Brothers

Babe Levy #2

by William Goldman

In this belated sequel to Marathon Man Goldman jumps several years into the future of the Levy brothers. Thomas is now a history professor at Columbia, and Scylla, the lethal secret agent left for dead in New York's Lincoln Center, has been restored and reactivated as a top-level killer by his shadowy masters in the U.S. government. In the nether world of Washington policymaking science has become a major weapon in a bizarre struggle between hawks and doves, and Scylla's assigned role is to eliminate two scientists whose invention of new creative killing methods may be more dangerous than the problem they set out to solve. The imaginative, if sometimes bizarre, plot winds its way through seemingly unconnected episodes of considerable violence before reaching an ironic conclusion which pulls all the threads together.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Science Fiction, Espionage

310 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Goldman grew up in a Jewish family in Highland Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and obtained a BA degree at Oberlin College in 1952 and an MA degree at Columbia University in 1956.His brother was the late James Goldman, author and playwright.

William Goldman had published five novels and had three plays produced on Broadway before he began to write screenplays. Several of his novels he later used as the foundation for his screenplays.

In the 1980s he wrote a series of memoirs looking at his professional life on Broadway and in Hollywood (in one of these he famously remarked that "Nobody knows anything"). He then returned to writing novels. He then adapted his novel The Princess Bride to the screen, which marked his re-entry into screenwriting.

Goldman won two Academy Awards: an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for All the President's Men. He also won two Edgar Awards, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay: for Harper in 1967, and for Magic (adapted from his own 1976 novel) in 1979.

Goldman died in New York City on November 16, 2018, due to complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. He was eighty-seven years old.

Reviews

[Feliks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few thriller-fans today may have ever read the original book which William Goldman wrote in the early 70s --from which, this much-later work I'm now going to describe to you--is the sequel. The earlier book redefined the thriller genre; was adapted into a fine movie (by the author himself, thankfully) with the most famous leading-men of the day acting in it; and even now it remains a book to which any new thriller must be compared to. That genre-benchmark was 'Marathon Man'--and its still as great as it ever was--though the numbers of readers who wend their way to it have of course, dwindled.

In the digital publishing free-for-all occurring today, the only books which attract big sales are those which are currently being advertised and promoted. 'Marathon Man' only has fading word-of-mouth to help attract new fans. Its a shame, because for years, it was considered the single most powerful example of its genre. It is still quietly revered, by a savvy few--and that attests to its impact considering that books today are structured in 'series' or 'franchises'.

For a long time too, it was a book no one (likely not even its author) even considered a sequel for. A sequel was unlooked-for because it ('Marathon Man') was not only too unique; too singular a story--but also so perfectly realized. It was dramatically succinct; complete; whole; fulfilled. It didn't need any tinkering, amending, or expanding. Really, to contemplate 'furthering it' might even harm the integrity and purity of the original concept. A great story usually has a firm, decisive ending. Loose ends (like sequels) are the sign of a sloppy product.

And William Goldman never writes sloppy. He is a consummate craftsman who always writes to a certain high caliber. You can see it in all his concoctions. He has such a reliable smoothness and poise, such confident grasp of storytelling rhythm. When you flip through one of his page-turners, you always sense that he had a steady goal in mind, some spark which prompted him to labor in the first place. You know there had to be something which intrigued him, some idea to kickstart the process of writing which placed that book currently in your hand. He never writes unless he, himself, is excited about a concept; excited about sharing that concept with readers.

That's what I tried to keep in mind when I encountered this sequel (to 'Marathon Man'). I always remind myself to keep faith with Goldman whenever I'm reading one of his more down-market works. 'Control' is another one. Since it didn't make a splash, you wonder whether he maybe botched it. But as I just explained above: he deserves that we trust him. He's 'earned his keep', too many times to give up on him.

Nevertheless, I was worried as I cautiously made my way through this strange, (perhaps ill-starred?) add-on to his all-time phenomenon, 'Marathon Man'. Could he do it? Could he pen a sequel to stand alongside MM? If anyone could, surely it would be he.

Still. For most of the book I was uneasy. One can't help it. Most Goldman thrillers ...you're just not sure how things will play out. That's his intention. He reserves the 'payoff' until the very last. That's how he writes his thrillers; that's what his knack is. Suspense. So here, my anticipation was two-fronted. First, evaluating the story itself--as a standalone thriller--then, rating how well those thrills might compare to its more famous progenitor (MM).

This novel--this sequel--is called 'Brothers' and to fans of 'Marathon Man' the idea of the famous characters from the first book returning for more adventure is at once exciting and nervous-making; nervous, because we want it to be great. Nervous, because we don't want it to suck.

Goldman of course, is adroit at exploring 'brother' or 'buddy' relationships. 'Marathon Man' gave us one of the best 'sibling' stories ever. So there's little chance that he's going to fumble that aspect of this continuing saga. And he doesn't: what happens to 'Babe' and 'Doc' in this tale is artistically deft and doesn't mar the earlier story when they meet again for further mayhem. But the overarching storyline in which they re-appear..well..that's perhaps where the weakness lies. I can't help but notice that its nowhere close in accomplishment to the earlier story-model found in MM. But maybe nothing ever can be. Lightning can't strike twice.

What we do get though, is the awesomeness of seeing agent Scylla return from the dead; return for more action as only he can deliver. Scylla is every thriller fan's favorite hero. A renaissance butt-kicker. He simply demolishes ass. Sure, its a bit thin as we follow his return..the painful explaining of 'how he didn't really die', the last time we saw him. He was 'whisked away to a private island' and 'held as a hedge (by his agency) against some 'future, unexpected crisis'. Goldman asks a lot from us.

We grudgingly let Goldman proceed ...and its okay. But only because the quality of the writing. The concept of this story would not be convincing enough in the hands of any other author. Its frankly, zany. It makes the story of Dr. Christian Szell look as sober as 'Buddenbrooks'. Its a story straight out of, 'The Man from UNCLE' TV series. Yes, that goofy. Someone is killing the world's political leaders, how are they doing it? With child assassins. Woah really? Yes. Who's behind it? That's the plot. Groan!

Now the real weirdness of this book--the oddity that other reviews have commented on--is the human freakshow, the various encounters Scylla has along down the fairway of this carnival, as he unravels this bizarre global crisis. He's about to enter a series of perverse adventures more fitting for a Michael Anderson porn film.

But here is where Goldman's professionalism comes to the fore. What he treats his readers to is a kind of a romp through sex, drugs, violence, sadism, science, and perversion of the kind you will probably never see in any other thriller. The most god-damned brutal, berserk encounters populate the middle of this story; stuff so weird you will never get rid it fully out of your head. Two giddy-in-love teenagers suddenly enter into a suicide pact; a mad scientist has sex with the girlfriend of a homicidal ex-con; a man gets violently kicked in the balls to test his integrity; a sweet older couple have their faces peeled off by a custom-designed switchblade razor; a man dangles from a hotel ledge by his fingertips; and last (but not least) forced interracial sodomy. All sorts of looney! You wonder what the HELL is this author doing??

But he can do it. Goldman can go out on a limb like this and still squeak by. The same material in the hands of a lesser writer would wind up in a box in the closet next to 'The Story of O'. But Goldman alone, gets away with this. It all comes together eventually. There is ultimately a reward for polluting your brain with all this nonsense. You really do just have to trust Goldman. Never forget this! Trust Goldman! He always brings the bacon home!

For some reason--maybe he needed money, maybe his last Hollywood expose' had closed doors for him--he turned his mind to the writing of a 'Marathon Man' sequel and this is what we got. Take it or leave it. As crazy as it is, there is still one of the all-time great fight scenes within these pages, as only Goldman can write a fight scene. Its a doozy. Its his other genius, his other trump-card. Goldman never fails to come up with something inventive when describing hand-to-hand combat. Thriller fans can't be remiss about this; you have to read Goldman at minimum, for his fistfight sequences.

The giant Scylla bursts in on 'the Blonde' in a skyrise apartment, just after his enemy has finished a hit. Cue adrenalin. These are two of the world's top assassins fighting hand-to-hand combat. To the death. They start maneuvering in a kind of dance. There's just nothing like Goldman's gift for this kind of scene. He's got such fight scenes in almost every books he's ever written. Read him for this, alone!

So, there you have it. That's my review. At the end of it all, I'm honored to write this little tribute to his oddball throwaway sequel. It wasn't a publishing success. Its successful only in the sense that it became something else of its own; rather than what was intended. Its good, in spite of its creator's finer aims. Remember that later, during this same period, he came up with 'Princess Bride'. Maybe 'Brothers' is a mistake. But William Goldman is the kind of author who can make mistakes ...and still be better than any 80% of what his competitors produce.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Drama:
William Goldman's dark sequel to Marathon Man, dramatised by Stephen Keyworth.

The western world is gearing up for war until Scylla, an infamous American spy, is brought out of hiding and sent on a brutal mission to keep the peace.

Starring Tom Burke and Jack Lowden.

Directed by Kirsty Williams.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08yj...

[Jackie Arroyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridiculously phenomenal. The sequel to Marathon Man and was even better.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sequel to Marathon Man that takes place eight years after that book. Scylla takes center stage in this spy thriller, with Babe (now an early-thirties history professor with a wife) appearing in a few scenes. Although the book is kind of trashy, I enjoyed it a bit more than the first book. Scylla is a much more interesting character, and there’s lots of action in the plot. As a spy story, it borrows more from the “Our Man Flint” type of movies than James Bond. It’s fairly dark, and takes some interesting turns. You do have to read Marathon Man first, though, to understand the story.

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

No wonder few people know about this sequel to Marathon Man — it is NOT good. The story is confusing, dumb, and extremely violent with a huge body count (most of whom are innocents). Also, it is barely a sequel, as it focuses on the character of Doc (Roy Scheider in the movie, who absolutely died in Marathon), and barely features Babe (Dustin Hoffman), whose sole purpose for even being in the story only becomes clear on the last page.

Most disappointing is that Goldman — the man behind not only Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride and All the President's Men — has totally lost his ear for dialogue and his eye for character here, most of whom come across as weird-talking stereotypes.

Looking this up on Wikipedia, I learned that this was Goldman's last novel (even though he lived another thirty years), which he himself later described as "a not-very-terrific book." Other reviewers at the time were equally unimpressed, noting variously that Goldman "bewilders us as to his ultimate aims, and seeks to keep us entertained in the meantime with gimmicks;" "the book does not puzzle the reader constructively;" "it isn't a novel at all but a book about killing," "the book's basic premise fails to hold together." and is "disjointed and agonizingly slow."

So sorry Feliks — on this one, we're gonna hafta agree to disagree.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brothers - a sequel to Marathon Man - is completely over the top. Goldman may well have written this on an opiate/alcohol bender. It could be one of the most egregious Mary Sue offences ever, but I loved it. It's as if Goldman figured "Edged Weapons" was an unappreciated masterpiece, but suffered from an excess of subtlety.

There will never be a movie. The plot reads like Get Smart delivered with a straight face, but why did I love it?

Perhaps because of Goldman's gift for literary slo-mo, and the audaciousness to fuck Dustin Hoffman's character from Marathon Man so deeply in the ass. As I read the book, I constantly imagined Roy Scheider reprising his role as Scylla, so successfully did he convey the idea of Scylla in his abbreviated role in Schlesinger's adaptation of the first instalment. The death of Scheider - such a loss.

Goldman has a gift for showing the reader something before pulling the rug from under them. One of the best examples of this is from The Color of Light, where, between chapters, a child is apparently saved, yet lost. It's reminiscent of a particular scene in John Irving's The World According to Garp, where the fate of a child is unexplained for a chapter or two, until the awful truth is revealed. In this novel, this concept is used to articulate the twists and turns of the secret agent genre, but also, it signposts a terrible tragedy early in the piece, which later feeds into a tragic, if somewhat chaotic, bitter end.

There's no moral to the story here, but the alias "Elmer Snerd" will forever be a memorable counterpoint to Ian Fleming's cooler than cool "Bond, James Bond" idiom.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this while I was 18 and in Europe, the storyline has stayed with me. I don't remember realizing it was a sequel, I'm looking forward to reading the first.

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maratónce mám jako jednu z nejlepších knih minulého roku – a tady mám jeho pokračování, ve kterém se vrací oba bráchové. Ano, i Doc alias Scylla, ten mrtvý.
Je to tak dobré jako první díl? Ne, určitě není. Stojí to za přečtení? No…
Je nutné brát v úvahu, že jsem ke knize přistupoval s respektem a ochotou přistoupit na autorovu hru. Je to přece jen William Goldman, tvůrce nejen Maratónce, ale i Butche Cassidyho a Sundance Kida – a především Princezny nevěsty! Myslím, že to přesunuje z kategorie „co to sakra bylo“ do kategorie „zajímavá bizarnost“. I když měl i Maratónec dost volnou strukturu, tak tohle ho ještě trumfuje. A k tomu přihazuje zápletku, kterou by odmítli ve bondovkách s Rogerem Moorem, že je až moc komická.
Na začátku se dozvíte, že Scylla přežil. Pak se ale kniha na bráchy vykašle a nějakých osmdesát hutných stran se popisují nesouvisející příběhy: dvou malých sourozenců, kteří si jdou koupit bonbóny a skončí v explozi, holky a jejího násilnického přítele, kteří se střetnou s charismatickým homosexuálem, a dvojici milenců, kteří mají velké plány, ale nějak jim to nevyjde. Dalších nějakých sto stránek dopravují Scyllu z ostrova, přičemž, jak sám hrdina poznamenává, vyhladí půlku Anglie, jen aby to uchovali v utajení.
Vůbec jsou tajné organizace Williama Goldmana úžasně béčkové záležitosti. Ono to bylo i v Maratónci, kdy se všichni vraždili na potkání, aby se ve finále ukázalo, že vlastně o nic nešlo. Tady se fakt člověk diví, jak někdo v tajné organizaci přežije víc než týden.
Za polovinou knihy se teprve začne ujasňovat, o co jde, hrdina jde do akce a začne to být zajímavější. Celá kniha je především o Scyllovi. Babe (čili hlavní postava Maratónce) je tu spíš jen kvůli kompletnosti. A kvůli finále.
A teď to posuzujte. Jsou tu motivy jako z bondovky, postavy jako z obludária, vraždění jako z totálního krváku, šílené vynálezy jako z televizních nemarvelovských Avengers… a do toho nadhled, ironické komentáře (včetně úvah, jak stojí pokračování úspěšných děl za pendrek), pár pěkných a skvěle napsaných akčních scén a solidní finále, kterému se daří přihodit i menší pointu.
Je to… no, rozhodně zajímavé.

[Don Gillette · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the premise is a bit far-fetched and one of the back stories didn't appear to go anywhere, this was Goldman at his best, which is always good. And in this case, the dude proved he was able to see into the future...

[Karen Karn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing sequel to Marathon Man.

[Rosie Davidson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came to this book not expecting much, because we all know how *amazing* sequels are. But I did have hopes. I really loved Marathon Man, and I wanted to hear more about Scylla, I wanted to maybe get some backstory on Janey's betrayal, and I wanted to see how Babe readjusts to normal life after how much trauma he went through in the first book. I got almost none of those things. Instead, the book only brought me pain, horror, and disappointment.
I truly don't know why or how anyone would review this highly. Artistically and structurally, this book has so many problems. The plot makes no sense, there are so many characters coming in and out of the story so fast that it's hard to know what's happening, and generally characterization and emotion take a backseat to pointless violence.
What made Marathon Man so good was the rich, complicated characterization of Babe and Scylla/Doc. We really get a sense of Babe's pain from his father's suicide, the gap between who he wants to be and who he is, and then intimately experience his transformation from naive, cowardly child to confident, skilled killer. And Scylla. I really loved Scylla, because he was written just magically. In Marathon Man we get a charismatic, sympathetic, dynamic, likable portrayal of his talent, his fear of death, his internal conflict and dissatisfaction with the double life he's living, and his love for the people close to him. He was my favorite character and I was really hoping that Brothers would enrich him even further. Particularly, I was invested in the Scylla/Janey relationship - that betrayal was a real gut punch - and I hoped that Brothers would answer some of the lingering questions I had about their dynamic. How did a relationship that Scylla seems completely trusting of fall apart so brutally? In Marathon Man, I was really pleasantly surprised by Goldman's complex, respectful, human portrayal of a queer major character (Scylla) and interesting, if less complex, supporting characters. I hoped, apparently in vain, that Brothers would be more of the same. I was bitterly let down and I feel just as confused and betrayed by William Goldman as Babe felt when Janey betrayed him. If you come to Brothers expecting it to respectfully portray queer characters, you will be disappointed.
Brothers completely straightwashes Scylla, not only erasing the character Janey, but inventing a random ex-wife for Scylla to reconcile with (an event which came out of nowhere and had no impact on the plot at all), and another random woman for him to have a one-night-stand with. This is never mentioned again. Just... WHY?? What did that scene add to his character or the story in general? NOTHING! It's totally out of character for Scylla to just randomly hook up with someone and risk them finding out his secret identity - particularly because this book kills so many secondary characters on the basis of protecting government secrets. Scylla does have a sex drive, as evidenced by his flirty phone call with Janey in Marathon Man, but A) he has NEVER been attracted to any women, and B) he's too smart and skilled to do something that impulsive and stupid to compromise his mission! At least without some kind of really really good reason or emotional investment, which he does not have. These scenes just end up feeling like an author's wish-fulfillment fantasy.
But Scylla's sexuality isn't the only character trait of his that gets erased - pretty much all of that wonderful complexity and charisma from Marathon Man is gone. There's like one or two decent scenes about his brotherly love for Babe, and his friendship with Perkins did bring surprising depth to both of their characters, but scenes like this are the exception, not the rule, and overall this Scylla is a feeble echo of the character I loved and mourned for. He's basically been turned into a non-entity, only there to look cool and beat up on people. The narrative moves so fast, covers so much ground, and devotes so much time to mindless action, that it sacrifices all of its characters' personalities. You'll find yourself thinking, many times, "Oh no, they're fighting again. Why are they fighting? Which one do I want to win? Why should I care about this fight?" and be unable to come up with a satisfactory answer. This is a stark and sad contrast to Marathon Man, where the action sequences hit as hard as they do because they're not just violence for violence's sake - they show the emotional core of the narrative in interesting and thrilling ways. Pain, betrayal, vengeance, mind over matter, power or helplessness - the action scenes REVEAL THEMES OF THE STORY. In Brothers, this narrative skill is completely thrown away, and the action just overpowers everything else. Almost none of the characters in this book were well developed enough to be likable, or even to invest me in what happened to them - except for Perkins, who I actually cared about, and then he got brutally murdered to usher in another wave of stupid violence.
Having also read Buttercup's Baby, I'm noticing a pattern with bad William Goldman sequels. Probably because he knows on some level that he doesn't have enough material or ideas for a good sequel, Goldman instead pads out his sequels with overinflated stakes, preposterous violence, and weirdly sexual plots, so that the shock factor can distract from the fact that the sequels in question really don't need to exist.
With Brothers, this reliance on shocking debauchery is the book's most damning flaw. The book is sexually explicit and violent in a way that its predecessor wasn't, making it feel tonally distant from the original, and, as I previously discussed, stealing the focus from characters or plot. The scenes of explicit sex and sexual assault feel borderline pornographic, and there are just SO MANY of them.
And, speaking of sexual assault, that brings us to another glaring flaw of the book, and a real downgrade from Marathon Man: HOMOPHOBIA. In Marathon Man, we have three queer characters with distinct personalities and emotional depth, capable of friendship and familial and romantic love. (Except for maybe Janey, but part of the reason his betrayal hurts so much is that the narrative devoted time to fleshing out his and Scylla's relationship and getting us to care about it - in other words, the narrative RESPECTS QUEER CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS, and treats Janey as evil BECAUSE he disregarded the friendships and relationships he should have valued more than greed.) True, there are some questionable word choices, but overall Marathon Man gives the impression of viewing queer people as real people worthy of dimensional portrayals and a certain level of respect.
So that's the queer situation of Marathon Man. What about Brothers? Well, Janey is never mentioned, Scylla's queerness has been erased, and there's only one named queer character: Milo Standish, a deviant predator who basically uses mind control to force straight men and women into having sex with him or acting out his "fantasies". At one point, he even gets disturbingly close to molesting Scylla himself (who the narrative treats as heterosexual). This is so blatantly homophobic and such a downgrade from Marathon Man that it's honestly baffling. And homophobia is far from the only 'ism' that Brothers suffers from - racism runs rampant in the language used to describe black characters, with even the N-word showing up left and right (William Goldman is a white author). Racist ideologies take the spotlight in many scenes, in a way that contributes nothing to anyone's plot or characterization, and I suspect it has something to do with that 'shock factor' pattern I mentioned earlier. And sexism plagues Brothers too. Every female character is defined by her relationships with the men of the narrative, none of them have any agency in the plot, and they're all wildly oversexualized; particularly noteworthy, any time that we're in the POV of a female character, there are MAJOR 'female-character-written-by-a-man' pitfalls. (In the second opening sequence of Connie and her boyfriend getting assaulted by Milo Standish, you could practically take a shot every time Connie mentions her own nipples.)
I think I ran out of things to complain about, so let me just conclude by saying: this book is a disaster, and a disgrace to William Goldman's writing career. As a major fan of his, I'm really sad that this book exists, because I've seen his writing at its best and he can do so much better. This is the man who wrote The Princess Bride! The classic fantasy-romance-comedy-adventure, beloved in both its book and movie incarnations! The quality of The Princess Bride or Marathon Man, two examples of Goldman at his best, are so far removed from this monstrosity that it's honestly baffling how the same person could have written books so vastly different in quality. Apparently Goldman himself wasn't happy with how Brothers turned out, to which I say: then why didn't he revise it? Or simply not publish it at all? Brothers is William Goldman's last novel, and, although I haven't read everything of his by far, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the worst. We can only take this book as a cautionary tale, teaching us how sometimes great stories really are best left unsullied by sequels. Also a cautionary tale on how not to write queer men, people of color, or women.
This review is a monster but I needed to get it off my chest because the contrast between Marathon Man and Brothers is genuinely heartbreaking. If you liked Marathon Man and are considering reading Brothers, take my advice: DON'T. I suffered through it so that you don't have to.

[Checkman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like William Goldman. I've always enjoyed the films that he has written ("All The President's Men", "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "Marathon Man", "Maverick") and I've read a few of his novels over the years which I have also enjoyed.

"Marathon Man" is one of my favorite thrillers and has been for many years. I really wanted to like "Brothers" despite the negative opinions I have heard and read over the years. Sadly I have to say that I found it to be a mess. It's isn't that I was expecting more of the same - I pride myself on being more sophisticated that that. However I was expecting something less............well I don't even know how to describe this sequel. Perhaps if if was a stand-alone novel I would have given it three stars. It has a vauge Frank Miller quality to it and I like Miller's more psychotic works (See "Sin City" and "Electra Assassin").

The problem is that "Marathon Man" is set in our world. A nightmarish quality runs throughout the first story, but it is firmly set in our world. Technology and James Bond gadgets play no part in MM, but with "Brothers" Goldman goes in a totally different direction and I found myself wanting off of the ride. It's as if David Morrell ("First Blood") took over, but he was drunk when he did so. It wasn't fun or even mind bending. It was forced, tiresome and ultimately boring.

Having written such a negative review I still can't bring myself to give "Brothers" one star. Even when firing on only one cylinder Goldman is still better than less talented writers firing on two or three cylinders. But I won't be keeping my copy.

One last observation. "Brothers" is Goldman's most recent novel. In 28 years he has yet to write another one. I can't help but speculate that "Brothers" didn't do all that much for him either.

[p]

I couldn't remember whether I had read this book or not until I actually opened it and read a little of it. I remember it being okay, but I get it confused with Marathon Man, to which this is the sequel.

[Sam Ogren · Rating 5 out of 5]

sequel to Marathon Man

[MD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly not high literature but was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I rarely reread books, but I have reread this one.

[Spellbind Consensus]

"Brothers" is a novel by William Goldman, published in 1986. It is a sequel to his earlier work, "Marathon Man," and continues the story of protagonist Thomas "Babe" Levy. Here's a detailed summary of the novel:

Plot Summary:

The novel begins several years after the events of "Marathon Man." Thomas "Babe" Levy, a former graduate student and marathon runner, is now a professor at Columbia University, trying to rebuild his life after the traumatic events that involved his brother Doc's murder and his own encounter with the Nazi war criminal, Dr. Christian Szell.

New Threats and Old Enemies:

Babe’s life is once again thrown into chaos when a new conspiracy emerges. It becomes evident that Babe's troubles are far from over as he gets drawn back into a world of espionage and danger. This time, the threat is even more personal and deadly, involving his family's dark past and secret government operations.

Introduction of Scylla:

A significant part of the novel focuses on Babe's brother, Scylla (Doc's twin brother), who was previously thought to be dead. Scylla is revealed to be alive and a highly skilled assassin working for a covert government agency. Scylla’s survival and covert operations add a new layer of complexity and danger to the story.

The Nemesis – Janeway:

The antagonist of the novel is Janeway, a ruthless and intelligent enemy who has his own secret agenda. Janeway's character is multi-faceted, making him a formidable opponent for both Babe and Scylla. His actions and motivations drive much of the novel's tension and conflict.

Interwoven Storylines:

Goldman skillfully interweaves multiple storylines involving Babe’s attempts to uncover the truth about his family's past, Scylla’s covert missions, and Janeway’s manipulations. The narrative shifts between these perspectives, creating a suspenseful and engaging plot that keeps the reader guessing.

Climactic Confrontation:

The novel builds up to a climactic confrontation where Babe and Scylla must join forces to stop Janeway's plans. Their relationship is strained and complex, marked by years of separation, differing philosophies, and unresolved family issues. Despite this, their shared goal of survival and justice brings them together.

Themes:

Family and Loyalty: The novel explores the bonds between brothers, loyalty to family, and the lengths one will go to protect loved ones.
Trust and Betrayal: Trust is a central theme, with characters often finding themselves betrayed by those they thought they could rely on.
Identity and Redemption: Both Babe and Scylla struggle with their identities and seek redemption for their past actions.

Conclusion:

"Brothers" ends on a note of resolution for Babe and Scylla, but also leaves room for the uncertainty and dangers that continue to lurk in their world. The novel concludes with the idea that while some battles are won, the fight against hidden threats and personal demons is ongoing.

Goldman's "Brothers" is a gripping thriller that expands on the themes and characters introduced in "Marathon Man." It combines elements of espionage, psychological drama, and intense action, making it a compelling read for fans of suspense and complex character-driven stories.

[heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

*kinda spoilers* I like that we got to explore more of Scylla, and it felt like a good sequel,, but the first book was just slightly better. Brothers was a little slow and almost felt like Goldman didn’t have a strong idea what he was doing for the first half (he always manages to tie it together well though). I like what he did with Perkins as I genuinely didn’t see it coming, but that was about the only real shocker (that and the whole Sally/Scylla affair). Marathon man had me thrown just about every chapter in the second half so didn’t compare :( still a good read, took me a while, but glad I finished it. Would love to see it adapted as a movie too

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of story lines all come together in a thrilling sequel to an excellent novel The Marathon Man. Someone returns from the past and is put back in service for the undercover government “Division”.

Twists and turns with a guy that reminds me of Reacher. Big and very smart.

If there was never a movie about this I’d be very surprised. It’s very much in the vein of the Jason Bourne series.

A hitman to challenge all the best in the business.

Levy returns a bit and has moved ahead in his life.

Wish there had been many more novels in this Bebe Levy series.

I’m so impressed with William Goldman. I’ve read Magic, Marathon Man and now Brothers. Next is Tinsel.

[Baldurian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fratelli è un action-thriller solido, divertente, pieno di inventiva e capace di accalappiare il lettore. All'ottimo Goldman non perdono però due cose (e questo spiega il limite delle tre stelle):
1) va bene giocare con la sospensione dell'incredulità, ma qui si è superato il limite troppo volte (i primi capitoli sono un unico, enorme maccosa).
2) Babe, l'ottimo protagonista de Il maratoneta, viene usato come semplice contorno... uno spreco colossale.
In definitiva il seguito discreto di un grande romanzo.

[Aaron Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is truly absurd. I don’t know if it was meant to be an unfilmable, contractually-obligated sequel to a book that should not have one, but it reads like someone writing a book out of spite or frustration.
However, it has some things to recommend about it. The biggest: by my count, only two characters who speak dialogue in the book survive to the end. I noticed about halfway through that the body count was getting ridiculous, and then there was a scene where a little boy buys candy from a store. The man who sells him candy has no reason to be killed off, right? WRONG.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

It ain’t great. The writing is solid and everything and it moves well enough but I got to the end and couldn’t come up with a good reason for its existence. A few plot threads just sort of fizzle out and antagonists get introduced at the last minute and this have no real impact when they are defeated. I couldn’t really say what this is even about other than an excuse to complain about life in the mid 80’s and some pop conspiracy theory silliness. I can see why this wasn’t rushed to screen and why even Goldman seems to have little good to say about it.

[The Face of Your Father · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did Goldman owe a large sum to the IRS in 1986 or something? Entertaining as all hell but also an unmitigated disaster. Cheetah clawed assassins, liquid suicidal solutions found in bottles, free will evaporating mist, cuckolding, filmed cornholing, exploding children, all used for the prevention (or acceleration) of World War III. An X-rated episode of Get Smart. Yeah, it rocked but it was also bad.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely horrible sequel to Marathon Man. At the end of that book one of the brothers is stabbed to death. He dies in his brothers arms. But to make a sequel about the two brothers, one now a Columbia professor, the other, a secret agent, had to be resurrected. He was severely injured in the stabbing, but didn't die. From there it gets more preposterous. Skip it.

[Jacq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un seguito meno interessante e meno convincente (e tradotto meno bene) de Il Maratoneta: sembra quasi che Goldman non ci creda davvero in questo sequel e lo costruisca in modo quasi forzato. Il finale poi è davvero troppo frettoloso. Pur lasciandosi leggere (da lì la sufficienza), a mio avviso Fratelli è un'occasione sprecata.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get the feeling that Goldman felt the need to one-up the infamous dental scene in Marathon Man; he does this early on in this book, in a different way, and it almost pushed me out of the book. The second third of the book gets better and I was almost engaged as much as the previous book, but it bottoms out in the final third and I found myself skimming.

[Arpad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a very enjoyable style, but this sequel is way too far fetched. Too many unbelievable things to happen. Scylla resurrected, cyborg children that explode, bloodies and godists. What the heck? Marathon man didn’t really need a sequel.

[Kølin Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually 2.5. This book is not as good as the first. It feels sloppy and forced, though Goldman is such a good writer that I kept reading because I did enjoy the different plots within each chapter. Still, this is the kind of book I won't remember much about in a week.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good sequel to Marathon Man.

[Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember this as so much better. Of course, it was probably 20 years ago I first read it.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun sequel to the great Marathon Man. Lots of killings, attempted killings, and fight scenes. A pretty good twist at the end.