Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I could not wait to read this book and now I wish I hadn't. It was a bad book. It is as simple as that - one bad book.
Rating:
Summary: Starling Deserved Better!
Review: I'd like to give it minus stars, but I don't have a choice it seems. I too looked forward to this book and put everything down to begin reading it. I started it on a cross country plane trip -- not too bad. The middle was in the hotel the next night -- boring and pretty stupid. The end was the next night and I forced myself to stay awake to finish it -- I didn't believe it could end on such a disappointing note. And I wasn't wrong! It was worse! It was stupid and gratuitous. Harris was disrespectful of not only his readers who have been awaiting this sequel, but to Clarice and even Hannibal. They both deserved better than this foolish ending. I hope Harris doesn't plan another sequel -- and pray that Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins stay far far away from this bomb and embarrasment. I warned readers of the book I saw on the plane home not to waste their time.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't judge too soon, this is a great novel.
Review: I think the reason why so many have trashed this book has primarily to do with the ending and what it represents. We are too unwilling to allow our strong heroine, Agent Starling, to become the weak minded misfit that Lector has reduced her to. This is extremely disappointing to all of us, but even that demise has a purpose, as does every event in this book. I anticipate another book waiting to vindicate Clarice, almost as this one has semi vindicated Hannibal. In reflection, this book was wonderfully written, articulate as well as frightening. For all the gore and violence that this trilogy has, the most frightening aspect is how well Hannibal Lector controls, deceives and kills with his genius for taking apart the human psyche. This is his most powerful weapon and his greatest strength. It is terrifying that this psychotic man knows us better than we know ourselves. We have no safeguard from the brilliant but sick mind of the engrossing doctor, not even poor Clarice. If you look at the book from that aspect, I think it will be more enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Captivating From Beginning to End
Review: After I finished Hannibal, in one sitting, I went back and reread Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. Harris's first two Hannibal books have a more FBI suspense edge than his recent book. Hannibal is completely different, but totally wonderful in its own right. All the ticked off readers who have spewed nasty remarks were only expecting SOTL II. Harris has again surprised his readers and offered much more than was expected. Hannibal is a more indepth look at motives of both the FBI and those on the other side of the hunt. Yes, the writing style was different; but again, it worked to perfect effect. I did not find the change of tenses or style distracting; but rather a hint of what was to come. If you read Hannibal without the expectations some readers have apparently held,you will be blown away by the creativity. Also, notice Harris's notes on sources used for Hannibal's "memory palace." I am currently reading one of these and found it to be very interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Why the disappointment???
Review: It is hard to understand why so many have found the ending to be a disappointment. The ending was shocking and certainly unexpected, which in my opinion makes the book that much better. Wouldn't things get boring if every book ended the way we "expected" it to end? I am glad Mr. Harris chose to throw us a huge curve ball. Although the descriptions of Florence slow the story down at times, Hannibal is a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed emotions
Review: My feelings are mixed. At times I was disturbed and wondered what the point was. Then as Hannibal himself began to unfold, I began to see what the draw was between him and Starling. I fully expected her to save him and I figured he'd take her but I never guessed the ending !! And yet it was somehow correct ! I admit to being disappointed that it did not have the thrill of the first two reads. But I accept it for what it is and the role it plays in the story of Hannibal Lecter. My question is where do they go from here ? Or is it impossible to move forward now ?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I loved this book, I bought the audio version and listened to it all in one car trip. I thought it was an excellent book. It held my interest, and had a twist ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Harris falls to the sequel jinx; a surprisingly silly read
Review: This book just didn't inspire the same page-turning momentum that Red Dragon and, to a lesser degree, Silence of the Lambs, did. Is it possible that a character like Lecter can lose his ability to shock? Well, it happens here, as the Lecter that is referred to from prior books seems infinitely more fresh and awe-inspiring than the one we actually encounter in this story. It's a fine line between painting a portrait of a chillingly depraved mind and an overwraught cartoon of a fiend. This book tends towards the latter. Mason Verger was much more horrifying and interesting a character when mentioned in passing. Up close, he turns out to be an almost ludicrous caricature rather than some terrifying madman. A bad guy with a deadly eel for a pet? This is the comic villain of a James Bond film gone bad. To make matters worse, Harris uses a narrator that often addresses the reader directly, as if leading him on a tour of various settings. It fails miserably, succeeding only in constantly jarring me out of engagement with the story. Harris should have left Starling and Lecter alone after Silence of the Lambs. The curse of the sequel, with all the pitfalls it contains, has leapt up and snapped Harris by the throat.
Rating:
Summary: a completely different approach
Review: Like millions of others, I have been waiting for this novel for years. Nothing from my own imagination could have prepared me for what Mr. Harris delivered to the world. Yes, I thought it would neat for Will Graham, the man who caught Lector in the first place, to come out of retirement and collaborate with Starling to catch Dr. Lector. But that would be just a little too easy. I'm glad that Harris took the approach he did for this novel. That's why I read...that's why we all read for that matter. If you already know how the story goes, why read it at all. By taking a fresh approach, Harris has taken his characters to a new and unanticipated level. Excellent work, in my opinion, from one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to see how Dino pulls this one off on the screen.
Rating: 
Summary: it's hard to one-up a masterpiece
Review: SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was truly a masterful work of fiction. Its sequel, Hannibal, was inevitably in the shadow of the masterpiece. Harris' task was huge. Did he succeed? Doubtful, perhaps. But if he writes another, providing an on-going tale, he just might.
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