Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced, exciting
Review: Creatively gory. More cartoonish than previous books in the series, but entertainingly so. This book actually has two climaxes; one is a conventional, action-oriented bloodbath (the film will probably end here), the other is far more macabre and disturbing. I can understand why many readers disliked the end, but I thought it underscored just how unrepentently diabolical Lecter really is.

Rating:
Summary: A one night read!
Review: As I have read Harris' previous works, I was eagerly anticipating this sequel. Suffice it to say, I was not disappointed! Moreover, I had to read the last thirty (30) pages not once, not twice but three times because of the imagery the words provided! As Harris' previous works have, also, been translated into movies, and as we, the public, tend to, at times, blur the lines of 'art imitating life', one, I think it would be difficult for someone of Jodie Foster's caliber to portray the Clarice Starling of this book and, two, I think it would be even more difficult for a director to adequately capture the last few pages on film.

Rating:
Summary: Avoid -- life is too short.
Review: What tripe. I would have given Zero stars if allowed. I honestly could not finish this sorry excuse for a thriller. That's an exceptional action to take, as my nature is to finish a book no matter what.

There's no art to the writing. Yeah, it's supposed to be a potboiler thriller, but that doesn't mean the writing can't be artful. And if Harris can't achieve that, at least he could come up with some new ideas. Hannibal is just a collection of "here's something gross" scenery. A few good pages set in Italy paid for an "business travel" tax deduction, so at least Harris got something for his efforts. There is no development of character, no imagination, and no thrill.

There are so many other books to read and so little time in the world for us to read them. I urge you to hasten to another book.

Rating:
Summary: wish i could rate it less than one star
Review: stupid plot. stupid story. just plain stupid. not to mention gross. after reading sotl i wonder if maybe thomas harris had a stroke, brain fart,or thought hollywood would buy it outright and jody foster, anthony hopkins would buy it--make him a little richer. he played us for fools-no one will pay money to see the movie-especially after money to buy the book. i have thrown the book away incase one of my children should find it.

Rating:
Summary: best novel in the hannibal lecter saga
Review: having red the red dragon, silence of the lambs & hannibal, i find hannibal the most scaring of these novels. pure evil gets fascinating when it is practiced in style - and to me the horror goes much deeper than in the previous novels because it is made so clear, how fine the line is between good & evil and how hard it is not to "give in" - deep inside most of us have a hannibal lecter and i really felt that mine was moved.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't even compare to the first.
Review: I read Silence of the Lambs right before I read Hannibal and because of that I was expecting something remarkable. However, I was thouroughly let down. The book started off with the same tone as the first, but as the book progressed the tone went off track. Another thing that I hated was the enormous change in Clarice. Her mannerisms, attitude, and even her speech changed with no basis for a change whatsoever. Lastly, one thing that made the first so incredible was the limited gore. It was only added when absolutley necessary. In Hannibal, the gore was completely unnecessary and sometimes I couldn't even begin to understand why it was in there. I don't really recommend reading this book, especially if you're a big fan of the first.

Rating:
Summary: 100 times better than Silence Of the Lambs!
Review: Hannibal takes off where SOTL leaves off. Clarice Starling is now looking for yet anther serial murderer and finds help from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. You must read it! I command you!

Rating:
Summary: He pulled it off..
Review: I began this book with the knowledge that many readers, including professional reviewers, had panned this book. As such, my expectations were not high. I was afraid that this would be a cheap, screenplay sellout, ala The Lost World.

This did not happen, as Harris skillfully and believeably (to me, at least) created a satisfying plot and took the characters in new directions. I plowed through the last half of the book in two sittings.

I find it interesting that some other readers, who have read this and other Harris novels, criticized this book for being violent, revolting, etc. Of course it is. What do they expect after Dragon and Silence of the Lambs (which made me more uncomfortable than Hannibal).

Rating:
Summary: This book was the worst book I ever forced myself to finish.
Review: I am so glad I forced myself to check this book out of the library rather than buy it. It was beyond awful. I wonder if I can get a refund on the 50 cent holding fee I paid to the library...

Rating:
Summary: Extremely inconsistent with the first two novels
Review: The author decides to shift the tone of this novel to that of a social commentary on evil, and in the process makes the characters behave completely unrealistic. That would have been fine if this were a new book with unknown characters; however, the fact that the first two books attempted to use realism as their focus, this book becomes very disappointing. The ending is probably one of the worst endings in modern fiction if you take the first two books into account.