Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Unfolds with Style
Review: Thomas Harris is the master and he knows what he's talking about. His books do not fall into the trashy psycho-thrillers genre. His books have characters that are very 3D, not just paper figures acting out a story. Hannibal is a very different book than The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon but equally good. In all of these books, I found myself cheering for Hannibal Lecter and wondering what he will do next. This book does have its gory moments but I recommend it fully.

Rating:
Summary: boring and unrealistic
Review: This book was one I was looking foward to reading. Usually a good book I can read in two days because I don't put it down. This book though I couldn't find myself picking it up. The first half was boring. There was too many Italian refrences and words for someone who has never been to Europe to really enjoy. The other two Harris books punched you from the start where as this one I am still waiting for a smack. The ending was very false and seemed like Harris was trying to be out there . After reading the book I wish I hadn't, the hype was more enjoyable than the book itself. I'm sorry.

Rating:
Summary: pretty disappointing
Review: I approached this book with an open mind but came away thoroughly disappointed. It started when the author used gratuitous sexual references for no point at all. I expected the bloodiness, and was intrigued by getting behind Clarice and Hannibal's thoughts, but basically, the plot never seized me like Red Dragon (which I read in one day) or Silence. There are many other ways this could have played out, but the ghastly gruesome ending made it seem like the author had no other plot in mind, so he tried to gross us all out. And Starling's sinking to such levels, I am sorry, was just not believable, not at all. Unfortunately, the author has left us the possibility of yet another sequel. I wish he had stopped after Silence if this is the best he could offer. Thoroughly disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I was looking for
Review: I must say after the horror of Red Dragon and of Silence, Hannibal left me wanting. Wanting that Hannibal that you love to hate. It had glimmers of the old Hannibal, killing in Florence, and killing the poacher, but it left me wanting to know the pre-Red Dragon Hannibal not the post Silence Hannibal.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal
Review: This was a great book to Read, I think it was better than "The Silence of the Lambs". I think its the the bestr books of the year. so far

Rating:
Summary: Second time lucky
Review: I only enjoyed Hannibal on the second read. After loving Silence of the Lambs and red Drago, I found the first reading quite disturbing. One imagines that Mr Harris is quite a troubled person. I basically had to skim through to miss out the truely horrible sections. Once I'd finished and knew there were no surprises,I was able to read it again, and although it still makes me squirm, it does display the genius of RD & SOTL. I was completely blind-sided by the outcome! A couple of the characters were a little 2 dimensional. Krendler, like Dr Chilton in SOTL was too much of a bastard to be beleivable fully.

Rating:
Summary: slow, unlike Harris writing, not a Silence.
Review: First half was very slow, wordy, strange words that were not explained. Not connected. Unrealistic. Not a silence of the lambs, not even close.

Rating:
Summary: Should be a great movie
Review: Enjoyable. The book didn't sweep me away necessarily but it did hold my interest. I'm looking forward to the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Thomas Harris let us down...
Review: After reading his previous books, I can say that I'm very disappointed. The shocking and gruesome parts of the book are not enough to keep the reader interested. After a while it gets boring and tiresome. The funky ending really sucks!!!. I'm glad that I took this book from my local library instead of wasting my money on this aberration. It is to be hoped that his next book will return faith to his followers.

Rating:
Summary: "Hannibal" is a magnificent , disturbing piece of work.
Review: I recently found a promotional bookmark put out by Delcorte press, advertising a few of their new releases. At the top is a small photo of the dust jacket of Thomas Harris' "Hannibal," with the caption, "If you liked 'Silence of the Lambs,' you'll enjoy 'Hannibal.'" That's okay, as far as it goes, which isn't nearly far enough. Words such as "like" and "enjoy" are a little mild to apply to Harris' novels, particularly his latest. It's a little like saying, "If you like manic depression, you'll enjoy paranoid schizophrenia." "Hannibal" is harrowing, chilling, sickening, disturbing and gut-wrenching. I would not use the word "enjoy" to describe how I felt reading it. Now, all these negative adjectives do not mean I didn't like the book. I loved it. It didn't make me feel good, but I loved in the way you can't help loving a piece of work so superbly crafted it totally sucks you into itself, makes you believe it and scares the hell out of you. Most of our old friends from "Silence of the Lambs" are back. The action commences seven years after the conclusion of the previous novel. FBI agent Clarice Starling finds herself in hot water over a drug raid gone bad. Meanwhile, Dr. Lecter is having problems of his own. For many years he has lived in anonymity in Europe, but his identity has been discovered by one of his early victims (and one of the few who survived), Mason Verger, one of the most loathsome creatures I've ever encountered in a work of fiction. Verger, who had his face removed by Lecter some years previously, is the scion of a wealthy meat-packing family. Verger wants to get Hannibal himself, before the FBI does, and he has the money and the means to prepare his revenge against our hero. That's right, I said "hero." Hannibal Lecter is the hero of this book. His nemesis, Verger, is so horrible, so rotten and contemptible that he makes Hannibal look noble by comparison, and there's never any question of who you're going to root for. Verger is a sadistic child-molester, fortunately confined to an iron lung as a result of Lecter's earlier "treatment." And while Verger stands out, he isn't the only sicko on the scene. We also have the utterly repulsive Justice Department hatchet man Paul Krendler, an oily political climber who divides his time between secretly helping Verger track down Hannibal Lecter and trying to put the finishing touches on Starling's badly-damaged career. This is not your typical psycho killer thriller. There really are no good guys. Everyone has skeletons in their closets (sometimes literally). In fact, most of my sympathy goes to Hannibal Lecter. Sure, he's a cannibal and a monster, but he has his own brand of nobility and a strict moral code from which he never deviates. Harris instructs us, subtly and sometimes painfully, that virtue can lurk in the unlikeliest places. There isn't much blood in "Hannibal." Harris doesn't have to rely on cheap special effects to achieve what he's going for. The gore is at a minimum, and what little there is is never gratuitous. The violence owes more to Shakespeare than to Stephen King. It always serves a purpose. But the real terrors in this book are the terrors of the human mind and spirit. Flat-out chop-em-up gore would be easier to handle, in some cases, than the disturbing insights into the human condition Harris serves up. Harris has a beautiful, haunting prose style which eerily transcends the genre in which he chooses to work. The only literary comparison that comes to my mind is John Fowles' "The Collector," and Harris has him beat by a good country mile. And then, of course, there's the soap opera aspect. Fans of Thomas Harris have been following the adventures of Dr. Lecter and his friends and foes for many years now. We all want to know what finally happens to them. And if you aren't a Harris fan, I suggest that you become one. Read "Silence of the Lambs" before you read "Hannibal." Much of the impact of "Hannibal" comes from the evolution of the old familiar characters. We get much further into Dr. Lecter's head than we've ever been before. It isn't a very pleasant place, but it's not as bad as you might think, and is infinitely fascinating territory. So, do we learn the final fates of "Hannibal the Cannibal" and Clarice Starling? That would be telling, and I'm not about to do that. But I will say this: The last few chapters of the book left me completely stunned. While reading, I was sitting with my mouth literally hanging open, occasionally exclaiming aloud. And I'm pretty jaded. It takes a lot to do that to me. One small hint- after reading the last section of the book, you may never again feel at ease at an elegant dinner party... If you're looking for a light, pleasant summer read, go elsewhere. But if you feel up to a roller-coaster ride through the darkest, most dangerous parts of the human soul, strap yourself in. And don't say I didn't warn you.