Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely wretched waste of time and class
Review: Having begun with Red Dragon when it was new in paperback and following upon the brilliance of Silence of the Lambs, the latest book by Thomas Harris struck me as an utter waste of time and completely alien to the strengths exhibited in his earlier works.Yes, the draw in this latest chapter is in knowing more about Dr. Lecter, but it did not have to be done at the expense of the previous chapters in the mythology. You see, one of the largest draws of this character is the fact that he was purely, unregenerately evil. His appeal is muted with the discovery of the past that molded him, and his "redemption" at the end of the novel not only lacks any sort of continuity, but also weakens the impact of his personality. To compound matters, in this book, we are treated to a variety of small-time con artists who think they are in his league...absolutely wretched, and did we really *NEED* a character who makes martinis from children's tears? Clarice Starling, who had been a full-fledged character in her previous incarnation, emerges from this book as a pathetic psychotic of her own accord. All her strength, dignity, and honor get sacrificed at the altar of the bumbling crooks who are above her in the pecking order at the FBI, leaving her ripe to Hannibal's machinations......though not even in an entertaining way. My final complaint with this book is that in addition to its ludicrous plotting and lack of consistency with the previous books in this trilogy is that it is simply poorly written. Harris shifts tense and perspective within the same paragraph, but not in a manner that seems artistically consistent. This novel struck me as having been written purely for the money, and is truthfully on a par with some of the more poorly-written fan fiction.....a shame, coming from the man who wrote one of THE classic suspense novels of the twentieth centry.
Rating: 
Summary: A marvellous read - and re-read!
Review: A marvellous read, and re-read. The work that has gone into the book is evident on every page. Some gruesome imagery, especially of the Doctor's first (still living) victim, but otherwise the descriptions and general atmosphere conjured up by the writing give a real feeling of place and pace. The descriptions of Florence are bound to cause a boom in tourism there; and who could but sympathise with the Doctor's suffering on the flight back to the U.S.? Some of the similes are superb - for example, the description of the smell from the cheese shop in Florence is many layered and gets better the more one thinks about it. As the book progresses, one becomes aware of a strange sympathy for, almost an empathy with, the Doctor - especially when his well chosen gift for Clarice rolls under her car. What can one say about the ending except that let's all hope that there will be another Dr Lecter book. Thank you, Mr Harris.
Rating: 
Summary: Such a gifted writer; what a shame.
Review: What I can't fathom is how a man capable of such captivating writing could produce this book, which only occasionally shows glimpses of what Harris can do. Needless vulgarity. Comma splices without end. An ending that's clearly only meant to shock. And shocking sadism that belies the author's gentle demeanor. Good grief. It's depressing.
Rating:
Summary: Even psychos need love...
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Once I started it I had to force myself to put it down each night. It gives thought provoking insight into the mind Hannibal Lecter and leads you through the progression of madness and evil through the antagonist of this novel. As far as the character development of Clarice Starling is concerned in this book; I am not surprised in the least at her actions. Harris give us indications throughout the book with the events that take place in the beginning and the parallels revealed between Clarice and Lecter that make the ending almost inevitable, and makes me wonder why the ending was such a shock to readers . I thought that the role reversal Harris used was brilliant and he created characters that made this novel superb.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Follow up
Review: I have loved all of Thomas Harris' novels but I was extremely disppointed with Hannibal. The last part of the book was especially disappointing. I usually zip through books but this was a labor to finish. I think Clarice and Dr. Lector deserved a better story. I recommend all of his other books though.
Rating:
Summary: Awful! All Shock value no suspense
Review: So much expectation...so little delivery. The only reason I gave it one star was because no stars was not a selection. This novel had none of the drama, intrigue, or suspense of Harris' other novels. Instead Harris opts for the most shocking characters and events imaginable, each more shocking than the previous. When Harris isn't trying to simply shock the reader it seems as if he's showing off his obviously impressive knowledge of art, culture and cusine. I read 'Slience of the Lambs' in one sitting and have looked forward to this book for years. I am so sorry I ever purchased it. If you have yet to buy this book, Don't!! Borrow it from a friend, or grab it out of the trash, which is where mine went.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked this book!
Review: This book kept me very involved and interested. It didn't contain as much gore as Silence of the Lambs. I was very pleased also that it didn't scare me so much I couldn't sleep! The ending was a little unbelievable but if a sequel is in the works, it will be a humdinger! The ending was certainly a surprise!
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: I had waited with baited breath for the sequel of "The Silence of the Lambs", Hannibal. After I read it, all I felt was an intense amount of disappointment. What happened? The book had a alot of promise, but that promise went unfulfilled when the book became very sappy and the ending felt contrived and hard to stomach. Great potential, that somehow got lost in the shuffle to get the book on the market.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a chilling and sometimes stomach-churning sequel
Review: I couldn't put it down! This book is so suspenseful I stayed up all night reading. I can definitely see this being made into a movie.
Rating:
Summary: PULP!
Review: A waste of your time. The central characters are reduced to caricatures. Might make a good low budget slasher script if converted to a screenplay. Antagonists are laughable parodies. Starling's character is reduced to a wan empty husk. Lecter as Lothario, I don't think so. Suspension of disbelief is virtually impossible. Spend your money on a nice bottle of Chianti to put you in the mood, and then reread SOTL or revisit it on video.
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