Rating: 
Summary: An utter disappointment.
Review: I had to smile sadly when I read someone's review for this book; they were upset that others had "slammed" it. I know it's upsetting when one reads a book they love, and then finds that others dislike it. I'm afraid I'm one of the slammers.After RED DRAGON and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, I thought this book was just dreadful. What amazed me is that Harris had apparently waited eleven years to write this dismal performance. I bought this book before it was on the Bestseller list, and buying books in hardback is really a luxury for me, so just let me say that this was an EXPENSIVE disappointment. The first 55 chapters were background. How utterly dull. And the chapters on Hannibal in Italy sounded like a traveloque, complete with "Italian words" dropping. It's worse than name-dropping to drop as many unfamiliar words AND types of wines as Harris did in this novel. If I'd wanted that, I'd have purchased UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN. By the time I'd arrived at chapter 55 and could see that FINALLY some action was coming, I was already utterly disgusted, and not one bit surprised that in the "Acknowledgements." the majority went to experts on Italian life and culture. I suppose it's hard to make a cannibal very scary after Jeffrey Dahmer, but if he was attempting to make Lecter frightening, Harris failed terribly. When I'd finished the book, I hardly knew what to think. The ending was so incredibly implausible. Apparently, Mr. Harris had decided to write a travelogue with a fairytale ending. The whole time I read this book, in my mind was the fact that long before it was written, or at least published, the stars of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS had already publicized their interest in doing a sequel. Obviously, it was on Harris's mind as well. This read like a 1930's version of a horror story. Where were the dancers?
Rating:
Summary: How could this happen after Silence of the Lambs?
Review: What a disappointment! I had been eagerly awaiting the continuation of the Hannibal Lecter story. What a let down! The plot was completely unbelieveable and the character development was nothing like this book's predecessor. I wish I hadn't been in such a hurry to get this book as soon as it was released. My only hope is we DON'T see this weak story on the silver screen. Silence of the Lambs was one of the BEST adaptations I have ever seen from a book.
Rating:
Summary: I wanted all the characters to die much more quickly.
Review: Having read Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, I eagerly anticipated this book. However, while I liked Harris' writing style as much as ever, I was thoroughly disgusted with the content. The only character that I cared for at all was Clarice Starling, and she was even getting a bit tiresome by the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Deliciously evil, dark, and brilliant!
Review: Thomas Harris thrilled me years ago with Red Dragon, scared me to death with Silence of the Lambs, and disturbed me with evil delight in Hannibal! I just didn't want to stop reading this, and I was sad when it ended, I wanted the bizarre journey to continue! The others who have trashed this great work have obviously missed something, and attacking Mr. Harris is unjustified, his work was creative, taking the saga of Lecter in a totally different direction. The ending was so wild, I couldn't believe it, and I loved it, all at once.
Rating:
Summary: I want my money back
Review: This book was nasty. I wish it were a crime for something to be printed in haste. Italy should be offended. I feel ashamed because the only reason I finished this book was to see how much more ridiculous it could get. Suckling wine soaked nipples. That's a good one.
Rating: 
Summary: The novel kept you in suspense
Review: The focus on Clarice Starling character was not portrayed enough. I didnt find her as the hero in this novel. The novel was written as if she was confused and ignorant to what was going on with Lector. I found some chapters to be irrelavant to the story line as well as some scenes being unrealistic. For example, the amount of time Lector had to have her father's casket lifted and clothes removed and return to the area. Also, the barn scene where clarice jumps in and saves the day without backup. One of the most interesting scenes is the way he touched base with her past and Childhood problems. Overall, it was a pretty good book.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed. I cried. It was worse than "Cats!"
Review: Poorly written. Shallow. Too much detail on the peripherals, too little detail where it might have helped. Convoluted, impossible plot. An ending that can only be the product of a short-timer. Gratuitous grossness, where I was expecting the exquisite craft and subtlety of SotL and Red Dragon. The characters were, for the most part, formulaic caricatures - Harris really skimped when he was creating or elaborating on them. As for Starling and Lecter, Harris took them out of themselves and made them each into something particularly disappointing. He took a cheap out in defining why Lecter is the way he is, and removed all intrigue from the man - made him a mealy-minded sentimental idiot. And what he did to Starling dismayed me to no end. After the first few chapters, I really came to despise her in her weakness and shallowness. Harris owes much more to the characters that he so superbly brought to life in his previous two books. He owes a lot more to his loyal readers, as well, and turning out mindless, off-the-wall, unbelievable drivel like this will, at the least, decimate the legions of his loyal readers if he does not find some way to make amends. The book started out all right - but after the first couple of chapters, well - let's just say I could have had a better quality read curling up with Olivia Goldsmith or Jackie Collins or even Louis L'Amour. I was shocked and saddened by Harris' selling out as he obviously did. I regret to say that I finished the book, hoping with the turn of every page that Harris would redeem himself. He did not. If you loved SotL or Red Dragon, do yourself a favor and skip this cookie cutter refuse. If you insist upon reading it despite the ample warnings from hundreds of readers who, like me, felt cheated, at least borrow it from the library, rather than wasting money in addition to time. There are plenty of other bad things I could say about this most unsatisfying book - but at the moment (I just finished it an hour ago), I am so dumbfounded by its ineptitude and sheer badness that words fail me. That seems to be a trend - words most obviously failed Harris in the writing of this unbelievably poor excuse for a novel. In sum, "YUCK!" What a rip off. The only novel that underwhelmed me more was Patricia Cornwell's "Hornet's Nest." Avoid them both at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: Ending: Are You Freakin' Kidding Me?!
Review: I could have lived with the ending to Hannibal, had the rest of the book EARNED something so weird. As it is, it's an "American Psycho" ending, ridiculious, stupid and caculated to cause a "buzz" among readers.
Rating:
Summary: A decent finish to the saga
Review: Definately not as good as Silence Of The Lambs or Red Dragon. It started slow and the ending was pathetic, but the middle made up for those shortcomings. I think Mr. Harris could have done better on the ending, and stayed whithin the realm of possibility for both the sociopathic and the "normal" personalities, instead of having the two meet halfway. All in all, though, it was a decent book, and a decent finish to the Hannibal Lecter saga.
Rating:
Summary: A feast, from lambs to hams
Review: I found _Hannibal_ gripping, finishing it in two days and ruining at least one good night's sleep. The plot was well paced, the graceful descriptions wasted not a detail. The writing engaged every sense (sometimes against my will), planting images, smells, sounds, and tastes in my mind that will linger. I liked the fact that there were others in the book possibly more evil, certainly more hypocritical, than Lecter. Harris persuades us to meditate on the nature of evil and its origins. Unlike others, I don't find the revelation of Lester's childhood trauma a disappointment, since I don't think it's meant to explain his adult behavior completely - Lecter is far more complex than that. Many have compared this novel unfavorably with Harris' earlier works. Since this is the only Harris I've ever read, I can only say that I thought the characters were pithily described, and (with the possible exception of Starling) they behaved as consistently as real-life people ever do. The Svengali touch at the end was hard to believe over the long term, though there's a certain poetry to it. Having seen the Lambs movie, I liked the reappearances of certain characters, particularly the way Barney was fleshed out. However, I was hoping for more from Sammie. I found it somewhat jarring that Harris kept switching back and forth between the present and past tense - jarring, but intriguing. It made me think of a certain verb construction used in the original language of the Gospels (so I rememember from the comments in my NAS Bible), used to highlight significant incidents by describing them in the present tense. With all Harris' Biblical references, this parallel may have been intentional. At the least Harris' style does the have the effect of keeping the reader in the moment. One minor beef: like so much in print these days, this book suffered from a handful of typos. I find this hard to excuse in something that surely was read several times during the publishing process. A disturbing, unforgettable read, leaving no justifiable room for a sequel - I hope Harris will close the curtain here.
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