Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: A tasty treat if that's your kind of dish!
Review: If you've read the other books by Thomas Harris, this one should be just the kind of weird and disgusting novel you can't put down, that you would expect from him. What a great read! The writing style is excellent and the suspense of how far this novel is really going to go will keep you up into the wee hours. Beware, this one isn't for the sensitive or weak stomached readers out there! People may hate the ending or just not accept where they are taken, but try to remember - these are Thomas Harris's characters. He created them and only he knows what they are capable of. The shocking Lecter has become a favorite among many, so should anyone be surprised at what he might do? Oh, and by the way, it's fiction - just a novel. So before anyone loses perspective, enjoy the book for what it is and the time you spent exploring it or leave it at the bookstore if you think cannibals, serial killers and man-eating pigs will offend. Obviously this book will not appeal to everyone! I almost hope Mr. Harris stops here, but if the story continues, I'll be first in line on the day it appears in the local bookstore!

Rating:
Summary: To Many Grand Expectations... Still a Good read...
Review: After waiting so long for the sequel, I must have built up to many expectations for Mr. Harris to ease... While being a great fan of his and of Hannibal, I was a bit disappointed by the sudden twist of Clarice; how could she? I still enjoyed the book thourghly from cover to cover but felt it was missing something. The psycological dwellings into the minds of Hannibal ans Starling were to few and far between. I would still recommend it to anyone intrested because the research and detail are impeccable and make it is as beleivable as possible. What I did not like were refrences to contemperary companies. It made it feel like paid advertising, after all haven't we heard enough of Starbucks and Nike already. I am still a great fan and do reccommend this book to all, it's just not as good as Red Dragon and Silence.

Juan

Rating:
Summary: Bad endings make for bad books ....
Review: As a devoted fan of the Hannibal Lecter series, I was ecstatic that the closing to the trilogy had finally arrived! My ecstasy soon changed to dismay however ..... the beginning scenes with Clarice were neither gripping nor compelling .... the middle scenes were well crafted however - Mason Verger is truly a fiend capable of unimaginable feats. But the ending of this saga was terrible and completely out of character and unbelievable to say the least. The result leaves the reader wondering why on earth he/she pre-ordered this book in the first place .... I would have waited another year for a much better ending to a terrific series .... this was very disappointing. Shame on you Thomas Harris - you know the rules: bad endings simply make bad books !!

Rating:
Summary: Grade: F
Review: I haven't even quite finished this novel and I am so disappointed. Besides the graphic grammatical errors and shifts from past to present tense (and the sudden intrusion of the "You" voice every couple chapters) he has Clarice Starling wondering if her black roommate will be mad because she shot a black woman who was trying to kill her. Wow, there's a man with a firm grasp of complex psychology. What would have been interesting was if there was some REASON she would feel that way. As it stands, it just makes her look like a fool. Which is how I felt spending money on this garbage.

Rating:
Summary: A warning to the open-minded
Review: Even if you are a fan, as I am, of Harris' previous two books, recognize that this is a NEW book. Time has passed since SOTL; characters evolve (sometimes not in ways we think they should or would -- life is like that). And they have done so absent our scrutiny and consent.

Harris has written a flawed book (damn, a bit like life again). It has some characters that are the equivalent in irritation to Jar-Jar Binks. It has an ending that will polarize his fans.

But, this book is the real deal. Read it in one sitting, at most two. Start early in the evening. If you can, have someone nearby who can help you decompress. This book is disturbing -- not necessarily because it is gruesome, though it surely is, but because, in its dark caves and cloisters, it is uncannily like life.

Rating:
Summary: A Guide For Reading Hannibal:
Review: I bought Hannibal the very hour it was released. I finished it the next day. It is SUCH a letdown, but it's not a total waste.

Here are some tips when reading Hannibal:

1) Don't try to picture Anthony Hopkins or Jodi Foster; this book destroys the image of an evil, mysterious Lecter and a frightened but determined Starling. In fact, it is well known that Harris never saw the film. He bloody well should have! (you'd think his precious ego would love to see an Oscar-sweeping version of his own work)

2) When reading about Mason Verger, try not to think of some awful X-Files episode gone bad. A child molester with no face, one lidless eye (complete with goggle), a bull-dyke weightlifting sister, and a desire for revenge in a matter inconsistent with logic. Try VERY hard not to think of a REALLY bad X-Files ep, and you might withstand it.

3) Avoid thinking of the Starsky and Hutch theme during the surprisingly goofy opening chapters. By any means necessary, don't do this.

4) Referring to #1...Clarice Starling exposes her chest...twice...Jodi Foster, obviously, will not accept such a preposterous change of attitude in the character she played so well.

5) When you get to the part about the Italian cop, go ahead and fast forward the alarming number of pages spent on his background, mission, etc. He is killed off and has, as a character, no importance whatsoever later on.

I could go on and on, but as there's already 150 reviews, I doubt this will be read. Regardless, I will say that anyone who gives this book 5 stars has to be fooling themselves. There are two major faults, and they kill the book: a) too many characters are absolute throwaways (vis Jack Crawford), and b) there is no one to root for. When Hannibal becomes a good guy, you gotta wonder.

Also, the reader learns why Hannibal is who he is. I'd rather not know this pathetically bad method to his madness.

And as for the movie version that everyone (including the stars) are awaiting, they are left with a dilemma: Be faithful to the book and make one of the dumbest horror movies ever, or butcher the book completely and surprise everyone with a suspenseful variation. Let's be honest, no one wants to see Lecter and Starling become lovers after eating brains, do they? I mean, honestly!

That being said, the book has some positives. Harris manages to keep the book from being boring at the same time that he keeps anything from actually happening. It is an interesting read, but more of an interest in a "this is bound to get better any moment" feeling.

This book could have really used some fava beans.

Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Novel
Review: This is an amazing novel. It is certainly not a typical thriller, nor a typical anything else, for that matter. It is an extraordinary look into, second, the brilliant-but-awesomely-warped mind of Hannibal Lecter, and, first, some of the lives he changed.

Don't allow yourself to be put off by these 'one star' reviewers. This book is not a 'mess.' The characters are always at least interesting, and many of them are fascinating. One or two are even likable. They don't always behave in an obvious manner, but neither do they act 'out of character.'

This book more than most "thrillers" requires of its readers imagination and intelligence. As the author says, "This is not a reflective age."

Rating:
Summary: Middle of the Road
Review: I am of 2 minds about this book. On the one, it is as well crafted and suspenseful a tale as one would expect from a master like Thomas Harris. It's entertaining, it moves, the characters are well drawn and for the most part it satisfies the curiosity of those who wanted more after 'Lambs.' On the other hand, and maybe because he such a free writer, Harris is writing the book primarily FOR HIMSELF. The last 50 pages or so are incredibly alienating to an intelligent reader. It's as if (were this a film) Demme were directing the first hour and a half and Lynch steps in for the last half hour. Not that I dislike either of these filmmakers, but their individual elements, mingled together so disjointedly, do not make for the most satisfying experience. (Speaking of film, I have a strong feeling that we will never see this one made as is, extensive overhauling will need to be done.) To sum up, I think this book is great for its originality, its poetry, and its overall departure from the genre, far surpassing the average serial-killer yarn. But in being such a departure, it also contains some of the most trite elements of fan-fiction, with an ending that seems to want to satisfy the readers of the worst fantasy. I attempted to give this book 2.5 stars, but the page only allows whole stars.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal - A multi-faceted horror/love story for the ages
Review: People who just saw the movie, Silence of the Lambs, and who have never read the book, will not like Hannibal. And no one should read Hannibal if they have not read - at least - Silence of the Lambs; and hopefully The Red Dragon.

However, to those who read the book, they will find it a worthy continuation of the Hannibal/Starling saga.

Harris's books are not pop-culture FBI drama/action stories. They are modern-day horror classics that explore humanity and all of its definitions.

Hannibal explores relationships, revenge, greed, fall from grace, dreams, hopes.

Hannibal is a horror story.

Hannibal is an excellent story (not sequel) that explores how the lives of Dr. Lecter Hannibal and Clarice Starling are connected, and it takes one to unimagined places.

I could not put the book down, but there were times when I had to stop reading - partly because of the horror of the impending scene, partly because I did not want the story to end.

There is more to explore in the relationship of Starling and Hannibal, and I hope Harris does not make us wait too long to find out more. However, if he never writes of them again, I will be satisfied with the stories that I have.

Rating:
Summary: This book is TERRIBLE!!!!
Review: Not in recent hisory has such a long-awaited work of fiction delivered such complete and utter disappointment. I thought I was getting a great deal buying this from Amazon at half price. I should charge Thomas Harris my hourly rate for wasting my time! I was profoundly disappointed by this book.