Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: entertaining, but not brilliant
Review: Is it good? Well, yes, most of the time. Is it thrilling? Occasionally. Is it horrific? No, not at all. Where 'Red Dragon' left me looking over my shoulder after dark and 'Silence of the lambs' had my skin crawling, 'Hannibal' occasionally made me smile! The monster becomes human, and that's not a good thing to be happening to monsters. Sure, the book has it's gruesome moments. Lobotomizing one of your dinnerguests and frying & consuming his frontal lobes while he is still at the table is particularly nasty. But it happens to a person you want it to happen to anyway, and that takes half the horror out of it. I haven't decided yet wether the ending is very clever or totally ridiculous. Decide for yourself, if you want to. The book is worth reading if you've got a spare weekend, but no more than that.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal's back / It's full-time Hannibal this time
Review: The level of satisfaction you gain from this book depends on how you look at it. If you look at it as a sequel, as a follow-up to "Silence of the Lambs", you might call it poor, because it just can notget out of it's mother's shadow. Looking at the book that way it is not only poor but a shame. That would be 3 stars, I guess.

But if you come around to think that this is NO follow-up, but just another book featuring Hannibal Lecter, it might be the most satisfying book of that series (Red Drago - Silence - Hannibal, because it gives you unlimited inside into Hannibal Lecter, uncut and uncensored access to his mind ... and his brutality. ****

I do not think that my job as a reviewer of this book is to give you an exact summary of the plot, even if you claim you have to know something about the book's storyline to decide whether it suits your expectations or it does not. I will not even give you a rough pictue of the plot, but I give one thing: this book is worth reading. If you liked SOTL, because you were fascinated by Hannibal Lecter, read this book. Even if you liked the whole character of this unique thriller more, read Hannibal, even if - for you it is a follow-up.

When Harris comes to describing Lecter's mind you will come to realize that this is one of the most awkward pieces of writing you have ever experienced.

There are some pretty strange scenes in this book, so be prepared. You might even call these scenes a little bit "weird" but who are you and me to decide? After all this was a very satisfying read, once again showing that Thomas Harris is an author worth reading!

Rating:
Summary: A fine ending
Review: What can be said about HANNIBAL that hasn't been said already? Hannibal Lecter has become an instantly identifiable icon, an image of madness and insanity that the public has lapped up in droves. His third appearance in fiction has as many detractors as rabid fans, arguing intensely over whether the book is true to what has happened previously, or whether it stains the memory of Lecter and his unusual relationship with FBI Agent Clarice Starling. Jodie Foster, Starling's physical manisfestation in the movie version of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, stated that she wouldn't reprise the role for HANNIBAL, seeing the novel as an insult to her perceptions of how Clarice would grow as a character.

Clearly, HANNIBAL is many things to many people. But let's view it for what it is: a horrific thrill-ride through the consciousness of a demon. The only crime Thomas Harris commits is in delivering a product that people didn't expect.

HANNIBAL puts the infamous serial killer Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter into the centre spotlight, after consigning him to a supporting role in the previous novels, RED DRAGON and LAMBS. Enjoying his new-found freedom, he is slowly but relentlessly being pursued by Mason Verger; a survivor of Lecter's assaults, and an individual even creepier and unforgivable than Lecter is. Verger uses Starling as his pawn, reeling her along with the hope that Lecter will be unable to resist the bait.

The true flaw in HANNIBAL is that Harris takes for granted that the reader will know and understand the unusual relationship Lecter and Starling share. It works as a sequel, but is unable to stand up as an achievement in its own right, unlike both DRAGON and LAMBS, pinacles of the serial killer genre. This lessens the impact somewhat, as does his subplot involving the Barney the orderly, and Verger's body-building sister. They are interesting characters, but aren't given enough character arc to fit in completely.

But Harris redeems himself with his presentation of Lecter's life outside the prison cell. Lecter functions in the world quite well, attaining wealth and prestige through his not-inconsiderable intellect. The web that Harris draws around Lecter, disparate elements slowly converging to encircle and capture Hannibal, is a rivetting display of skillful plotting.

Some have criticized the decision to reveal parts of Lecter's past, but these glimpses only heighten the mystique that surrounds him. Harris is far more generous in his background to Verger, a malevolent creature of such despicable proportions that he could star in a novel of his own. Harris follows his now-familiar technique of comparing monsters, displaying Verger in stark contrast to Lecter in the same manner as Francis Dollarhyde and Jame Gumb were presented in DRAGON and LAMBS, respectively.

Starling is also presented in a memorable light. Far from being the idealistic young trainee of LAMBS, Starling is now a disgraced agent who is haunted by her past actions, both on the job and with Lecter. She is completely at odds with her world, finding herself used and controlled both by Verger and Lecter, as well as certain elements of the FBI. Her downfall, and eventual conclusion, adds a heart-breaking note to the chase.

And the ending. Without spoiling the surprise, it is both unexpected, and fair to the characters, despite the uproar it caused. I believe it is Harris's attempt to wrest control of the characters back to his domain. Considering the immense pressures that were undoubtedly heaped upon Harris after the gigantic sucess of LAMBS (both as novel and film), a lesser artist would have merely given the public what they wanted. Harris does something more: he provides the audience with an ending that would silence those who make Lecter into a heroic figure. Never losing sight of the fact that Hannibal is a monster, Harris plays off of Lecter's legend, leaving the reader unnerved. It's the author's way of screaming, "He's my character, not yours! Now, back off!"

And perhaps it's a blessing that HANNIBAL ends the way it does. Harris is far too talented a writer to be constrained into writing sequels. By laying Lecter to rest (in a manner of speaking), Harris can dive into new territories, surprising us in the same way that he caught us off guard with RED DRAGON. Hannibal may be silent, but let's hope Harris refuses to remain so.

Rating:
Summary: Great novel
Review: The most important part of this novel is the introduction so before it came out I knew if it had a weak intro it would be that good. The reason for that is that there is a big span of time between silence of the lambs and hannibal so he had to catch you up on what has happened. and I found out he did it well. The introduction ws complete and detailed. And he did it so well. He found a way to explain the past events by not using to many flashbacks in the first act of the novel. That is something only few people can do. There were no flaws in the introduction.

Also in the novel the way he wrote it caused that he had to also have the second act where you meet dr. lector just as strong as the first because it served as an intro too. Its where you catch up with Dr. Lector and what has he been doing since the silence of the lambs. I loved the second act it was very detailed in history you can tell he did a lot of research for the novel. It is also very graphic because it shows you what put him in the cell in the first place. The second act was my favrite because of the high amounts of details he put in it. There were no flaws.

The third and fourth acts are also great with the depiction of its characters I believe that they are also strong and achieved what it needed to achieve. But the only flaw was that it was coming to an end to quickly. It does not end with the fourth act but you could tell it was trying come to a conclusion. I beleive that is the only flaw that it did not need to rush but it did.

The last act which is the fifth act was not the most important but it was the weakest in the novel. A little to weak. I did not mind the ending to much. You could kind of tell that it was going to happen because that seemed to be what the book was stressing on the connection between claurice starling and Hannibal Lecter. But It seemed to me that the author does not plan to write another book on the subject I hope he does because Hannibal did not close the story. I was dissapointed on the weakness of the ending because it left way too many questions. There needs to be another one.

Overall it is a good novel not as good as the book silence of the lambs but it got close. It needed more of an explaination of Hannibal lector to be complete. But it diserves four stars.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping and disgusting in equal measures
Review: I found this book extremely gripping, but ultimately not satisfying. Certainly not as good as the author's Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs. My major gripes are that Lecter becomes a virtual superman in this book, capable of almost any feat, and the ending, of course. At least it was unexpected, if disgustingly absurd.

Rating:
Summary: far too explicit
Review: "The Silence of the Lambs" is one of the most thrilling thrillers I have ever read. So naturally this made me look forward to the sequel Hannibal. Even though the style of writing is still slick, I found the descriptions of what one can do with human beings (dead or alive) way too explicit. Sometimes it is better to leave a little bit to the imagination of the reader.

Rating:
Summary: I'm not sure this book is at all what it professes to be
Review: The first time I read Hannibal, I remember feeling a nebulous sense of shame (not to mention nausea). I just finished reading it again and am left with the sense that Harris is saying something about all of us who turned a monster into a cult figure/antihero and demanded more. In my least generous mood, I would venture to say he was either laughing at or furious with his readers: the whole book feels like a slap in the face. There are some interesting ideas, and some memorable moments, but there is a burlesque quality to so much of the book that doesn't ring true to the understated creepiness of Harris' earlier work. I am haunted in particular by the description of the crowds that go to see the exhibit of torture devices. Read Chapter 20 and ask yourself honestly: how bitter is the ring of the opening paragraph, and can you really believe that Harris is doing anything other than "slapping the clammy flab of our submissive conciousness"? I won't venture to guess whether Harris' intent was to amuse himself by creating a nasty parody, to shock us into seeing how decadent we've become, or none of the above (which would mean my reaction was solely due to a guilt complex). All I know is that the "Atrocious Torture Devices" epsiode has a startling weight to it - especially given the its relative unimportance to the plot - and its tone is bitter and acidic, yet with a ring of authenticity that much of the rest of the book lacks.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal--Much Better Than the Movie!!!
Review: The book is much better than the movie. (but then books always are!!!)Be ready to hate Mason Verger! He is a truly despicable character! You will be touched by the way Dr.Lecter interacts with Starling. You also gain insight into Lecter's traumatic childhood, and begin to understand him. (something I wish the movie had included)It is a long book, but a page-turner. Don't plan on getting anything else done until you finish reading this one, as it's a hard book to put down. I also enjoyed Red Dragon, also by Thomas Harris

Rating:
Summary: Finding the Greater Good and the Greater Evil
Review:

I suspect that many of us who so enjoyed The Silence of the Lambs on the big screen chose not to go to the movie sequel because of its 1) negative reviews, 2) emphasis on cannibalism, and 3) loss of Jodie Foster as the lead actress. Buying and reading the book was my alternative, and I recommend it very highly.

I read this book at the same time that I was reading Nigel Nicholson's Executive Instinct, Managing the Human Animal in the Information Age; Kurt Eichenwald's The Informant (about routine corruption in the highest levels of corporate America) and several other books which I am reviewing. I mention this because in that context I do not find Hannibal to be about cannibalism, or find Starling to have converted to evil--instead what I see is one rennaissance man, so conflicted with the corruption in society at large that he chooses a very unconventional means of "biting back". I see Starling as his soul mate, someone who was bullied and terribly abused by the government system she swore to serve loyally, who in the end chooses to join Hannibal in exile, having upheld the law (protected Hannibal from torture and murder) and taken physical and psychological revenge against the book's true antagonist, slime-ball opportunist Krendler.

I found this book so compelling that I bought a second copy when my first was left behind on an airplane, and in the second reading I found even more detail supportive of the above perspective. Most of us will never be as talented as Hannibal, and most of us will never, thankfully, feel that our society is failing us so terribly that we must cast off the bounds of convention that maintain our stability and relative prosperity. Most of us would--in extremis--kill but not eat another human--and I hope that this leaves us with the question the author intended: which is the greater evil: murder for the sake of revenge, or calculated selective dining on targets that are--even by the standards of the conventional critics--among the lower beings that society has to offer up--Donnie Barber, for example, the butcher of deer, or the final course, Paul Krendler, who violated every oath he ever took?

I hope the author pursues this theme, for mankind is confronting itself these days with terrible misbehavior, from trade in women and children to toxic dumping to the legal poisoning of our domestic water and food supplies. I would be most fascinated by how Hannibal might play if cast on a world stage, in the midst, say, of a G-8 or World Trade Organization Meeting.

This is a seriously addictive story line by a very talented author, and it is very highly recommended for reading as a gentle means of provoking some of our deeper darker thoughts. This book does not condone nor encourage cannibalism--that is but a vehicle for helping us think outside the box. Superb!

Rating:
Summary: Give very serious thought to reading this book...
Review: Many readers hated this book, Stephen King felt it was the best of the series, my opinion comes closer to King's. This story is less sensational than Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs. Those are great books each but they essentially tell the same story--unique FBI agent needs Hannibal Lecter's iside info to catch a serial killer on the loose before he kills again. The purpose of this story is to let us into Hannibal's mind--literally. Harris is able to make Lecter's flawless memory, super-developed sense of smell, and his love of cooking both fascinating and chilling. The ending (changed for the movie) is much better in the book. It offends many people but, after Lecter's escape at the end of Silence, this ending takes his success to the ultimate degree.