Rating: 
Summary: An immersive masterpiece which will captivate almost anyone
Review: Hannibal. Dr. Lecter. Monster. It does not matter how this man is refered to, he is simply astonishing. Dr Hannibal Lecter is, in my mind, one of the mos profound and superbly charaters ever to appear on paper. His mind will amaze you, his acts will astonish you. For those of you who felt they they could not get enough of this spine chilling man in RED DRAGON and SOTL, read this and as Hanniabal says " keep an open mind"!
Rating: 
Summary: HANNIBAL is the darkest romance of them all.
Review: After two consecutive tales of FBI operatives gingerly working their way through the cryptic and self-serving oracles of Hannibal Lecter as part of the pursuit of outrageously cunning and savage serial killers, the obvious follow-up for Thomas Harris would have been more of the same. Thankfully, he opted for a different approach.HANNIBAL is, as many fans anticipated (and some feared), a dark romance. It is by no means tidy and it sacrifices the artificial "beat-the-clock" tension of the previous two installments in an attempt to explore the intersection between the operatic reality of Lecter and the mundane, "glass-ceilinged" existence of Clarice Starling. The book is not the masterpiece of psychology and structure that RED DRAGON is, but it is at least the equal of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Both SILENCE and HANNIBAL are weighed down at times with characters who verge on offensive stereotype and both struggle to find a narrative throughline, creating cul-de-sacs of plot and hopscotching, sometimes absurdly, about the map. Be that as it may, no other writer of thrillers manifests the craftsmanship and integrity of vision of Harris. He brings verisimilitude to the most Baroque situations. He lends unforced likeability--or at least a doorway to empathy--to the most unpalatable characters. The ending of HANNIBAL is surprising, dreamlike and disturbing, in a way most authors would never even attempt to bring off, let alone achieve a margin of success with.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely Different!
Review: I too must admit a bit of disappointment in a book I have anticipated for years. It was enjoyable enough reading, but deviated so far from the flow of the original stories, I found my interest waning as the story unfolded. The ending was just too much to swallow (no pun intended!)
Rating:
Summary: Harris cannot be happy with this....book.
Review: I work for a major studio and reading this book was like reading one of the many BAD scripts we receive daily! It seemed Harris was writing a movie script instead of a novel. He made some things very sick and unnecessary. What did he do, make a bet with someone (for a dollar) that he could write the sickest and most unrealistic screenplay ever? If this were to become a movie, it should be direct-to-video with all "B" actors. I disliked the way Harris overemphasized references to Silence. To Mr. Harris, disappoint your fans, disappoint yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: This can't be the hack that wrote Silence & Red Dragon.
Review: There are sentence fragments in this book! Harris must have had an agreement with the publisher not to edit his book. He must've had an agreement not to self-edit his book. The book is absolutely over the top in gore and credibility. We waited 11 years for this?
Rating:
Summary: Harris Subverts Expectations, Triumphs
Review: I read the latest installment in Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter saga in one 6-hour gulp and was both impressed and astonished. No, its suspense is not what one expects from "Silence Of The Lambs" but it's subtler and better. I've already found myself rereading sections of the book over again, which I can't say I did with "Lambs". Harris was clearly trying not to repeat himself, to deliver a book worthy of the characters and not a Hollywood rehash. I suspect Harris may have indeed intentionally written a novel that wouldn't work as a film (what happens to the novel's only movie director may be proof enough of his jaundiced view of the film industry), and the book is the better for it. The "Florence" section is nearly a novel within the novel, wonderfully atmospheric and spellbinding. The novel's structure leaves plenty of room for suspense, though, and one turns the pages as compulsively as one would any Harris book. I think some of the frustration readers are expressing has to do with the fact that Clarice and Dr. Lecter don't interact until the last pages of the novel. On the other hand, the entire book is set up to draw them together and the book's real conclusion (every bit as startling as the last moments of "Red Dragon") is as unsettling as anything he's ever penned. Harris is having a little bit of fun at the expense of readers who think they know where the story should go, perhaps, but it's no less believable for that. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Rating:
Summary: Shame on you, Thomas Harris
Review: You took a complex and courageous female protagonist and reduced her to the kind of vacuous heroine normally found in supermarket romance novels. This was still a great read, and I appreciate the attempt to explore the dynamics of the intimacy between Lecter and Starling, but the outcome was very disappointing. Maybe you were shooting for "Heart of Darkness" but this ending is more like depraved Danielle Steele. I, too, have been a fan of yours for over 20 years, and pre-ordered this book. I will not make the same mistake on your next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not sure what to think
Review: Interesting to read the reviews because it gives me a new take on the book. Initially, I was excited and thought the beginning was funny and a bit gross - just what I wanted. Then the boring Italy component, chase scenes, etc were tedious. The ending was stupid. Then I read the other reader reviews and think, "well, maybe they have something." I'll have to ponder it. You might be disappointed with this book if you're looking for a neat, clean horror story, but open your mind (so to speak) and see what bigger themes might be there. Interesting.
Rating:
Summary: A tasty treat if that's your kind of dish!
Review: If you've read the other books by Thomas Harris, this one should be just the kind of weird and disgusting novel you can't put down, that you would expect from him. What a great read! The writing style is excellent and the suspense of how far this novel is really going to go will keep you up into the wee hours. Beware, this one isn't for the sensitive or weak stomached readers out there! People may hate the ending or just not accept where they are taken, but try to remember - these are Thomas Harris's characters. He created them and only he knows what they are capable of. The shocking Lecter has become a favorite among many, so should anyone be surprised at what he might do? Oh, and by the way, it's fiction - just a novel. So before anyone loses perspective, enjoy the book for what it is and the time you spent exploring it or leave it at the bookstore if you think cannibals, serial killers and man-eating pigs will offend. Obviously this book will not appeal to everyone! I almost hope Mr. Harris stops here, but if the story continues, I'll be first in line on the day it appears in the local bookstore!
Rating:
Summary: To Many Grand Expectations... Still a Good read...
Review: After waiting so long for the sequel, I must have built up to many expectations for Mr. Harris to ease... While being a great fan of his and of Hannibal, I was a bit disappointed by the sudden twist of Clarice; how could she? I still enjoyed the book thourghly from cover to cover but felt it was missing something. The psycological dwellings into the minds of Hannibal ans Starling were to few and far between. I would still recommend it to anyone intrested because the research and detail are impeccable and make it is as beleivable as possible. What I did not like were refrences to contemperary companies. It made it feel like paid advertising, after all haven't we heard enough of Starbucks and Nike already. I am still a great fan and do reccommend this book to all, it's just not as good as Red Dragon and Silence. Juan
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