Rating: 
Summary: Starts off boring and then downhill...
Review: I loved Harris' other two Hannibal books, but this doesn't even sound like the same author. The story plods along, especially after Lecter leaves Florence. The long discourse on different kinds of wild pigs was unnecessary. I was also annoyed by the second-person narrator in parts: "For you the door is open...we are dimly aware of passing..." Being spoken to directly by the narrator draws me out of the story. And can someone tell me why no one in the world likes Clarice except for a roommate, two dead men, and a psychopathic cannibal? She seems nice enough. As for the ending...well, everyone's already talking about that. I wanted her to just shoot him.
Rating: 
Summary: Guess who's coming to dinner tonight
Review: If you liked "The Silence of the Lambs," you will love "Hannibal." Hannibal was a very intereting character in prison, and he is even more atractive out of prison. It is totally worth to take a little trip to Florence and have a great time with our friend Dr Lecter.
Rating: 
Summary: Well-written but ultimately disappointing
Review: Thomas Harris has been one of my favorite authors since "Red Dragon," which ranks among my favorite novels of all time. "The Silence of the Lambs" was just as compelling, if slightly less vivid. "Hannibal" doesn't really live up to either of them, largely because it's an out-and-out sequel (instead of a loose continuation, as "Silence" was). The story has plenty of exciting moments and gory deaths, but they all seem to be there to distract us from the fact that nothing much really happens in the course of the novel. What's missing is the ticking-clock tension of the first two, in which the protagonists have to accomplish something by the end to save lives; it would have been a bit hollow to do this a third time, maybe, but the different bent Harris takes in simply playing out events without any real anticipated climax or continuing tension doesn't work as well as repeating the format would have. Essentially, the story concerns a disfigured victim of Lecter, himself a psychopath, trying to capture Lecter in order to torture him to death; Clarice Starling is working to apprehend Lecter before this happens. The fact that Hannibal is the only victim here deflates a lot of potential tension; whatever the events are we *know* that he will escape, just because it's already been built so deeply into his character.Also, as the title might indicate, we get a more probing look into the inner workings of Hannibal Lecter, with a surprisingly simple explanation of his behavior. We also get a few hints that he is not nearly as controlled or sure of himself as he appears, and that he might be slowly disintegrating, but this is never really followed up. The ending, though not nearly as bad as some have said (and in fact pretty perverse and surreal, a truly Lecter-esque metaphor), doesn't gel with the characters as we've seen them; the Starling we know would never act like this, even after going through therapy. Minor characters, also, get much more print than usual for Harris; this slows the story down considerably at times and makes the entire point a bit fuzzy (it's easy to see why Stephen King loved this so much; he's been doing that for years). Altogether, the inconsistent tone and pace and wildly varying plotline make for an unsatisfying sequel that plays out with a surprising lack of tension. It is undeniably well-written, and has some good moments, but too much of that air of contrivance where you can feel the writer writing as you read it.
Rating: 
Summary: This novel is not what you are expecting...it is better.
Review: Let's just start by saying that I hate suspense-thriller novels. They are tripe. I have been reading the reviews on Amazon, and I have to say I am saddened. DO NOT take the reviews of these gore-o-philes seriously. "Hannibal" is a case study of Hannibal Lecter's psyche mixed with one of Lt. Starling, with a little old fashioned detective story. If you are looking for crap, read something else. This book has a lot of history, research, and fascinating, if somewhat self-indulgent, descriptions of Florence. Mr. Harris is to be commended for writing such an insightful book.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: After waiting nearly ten years for Harris to put out another book, I read this one with high hopes. I was disappointed. Although Harris explores some interesting concepts, I didn't feel driven by the characters. The plot was weak to say the least, and the ending was contrived, silly, and untrue to both the character of Lector and Clarisse. I do hope Harris writes another book, his use of imagery is stunning! But I do NOT want to see another Hannibal or Clarisse story. And I hope the movie falls through, too.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Awful (not because of the gore and violence)
Review: First of all, let me say that if it were possible, I would have given this book no stars. Maybe I was influenced by the Silence of the Lambs movie,but I just can't believe that the characters in this book would do the things they did. I can understand Starling having some sympathy for Dr. Lecter, however, what she did at the end of the book was absolutely out of character for her in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...truly exceptional quality
Review: Most of the reviews on here critisize HANNIBAL, but I loved it. Yes, we know people, that HANNIBAL isn't exactly the bad guy, it's Mason Verger, so just stop blabbing that out. Hannibal doens't have to be 'the bad guy'. Speaking of Mason, he was truly grotesque and Mr. Harris writes him with an unique unholy relish. I also liked his sister, Margot. The theme of this novel is revenge, different from the previous two, but alot better. I rarely every give out 5 stars. I didn't give 5 for RED DRAGON, or THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, because HANNIBAL is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: swill
Review: It took seven years for Harris to follow up Red Dragon with Silence of the Lambs but that was well worth the wait. Now we've had to wait ELEVEN years for Harris to come up with the worst piece of literary tripe I have ever read! What the (heck) was he thinking? How many half-assed books have Stephen King or Dean Koontz released in eleven years? At least with those guys you know you are going to be reading crap. Harris screwed us over....I had been anticipating this book release more than any other. And even if it had not been as good as SOTL, that's understandable. But this....the literary equivalent of going from the penthouse to the outhouse, is an absolute travesty. DON'T BUY THIS BOOK! Unless you want to spend the rest of your life(yes, it seems that long) reading about Italian history and some freak pedophile....oh but wait I thought the book was supposed to be about Hannibal Lecter, huh? Well, hopefully, by the time Thomas Harris decides to write another book, I will be stone dead and buried with my Deaver books.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling, Cinematic, but perhaps a touch Forgettable
Review: As soon as I heard that Hannibal was released I rushed to the bookshop in a cliched manner. I couldn't put the book down for the two days that I spent reading it, and when I did, I was breathless. However..... The scenes are atmospheric, and gripping, but I get the feeling that Harris is playing too much on the success of the Silence of the Lambs film. In hindsight, Harris seems to be too over-concerned with portraying Hannibal as a nice chappie with a small "canibalistic" problem. I guarantee that the film will be a stunner though...
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Is it really that bad?
Review: Thomas Harris has done the most amazing thing. He has writtenthe best suspense novel of the 20th Century (Silence of the Lambs) andthe worst (Hannibal). Silence of the Lambs will never be forgotten. Hannibal already has been.
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