Rating: 
Summary: This book was a twisted roller coaster of fun
Review: This is classic Hannibal Lecter. He is up to his usual business and Clarice Starling is hot on his trail. The presence of Mason Verger (Hannibals would be victim) was a great addition to the plot. In a nutshell this book deserves at least 4 stars if not 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely incredible!
Review: Thomas Harris has outdone himself! This book kept me on the edge of the seat throughout the book with a final twist that I didn't see coming at all, but made perfect sense. I'm almost sorry I read it, because I want to read it again!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: This book is a pathetic effort to make money after Silence of the Lambs. I must admit that I thought the whole premise was so off the wall that I was only able to get to the middle of the book.If you like stupid dialogue, plot, and poor characterization this book is the book for you. I didn't even pay full price and I still feel ripped off.
Rating:
Summary: a novel should not be written as a sceenplay
Review: I was rather disappointed with Hannibal as it is written like a novelization of a screenplay. Thomas Harris was obviously lobbying for his sequel to Silence of the Lambs to be on the silver screen before the mass market paperbacks hit the shelves. Although there were several bright moments in the story, by pandering to the filmmakers, Harris takes away the thing that makes reading so enjoyable-- the imagination.
Rating:
Summary: More meat, anyone?
Review: I must agree with the review from "A reader from Savannah", below. Ones appreciation of Hannibal is likely enhanced by a sense of humor, an appreciation of irony, and an understanding of the symbiotic relationship that often develops between the hunter and his/her prey. While many posted critics pan the ending, I rather enjoyed it - it "made sense" to me. This book is certainly the least intense of Harris' books, but, in my opinion, a pleasurable read nonetheless.
Rating: 
Summary: What was Harris thinking?
Review: I waited to read reviews of this book until after I had read it myself, and I was glad that I wasn't the only one who was terribly disappointed. I was first introduced to Dr. Lechter in "Red Dragon", and got to know him better in "Silence of the Lambs", but the Dr. Lechter in this book is not the same character. None of "Hannibal's" characters is well defined and mental imagery is fuzzy at best. I kept trudging through page after page of mundane text, anxiously awaiting another Thomas Harris climactic ending, only to close the book angily, and wonder "How could he do this to his readers?" My advice to potential readers is to just ask someone who had read the book about the ending. Once you learn what happens, you'll be glad you didn't waste your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: To boldly go.....
Review: This book made me feel, it outraged me, it made me laugh, it made me wonder about myself - made me wonder about Harris! Are we readers the morbid throngs at a torture exhibit? Good books are not read passively, the end of this one had me clamping my hand over my mouth saying "omigod, what is happening!?" Harris has written a book in which unique characters dare to find a unique ending that stood me on my head, a story of a world where good is overwhelmed with treachery, horror, and deceit, evil is at least honest, and the only true choices we have are what we will allow in our own reach. I don't think I can stand to see Hollywood gut this book. And I don't want a sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: not as good as Silence of the Lambs.
Review: If one has been to Florence, then he/she can almost smell the city; the imagery is that strong. As for the rest, well it did not hold together nearly as well as Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs. It is quite apparent that the ending is a set up for another book and another film, assuming this one is purchased by a studio. I did enjoy the book, but it is not the best thing I've read in the last two weeks.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed in the end
Review: Why the author spent so much time detailing Italian history and over looked the successful qualities included in his prior novels, was a mystery to me regarding this book. Where were the overviews of the technologies available for crime fighting as in the Red Dragon? Where was our protagonist? The author spent too much time trying to disgust me instead of working on an engaging story. Yes, the book kept me absorbed, but only to make me feel I had wasted my time reading it in the end.
Rating:
Summary: gruesome
Review: An incredibly long, wordy, disgusting story with no real plot. All the characters, except Clarice, were horrible people who committed unbelievably revolting acts that could only have been included for the shock value (and "make me want to vomit" value). In the end, even Clarice dissapoints. I found it hard, despite (or perhaps because of) the detail, to actually follow some of the actions. It was somewhat interesting to learn more about Hannibal's motivations, but I would have preferred hearing those parts from someone who had read the book rather than subjecting myself to the entire story.
| 
