Rating:  Summary: An amazing dive into the mind of a genius/madman Review: This book was all that I had hoped it would be. The fear factor and plot progression build at an alarming pace several times through the book. The third party descriptions in the narative of the good Doctors antics give an interesting diversion from the rest of the writing and give yo a feeling that you are looking down on the action. This book will disturb, it disturbed me, but the over the top writing made it all worth while.
Rating:  Summary: It took him 11 years for this? Review: Maybe he should have given it another 11 years to work out the atrocious writing. This book is boring and poorly written, and what's up with the ending?! "RD" and "SotL" were both great, finely-drawn examples of psychological thrillers. "Hannibal" is pointless.
Rating:  Summary: Complete and utter disappointment Review: I cannot believe this book was even written by the same author. This book was only gruesome (as opposed to the chilling and intriguing psychological drama of his former book) and gratuitous. The author attempts to make Hannibal more sympathtic by introducing a character even MORE creepy and reprehensible than Lector. The character of Clarice is a disappointment and a joke; there is NO WAY this will be made into a movie as Jodie Foster would REFUSE to reprise her role given the absolutely awful and totally laughable ending. A waste of time and money... don't bother. I am sorry I did.
Rating:  Summary: A bad read that led to a ridiculous, unbelievable ending Review: I'm so dissappointed. I eagerly read this book only to find narry a character that I cared about, was interested in, reviled, or even pitied. Definitely a sorrowful sequel to Silence of the Lambs.
Rating:  Summary: Pretty Bad Review: It almost seems as if Harris rushed through the book, when he had years to write it. It is very disjointed and constantly told from the same banal perspective and therefore reads like a screenplay and not like a novel. The ending is completely out of character and the events that transpire leading up to it are so odd, that they are just wrong; they do not fit into context at all.
Rating:  Summary: Silence of the Lambs 2 - A Love Story Review: If I had to sum up my feelings in one word, it would be "ambivalent." The ending was disturbing (I finished the book at night and had trouble sleeping) so, as a horror novel, one could argue that the book was successful. But as disturbing as I found the ending, I'm not convinced that it made sense given the characters and their arcs. Moreover, what Harris does to generate empathy for Lecter detracts, I think, from the quality of Lecter's character. The great thing about Lecter in the prior books, particularly SOTL, is that he was monstrous and there was no reason for his monstrosity ("Nothing happened to me. I happened"). Now, all of a sudden, we're privy to his childhood trauma and can almost excuse his prior acts. And his acts of mayhem in the current book tend towards self-protection. There's much to commend in this book. But the ending and the devices used to generate easy empathy for Hannibal may leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Rating:  Summary: THE book to read this summer! Review: Hannibal is a "can't put it down" novel that twists and turns like a moray eel. Thomas Harris has written a sequel that doesn't seem like one. Scary, surprising, and superb writing make this horror book a must read. It's no fariy tale, but if you enjoyed any other books with Dr. Lecter, or just enjoy a horror story real enough to make you a little afraid of the dark, "Hannibal" is the book for you.
Rating:  Summary: Great read, but still disappointing Review: I prepared myself while waiting for this book by re-reading The Silence of the Lambs. That was a good preparation, because you have probably forgot some of the lesser characters which return in Hannibal. But: Since The Silence... was such a fantastic read, and since we have been waiting so many years to see what happened with Dr Lecter, I set my expectations way too high. Hannibal is well worth reading, but don't expect it to be as good as or better than the previous two books. I'd rate this one about as good as Red Dragon but not as good as The Silence of the Lambs.
Rating:  Summary: A satisfying sequel to The Silence of the Lambs Review: In this satisfying sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris avoids ripping himself off-the blight of most sequels. Like in his earlier work, the story is riveting and the characters are mesmerizing. The only problem is the ending, which, though intriguing, is not quite believable
Rating:  Summary: Apparently the book wasn't good enough . . . Review: . . . for those people who had a concrete idea of what they wanted _Hannibal_ to be. There's a lot of outrage out there, but somehow I don't feel any. Maybe because I'm young: my suspension of disbelief is in unusually good working order. I accepted the story as it was. I read the book without knowing the first thing about it, plot-wise; didn't even read the cover blurbs. I didn't read it critically. School's out and I wanted a good book. As far as I'm concerned, I found one. Clarice Starling's life is changing rapidly, and she's not supposed to be the same person she was in Silence. If she was, that would be a cheat -- it's too easy to keep stock characters. Lecter's life is very different as well -- he's free, but his freedom is in great danger. He grows and changes with the book, and while there have been criticisms of Harris' making Hannibal human instead of keeping him a "scary monster," I found the development refreshing. The boogeyman's scary because he hides in the dark, but after awhile, the light goes on, you stop believing, you stop being scared. I would have been disappointed if the novel hadn't made Lecter more human than monster; it would have been too easy to continue scaring people. Instead, Harris makes you think. Whether or not you like the book depends entirely on what you bring to it. If you want a good story, if you don't mind being shocked and considering the reasons for your reactions, then read this book. It'll keep you up at night -- not out of fear, but amazement and intrigue. The ending, which could so easily have been spoiled, was believable, daring and impressive. At least in my opinion. Please, please read it for yourself -- you won't be sorry, if you like a good story more than an easy story, and recognize the difference.
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