Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Good but Spotty
Review: Like the title of my post implies. Hannibal Lecter is one of the most unforgettable fictional characters I have ever read. However, I found the pace sometimes rather leisurely (I felt like shouting "get on with it!" at several points).

Also, I wonder if anyone really edited the book for the author. Sometimes, Harris makes a very confusing reference.

I also have counted and counted in the scene at the beginning where a shootout takes place, and I only note four people being shot by a particular character and not five as it is later stated.

The ending of the book is pleasingly surreal.

Rating:
Summary: Lecter Goes To Fantasy Land
Review: I fully expected to love this book. Last week, dusted off my copies of "Red Dragon" and "Silence of the Lamps", read them again - one day each. Watched the movies. Waited anxiously. Received my copy of "Hannibal" in the mail, read for six hours straight, and wished to god I could e-mail Thomas Harris and ask him why he had written this book. Or at least, why he had written it like this.

"Hannibal" is to this series as "Star Trek V" is to it's own. Excrement. "Red Dragon" and "Silence of the Lambs" were novels made riviting by the simple notion of remaining true to life, through hours and hours of research. Reading the first two novels is like taking a course in criminal/behavioral psychology, forensics, and criminology all in one. I felt like I learned something, and was entertained immensely at the same time.

The story of Starling, Lecter, and Crawford has moseyed off to another dimension. This book is not rooted in reality. Granted, Hannibal is an "unreal" character - never been one like him in reality. But he resided in the real world, and one could imagine him living, functioning, in our reality. Here...well, I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone willing to read it. I simply couldn't stand it.

Rating:
Summary: Great book ... but the ending ???
Review: I have some problems with this book.. as the book starts it sucks you into its world and is Very compelling and just makes you turn page after page as the plot unfolds and the darkness Of the whole book is revealed. The characters are all you could expect (and then a lot more beside!)

.. but I have problems with the last 100 (approx.) pages which in itself is very good but I just cannot believe the changes in major characters that we have to expect to make the ending work.

In short the book start well and then just gets better & better (this book is a bulldozer that just keeps on going) and the ending is good (ok) but I just cannot connect the end & the start

Rating:
Summary: One of the creepiest books I've ever read ... in a good way.
Review: The action takes place seven years later as we revisit familiar characters such as Jack Crawford, Ardelia Mapp, and of course Clarice and the good doctor. I have read many, many a book. Few possess me with a spirit to read straight through to the end in one sitting, but this one did. To me, Harris is as selective in his taste of words as Lecter is in his tastes of the finer things of life. The scenes towards the conclusion are perhaps some of the most chilling scenes I have read so far in my life. This is certainly one of the best books I've had the fortune to buy in the last few years.

Rating:
Summary: Oh dear...
Review: One of the most ridiculously stupid novels I have ever had the misfortune to have read. The plot defies belief, the characters are thin, plywood cut-outs and the resolution is silly enough to make you wonder if Thomas Harris went insane while writing it. I mean, I actually thought I was losing my mind as I ploughed through the last fifty pages. I nearly checked myself into the nearest psychiatric hospital, complaining of hallucinations and imagined story lines that made no coherent sense.

I can only conclude that Thomas Harris wrote this lousy, terrible book for the massive crates of money currently being shipped over to his house. The only benefit that may come out of it (for the rest of us, that is, not Mr Harris) is that De Laurentis might actually turn it into a film. If he does then go and buy a ticket, I really implore you. You may never get the chance to see something this funny ever again.

("More brain, Clarice?"

"Only if you have one of the pigs bring it over.")

Definitely, absolutely enough said.

Rating:
Summary: Great expectations are the only flaws
Review: I doubted that the expectations I held for this work would be matched by Harris' fine prose. As expected the work was stellar in its language, rich with its imagery and powerful with its pace. The denouement leaves an aftertaste reminiscent of a truffle; perhaps slightly bitter after time, with haunting memories of the pleasure, and a desire for more.

Rating:
Summary: Disapointing
Review: I can't believe I waited 10 years for this crap. T. Harris should have is liver eaten with some fava beans and a bottle of warm genaric beer. A waste of time. Reread Silence or Red Dragon, both much, much better. Supposedly T. Harris got 9 million for the film rights. He is stealing money. If a movie is made that sticks to the storyline of this book, it will not make a dime. I would much rather see The Red Dragon remade into a movie that is faithful to the book. Too bad J. Demme did not do this one too. Micheal Mann's Manhunter(Red Dragon) was just an OK cop movie. I am not surprised that J. Demme dropped out directing the Silence sequel. A long wait for almost nothing!!!

Rating:
Summary: COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN
Review: received hannibal in the mail yesterday afternoon and could not stop reading it. yes, the story is gruesome at times, and confusing throughout, but it a psychological thriller unmatched by any other in recent memory. hopefully, a movie will appear sometime in the future. of course it won't be as good as the book, but if it is even half as good, it will be worth the price of admission. two thumbs up!

Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Successor to "...Lambs"
Review: One would have to go to extreme lengths to find someone who has not heard of, read, or simply seen the movie of "The Silence of the Lambs", but it might just be worth it. As exquisite as the "Lambs" film was, its success as a movie somewhat oveshadowed the quality of the book. For example, I was fortunate enough to have had the book recommended to me before the theatrical release, so I had a completely opened mind to the story and characters. Now, every time I think 'Lecter' I think Anthony Hopkins. Not always a bad thing, but simply watching "Manhunter" allows us to see a completely different Lecter (Lecktor). Brian Cox showed us that Lector could be as quiet and reflective as Hopkins merely suggested. Since Demme's film was released, Hollywood has been awaiting the sure-fire box-office smash that would be a sequel. It was not forthcoming. In fact Harris has made Hollywood wait for him, a commendable acheivement that we all wish Michael Chrichton could have tried.

So here it is, "Hannibal". The name says it all really. The working title "The Morbidity of the Soul" is simply the better, but it's not quite so cinematic, "Hannibal" has that three syllable iambic that simply oozes Hollywood (cue "Titanic" reference). So has the 11 year wait simply been an elongated perfection of a future screenplay? Well, it has to be said that it does seem that way.

Mason Verger is pure cinema. Harris' wonderful descriptions make for a undeniably strong mental image, while the character is pure Harris - torturous, and unrelenting. But what about the star of the show, not Starling who has been merely relegated to a characterised plot device. Lecter is the victim of his own fame. Harris has had to concentrate more on him, because out of the film of "Lambs", Lecter was the only character with any real bite (apologies). The unnecessary exposition of Lecter's past rings of the backstory that Hollywood thrives for, and has the unpleasant side effect of dissecting, and dissipating the Lecter mythos. It's a shame.

However, what can be said about "Hannibal" is while the plot seems manufactured , and destined for another Hollywood outing, this is a book of the highest calibre. It may not have the spikiness of "Red Dragon", or the luridness of "Lambs", but it is still an outstanding piece of literature.

Harris' technique is one of meticulate research, astoundingly vivid characterisation, and impeccable plot construction. He and his namesake Robert Harris (of "Fatherland", and "Enigma") stand high above many other contemporary authors, and will undoubtedly be remembered by future generations as masters of their craft

Rating:
Summary: Scarier than the first, it will keep you awake!
Review: Never before have I read something which would keep me reading the whole day! I had to pick up the book, after reading all about the hype a few weeks before. And after a few hours, I have to say this is definitely up there with some of my favorites, including the works of James Patterson. Harris is a great storyteller and let's hope that he continues on in the future. My only problem: It has evil tabloid reporters! But, that's not too bad of a situation to keep the story going. Good job, Mr. Harris!