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Summary: Not what I was looking for
Review: I must say after the horror of Red Dragon and of Silence, Hannibal left me wanting. Wanting that Hannibal that you love to hate. It had glimmers of the old Hannibal, killing in Florence, and killing the poacher, but it left me wanting to know the pre-Red Dragon Hannibal not the post Silence Hannibal.
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Summary: Hannibal
Review: This was a great book to Read, I think it was better than "The Silence of the Lambs". I think its the the bestr books of the year. so far
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Summary: Second time lucky
Review: I only enjoyed Hannibal on the second read. After loving Silence of the Lambs and red Drago, I found the first reading quite disturbing. One imagines that Mr Harris is quite a troubled person. I basically had to skim through to miss out the truely horrible sections. Once I'd finished and knew there were no surprises,I was able to read it again, and although it still makes me squirm, it does display the genius of RD & SOTL. I was completely blind-sided by the outcome! A couple of the characters were a little 2 dimensional. Krendler, like Dr Chilton in SOTL was too much of a bastard to be beleivable fully.
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Summary: slow, unlike Harris writing, not a Silence.
Review: First half was very slow, wordy, strange words that were not explained. Not connected. Unrealistic. Not a silence of the lambs, not even close.
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Summary: Should be a great movie
Review: Enjoyable. The book didn't sweep me away necessarily but it did hold my interest. I'm looking forward to the movie.
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Summary: Thomas Harris let us down...
Review: After reading his previous books, I can say that I'm very disappointed. The shocking and gruesome parts of the book are not enough to keep the reader interested. After a while it gets boring and tiresome. The funky ending really sucks!!!. I'm glad that I took this book from my local library instead of wasting my money on this aberration. It is to be hoped that his next book will return faith to his followers.
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Summary: "Hannibal" is a magnificent , disturbing piece of work.
Review: I recently found a promotional bookmark put out by Delcorte press, advertising a few of their new releases. At the top is a small photo of the dust jacket of Thomas Harris' "Hannibal," with the caption, "If you liked 'Silence of the Lambs,' you'll enjoy 'Hannibal.'" That's okay, as far as it goes, which isn't nearly far enough. Words such as "like" and "enjoy" are a little mild to apply to Harris' novels, particularly his latest. It's a little like saying, "If you like manic depression, you'll enjoy paranoid schizophrenia." "Hannibal" is harrowing, chilling, sickening, disturbing and gut-wrenching. I would not use the word "enjoy" to describe how I felt reading it. Now, all these negative adjectives do not mean I didn't like the book. I loved it. It didn't make me feel good, but I loved in the way you can't help loving a piece of work so superbly crafted it totally sucks you into itself, makes you believe it and scares the hell out of you. Most of our old friends from "Silence of the Lambs" are back. The action commences seven years after the conclusion of the previous novel. FBI agent Clarice Starling finds herself in hot water over a drug raid gone bad. Meanwhile, Dr. Lecter is having problems of his own. For many years he has lived in anonymity in Europe, but his identity has been discovered by one of his early victims (and one of the few who survived), Mason Verger, one of the most loathsome creatures I've ever encountered in a work of fiction. Verger, who had his face removed by Lecter some years previously, is the scion of a wealthy meat-packing family. Verger wants to get Hannibal himself, before the FBI does, and he has the money and the means to prepare his revenge against our hero. That's right, I said "hero." Hannibal Lecter is the hero of this book. His nemesis, Verger, is so horrible, so rotten and contemptible that he makes Hannibal look noble by comparison, and there's never any question of who you're going to root for. Verger is a sadistic child-molester, fortunately confined to an iron lung as a result of Lecter's earlier "treatment." And while Verger stands out, he isn't the only sicko on the scene. We also have the utterly repulsive Justice Department hatchet man Paul Krendler, an oily political climber who divides his time between secretly helping Verger track down Hannibal Lecter and trying to put the finishing touches on Starling's badly-damaged career. This is not your typical psycho killer thriller. There really are no good guys. Everyone has skeletons in their closets (sometimes literally). In fact, most of my sympathy goes to Hannibal Lecter. Sure, he's a cannibal and a monster, but he has his own brand of nobility and a strict moral code from which he never deviates. Harris instructs us, subtly and sometimes painfully, that virtue can lurk in the unlikeliest places. There isn't much blood in "Hannibal." Harris doesn't have to rely on cheap special effects to achieve what he's going for. The gore is at a minimum, and what little there is is never gratuitous. The violence owes more to Shakespeare than to Stephen King. It always serves a purpose. But the real terrors in this book are the terrors of the human mind and spirit. Flat-out chop-em-up gore would be easier to handle, in some cases, than the disturbing insights into the human condition Harris serves up. Harris has a beautiful, haunting prose style which eerily transcends the genre in which he chooses to work. The only literary comparison that comes to my mind is John Fowles' "The Collector," and Harris has him beat by a good country mile. And then, of course, there's the soap opera aspect. Fans of Thomas Harris have been following the adventures of Dr. Lecter and his friends and foes for many years now. We all want to know what finally happens to them. And if you aren't a Harris fan, I suggest that you become one. Read "Silence of the Lambs" before you read "Hannibal." Much of the impact of "Hannibal" comes from the evolution of the old familiar characters. We get much further into Dr. Lecter's head than we've ever been before. It isn't a very pleasant place, but it's not as bad as you might think, and is infinitely fascinating territory. So, do we learn the final fates of "Hannibal the Cannibal" and Clarice Starling? That would be telling, and I'm not about to do that. But I will say this: The last few chapters of the book left me completely stunned. While reading, I was sitting with my mouth literally hanging open, occasionally exclaiming aloud. And I'm pretty jaded. It takes a lot to do that to me. One small hint- after reading the last section of the book, you may never again feel at ease at an elegant dinner party... If you're looking for a light, pleasant summer read, go elsewhere. But if you feel up to a roller-coaster ride through the darkest, most dangerous parts of the human soul, strap yourself in. And don't say I didn't warn you.
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Summary: BRILLIANT
Review: I thought this was the best book of the trilogy. A vivid, surreal, roller coaster ride, which I found compelling. It was thrilling and unpredictable to the very last page. Some of the elements I enjoyed most seem to be the very aspects that others detested. I found the historical, musical and literary references evocative and thought provoking, (many readers seemed to think they were snobbish and/or too intellectual). I enjoyed the excellent and detailed descriptions of Florence (which many readers seemed to find boring). I was also impressed by the author's extensive culinary knowledge. I thought the ending was perfect. I think I was subconsciously hoping for this ending all along, but never thought Harris would have the nerve to do it. I thought there was definite chemistry and an element of erotic tension between Starling and Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs", and that aspect is further explored in "Hannibal". It worked for me. I also think that some who have reviewed the book seem to be reading elements into the ending that aren't necessarily there. The feelings about this book seem quite strong, in both directions. There aren't many "medium" reviews, most seem to have loved it or hated it. I would be fascinated to know if the discrepancy between those readers who loved it and those who hated it is gender based, and if so, what that signifies. I think there is a much deeper sub-text to this work that many readers seem to be missing entirely. That, and a sense of whimsy...
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Summary: About the ending: interesting yet unbelievable
Review: First off I will admit that I have not read Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs. I do plan on reading both novels though after reading this one since I enjoyed it so much. The reason I did read it is because I felt that The Silence of the Lambs is the best film of the 1990's and assumed that Hannibal would follow in its footsteps. Personally, I think The Silence of the Lambs (the movie) had a better plot than the book and therefore believe that the novel itself must be better too. Red Dragon, being the original, must be better too even though it lacks the character Clarice Starling. He didn't need to make an art in his killings though. The detail made me sick to my stomach. I feel horrible for actually feeling sorry for Hannibal at times. When they introduced his sister, Mischa, through a nightmare on the plane I actually felt like I understood why he grew up the way he did.
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Summary: A bone chilling outlook on society in whole
Review: I listened to the book and lost some sleep over this sequel. It fleshes out the characters so well and left me wondering if, under the right circumstanes that any person can become a monster at the right time, under the right circumstances. The narrator did a terrific job.
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