Rating: 
Summary: Great book, bad ending
Review: I liked the book until the last 10 chapters. This ending made me so sick I cried. The first part of the book was great but I don't know if it makes up for the end. The only way I change my mind about the end of the screenplay, or soon to be screenplay, is if Thomas gets Courtney Love to remake the song "Wind beneath my wings" for the final scene of the movie. Then and only then will I change my mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but gruesome
Review: I really enjoyed this book overall; however, be forewarned of the gruesome nature. Some of the descriptions of people/victims and activities is grotesque. It is a pretty fast read. I just don't "buy" the ending. I'm eager to "hear" what other people think, and even MORE eager to see how this book translates to the big screen.
Rating:
Summary: not quite as good as "Silence"
Review: While I wasn't quite as intrigued as I was reading "The Silence of the Lambs," what with the moth in the throat and the entomologists explanation, I have to say that this was one exciting, however, gory read. The whole swine thing really made me cringe in horror. But, you know, I really liked the ending. And, of course, throughout the whole read, I was able to picture Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in the lead roles. That made it so much better. Clarice, what's next? (Can't you always just hear how he says "Clarice"?
Rating:
Summary: Well written and a good read.
Review: It is true that the ending is a bit lacking, but you cannot deny that the language of the novel draws you in. Harris uses strong images boardering on horrific, that stick in the mind and give a sense of the madness within some of the characters. Krendler's fate is quite disturbing. One cannot judge a new book on the reputation of its prequels as can be done with movies. New novels may have the same characters, but they are an island to themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: Takes the horror novel to a new level. Fascinating.
Review: Those who dislike this book probably prefer their melodrama relatively simple, White Hats vs. Black Hats. "Hannibal"offers anything but that. One notices partway through that one feels far more loathing for other characters than for the Doctor himself. This, for me, culminated before I realized it was happening, in a desire for Harris to aim Hannibal at these characters like a weapon. The "fate" of Clarice, while a complete surprise, was thoroughly prepared-for over two novels.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Harris obviously does not one this one made into a movie
Review: I really enjoyed this book, although I do feel this effort is Mr. Harris thumbing his nose at all those who begged for a sequel. The writing as usual is great, the characters "fleshed" out (with one glaring exception), and the plot quite intricate. I enjoyed it. I do not think any actor will take on the roles (as written). It would be another "Boxing Helena" fiasco. I read this book in one day - I had to find out the ending...
Rating:
Summary: This isn't the book people wanted...
Review: ...it's something even better. Mr. Harris provided the template of the Obsessed Cop/ Serial Killer novel with "Red Dragon," and perfected it with "Silence Of the Lambs;" rather than trying to outdo himself with "Hannibal," he instead gave us something new; a fable in which every major character is capable of tremendous evil (including Clarice Starling). There are no Good Guys/Bad Guys in "Hannibal," only Monsters...
Rating: 
Summary: A true disappointment after "Silence of the Lambs"
Review: I've looked forward to the "Silence of the Lambs" sequel for years, and boy was I disappointed w/Hannibal! I forced myself to finish it, thinking it was bound to get better. Sadly, it didn't! Wish I could get a refund!
Rating: 
Summary: Will the real Thomas Harris please stand up?
Review: Although I enjoyed this read, I found myself reacting to this book much as I would to a vegetarian paella...where's the meat?It's hard to read Hannibal and not notice that much of it was written after the Starr Hearings. There were too many blunt references to the Clinton fiasco to ignore Harris's obsession. For a guy who focuses on minute details of Renaissance art, Harris fumbled current culture sadly. Throughout the book, Harris refers to Clarice being harassed by Paul Krendler, an executive in the Justice Department. From an FBI trainee who blows away Jame Gumb in "The Silence of the Lambs" to a dilatantte thirtysomething fretting about her existential void at the FBI and lack or decor in her living room, Clarice Starling has shriveled away to nothing more than a cartoon. The Clarice of old, had she been hustled by Krendler, would have eaten him for breakfast, so to speak, and still had room for brunch. Certainly, she didn't have to wait for Daddy Lector to saute him for dinner. Ardelia Mapp, the African-American valdectorian of Starling's FBI class, has disappeared into the bowels of the FBI. In real life, its hard to imagine that Mapp wouldn't be highly visual on television, briefing the press on the hunt for Hannibal Lector. In Hannibal, however she's wringing her hands and offering Clarice the phone number of a lawyer. What is Harris doing? By the time I was finished reading Hannibal, I expected a recipe for "Sauce Monique" rather than "Krendler Saute." Clarice has disappeared into a cloud of voile, tucking her gun and identification into a lingerie drawer. It's hard to believe that Harris isn't mocking the dilattante feminist in many of us who voyeristicly snickered even as Lewinsky "dined" in the Oval Office.
Rating:
Summary: Thomas Harris does not deserve your financial support
Review: I was extremely disappointed with this book. When I finished, I said to my husband, "That's what happens when you write for money." I enjoyed Harris' previous novels, and even considered them well-written. This novel is not well-written, lacks character continuity, and was very much a waste of my time. I do not believe you should encourage this author to write more material, and I believe this will make one quite awful movie. You have been warned.
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