Rating: 
Summary: Good book, bad audio
Review: Really, I enjoyed listening to this book. The story is good, The dictation is perfect (specially for the mason character) and it really captivated me on the 40' drive to and from the office. The book is not a typical "second part", but is able to stand on its own.As for the descriptions of Florence and the Italian life, only a few inconsistencies (nothing worth mentioning). Mr. Harris made also a few mistakes, as to mention that we have a sign on the car mirror that says "Objects look nearer on this mirror"... Sorry pal, but only american cars have this sign. My black note goes to bantam, as I got a set of tapes where tape #5 was a bad recording. Amazon responded and sent me another copy, no cost. Still, tape #5 has a hissing sound, specially on side B.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of a Weekend - Don't Bother!
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this book. I thought Silence of the Lambs was incredible in its readability and fast-paced, terrifying action. How could this have been bad, I wondered? Familiar characters, familiar writer. Was I ever wrong. Thomas Harris, what were you thinking? Most of this was tedious and slow as molasses. Harris seemed determined to give us every detail he could while we were "visiting" Italy with Hannibal...and it was all I could do to push through the endless descriptions of this street, that street, this church, that church. I'm all for setting and mood, but this was like a travelogue which rambled on and on to distraction. Harris' back-and-forth between tenses, I'm sure, was an attempt to be creative and to "flow" but it stopped me cold each time. It was like gears changing in a car and scraping madly each time. But the worst sin of all in this novel which held so much promise was the incredible depart from character at the end. I won't say anything to "spoil" the story but I felt like I'd suddenly been thrown into Bizarro World. I believe a writer has the right to create his/her own conclusion, but this was so out of left field I was almost insulted as a reader, as someone who had invested some time into the main characters. I was supposed to *believe* this could happen this way? Don't bother. This was a waste of a weekend for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Old Doctor, New Tricks
Review: True to expectation, "Hannibal," the sequel to Thomas Harris' landmark thriller "Silence of the Lambs," doesn't fail to provoke a strong reaction from its reader. Positive or negative, the verdict (as with most sequels) often depends on the reader's opinion of the first novel and the inevitable differences between the two. With Harris' latest novel, there is good reason. Here, the streamlined nature of "Silence" is little more than a memory, with the all encompassing focus on Agent Clarice Starling now shifted to spotlight an entire cast of expertly fleshed-out characters. True to form, Clarice *is* looking for her old friend, Hannibal Lecter. As is Lecter's former patient, Mason Verger. As is Verger's sister, Margot. As is Clarice's Bureau superior, Paul Krendler. All with their own stake in recovering the notorious doctor who, apart from evading his merry band of pursuers, is keeping his own eyes peeled for Clarice. A thudding lack of Starling/Lecter interaction halfway through the novel is superceded by a more subtle form of communication as the two use the knowledge they have acquired in their previous encounters to track each other's movements across state and continent, with the occasional interruption in the shadowed form of Verger or Krendler. Each member of this incomparable triumvirate spends much of the novel grappling for the dominant role in the pursuit and ultimate capture of Lecter, unaware of the plans the doctor has for all three of them. Harris' fluid description of the individual motives of each character creates an intricate construction that, along with both a heightened sense of gore and a dulled amount of suspense, forms a heavier, more contemplative read that is neither superior, nor inferior to its predecessor.
Rating: 
Summary: Irrelevancies
Review: I was mildly disappointed in the book, but my major criticism is against Amazon.com, for printing incoherent ravings from Sunday School teachers. I enjoy reading critiques, both pro and con, not irrelevant frothings at the mouth. I don't recall seeing one word in the book maligning Jesus or any aspect of religion. This book is supposed to be a thriller, not a treatise on theology. That critic should apply for a seat on the Kansas City Board of Education.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I asked "Santa" for a copy of this book. When I recieved it, I couldn't believe the actual size of the book. And I couldn't put it down. It is amazing that one person could come up with such twists and turns. I recommend this book for anyone who remotely enjoys an excellent book. Read it, you'll be pleasantly surprised.. Okay? go read it now.. I beg you.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother, Harris fans...
Review: This book is a bitter disappointment. The real horror in Harris' "Red Dragon" and "Silence.." was the mundane, familiar nature of the terrible forces wandering among us undetected. This book turns Lecter into a cartoon character, whose powers are superhuman, and introduces others so other-wordly evil they begin to be funny; they certainly are completely unbelievable. Starling remains a three-dimensional character, but that's as far as it goes, folks. Harris may write beautifully, but in this book he has substituted gore for everything else--plot, depth of characterization, and talent.
Rating:
Summary: This is his worst book to date!
Review: My all time favorite movie is Silence of the Lambs. Just recently I finished reading the Red Dragon his first book that introduces Dr. Lecter and the book was really good. However after buying this book I was really disappionted! I found the book to be really boring.. It had too many chapters on Italy that was really hard to follow unless you speak the language or have been there. I didn't like the fact that Clarice was hardly in the book and when she was it was a joke.(no wonder Jodie Foster doesn't want to do this movie). I'm sorry Thomas Harris but I don't reccomend this book for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Harris has to be disturbed!
Review: This review refers to the audio version. I give this work credit for not being more-of-the-same of its predecessor. I also give Harris credit for courageously making the outcome what he wanted rather than what would appeal to the masses, creating some dissonance for the reader. I had to rewind the last side of the last tape a few times to make SURE I heard the dinner scene correctly. He is a FANTASTIC narrator and his own lilt and accent make this a great listen.
Rating:
Summary: Agent Starling has left the biulding!
Review: I hated this book. Harris bored me with his endless descriptions of Italian architecture, saddened me by shoveling Jack Crawford into an early grave, then disgusted me by making Clarice Bonnie to Lecter's Clyde. The only character that acted normal was Ardelia. I know Clarice needed a boyfriend but the demented Doc wasn't the one I had in mind. I kept expecting her to regain her faculties during the dinner scene and bash him on the head with a saute pan.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Weird!
Review: Riveting sequence of events. It was nice to be able to picture Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster as the main characters in this book. I hope they come back for the movie version. This book was extremely well thought out but admittedly dry with all the Italian history. Maybe that's only because I am not Italian! Thank you Mr. Harris!
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