Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Kept me up most of the night.. had to finish it !!!!
Review: Hannibal is back! The book was fast paced..kept me on the edge of my couch and the ending is the big surprise. LOVED this book !!!!!!!!! Dining with Hannibal would be quite a 'shocking' experience.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of sizzle, but no steak
Review: If a writer takes 10 years to create a novel, I would expect a bit more plot. Harris is long on details of Lecter's tastes, and excrutiatingly hammers home Lecter's genuis. Enough already; we get it. The plot was thin, but the ending was so disturbing, confusing and frankly a literary betrayal. It was ridiculously out of character for Starling and difficult to stomach. Rarely have I read something that left me feeling so angry at the end. Harris takes a character we have come to honor and respect and turns her into a monster's whore. What a lame excuse for an ending. I love Harris's earlier work and had been eagerly anticipating this book. What a sad thing it is. Maybe the movie will be a bit less disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Thomas Harris gives you an insight into a different reality
Review: After reading the many reviews of this book, I was afraid I wasn't going to like it at all. I did. I liked the ending, kind of fairytale like, but somehow fitting to the bond that Clarice and Hannibal shared over time. She got into his mind and he, certainly, got into hers. Mutually attracted by the qualities that made them more alike, than different. Very interesting characters in this novel. Mason Verger is a monster, well drawn evil incarnate. Paul Krendler is a villain who gets his just desserts. There are parts I skimmed over because of the gruel factor and it is pretty graphic. I learn esoteric bits of trivia when I read Thomas Harris and I most certainly enjoy that. Good read.

Rating:
Summary: Lee Valle
Review: I was anxiously awaiting the followup to "Silence of the Lambs". I bought "Hannibal" looking forward to more of the intense dialogue in the "Lambs".

I liked the first part of the book, but was dissappointed near the end. I thought that Clarice tripped on her part of an investigator. Got too spacey.

I will not recommend the book to others.

Lee Valle [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Harris blew it!
Review: A total disappointment. Mr. Harris took eleven years and gave his readers/fans an insult. This book is filled with ludicrous characters, a ridiculous plot and an insulting ending. It was so simple. All he had to do was give us a prequel. Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham. How did Graham catch Lecter? What brought them together? How was Will like Hannibal? So much furtile ground and Harris ignored it for wild pigs, lesbian bodybuilders and a moray eel. What a joke! Do yourself a favor and don't buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Welcoming the Return of Hannibal
Review: I started Hannibal on a rainy Sunday morning and finished it the same day. Thomas Harris' latest novel is a captivating, imaginative book that is difficult to put down. Its content is often gory and dark but it is all along illuminated by beautiful, poetic language, interesting details, complex characters, and skillful storytelling.

Days after finishing this book, the story and its brilliant ending are still giving me food for thought. An interesting, satisfying read that will give both the occasional and the passionate reader an exhilarating literary experience. In this reader's opinion Hannibal's value far exceeds its price.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal is Simply Thrilling
Review: I found Hannibal to be well written, captivating and thrillingly lurid. The attention to detail is remarkable and speaks to exhaustive research by the author. I give special credit to Mr. Harris for taking the risk to end the book the way he did: while it seemed plausible, even logical, to me, I can understand how some readers will find it a point of contention. This book is clearly above the average and is well worth reading.

Given the above, why not a higher rating? First, Conan Doyle was writing engrossing and highly descriptive tales of crime and detection over a century ago. Second, and more importantly, the story, while undoubtedly suspenseful, offers nothing new. For a truly profound, thought-provoking exploration into what makes a person commit unspeakable criminal acts, one from which insights will continue to be drawn, everything pales by comparison with Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Rating:
Summary: A star for insight into Lector, one for finishing the story.
Review: As a fan of The Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, I dropped everything to read this book. The story of Mason Verger and his pig procurers is so richly detailed and depraved it practically stands on its own, almost overshadowing the main story.

I appreciated Hannibal's character more against the backdrop of his childhood. All through "Silence of the Lambs", I kept wondering how such monsters are made.

Clarice Starling was given short shrift in this sequel. Harris writes about her in a flat and one-dminensional way, leaving her uninteresting and weak.

I was very disappointed in the ending. I, along with those who will admit to it, was very curious about where the obvious mutual respect and interest would take Hannibal and Clarice, but the ending was totally unbelievable; worse, it tainted my opinion of the rest of the book because it was so outlandish. I was so underwhelmed that if a movie is truly in the works, I won't be seeing it.

Rating:
Summary: It could have been worse, somehow...
Review: I started reading Harris late, I only read the novel of Silence Of The Lambs a few weeks prior to the movie opening. I loved it and have read it three times since then. Immediately I purchased myself a copy of Red Dragon and loved it as well. When I heard of this novel I was excited to say the least (at the time it was titled The Morbidity Of The Soul and after reading the novel it would have been more appropriate)

There is little possiblity I see here for a movie unless they reduce the middle of the novel to a few scenes or less. The scenes in Italy throw the flow of the novel out the window. I commend Harris for the work he must have put into some places but theres just no structure here. All the waiting I did to hear more banter of Lecter and Starling never came. To say I was disapointed would be an understatement. These are just my own opinions of course and you are all entitled to your own.

I'm not even going to comment on the ending.

Rating:
Summary: If you didn't like this book: Kiss my PANCREASS!!!
Review: EXCELLENT!!! Great book! Not only do we have a perfect plot, dialog, descriptions, and ENDING, but we get some great recipes. I can hardly wait for the movie and the next book by Harris. THank you Thomas!