Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Harris let his fans down
Review: I have never anticipated a sequel with so much excitement. Consequently, it was with utter disappointment that I finished Hannibal. The book had so much potential. It started off with a great action sequence, developed Dr. Lecter's terrifying world well, and added a new monster-like character into the mix. It displayed Harris' phenomenal ability to narrate excruciating details of horrific events with a cold, almost casual detachment. However, I sense that Harris then either lost his way or simply chose to indulge himself. The climax of the story lost all of its momentum and was extremely sophomoric. And the absurd ending made a mockery of all of Harris' prior great work by causing Lecter and Starling to act totally out of character. As a Harris fan, I feel very let down. If Mr. Harris ever happens to read this, I urge him to rewrite the last half of the book and allow it to achieve its true potential.

Rating:
Summary: Very different and very bad
Review: Where SOTL was a suspenseful thriller, Hannibal is an over-obvious action/slasher book. So it seems as if was written for the big screen and panders to the "more is more" attitude towards violence in Hollywood. All the subtle "scariness" Lecter possessed in SOTL is replaced with over-the-top murders and gory action sequences that will have you thinking Bruce Willis will be better suited for the main role as opposed to a subdued Hopkins. True fear comes from knowing the situation is based in reality. Hannibal is so outlandish, it loses it's edge from the get-go. Harris took the low-road and replaced stellar storytelling with blood and gore. His thoughts must have been, "Lecter can only be so evil, so we need more evil people". Yes, everyone says they end up cheering for Lecter, but it is only because Harris makes it so. In Hannibal, Lecter only eats bad people and Harris would have you believe Lecter is really an omnipotent superhero. The ending is a joke. It just comes out of left field with no basis. Obviously, Harris didn't want to kill off his meal ticket, but in writing Hannibal, I think he accomplished the same.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible Ending
Review: I can not recommend this book. Without being too specific and so as not to ruin the book for anyone who didn't read the book but intends to, I'll just say the ending made no sense to me. When you develop a character to have a sense of him/her self and then just go 180 degrees with them. That is not a surprise ending. It is an absurd and an impossible ending.

Rating:
Summary: 4/5ths of a good book
Review: Well, You have got to be kidding regarding the ending of this book. Just terrible and not believeable at all. I will bet that when this book is turned into a movie the ending will be completely different. Did Harris just run out of steam?

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal is in EXTRA RARE form in this novel.
Review: Tom Harris is inspired as the plot creator for Hannibal Lechter's latest adventures. However, the author lacks any writing skills and the publisher allowed this sophmoric piece of writing to be unleashed on the unsuspecting public. The writing was not horrific enough to detract from the beauty of the plot development and Hannibal is painted in a new light. Although it is definite worth reading, but it will never be studied as a literary masterpiece; just as another sequel done badly. This is one of those cases where we HOPE the movie exceeds the book. Strong cast, good director, and a miraculous screenwriter could have Hannibal attending the Oscars again.

Rating:
Summary: Good story, terrible writer
Review: The story moved along apace. However, Harris is in dire need of an editor. I have two suggestions: Strunk & White and a damn MAP! Obviously Mr. Harris knows nothing about the Washington DC metropolitan area. And his pathetic attempts to be "avant garde" in his writing style (the distracting mix of present and past tense) are laughable. Bottom line: this story would have been spectacular at the keyboard of a true master. Lecter would disapprove of Harris.

Rating:
Summary: Gothic, Elegant, Thrilling.
Review: Thomas Harris is undeniably one of the greatest writers of our time. Here he presents another stunning venture into the mind of evil that equals "Red Dragon" and "The Silence Of The Lambs." "Hannibal" is original, gothic, artistic, elegant, and yes, frightening. But it's also really thrilling. I believe this is an excellent sequel to "The Silence Of The Lambs" because it expands the world of these characters. I also will never get tired of reading about Hannibal Lecter and his small, pointy teeth and long, snake-like tongue. Harris understands the nature of evil like William Peter Blatty with "The Exorcist." "Hannibal" seems all too realistic which gives a better effect. This is also a well-researched novel with lots of interesting situations, characters, and places. The gore and violence here are well-handled. No one will ever write serial killer novels like Harris! This is, the best novel of the year. WAIT, WHAT"S THAT COMING THROUGH MY WINDOW? IT"S HANNIBAL LECTER! AH! HELP!

Rating:
Summary: Grade A! USDA approved! Throw another Liver on the grill!
Review: Someone wrote that Robert Harris rushed into this. He spent ten years writing this thing! It is definitly worth the wait.

Rating:
Summary: UGH!
Review: How unbelievable - I was so excited to read this book and whata let down. The story was just plain gross and the ending was soincredibly unreal. I'll just continue to re-read Red Dragon!

Rating:
Summary: AN ABSOLUTE PAGE TURNER FROM END TO END
Review: THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. DETAILS WERE PERCISE AND THE FLOW WAS EXCELLENT. HAVING NEVER READ THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, I HAD NO TROUBLE FOLLOWING ANY PART OF THE STORY. HANINABAL IS A FRIEGHTING CHARCTER FULL OF FURRY. THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR ALL SUSPENSE FANS. I LOVED IT.