Rating: 
Summary: If I don't "get it"...I'm glad I don't.
Review: This book does for pork what Philip Roth's "Sabbath's Theatre" did for sex...makes the delicious seem unpalatable. And the ending?! It's as if Gloria Steinham appeared at a NOW rally squeezed into her old bunny suit. Can I have my mind hosed down please? I feel greasy.
Rating: 
Summary: I loved it!!!
Review: Contrary to what others thought about the book, I thought it was great (apart from the ending!) Quite different from the first book. I cannot wait to see the movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Harris Get an Editor!!
Review: BEWARE: I DISCUSS THE ENDING OF THE BOOK IN THIS REVIEW!! T. Harris would do well to get another editor or listen better to the one he's got! He has done his research (food, music, wines, scents, mushrooms, art, etc.), writes very well, is very descriptive, has a good command of the English language, etc., but fails to satisfy this reader in the end. The dinner scene where Hannibal and Starling dine on the brains of a fellow dinner guest is ludicrous, and in 3-5 pages destroys the credibility of both Hannibal and Starling and guts the book's value (pun intended:)). The incredible push-pull attraction between Hannibal and Starling --in my humble opinion-- can never be consummated and be realistic or seductive to the reader. I'm willing to bet (name your price here) that the movie version of this book with completly eliminate this scene and Starling and Hannibal will never share the same bed. Nor should they. Harris seems to forget something very important: Hannibal is a serial killer and a cannibal. Did he really think that he made a plausible argument for the reader to believe that (1) Starling would eat human organs; (2) Sleep with Hannibal; and (3) Hannibal would somehow become a prince charming you could turn your back on? I think not.
Rating: 
Summary: exciting to the end
Review: Hannibal is mezmorizing, as usual. I feel Starling's character could have been developed better, the ending was disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Awful Just awful.
Review: I'm embarrassed for Mr. Harris that he has concocted such a bunch of drivel and called it a novel. While he's laughing all the way to the bank I'm going to toss my half-read copy of HANNIBAL into the lake and invest my time in reading some of the GREAT new novels out this summer, like THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY, and STONES FROM THE RIVER, and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, and BAG OF BONES.
Rating:
Summary: The genius of Mr. Harris was obviously his past editors
Review: They might have stopped him from releasing such a completely dumb book. Where 'Red Dragon' and 'Silence' were so beautifully crafted, this time out Mr. Harris seemed to be just racing a deadline. But he does have our money now, doesn't he? And he's set up for another lame sequel. And the ending? Are you kidding? Just think of 'Melrose Place' if it were on cable. Yuk.
Rating:
Summary: Astounding.
Review: I happen to consider myself a seasoned and voracious reader of fiction. My annual outlay for paperback and hardcover novels of all sorts occupies without doubt a sizeable portion of my annual income. This is due in large part to the fact that I have an undying obsession for those books that I simply cannot put down. All this to explain that my chief complaint about Thomas Harris' novels is that they have both a front cover and a back, whereas I would prefer them to be endless. I first ran across "Red Dragon" about a week ago. Due to circumstances beyond my control, it took upwards of four days to complete, after which I devoured "The Silence of The Lambs" as quickly as I could (4 hours, 38 minutes, including a break for cocktails). No joke. When I discovered "Hannibal" on the shelves of some third-rate airport bookstore, I felt positively thrilled. I snatched the book up breathlessly, and ran for my flight, realizing even then that I was in a somewhat awkward position. I had been completely seduced by a fictional character. For those Gentle Readers in the same boat, "Hannibal" is a wonderful treat to feed the darker side of your psyche. I'm going to assume that you aren't the sort to be put off by rich, vivid descriptions of international destinations or peculiar epicurian habits, or the lengths to which certain decadent monsters will go to exact revenge. I'll also leave you to decide who's whom. Characters from "The Silence of The Lambs" may appear somewhat pale or cartoonish in this novel, but Lecter I believe, still is Himself. Which is what I so enjoy about him. He neither apologizes nor makes excuses for himself. He simply is what he is and with his unerring survival instinct, will continue to be, without regard to what anyone else may think or feel about the situation(I have to admire that). The novel's ending, in terms of the relationship between Starling and Lecter (and perhaps the reader who has become sympathetic with them both over the course of two books and a movie) is one of the most unsettling and compelling scenes in fiction I've run across in several years. Three days later, and it's still on my mind. I dreamed about Hannibal Lecter last night. It wasn't scary at all. And a side note....I just finished watching the film adaptation of "The Silence of The Lambs". Oddly enough, I didn't find it nearly so revealing nor accessible as the novel. And I furthermore would never limit my consideration of "Hannibal" by mentally reducing it to a 90-minute screenplay. It should be given consideration on it's own terms.(Hint-hint)
Rating:
Summary: Save your time and save your money.
Review: Save your time and save your money.This book is a total waste. It has no real purpose and no real ending. There is the obligate sceens of sadism and canabilism. They serve no real purpose. Shame on the author. At the end of the day, I really felt cheated.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing ...
Review: I can't understand the people who look down on this singular piece of work. It is exquisitely macabre, disturbingly nightmarish, challenging one's mind to the limits of realistic violence. A certain level of open-mindedness is needed to appreciate the grotesque, but all-too-human decisions of the characters. Like the audience in the gallery of Torture instruments, we crave, yet in public tend to shy away from the wicked and perverse. Here Harris presents it to us in the face, conjuring such repressed, corrupt feelings it becomes unbearable. I can see no other way to end the saga which had made a lot of people clamor for graphic subconsciously-ingrained violence, than be slapped with this one.
Rating:
Summary: grotesque thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat
Review: a very real and accurate recreation of Hannibal's character exists in this novel. You think Silence of the Lambs had uniqueness in terror? You have to experience this to believe it.
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