Rating: 
Summary: Hannibal at large-I couldn't wait for the story to unfold!
Review: This book suffers from too much hype and anticipation after a long wait. Released under different circumstances, reviews would have been kinder. I recommend it. Harris didn't need to spend so much time setting up the story. The first 100 pages could have been edited down to about 25-30. Still, it is a good, suspenseful, horrific story. You find out a lot more about Lechter and his demons, his brilliance, and his unpredictability. Returning characters--Barney, Crawford, and Starling--are further developed, although I was disappointed with the direction Harris took with Starling. Mason Verder, a former patient of Lechter's, is motivated by obsession and revenge. He is also very resourceful. So are the police in Italy and the FBI. Verder's sister, Margeux, puts her own plan in motion--patiently, carefully. Harris weaves the threads of lost loyalties, greed, and ambition throughout. It is cunning, sick, and at times, manic. The last 100 pages left me stunned. There is a climactic showdown that is complex, suspenseful, and unpredictable--but that is not where it ends. Lechter's brilliance comes to fore again, and no matter what you may think or feel about the end, I don't believe anyone can say it is predictable. It is unbelievable and absurd in the strongest sense of the words. It leaves you thinking--real hard--very much a surprise. So go back and read those last 100 pages again. I did. I can tell you I missed a lot because I was entirely unreceptive first time around. Think about it. How much more brilliant, dangerous or horrific could Lechter be?
Rating:
Summary: Lighten up!
Review: My word, people are going on and on about this book as if though they had been promised salvation simply by reading it. Relax, folks, it's only a book and even though some parts of it leave a great deal to be desired, it's an enjoyable read, nevertheless. And though it lacks realism at times (Mr. Harris did go overboard describing just how brilliant, cultured and sophisticated Hannibal Lecter is), both in characterization and plot line, it still contains some genuinely fun and exciting parts. Those that are interest in literature, steer clear of this or any other Harris novel, for that matter. As much as I LOVED "Silence of the Lambs" I could hardly consider it literature. It's a very good psychological thriller, and nothing more. Those interested in literature should read "Madame Bovary", "Les Miserables" or "Don Quixote". Those that are seeking mere entertainment (albeit a little more than twisted, grotesque and vacuous, at times) should have no qualms about "Hannibal." Not nearly as good as "Silence..." but hardly as bad as some would have you believe.
Rating: 
Summary: Please don't waste your money!
Review: Not recommended!!! I cannot begin to tell you what a dissapointment this was. First, the entire book needed at least two more editings. Even had I enjoyed the plot (which was gastly in and of itself), the writing was attrocious! (As a previous critic said, you could easily begin at the back and simply remove pages at random!) I fear that like Stephen King, Thomas Harris has also decided to forego any real attempt at writing well and to simply slap his name on trash labeled as horror (read horrible) fiction! Alas...another author stricken from my reading list!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't pick it up if you don't have time.
Review: Well I hope that Mr. Harris is writing the sequel as we speak. He leaves the door even more open than Silence of the Lambs. I made the mistake of reading parts to my husband, and now he won't touch the book. For those who have less tendency to get queasy it makes us "hungry" for more. I enjoied it, but I'm worried that poor Clarice and Hannibal will be too old for the next go around.
Rating:
Summary: Sadistic, Graphic and Pointless Gore and Violence
Review: I HATED this book. But I liked Harris' two previous books so much, I kept thinking he'd turn it around. I was so disgusted with his need to present the most horrific and graphic situations possible that the rest of the story was lost on me. In fact, so lost that I could never determine the point of it. There was not a character I could even begin to sympathize with, putting me in the position of wanting all of them dead by the end of the book. At least that way, we would know Harris wouldn't try to produce another Hannibal Lecter sequel. Does anyone else think this was merely a screenplay? And could the movie possibly tell the story (weak as it was) and include the gratuitous violence without being rejected by viewers everywhere? But without the gore, this book has no content.
Rating:
Summary: Shockingly bad
Review: I am an enormous fan of both "Red Dragon" and "Silence of the Lambs". I consider them both among the best suspense thrillers that I have ever read in popular fiction. However, this latest effort is written so poorly, it's laughable. I would elaborate but I would be wasting your time as you should have no intention of reading this mess. In a word: abominable.
Rating: 
Summary: A gripping story line, brilliantly written
Review: I was captivated by the book and had a hard time putting it down. The plot was well-written and macabre in the author's usual understated fashion. I say go buy it.
Rating:
Summary: amazingly disappointing
Review: Wow. I can't begin to describe the excitement I felt when I got my hands on this book. Years of waiting all leading up to... one amazing letdown. It's funny, the characters are so different from the previous story (previous two in Lecter's case). It seemed like Harris was writing for the movie characters- though he missed them too. While the scenes in Italy were memorable, the closure of every scene is disappointing. And the ending- I fail to see why Harris chose to go there. What I was left with was bunch of characters without I didn't like- including Starling. Each character was more disturbed that the others. And the mere existance of Mason Verger... if Lecter did all this to him, what was it so difficult to catch him in the first place (although I do like the idea of this huge pervert thinking he's pulling one over on the good doctor) The final thing I came away from this with was the idea that Lecter had some superpowers. He's always had tremendous strength and been able to "read" minds. Not it seems like he can control animals, try to turn back time and smell the contents of a building simply by walking in. And this is the villian!!! Although wait, I guess he wasn't the villian this time around.
Rating:
Summary: Great - but what is going on at the end?
Review: Highly enjoyable. Not as good as "Silence..." but not the disaster most people would have you believe it is. Just falls apart at the end a bit. If anyone can explain the last 30 pages I would be greatful....
Rating:
Summary: an old friend .... for dinner !
Review: While I may be in the minority it seems... I found it an excellent thought provoking read. It was not silence of the lambs.... it was a new dimension or peek at a perspective that was hidden from us before. How a man can have such wisdom ...style... grace...intelligence...and yet be so brutal is a question that is all too real yet at the same time ethereal. Hannibal is transformed given a new and higher plane of existance...no longer the superior villian ... he becomes the uninnocent victim. The dark hero is a mantel he wears well in contradiction of goodly evil. The ending was unexpected and I would have liked to see it a bit more developed... and also more time in Florence where he was truly in his element...but this is definitely a solid and entertaining read. Full of new dimensions of both the old and new characters... enjoy it !
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