Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment...
Review: ... and what an illiterate piece over-hyped trash. To fans of Harris' previous novels (as I am), you'd be wise to skip this one. It's dull, inexplicably gruesome, poorly edited (there's a mistake on practically every page), and betrays us (and our beloved heroine) with a scene so outlandish and out-of-place at the very end that the book borders on the unforgivable. Eleven years for this? For shame, Mr. Harris... for shame.

Rating:
Summary: Well written but disappointing overall.
Review: The quality of the writing is excellent but I have to agree with some of the other reviewers -- this is not a fit sequel to "The Silence of The Lambs". The clumsy inclusion of a previous victim was difficult for me to swallow and the ending was almost impossible to accept. The final chapters read like one of Philip K. Dick's novels where he had run out of amphetamine and needed to finish it quickly. I wish I'd waited for the paperback.

Rating:
Summary: Delicious twisted fun, Harris thoroughly enjoyed himself.
Review: This is the perfect beach read, or read-aloud book for that long vacation drive. Thomas Harris had a mischievous delight in the interplay of these characters. The book is not "brain food" but an example of an expert linguist stretching his imagination in a literary playground - and it is a love story.

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous, multi-layered, read til you drop novel!
Review: It would seem, from reading the reviews below, you either love this novel or hate it. Happily, I felt my money was well spent, as I loved it. The plot was dense and many-layered, adding a depth and breadth to the characters of Lecter and Starling that was only touched upon in the earlier novels. The ending was indeed a surprise, but once considered, fits in well with the series. I loved it, gross details and all. More Harris, more!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully gross
Review: I read the reviews on this site but bought the book anyway. I am glad I did. The visual images painted by Mr. Harris are wonderfully gross. I was curious about the ending after so much uproar. The ending is fine and made you go hmmmmmmm.

Rating:
Summary: What an utter disappointment
Review: For years, I've walked into bookstores inquiring anyone that would listen to me as to what Thomas Harris was doing. I was hoping, praying that he was doing something along the lines of Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs. Unfortunately, with this book, it appears as though that wasn't even close to the case.

While the Red Dragon had characters and images that I'll never forget, this book is UTTERLY FORGETTABLE! All these years of waiting and we get this?!

This book reminds me of how long we all waited for Boston's third album only to be disappointed and wish they had never released it, but instead had simply retired on top. Sadly, I feel the same about this book and Mr. Harris.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but also curiously flat in too many places
Review: While I enjoyed spending time with Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling again, and actually felt the ending was a logical conclusion to the relationship Harris first begun in Silence of the Lambs, I was also unmoved by elements of the story , particularly the graphic scenes of violence which too often bordered on caricature. I also felt that Harris' writing style in this book created a voyeuristic sense in the reader (at least this reader) which further distanced me from the text. His humanization of Hannibal Lector was necessary given the ending, but did in the end detract from the essential mystery of the man that I found so compelling in his previous works. I will be interested in seeing how this translates to the screen, and whether Hollywood (and the audience) will let stay the final denouement of Clarice and Hannibal.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and scary
Review: I read The Silence of the Lambs in the Saudi desert before the war. I can't describe to you how scary it was to read that book in the dead of night with a flashlight. I came away thinking the writer was brilliant. I haven't changed my mind about the author after reading this book. Lecter is fascinating in his insanity. I love the ending of this one.

Rating:
Summary: Not as gripping as SOTL but still a remarkable thriller
Review: Not as taut as SOTL, this is more of an exploration of the mind of Dr. Hannibal Lecter and his unique relationship with FBI Agent Clarice Starling as the "good" Doctor tries to evade those who would capture him.

Hannibal is a more indulgent novel than SOTL, taking alot of time to explore the multi- dimensional aspects of Dr. Lecter's exceptional persona and his many equisite tastes(!)It is interesting to get some back-story on the making of Dr. Lecter and also to explore further the nature of the attraction between him and Starling, the two characters that made SOTL so memorable.

I think Dr Lecter is one of the most astounding character creations of modern fiction, with all the wealth of his intellect and knowledge combined with the contradictions of his total lack of a "normal" morality. By the end of the book you almost start to see the world from his perverted but brilliant perspective. Maybe this brilliant portrait was one of the reasons that Starling did not come across as strongly as in SOTL.

I personally didn't like the somewhat surreal ending although some of the climactic action sequences are breath-taking.

Harris is very brave to structure the novel so that one of the heroes is a serial killer(however intelligent and refined he may be!) Here is where I found myself confused, because I found myself cheering for Lecter, but not wanting to! Harris achieves this by making Lecters'foes not only murderous but also petty and physically repugnent unlike the sleek and sophisticated Doctor! But Harris is a unique writer and his research is so detailed it always draws you into the world he creates. I can't wait to see the movie!

Rating:
Summary: Relax people .... it's just a BOOK!
Review: I guess that I am one of the few people in this world that actually enjoyed this novel. True, it was written differently which "die-hard" fans of SOTL and Red Dragon will not find acceptable. And yes, most of the characters seem to have changed, but it has been 7 years, hasn't it? Plus, it's just a book! Not something which has to be critiqued and scrutinized for every minor detail. In addition, they're just characters, not people to be awed at, and Harris can do whatever he wants with them (mainly Starling and Lecter.). After all, they are his! I liked how he chose to treat them in this novel, and how he structured "Hannibal" differently from the prior two. Thanks Mr. Harris!