Rating: 
Summary: No suspense, no terror
Review: I found Hannibal and Red Dragon side by side at the bookstore. Red Dragon would not turn me loose and I read it all in one day. Hannibal is but a bare shadow of its predecessor and deserves nothing better than the discount table.I was expecting at least a decent Blues Clues hunt for the good doctor. I can hardly find words to describe this book. Lecter cast as a sympathetic character? Living a quiet life in historic Florence? Found out a third of the way through the book, not by the shining defenders of truth and justice but by some half-wit keystone Italian cop on the take? Are we really supposed to believe that this clod is going to take Hannibal down? The author spends a quarter of the book setting up the Pazzi affair complete with back story, gypsies, and endless detail, and for what? The conclusion is forgone. What a waste. Where is the terror? The pigs? When I was 13, I watched pigs rip up a calf. It was more interesting that frightening. Real terror is visceral, instinctive (wolves, snakes, rats etc.) A huffy Porky Pig does not move me. Who do we side with? The Cannibal? There is no one worth rooting for in this book. No emotional involvement at all. Every single wretched character could die and the world would be better off. Ugh! I can only pray that this novel never sees film. That truly would be a horror. I am not suprised that Foster would have nothing to do with it. Hopkins should know better. A final word. Why does Harris have such a lip fetish? It was unusual in Red Dragon, redundant with Mason. Perhaps Harris just likes writing the word "fricative"
Rating: 
Summary: You can't possibly put this one down
Review: Not having read any of Harris' previous work I found myself deeply enthralled by this book for which I have but one word "brilliant".The strong details and topographical descriptions easily lure the reader to whatever location is being described. The characters and various sub plots are carefully but effortlessly weaved together, artfully creating one great read. Finally, the ending is suprisigly consice, unpredictable and ties all the character's lives neatly into one little package. There are no strings left over and no wondering thoughs about a sequel.All in all this book is hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Thomas Harris? Are you in love with Clarice?
Review: Or are you in love period? I find no other reason that you'd take this twist unless you were somehow engaged in sublimation. I found nothing implausible in the affection Clarice and Lecter shared, but was shocked that this is where Harris would take the characters. I have read the forward to the re-relased "Red Dragon" where Harris denies responsibility for character development. Stop hiding, Tommy. Lecter got the girl, did you?
Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: Being a huge fan of his earlier work, "Silence of the Lambs", I was anxiously awaiting the release of "Hannibal". What a disappointment! 400 pages of build up for one creepy scene and a COMPLETELY unbelievable ending. I still don't understand why Harris thought we would accept his ending as plausible. With all the creative outcomes he could have penned, this ending leaves me feeling totally betrayed.
Rating: 
Summary: SPINE TINGLING WRITING
Review: I JUST FINISHED READING THE UNABRIDGED EDITION - SECOND TIME THROUGH....IT'S A WINNER....I'M GETTING TIRED OF SOME OF THE FICTION TODAY BY THESE AUTHORS WHO WRITE A SERIES OF BOOKS AS DICTATED BY THE PUBLISHER - IT MAY MAKE MONEY, BUT I'D LIKE TO READ SOME NEW GOOD WRITING. I JUST FINISHED A COULTER NOVEL AND FRANKLY-THE REPETITIOUS SAME STORY OVER & OVER AGAIN IS BEGINNING TO GET BORING. WE NEED NEW WRITERS OF NEW ORIGINAL NOVELS...NOT SERIES........I'VE READ AT LEAST ONE THAT WASN'T - A TOURIST IN THE YUCATAN. IT'S A GOOD STORY - LOTS OF INTRIGUE AND ISN'T DESIGNED TO BE A SERIES....FEATURES MAYAN RUINS, US GOVERNMENT INTRIGUE, ETC....ANNIE
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Thriller
Review: From the opening page you are brought into the world of Clarice Starling and the deep awe inspiring criminal mind of Hannibal Lecter. Dr. Lecter has a love for the finer things in life. Good food, priceless art, and mind games are only a few of his favorite things. Every page allows you to see more into this criminals mind and his memory palace. You are able to understand more about why Hannibal thinks and acts in the manner that he does. This is a must read for those who are into gripping thrillers dealing with the criminal mind. It is something you do not want to put down, you will always just be wanting to read the next page.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing...
Review: Admitedly, I could not put Hannibal down. This being said, I also must admit to throwing the book out when finished, I was so disgusted. Having read "Silence" and "Red Dragon", Hannibal Lecter remained one of the most intriguing villians in modern fiction. Harris presented him in a way suiting the misunderstood Dr.Lecter, seemingly a sociopath, but really a human being with a very defined and rigid sense of right and wrong. The connection forged with Clarice Starling in "Silence" was a duel between equals, matching Hannibal's awesome intellect with Clarice's amazing compassion and analytical skill, even though she was beset by her own demons. This interaction was dissapointingly absent in Hannibal. The Clarice portrayed in "Silence" would never resort to what Starling resorts to in the abominable conclusion to this book. The storyline of Mason Verger was deeply disturbing, leaving the reader with no insight into the repulsive evil of this pedophile, but a welcome distraction from the ending of this book, nonetheless. I should have listened to my friends and passed....
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Disgusting!
Review: I am tired of reading all these bad reviews. This is a great book that explores the mind of a pysco killer. Some of you are just a little to meek for this book! If you like Harris (Meaning you have read more than just (Silence of the Lambs") You will like this book! I also recomend "A Tourist in the Yucatan" a cult thriller.
Rating:
Summary: IT ROCKED!
Review: I just finished Hannibal; although some of the diction gave me some difficulty (especially the Italian names)this novel was one intense horror machine that sent my mind on a 1-way trip to Thrillvill. What can I say? Hannibal RUUUUUULLLEESS!
Rating:
Summary: 10 yrs in the making and needs another 10
Review: Harris takes his time in a novel to get it write. Deep, dark, strange, his previous novels were "all nighters", difficult to put down. On Hannibal, the money got to him. Pressure from editors and big money from movie producers. He has his price. The 1st half is absorbing. The 2nd half was a quick write. Logically not connected. Characters manipulated for a screen play versus a good novel. The money got impatient and Harris got sloppy and pleasing. The result, a unbelievable, illogical mess that could use a good rewrite before the movie.
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