Rating: 
Summary: An excellent read!
Review: Another great story from Tom Harris. This is one of the few books I had real difficulty putting down. Harris is a master at keeping the reader turning pages.
Rating:
Summary: I DID NOT WANT THE BOOK TO END!!!!
Review: It was worth the 10 year wait to read HANNIBAL-Thomas Harris did not just write a sequal to Silence of the Lambs, and Red Dragon-he enlarged the characters-I loved the ending, it made perfect sense to me-I waited till I was all alone and not distracted to finish the book-I wanted to find out how it ended, but I knew that -then-I may have to wait 10 more years-to hear from Mr. Harris again. The Barney/Margot relationship was important to the plotline-, I did not find it "superfluous"-Barney was involed with Dr. Lecter for years as his caretaker in the asylum. Yes, the book is gruesome, not for the squeamish, Verger is one SICK person-as is Carlos, and his group--Paul Krendler,well, the way he treats Clarice, I will not give anything away, but I was most satisfied with Lecter's solution for him-he is a "character" that treats women like "things". I can't wait for the movie-I hope that Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, and Demme will agree to go for it. A must read!!
Rating: 
Summary: It was... well... OK
Review: Does anyone else have the feeling that --in spite of the 10+ year wait-- Harris just whipped off this book in the last few months (even setting aside the allusions to Clinton's impeachment & trial)? In short, "OK" is how I guess I can best sum up _Hannibal_. "OK", that is, if we forget the 10-year wait since the last book; if we forget the silly dud of an ending; if we forget the slow, drawn-out, meandering waits between incidents in the plot; if we forget the repetitive, tiresome lectures on wine, italian art, gourmet foods, etc. All right; I'm as avid a Harris fan as anyone. I read the book, and I'm glad I did. But still... this was a lot of wait for very little pay off.
Rating:
Summary: Is it good or is it bad? Who knows?
Review: It is almost impossible to judge this book by standards used for other books. By those standards it is a horrible book in which the author betrays his reading audience in a myriad of ways. Many of the reviews by readers in this section reflect just that reality. The first third of the book is overwritten, the second long and irrelevant, and the third - with its unusual ending - a betrayal of the characters we came to love in Silence of the Lambs. In spite of this I found the ending to be highly disturbing and had to ask myself if in fact the author intended to disturb the reader in just this fashion. It stimulates thought that doesn't easily end and that is uncommon in ANY book these days. Buy it but be forewarned the book is not like anything you are expecting.
Rating: 
Summary: A very unique novel one probably needs to read twice
Review: Thomas Harris' venue is the quirky and bizarre. In Black Sunday, he casually describes the details a team of terrorists follow in planning the murder of tens of thousands. In Red Dragon, he draws in Dolarhyde a sympathetic serial killer. In Silence of the Lambs, he describes the hunt for another serial killer, Buffalo Bob, and how the investigation is botched by bureaucratic bungling and gamesmanship that ultimately enables Hannibal Lecter to escape. Now Hannibal is presented, and it is not a formulaic replay of Silence. Hannibal has its own tone and resonance and, I suspect, needs a second reading to be successfully and more completely, uh, digested.
Rating:
Summary: UNLIKELY PLOT, WITH DISAPPOINTING INCONSISTENCIES, BAD END
Review: TO SAY THIS EAGERLY AWAITED SEQUEL IS DISAPPOINTING IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. I FOUND NUMEROUS INCONSISTENCIES WITH THE PLOT (E.G. DATES, SIMULTANEOUS CURRENT EVENTS, LEVEL OF TRAINING FOR STARLING, ETC.) WHICH MADE THE BOOK APPEAR SLOPPY. EVEN MORE OF A PROBLEM IS THE COMPLETELY UNCONVINCING CHANGE IN THE CHARACTERS' PERSONALITIES TO THE POINT WHERE THEY ARE HARDLY RECOGNIZABLE, E.G. STARLING, HANNIBAL, BARNEY. THE LONG DESCRIPTIONS OF FLORENCE ARE PEDANTIC AND BORING. THE ENDING IS SIMPLY RIDICULOUS; IT'S A CHEAP SHORT CUT.
Rating:
Summary: This cold dish of revenge is truly savory!
Review: Having waited seven years for the continuation of the Starling/Lecter saga, I can say it was well worth the wait. The story is tense and filled with its own brand of dark humor. Hannibal Lecter has found a new home and identity in Italy only to be drawn out by his only surviving victim, Mason Verger. Verger has found the only bait at which Hannibal "The Cannibal" will bite - Clarice Starling. The story satisfies as it takes you further into the minds of Lecter and Starling, uncovering many shocking surprises along the way. I never thought it possible that one could end up pulling for Lecter as he is drawn further into the trap. However, the character of Mason Verger actually accomplishes this feat. If you thought Lecter was the definition of depravity, you "ain't seen nothin' yet"! Some may feel that the story slows in the middle. It's best to give it time because every fact uncovered leads to the climax. And what a climax it is. I will never again think of a formal dinner in the same way. Yes, revenge is truly a dish best served cold - or in Hannibal's case, warmed in a saute pan with browned butter, sherry and caper berries.
Rating:
Summary: A Look Into Hannibal Lecter's Mind
Review: Okay, this book wasn't like the other ones .. not so much detecting and action and thriller moments ... but it was a much more in-depth probe into the minds of the three key players ... Hannibal Lecter, Clarisse Starling, and Hannibal's first victim who survived and seeks revenge. This one gave me nightmares .. the others didn't. Lends a new credibility for 'there but for the grace of God, go I ...'
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This book started out great and held its momentum all the way through. I thought the Florence scene that everyone seems to detest was, actually, quite good. I liked seeing how someone tried and failed to catch Lecter. It made you appreciate the previous two books more. As for the ending, I took it as a denounment to the entire Lecter trilogy. If it was ment to be that, Harris did an extraordinary job.
Rating:
Summary: A well written yarn with an outstanding ending!
Review: While I may not have enjoyed Hannibal as much as I have enjoyed other Harris novels, I found it to be an entertaining tale that was very well written. Unlike other amateur reviewers here at Amazon, I found the ending incredibly fresh and unpredictable. I applaud Harris' efforts for a surprise ending I never saw coming.
|
