Rating: 
Summary: what a trippy book!
Review: This was one weird book. I was very into it, though. It didn't take me long to read. I like Harris's deftness at changing tenses and stuff. Yes, I agree that it starts out much more spare and action-ish, (the beginning reminded of 'silence'), and that the middle is really interesting. The ending is where everyone seems to be divided. I thought it was just hallucinatory and surreal and that it really borders on going over the top, but Harris writes it so well that I don't think it does. It is strange, though. And it is going to be really hard to make a film out of. I just can't see the whole denoument with Starling, Lecter and Krendler (interesting dinner party indeed) making it onto film the way its done in the book. Not necessarily cinematic, but this weird book is definitely an involving, very visual, and creepy one.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of time
Review: Having read all of this author's previous books, I eagerly awaited Hannibal. In my opinion this book is a total waste of time. It is neither well written nor entertaining. The story line is nonexistent, the violence is nauseating and the ending is ludicrous. This truly has to be the worst book I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: One star is too much.
Review: This was the most disappointing book I have ever read. If the notoriously media-shy Thomas Harris was trying to slip into obscurity, this book will take him well on his way. The plot is stupid and slow. Even the peripheral characters behave in ways completely contrary to the characteristics established in the earlier books (Jack Crawford would not just roll over and die in bed!! Barney and his MASSIVE erection--is that because he's Black???), and the main characters are totally untrue to the selves Harris created for them in _Red Dragon_ and _Silence of the Lambs_. If Clarice Starling simply had a burning desire to f##k her daddy, she would have chosen Jack Crawford--not Hannibal Lecter. There are even errors of "facts" established in the earlier books: Frederica Bimmel was NEVER on a slab in a morturay in West Virginia, that was Kimberly Emberg. And what is this with the giant, man-eating PIGS!! After creating two of the most memorable (and sympathetic) villians of modern fiction in Francis Dolarhyde and Jame Gumb, Harris now gives us giant, man-eating pigs? What happened to the nuanced debate over Evil (with a capital E) and individuals driven to destructive acts? "Don't try to reduce me to a set of influences," Dr. Lecter instructs Clarice in _Silence of the Lambs_, yet that is exactly what Harris does here. And the ending! It's ludicrous.My paranoid theory is that this book was not really written by Harris; it was slapped together by some hack to fulfill the publishing contract, and Harris's real work (maybe with completely new characters not suitable for a sequel) will be published under another name. I actually hope that's true because I might actually enjoy reading it. My advice: don't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: Liked all but the last 3 chapters
Review: I anxiously awaited this release and was thrilled when the book arrived at my door only 2 days after release via amazon.com. I loved the majority of the book, except for the ending. I felt cheated and very disapointed. Throughout reading the last third of the book, I found myself wondering how Harris was going to tie all of the events together. The plot somewhat indicates that something freaky is likely to take place, so I kind of expected the bizarre, unsettling closure, but still yet, the ending make me ill. It killed the five-star rating I would have assigned to Hannibal. I don't suggest making this into a movie.
Rating: 
Summary: a thoroughly chilling read.
Review: I learned years ago, not to go into a new 'read' expecting a book to follow the same course as previous ones. Having avoided the disappointment felt by many - of this book not having the same feel as Silence of the Lambs - I read Hannibal in one sitting...it is chilling, fascinating, horrifying, and at times, charming. The dinner scene near the end is a literary masterpiece. And the ending...well, if it leaves us feeling unsatisfied, doesn't the mirror many real life endings. A highly recommended read.
Rating: 
Summary: Empty calories
Review: I nearly gave this book three stars, but the rather pat explanation for Hannibal's madness and the ridiculous ending really hurt what would otherwise have been an enjoyable read. Mason's character was over the top, but there were some real thrills. I would say the most disappointing aspect of this book, however, is in the way Harris chose to end it. I felt like I was wandering into Anne Rice territory...
Rating:
Summary: graphic and audacious romance
Review: hannibal isn't likely to satisfy fans looking for a duplicate of silence of the lambs. this book is altogether darker &, surprisingly, romantic in a unique -- yet undeniably unsettling -- way. i never thought clarice had it in her! drags a bit in the middle, but the last 50 pages have to be read to be believed. highly recommended, but not for the squeamish.
Rating:
Summary: Please, sir, may I have some less?
Review: Big, bloated, bad. Very bad. Flabbergastingly pretentious and unintentionally funny, this breathlessly-awaited followup to "Silence of the Lambs" is a monumental pile of chicken feed. Pure corn, with the occasional Harris-esque turn of phrase to make it bearable, but too many departures from anything resembling coherence or plausibility to be stomachable.Perhaps the best indictment of this nonsense was the friend of mine who said "If it were fanfiction, it would have an excuse." This is Harris's own work, and therefore, he has none. Avoid.
Rating:
Summary: Trust me -- it stinks
Review: Am I the only one who noticed Harris' completely arbitrary-seeming (accidental?) switching from one tense to another, sometimes in a single paragraph? Is Hannibal horrifying? Yes, if you're a grammarian. Otherwise the book is just plain lazy. Lecter presents "insights" on Dante that are supposed to dazzle a bunch of professors -- but they're like stuff out of a freshman lit paper. The main thing I learned was that it's bad when dumb people kill deer but it's cool when smart people kill dumb people. I realize that Starling and Lecter belong to Harris and he can do whatever he wishes with them... but the ending is nuts! I hope Mr. Harris enjoys rolling in his enormous stacks of money. I certainly felt like a sucker for contributing. Please note that the glowing NY Times review above was written by Stephen King. He's where I go for literary insight!
Rating:
Summary: Hair-Raising, Superb Entertainment
Review: What a ghoulish, ghastly, chilling treat this book turned out to be. It was a long wait for "Hannibal", but more than worthwhile. I can't think how long it's been since I raced through a book in three days, with my hands seemingly nailed to its covers (Lecter might like *that* image, yes?)--and this was just that kind of book. Mixing icy restraint with jolting shocks, Harris has delivered a book with a great, gruesome story and an ending that'll blow you away....an absolute triumph of perverse logic. I'm thrilled at the job he's done. My hat's off to Thomas Harris.
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