Rating: 
Summary: I just finished - what a disappointing ending!
Review: OK.. The book was good - the detail was incredible, but the plot was weak, at best. It was a page turner & it did make me queazy, and it did make me root for Lechter to get away from his own villian. But, I had always given Harris credit for creating a truely strong, brilliant female lead character -whoops!! What happened to that. And as far as plot development, I think he needs to go back and read Red Dragon and remember what it's all about.
Rating: 
Summary: Well worth the wait for another Thomas Harris book...
Review: I have bought and read the other books by Thomas Harris and looked forward to this not just for the continuation of the Hannibal Lecter mythos, but for a chance to see how Thomas Harris would handle a book based on this complex character.This character was created by Harris' mind, and comes out of his psyche, and for me, it was fascinating to see how he represented Lecter's mind and motivation. I don't know if you'd call it believeable, but it was very absorbing. I agree with the others who gave it five stars. It's the best read I've had in a long time. If I was wearing a hat, I'd tip it off to Mr. Harris...
Rating:
Summary: One word......superb
Review: "How do you hurt a man who has lost everything? Give him back something broken." This is the theme of "Hannibal"; the taking and breaking and returning and mending of things. This is not a book for those readers wanting a replay of "Silence" and the haughty competition between Starling and Lecter. And although the relationship between Starling and Lecter is crucial to the story, the story is not about relationships. In many ways "Hannibal" takes the concept of becoming that was exemplified by Jame Gumb in "Silence" and applies it liberally amongst the current characters. Aspects of people that were only seeds in the second book have begun to grow and bud. But it is a solitary process, carefully tended alone. And as each character becomes, she or he follows his or her own personal destiny. Paths may cross or even be shared, but they do not intertwine. Even love is only a projection and not to be reciprocated. This is a fine book, but must be read in its own right. Readers looking only for more of the same will walk away with expectations unmet. They will also have denied themselves the enjoyment of reading the work of a gifted author. Open your mind, forget the movie and enjoy. By the way....it is as exciting and nasty and dank as Lecter's old cell in the basement.
Rating: 
Summary: A good rough draft..when will we see the REAL book??
Review: One star is too many and a minus ten is too few..This book could've been truly terrifying and a page turner IF: Mr. Harris hadn't broken two of the prime rules of fiction writing: 1) Show don't tell; and, 2) author intrusion...In fact, he could've gotten the readers to swallow the ending IF he had followed these 2 rules.. readers need to EXPERIENCE this book..and Harris robs us of that chance by always reminding us that we were being told a story..Parts of it were like a guided tour through the rooms of a video role playing game- and contrary to the book jacket, it wasn't really insightful into the mind of Lecter. Clarice makes a 180 degree turnabout...we wonder how..and then find out that it's all within the amazing time frame of 4 days...we don't see or feel her internal struggle..nor is there any indication about how she accepts it as a permanent status..in fact, to be a psychological thriller, this needed to be character driven, and it isn't. As a writer, I think there are two positive things I can say: 1) it's given me courage to get back to the book I'm writing; and, 2) Hannibal is the perfect example for writing teachers to use as a bad example.. What does come through in this book is that Harris has made a lot of money. He's cultivated superior tastes and traveled extensively...thanks to his readers..in this book he rubs their faces in it and then talks down to them and practically laughs at them for not understanding certain things..and then in parts, it's like he says " Ok..in case you missed it, here's the explanation for this.." it's demeaning...what comes across is that he doesn't have much of an opinion about readers intelligence. I have this theory that maybe the reason it took him 11 years to write it is because this was the first book he started rather than the third. Maybe he put it down when it was disappointing and he lost his way in the plotting. Then, when he needed material for the sequel, he picked it up but didn't spend much time re-writing it..Hence, the difference in the voicings and sophistications from his previous volumes... Some of his misplaced modifiers scattered throughout the book provided some of the biggest laughs..And, I want to know when they started putting breast pockets in sweat suits (plane scene..) .I had heard that there wasn't much editing being done in the big publishing houses these days, and this book sort of confirms it...
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly predictable - not a bad read
Review: I suppose after all the hype of "Silence" perhaps we expected more from this book. After all what could possible be better than "Silence" and that movie was to die for (ha).
Rating:
Summary: What a well designed, rolling sense of dread!
Review: I had read the negative reviews here and other places, and was pleased to discover that I disagreed with them in most ways. This book accomplished what I think a sequel should, in that the characters grew in depth and perspective. I had a terrible feeling that some of the characters, particularly Ms. Starling and Mr. Crawford, would be forced into situations that they couldn't recover from; in a sense that turned out to be true. As I read on and on, dread grew that lines would be crossed that couldn't be withdrawn, choices made poorly. Ah, well...it seems these things happen. I don't see that as any sort of detriment; this novel entertained me thoroughly, I will advocate it to others, and I don't in any way feel slighted that the characters didn't go the directions I'd hoped they would...I was interested in the paths they (more or less!) chose. Wonderful reading, and I hope that Mr. Harris is inclined one day to pursue the lives of these people, to the benefit of every reader.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SEQUEL
Review: You can't put this book down! It is a real page turner! A thrilling book, which brings you deep into the mind of both Clarice Starling AND Hannibal Lecter
Rating:
Summary: Humanizing the monsters
Review: In Red Dragon Thomas Harris dared to make the monster human. He gave his beast emotions, fears, a past to haunt the human soul. This did not make him any less terrifying, but it didn't make him a pop-culture icon either. In Silence Of The Lambs the good guys all wore white hats and Hannibal was the very portrait of evil. It was a wonderful book, but I always thought the characters lacked complete dimension. It is not always enough to SEE the monster. The need to understand WHY is always in the back of your mind. Hannibal is, in some ways, the best of the three. The monster is present, but flesh and blood. Mr. Harris has once again given his beast a soul. The "good guys" are far from perfect. The "bad guys" are often dressed in shades of gray. I don't think this book will enjoy the commercial success that Silence did because somewhere within, most people NEED the strong clear line drawn between good and evil, right and wrong, black and white. They don't want shades of gray, they don't want the monster to have a familiar face, and Sympathy For the Devil is never going to be their favorite tune.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading for Lecter fans
Review: This book is not nearly as good as its two predecessors, but it's really a tale of an entirely different nature -- more psychological profile than outright suspense. However, the book provides a great climax -- there are no good guys, and consequently, it is uncertain exactly what the outcome will be. For this fact alone, along with the presentation of a very creepy villain in Mason Verger (along with the interesting characters of Margot and, even, Barney), this is worth reading. The revelation of Hannibal's traumatic past undermines his creepiness but it does not excuse his crimes, and with the title that it has, it is understandable that this book would present this kind of psychological detail to a figure who had previously been only a mystery. There is the sense that Thomas Harris is to an extent writing this for the public; our fascination with the goriness of the other books is matched in this one by more disgusting horrors. I had to pause in disgust at times. However, I wonder if he wrote the end how he did to get us off his back. There surely couldn't be a sequel after this, could there? As for the ending, it certainly isn't very plausible and is a stretch for the characters, but somehow it works and leaves a very memorable impression. There is a point where the book could have ended, but I am pleased that it didn't end at that point. In this case, I prefer being surprised and challenged to being given a more predictable ending.
Rating: 
Summary: what in the world happened to the characters?
Review: After reading the Red Dragon and The silence of the Lambs, I was really looking forword to this book. Like so many of the fans, I rushed out and purchased the novel on the first day it arrived in local bookstores. And than I got home and read it... What can I say... None of the characters seemed like they were from TSOTL. Hannibal was a dark and mysterious person in the other two novels. Here he is focused on too much and all of the darkness is reduced to a some what annoying character. Starling, Crawford, and Mapp are basicly just there in my opinion. i felt that Harris' needed to expand on their characters in order for readers to care for them. Overall, the plot was not too bad, but when the reader does not care for the character, it is hard for a story to work. Also, I found the ending of the novel to be very, well just bad.
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