked to the time when they were published. So when read in modern times and outside the targeted-era they seem out-of-place, maybe even demode.

And then there are books that are timeless. And this book is timeless.

Sure you may say that here main antagonists are [again] Nazi's, timeless evildoers that are ready to kill anyone and everyone in order to achieve their goal. What is it that makes this book different from Ludlum's works i.e.

I will say subject and characters.

Main subject is something that in the 1970's when novel was published might be in domain of the SF but today is in domain of very possible (if not already perfected) - cloning a person. But not just cloning a person to have the same genetic structure as a person donating the genetic materiel. Story goes one step more to show that in order to get a perfect (or near perfect) copy of somebody then new organism (I truly do not know how to call it - clone?) needs to be placed under the same stressors and external pressures because while genetic structure defines us great deal - our life experiences are what makes the true difference. And again it does not guarantee that end result will be 100% copy but chances grow.

When notorious dr Mengele pops up author gives us the person that most definitely had enough theoretical and [oh horrors] practical knowledge when it comes to genetics and gene manipulation.

So as you can see all the ingredients are in and story sounds very believable. Characters of Mengele and Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman are just gorgeous. One thinking about himself as a supreme being with holy task at hand and the other getting more and more ignored by others as years pass by [because world is tired of hunting the war criminals]. Even the para-military Jewish organization Ezra contacts for help seems so hungry-for-blood to Ezra that he decides to prevent them from exterminating all the Mengele's subjects. Because as Ezra says if we act as them [Nazis] then are we any better than them? Standard dilemma but coming from the concentration camp survivor after a discussion with heated youth seeking revenge and only revenge .... it has a different feeling.

And ending. It leaves you wandering. Indeed.

Excellent book, highly recommended to all lovers of good thriller. ( )

Great pageturner. Unfortunately it's hard to get a "virgin" experience that does justice to the way Levin sets up and writes about the ultimate reveal of the plot since any reader now has most likely picked up on the main outline of the plot through cultural osmosis. Levin writes almost like he's setting up the screenplay with the way he cuts between scenes and dialogue. ( )

Nicely plotted, well written science fiction thriller with a good mystery. I actually remembered the big secret from when I last read this thirty years ago, so it must have made quite an impression. Thirty years ago would have been about the right time for the implications of the novel to be coming to fruition. A little dated now, but still very enjoyable. ( )

While I was aware of the big reveal, having watched that one episode of Archer, I still really wanted to read this book and find out more about what it was all about. Can't say I'm disappointed; I love Levin's work so far, and everything I've read of his has hit me in a different way. While The Stepford Wives gave me eerie ooky-spookies, and Rosemary's Baby gave me proper horrifying thoughts, this one just gave me things to think about in terms of the human condition. A fantastic read for those interested in World War II, genetic engineering, and Nazis getting their comeuppance. ( )

Never in a million years would I have guessed who "The Boys from Brazil" were. But did you ever wonder how blond-haired people with German names got to South America? This book was a page-turner that I read in one sitting (laying). ( )