Rating: 
Summary: airplane fodder, nothing more
Review: I usually try not to spread bad vibes -- what's the point, really? -- but so much great stuff was written about this one on its jacket that I have to vent my disappointment somewhere.When characters are rendered vibrantly, you can "hear" who's talking without the author having to say it. Here, even with Harris telling you, the voices -- save Lecter -- are indistinguishable on any but the most superficial (and artificial) level. Every character is a caricature of type. It's expected to have its monsters of course, but a disfigured "Christian" who makes underpriveleged children cry and then swabs their tears to add to his martinis? Puh-leeez... No worse, but certainly no better, than a lot of others.
Rating: 
Summary: Even fans should be disgusted by his laziness
Review: The only thing I'm disappointed with is that I couldn't give this book a negative rating; this has got to be the WORST book I've ever read. Skip any superficial observation about the material - Harris was plainly writing a treatment for a screenplay, and fell prey to narcolepsy after the introduction. The reader should be so lucky - gone are little bonuses like internal dialog, character development or believable plot, and left in place is the most juvenile, amateurish parody of Harris' own writing. Read Red Dragon again, and steal a copy of the movie when it comes out on video cassette - don't waste any money encouraging this type of Hollywood-fueled minimal effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Defilement
Review: This novel offers so much, weaving together mystery, thriller, tragey, and black comedy under the guises of such concepts as the past, the present, death, rebirth, obsession, and even apocalyptic absolution. Harris is a dense writer, meaning, each chapter is loaded with important info. It's terribly brave of Harris to take his character and situations in such an "unexpected" direction. This is a story about people haunted by events, each other. For me, the story tempers the waters of Marquis deSade (in Juliette & 120 Days...), Miribeau(Torture Garden), even Dante (Inferno & Purgatorio). While not for everyone, this exquisite novel is a must read for those interested in an artist who answers to no ones vision but his own. (A warning to those expecting Silence Of The Lambs: it pays tribute to the book/film but then goes 1000 miles in another direction. You are forewarned!)
Rating:
Summary: This book is horrible
Review: This book is a horrible book. It did not live up to expectations considering how good silence of the lambs was. If you have not read this book and you enjoyed silence of the lambs then I suggest you pass on this book.
Rating: 
Summary: An Unsatisfying Sequel
Review: I didn't have the problem with the ending that others have had, but I felt the book was too forced. Why were characters such as Barney and Jack Crawford brought back if they were not going to be utilized at all? (particularly Barney -- I just didn't buy him going to work for Verger. Did this intelligent, capable, courteous man from Silence of the Lambs morph into something else between books?) I think the biggest problem was that Doctor Lecter is worthy of our fascination and grudging admiration when he is the hunter, but when he becomes the hunted our sensibilities as readers must undergo a dramatic shift that most of us are uncapable of adjusting to. Also, since Paul Krendler has been such an unworthy adversary for Clarice (unlike Jame Gumb), we are left unmoved and unsatisfied by his fate at the hands of Lecter, and therefore unwilling to suspend our disbelief at Clarice's conversion. I hope she has a happy life of luxury with the good doctor. The lambs may have stopped screaming, but I'm not sure the reading public has.
Rating:
Summary: This really sucked.
Review: I loved both Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs (even more than the movies). But this one...eeeeccchh! I think Thomas Harris just picked up a copy of Silence of the Lambs and wrung out what he could then filled in the rest with crap. It was slow. It was dull. It was a novel already so impressed with itself that it obviously didn't feel it had to try. Worse than anything was the ending...stupid, illogical, unbelievable and disappointing. Hannibal himself wasn't even scary, let alone horrifying. It actually made the prequel look bad in retrospect. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: I don't know if Thomas Harris was aiming for the funnybone or not when he wrote Hannibal but he had me rolling on the floor! It's refreshing to read an author who doesn't take himself or his characters too seriously. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter has become such a part of our culture (is there anyone who doesn't recognize the name?) what else could Harris do with him but take him over the top? Hannibal's "dinner party" scene near the end is a perfect example -- could any serious-minded author have written that? Whether you were a fan of Silence of the Lambs or not you must read Hannibal if only to find out why Jodi Foster refused to play the part of Clarice in the upcoming movie (I don't think you'll blame her!). If nothing else, you'll get a good laugh.
Rating:
Summary: A literary thriller
Review: Perhaps what I enjoy most about Harris' books is his elegant use of language. His choice of words paints a lush, beautifully realized landscape. And it is this use of language that makes Hannibal Lecter such an appalling monster. He doesn't fit any of our presuppositions of what an evil person should be: he's educated, polite, cultured and refined. The reader is constanlty challenged because in the face of overwhelming evil, a small corner of the mind is always hoping he will escape justice. Ultimately, "Hannibal" is a look at the dark side of human nature. While no sane person would ever commit the acts Hannibal does, his motives aren't mysterious. It's not impossible to imagine a person you know succumbing to the predator buried in their genetic make-up. This is not an easy book to read. Aside from the gore, parts of it are profoundly disturbing. But it is a smart, haunting thriller, and anyone who approaches it with an open mind will surely enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Eight Years in the Making
Review: It took Harris eight years for this riveting page-turner. Might I say it was well worth the wait. At times I couldn't put this book down for the intrigue. At times I couldn't turn my bedroom light off for the chill.
Rating:
Summary: Depressingly Awful
Review: Mr. Harris still manages to paint wonderful word pictures and his attention to detail amazes and fascinates, but once the climax of this book's plot is reached, the fall is precipitous and treacherous. Mr. Harris betrays the readers' faith in his characters and destroys any semblance of a coherent narrative in the final chapters of this book. It would be a great psychedelic parody, if Mr. Harris didn't seem so sincere in his attempt to fit his circular story into this square ending. Stay away from this if you're fans of the first two Hannibal-related tomes!
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