Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: SUSPENSE AT ITS FINEST!
Review: Tomas Harris has given us "Red Dragon" and "Silence of the Lambs," but in my opinion this book tops both of those. From start to finish, the book is chilling, riveting and uncanny.

This edge-of-your-seat masterpiece finds the infamous Hannibal Lecter posing as Dr. Fell, a curator in Florence, Italy. F.B.I. agent, Clarice Starling, is once again hot on Lecter's trail. However, she has a few problems of her own following a "shoot-out gone wrong" and is suspended from active duty. However, we all know something as trivial as a little suspension could not possibly prevent Clarice from continuing her pursuit of Lecter.

Meanwhile on another continent, an Italian detective by the name of Pazzi is also hot on the trail of Lecter for reasons of his own - a payoff from one of Lecter's former victims, Mason Verger. Pazzi gains access to the FBI's Most Wanted List and discovers the charming Dr. Fell is none other than Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Unfortunately, Pazzi's adventurous quest for financial gain leads to his untimely demise.

At first glance, Verger's deformities might elicit a degree of sympathy from the reader. When you discover he is a child molester who actually brought about his own disfigurement, with a little help from Lecter, of course, you will quickly lose any campassion for this evil man. Verger has his own self-serving justice in mind when Lecter is returned to him - a very slow and painful one. Ironically, Verger falls victim to his own heinous plan and meets the fate he had planned for Lecter.

The end finds a new twist when Lecter save's Clarice Starling's life. It is clear we have not seen the end of Dr. Hannibal Lecter for, once again, he escapes. If you are looking for a great book that will keep you reading through the night, this is it!

Rating:
Summary: Loyal fans will like it; casual fans wait for the movie
Review: This book is to literature what Star Wars: Episode I is to movies, and Thomas Harris and George Lucas seem to share common struggles in living up to the hype. Harris revives much of what readers loved about Red Dragon and the Silence of the Lambs -- most notably the eerie insights into the twisted psyche of a serial killer, but also the deliciously creative confrontations and killings, and enviable attention to detail. Sadly, though, he seems to forget much of what we loved about the earlier books, like the brilliant and relentless chase offered by the FBI, and tightly contained if original plots. Harris seems to have one eye on the inevitable movie (consciously or not...). Starling is too good, the rest of the FBI is implausibly bad, Lecter is superhuman, and the band of villains is farfetched and ultimately bungling. The novel moves quickly and the Starling/Lecter subplot certainly keeps the pages turning, but the climax is sadly predictable and leaves an untidy mess of loose ends. Like Lucas, Harris struggles to escape the shadow of his earlier works. But who wouldn't?

Rating:
Summary: Yet another Hannibal review.
Review: By now there doesn't seem to be much left to say, but since I managed to ignore most reviews and read Hannibal years after it was released, others might as well.

Hannibal would have been far more enjoyable as a standalone novel rather than a sequel to Silence of the Lambs. I find it impossible to ignore the changes of two main characters. There was *nothing* in Silence that suggested what would eventually happen to Starling. Even not considering that, Harris seemed to be more interested in shocking the reader not because it fit the story but just because he felt like it. One theory is that, after his initial refusal to do a sequel to Silence, Harris wrote something he figured would be unfilmable to spite those putting pressure on him. Hannibal is not all sludge though, as the prose was often captivating and I found the Florence section rather good, so I'd suggest to anyone who might pass over Hannibal to borrow it from the library and read that part alone.

Rating:
Summary: Not just a rehash of previous volumes
Review: Thanks to the popularity garnered by the Silence of the Lambs film, Hannibal became the literary equivalent of The Phantom Menace: an eagerly-anticipated sequel, a long time in coming, that has to not only satisfy as a novel in its own right, but also live up to ten years of nostalgia and anticipation.

What Harris delivers is an exciting, suspenseful novel that is as bizarre and baroque compared to Silence of the Lambs as Silence was to Red Dragon. It starts off a little slow compared to the previous two books, but that's because, unlike the other two, it doesn't begin with a hunt for a serial killer in progress. That's one of it's strengths, that it doesn't duplicate past successes, but that's what will disappoint readers looking for more of the same.

By the time you reach the climax, the book becomes un-put-downable. The finale is unpredictable and unsettling, but probably the only satisfying ending the story could possibly have had.

To paraphrase James Ellroy, this book is hours of fun for the whole family, if your family name is Manson.

Rating:
Summary: Bon apetit, but only at your own risk...
Review: At the risk of inciting even more feeding frenzy over this too well digested topic, I am submitting this 2,563rd review for the delectation of whoever is bored or obsessed enough to read their way through this much hyperbole. Well, that or the number of reviews will eventually qualify "Hannibal" for The Guinness Book of World Records as "Most Customer Reviews for a Single Novel on a Website."

Snide lead-ins aside, I must congratulate Thomas Harris for being the only author besides Stephen King to succeed in making me peek out from between my fingers long enough to hold a horror novel much less read it. As I rule, I avoid this genre as adeptly as Hannibal's Barney escapes being bumped off while those around him kill or are being killed.

I particularly enjoyed the one scene in this book that puts a wickedly punnish, Oliver Twist spin on how best to avenge oneself on anyone who has been 'eating' at one's nerves for years on end. Definitely worth toasting with a glass of Veuve Clicquot in various re-readings, as I imagined an ex-husband and several former boyfriends substituting for the actual victim in the novel. And I made do with Veuve Clicquot only because I can't afford any of the preferred appellations Hannibal imbibes.

I also speculated about the inspiration for Mason Verger though Harris provided all the usual disclaimers about this being a work of fiction. If you think of the first letter of Mason's name as being the first letter of the real-life person's first name and the additional four letters as being being the last four letters of the last name...Well, there was that and the fixation on kids, the wealth, bizzare appearance, breathy voice, the one hand, peculiar pets and so on.

My favorite parts of this book took place in Italy. Hannibal's a monster, but he's an exquisitely tasteful beast in every sense of that.

Only one thing bothered me about this. I always thought of Clarice as being Hannibal's salvation. So, unless Harris plays the cheap trick of having Clarice jolt up in bed at the beginning of the next novel, shuddering in recollection of the nightmare she just had, I see no way for him to salvage her for a third round. But given Harris's talent for compelling even squeamish me to venture into a monster's mind palace and linger, I have no doubt he'll come up with something else too delicious for this comely bird to fall prey to.

Rating:
Summary: implausible ending ruins book
Review: The ending of this book is so implausible that it effectively ruins the book. (I am about to write about the ending, so if you don't want to know about it, don't read further.) Agent Starling's transformation at the end was completely out of character, and an insult to readers who had read the previous 500 pages. She is changed from being an independent, moral and law-abiding FBI agent to an amoral cannibal who without the slightest hesitation eats the brains of a fellow FBI agent, and then seduces her sociopathic captor and enters a long-term relationship with him.

One of the things I appreciated about Silence of the Lambs was the psychological sophistication of the plot. And what I dislike so much about this book is that the author, for some reason, goes to the opposite extreme and creates an ending -- presumably for shock value -- which is not supported by anything that precedes it. As a professional writer who is capable of better work, Harris should be ashamed of this book.

Rating:
Summary: One Love to Hannibal
Review: After reading most of the reviews on this page, I felt that a lot of the anger felt towards this book was based upon the previous success the series has earned itself. But let's forget Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs. You must judge books individually, and only then will they deserve their rightfully earned praise.

The key to a good book lies in the depth of the characters. In Hannibal, Thomas Harris has carefully sculptured each character to fit into the mysterious world of Hannibal. There's Starling, the cop who has lost just about everything, including her job. Crawford, who serves as Starling's guardian angel. Mason, the sicko minded millionaire who'll do just about anything to capture Hannibal. Pazzi, the Italian police officer who desperatly needs to find the Il Mostro in order to redeem his reputation. And finally, there's Dr. Hannibal Lector. The mastermind behind everything. The man who mutilates his victims in an almost artful display. The man, who the whole book revovles around. Each character is described to the core, and as you read, you actually begin to think like them. Connection between the reader and characters is just as important as a hot dog with a bun. Well done Harris.

Good writers often do heaps of research before actually writing their piece of work. The knowledge and information gathered by Thomas Harris clearly shows in the text. Beautifully described art works, deliciously described meals, and ancient historical events are mentioned all throughout the book. From the elegant Givenchy, to the rusty old Mustang, Harris obviously did his load of research.

Although one may argue that the ending is quite a shock, I believe Harris made it that way for a specific reason. Maybe the monster that has been roaming through the series isn't really a monster after all. Maybe it shows that when you've educated yourself to the brink, your on a whole different planet compared to normal people. Maybe he wanted us to believe that even mosters can be tamed. Whatever Harris intended, we may never know. But what we do know, is that he has once again written a masterpiece that will stay in our minds for quite some time. This is definatly worth buying, so elude yourself into the world of Hannibal.

Rating:
Summary: Worst book of all time?
Review: The thing that stands out the most for me after reading this abomination is the obvious contempt, no, LOATHING Thomas Harris has for his readers. I believe he was so sickened by the 'fan mail' he has received for the Hannibal Lecter character that he decided to write a novel that would make his contempt so palpable that even the densest reader would detect it.

And so we get crowds of tourists moved to lust at the sight of torture implements...Gratuitous slurs at gun show attendees...A little waspish slap at the people who tried to impeach WJC...And so on.

The last two may give a clue as to the deeper roots of Harris' hatred : He has developed what I call Stephen King Syndrome. Remember the early King stories, in which he, the erstwhile struggling teacher/writer showed his knowledge of, and sympathy for, the struggles of lower middle class folks? Only to be replaced a few years down the road(circa IT, another bad book) by a man who slipped little remarks into the text to let us know how familiar he was with celebrities and their lifestyle, and an attitude towards 'poor folks' that slid first into pity, then contempt, then outright jeering. Thomas Harris is no doubt a very wealthy man now, and he probably moves in social circle where the members pride themselves on how much more "enlightened" they are than average Americans.It's rubbed off on him....Read the great Red Dragon, and his sensitive portrayals of even minor characters, who were rarely affluent. Notice Harris'; grasp of an overlooked prejudice (Since only white racism against "people of color" counts, y'know) : Contempt for poor whites, and the concomitant feelings of inferiority, strivings, and dislike of the wealthy people born poor (Will Graham, Clarice Starling) have. Then notice the little slams on the minor characters in Hannibal (eg the gun show attendees).It's as if everything Middle America admires-character, mores, politics, EVERYTHING-has become so anathema to Harris, he has to write a 500+ page novel in which all Good is shown to be nothing but sublimated Evil (a decades' old cliche) and in which no character is worthy of respect. Just to let us know how contemptible we, and everybody but Thomas Harris, truly are.

The book itself reads like it was read into a dictaphone and printed without revision. How could the man who wrote such splendid, smooth, even at times beautiful prose as we read in Red Dragon and SOTL write so poorly as he did in Hannibal? More contempt for the "ignorant readers who won't notice a difference"? I don't know which is worse, the banal nature of the majority of the book's prose, or the straining-for-effect pretentious drivel as he strives for profundity (eg, the passages in HL's mind (the memory palace) , or the very last chapter of the book re : HL's and CS's relationship.)

I agree with the reviewer who said that Harris has fallen in love with HL. He has created a character with certain superiorities of mind-and because he created him, TH now thinks those qualities are HIS. Another reason to despise the "lesser beings" out there in the real world! And Harris' attempts to-what, make the reader SYMPATHIZE with HL!?!-are grotesque : Spoiled rich brat brought up to regard everybody else as there to serve him loses his family in WWII . This causes an existential crisis , he loses all belief in God-and then goes out and inflicts the same pain of loss on others, but without the excuse of trying to avoid starvation, as the killers of his sister could claim. Nice ripoff of the Chikatilo story, but otherwise forced and trite.

One thing about Hannibal that was handled well : The descent of Clarice Starling into psychopathology. It is foreshadowed well by two earlier passages that reveal her growing alienation : when she looks at the overweight nurse she is interviewing and realizes she's grown tired of a lack of "stylishness" around her, and when the sight of a man butchered like a deer almost makes her giggle. HL didn't have to do too much with the drugs and hypnosis to bring CS to his (and TH's ) state of mind : contempt for others as lesser things. It was already there in embryo. She sublimated it into a drive to protect, while HL preys...But the way childhood trauma-sudden death of loved ones- had warped them both in a similar manner is there before the drug-induced breakdown , and rebuilding into a sociopath.

All that was good in RD and SOTL-the prose, the apparent insider's knowledge about FBI procedures, the sensitive handling of characters-is absent from Hannibal. Sadly, I hope Harris never writes another novel. And I wish I could cleanse my mind of Hannibal : It retroactively taints two fine novels that should have remained without a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Horrifying and Tragic
Review: I am unsure whether to give this book five stars or one star - something which has never happened to me before in my long history of reading! It is especially odd since I have recently reviewed both the splendid Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs and given them both five star rave reviews without a single qualm.

(SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW)

The case for 5 stars -
Hannibal is written beautifully, with the stunning metaphors and descriptive language I came to love in the past two books in the trilogy. One thing is certain: Thomas Harris writes with a unique style that is a pleasure to read. The story is full of twists and turns and the ending is the most unusual, shocking one ever written - but whether this is a good thing remains to be seen.
The character of Hannibal Lecter is developed and deepened, which I liked, and we are given insights into what has made him into such a monster. Not much is added to the character of Clarice, but most of her background was discussed in Silence of The Lambs. Instead for most of the book we empathise with Clarice because she has been held back from getting promoted because of other people's jealousy, sexism and hatred. We cheer her on and hope that the ending will turn out happily for her.

The case for 1 star -
By the end of the novel I felt completely broken and depressed, as though there was nothing good about the world at all. Hannibal Lecter was the only character to come out on top. Although he was an original and interesting character I didn't want him to continue roaming free without any kind of justice.
Special Agent Clarice Starling, a dedicated woman whom I had come to admire, was stripped of all intelligence and power and became nothing but a brainwashed doll in an ending that was shocking and horrific. I could not understand how the author could bare to have Clarice sit down with Lecter and Krendler at the dinner table and take part in what followed. The reasons given; 'hypnosis' and 'drugs' were not explained properly or satisfactorily.
Jack Crawford, Head of Behavioural Science, had nothing left to live for and none of his dynamic, strong personality remained. Barney was unrecognisable from the 'nice' guy who was kind to Clarice and Hannibal in Silence of The Lambs, instead he went to work for the super-villain and paedophile Mason Verger and turned into a complete sleaze ball. The lovely Ardelia Mapp was left in despair (rather like how I felt) with only her memories of Clarice to cherish.
The characters that were added since the last book were corrupt and weird. Pazzi, the Italian police officer, seemed all right at first and then deteriorated into an unlikeable idiot before being despatched in a terrible way by Lecter.
Mason and Margot Verger were unbelievable. Mason was a paralysed paedophile missing most of his face and body and talking through some kind of mechanical system who got his jollies by tormenting children and reminding his sister how she performed sex acts on him as a little girl. Margot was a lesbian weight lifter who had a burning desire for a child using Mason's sperm in order to receive her inheritance. (It's only when you write it down and read it over that you realise just how ridiculous it sounds). Furthermore, the way Margot kept on cracking walnuts in her bare hands seemed to me to be straight out of a James Bond movie. Come to think of it, with a bit of plastic surgery Mason could probably play Blowfelt (that Bond villain with the cat).
Yes, I know the ending has been mentioned in all the reviews before mine but I can't finish without mentioning it again. I found it frightening and horrible. There was no hope, no sense of peace - absolutely nothing to feel positive about. Also, a few things weren't explained very well, such as the significance of the crossbow for Clarice in the future, or exactly how Lecter accomplished turning her into his odd idea of what Mischa, his dead sister, would be like.
My only hope is that the real Clarice never 'comes back' because she would be so sickened by what Lecter brainwashed her into doing that she would no longer want to live.

Overall, I'll give this novel 3 stars and try to forget it as quickly as I can. I always reread books I like but I don't think I ever want to see a copy of Hannibal again for as long I live, let alone read it.

JoAnne

Rating:
Summary: Delicious!
Review: 'Hannibal' is a great read, and I really enjoyed it. The book raised a bit of a storm of criticism over the ending, which shows the depth of ignorance in the minds of the critics rather than any fault with the book.

The book gives flesh and soul to Hannibal, making him the centre of the action, and completing his journey from what seemed to be the out of control darkly intelligent monster of the first two books, to a fully realised character with all too human virtues and flaws.

Here Hannibal is the hero and anti-hero. His actions have purpose. He is in pursuit of, and aspiring to, the pure, the unsullied, virtuous, the highest of human creations. He kills those who 'deserve' it, the hypocritical, the ruthlessly cruel rich who abuse the power that wealth has conferred on them, those who would deny him his freedom for their own selfish and base greed. He does not kill at random, nor those that pose him no threat. He is as a superior being culling the diseased from the human flock. As such he is almost the kind of strong intellectual of the type that has been admired through the ages, a type that has it's roots in the world of the ancients of Greece and Rome.

Indeed Hannibal is a character that the ancients would surely appreciate, their heros were rounded characters. People who had as many if not more faults than virtues. People who might kill unjustly but still be regarded as worthy. It is no surprise then that much of the plot of Hannibal is a reworking of one of the myths of the ancient world (Hannibal has found HIS Galatea!)

So Hannibal is something of an aspirational character, strong in body and mind. But he is still flawed. He has unjustly assumed the power to kill and dispose of those he dislikes and despises, and that makes him less than human. Being both above and below us, Hannibal is truly special. Devour this book now. It is one of the best you are likely to read.