Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: I picked up this book in the middle of finals and rushed through the rest of my tests so that I could finish it. It was amazing. I was actually disappointed as I went backwards through the series because the other books were less graphic and delved less into Hannibal Lecter's character. The fast paced beginning and twisted ending kept me guessing, and there was always something different. I thought that exploring Lecter's past added a somewhat human quality to his character. His interactions with normal people were interesting because they showed that this wasn't a mindless mass murderer like Jame Gumb or Francis Dolarhyde from the first two books. He didn't kill random people, and I think the Lecter murder count in this book was actually lower than in the other two, because there were other monsters in the book, and he actually wasn't the worst of them. A fascinating story, and a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Great Thriller except the ending.....
Review: This book is the sequel to Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal Lecter, the cannibalistic madman that escaped from prison in the first book now resides in Florence, Italy as a museum curator. Once in a while he tantalizingly contacts Clarice Starling and explains that he is still watching out for her.

The story gets interesting when Mason Verger gets wind of Lecter's location. Verger is a multi-millionarie survivor of a Lecter attack. He has been left crippled and ruined and wants to get revenge on Lecter by feeding Lecter to a pack of hungry pigs. Mason uses Starling, local politicians, devious Sardinians, and the FBI as pawns as he attempts to lure Lecter into a trap. However, Lecter proves to be hard to catch, as well as deadly.

This book took a little while to get going. While it held my interest, I was finding it hard to root for anyone. Lecter certainly isn't worth of any sympathy and neither is Verger and Starling was absent for about half the book. There is a certain amount of tension as the reader follows Lecter's efforts to thwart Verger, which often are violent and graphic. However, the ending is utterly ridiculous - probably one of the worst I've read in a long time. Up to that point, it was a spellbinding, tight read. It works great as a horror / suspense novel, but as a "true-crime novel", pathetic.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal the Cannibal
Review: Overall, I really liked this book. I thought it had a better plot and was much better written than Harris's first, Silence of the Lambs. However, Hannibal seemed to be less suspenseful and the plot really dragged on in certain places. In Silence of the Lambs, Harris first introduced agent Clarice Starling of the FBI, and Dr. Hannibal Lecter, i.e. Hannibal the Cannibal. Hannibal delves further into the closet of Dr. Lecter and Clarice's minds, exploring the deep dark psychological disturbances that hide there, finding what makes them tick. When Mason Verger, a former patient of Dr. Lecter and a victim of his cannabalistic ways, discovers that Hannibal has escaped from the mental institution that he was once confined to, he plots revenge. With the help of Agent Starling, Mason sucessfully locates Dr. Lecter's secret hiding place, and plans to capture him and feed him alive to the hogs. But something goes wrong, and Dr. Lecter is once again on the run. Soon into the plot, Mason's plans for Hannibal are learned by the FBI, and Dr. Lecter is now running from not only Mason, but Clarice and the federal government as well. She has the upper hand in the chase, knowing Hannibal more intimately than Mason ever could've. But it is he who eventually ends up capturing Dr. Lecter. Everything seems to be going as planned for Mr. Verger, until an unexpected plot twist involving his sister, Margot, and Lecter's former caregiver, Clarence, unveils. The ending caught me completely offguard, and while the details got a little gory and nauseating at times, i thought it was definently a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal
Review: I expected there to be a similar story, ending in the same situation as Silence of the lambs did -deaths,Clarice Starling does her job well, but Hannibal is still on the loose. However Harris has given a new approach ; a story more complex and very different from the last, with a very unexpected but satisfying end.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely disappointed.
Review: I don't see how anyone can give this book 5 stars; I debated between 1 and 2. I read this book over the summer with three friends. Three quarters of the way through we all had a tough time with the basic plot: a past, living victim of Lecter's cannibalistic tendencies wants him dead. His answer: hire someone to catch him and feed him to a group of really hungry pigs. Somehow the author made it believable, so it worked. But the last few chapters were so incredibly disappointing each of us confessed we were screaming back at the book. It seems Harris either didn't know how to end this book, or he simply ended it this particular way because he knew the book would turn into a movie and that audiences would appreciate this ending. By now you are wondering what the ending is if you haven't read it...I won't tell you but if you are dying to know, borrow it from a friend who had to pay good money for it. Harris' writing is spectcular, yes, and he weaves together a good story--but the character Clarice seems downsized in personality whereas I was almost becoming bored with Lecter. I hate to say it, but I wish I never read this book.

Rating:
Summary: How do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.
Review: This long-swaited sequel to the masterful book and movie "The Silence of the Lambs" is even better than the original. His creation of Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling has become a category all its own; this book moves way beyond the horror/suspense genre and into the realm of literature.

Readers who love wording will savor this book. More than any popular author, Thomas Harris creates scenes and moods with an economy of words that is mesmerizing. There are passages in this book that are like poetry in their rhythym and cadence.

You can predict what the book is about. Without giving anything away, I can say that the hunt for Hannibal Lecter continues. What you can't predict is the bizarre and surreal ending. You will emerge from the last 30 pages as if from a dream. It's a shame that we may have to wait another 10 years for a sequel.

This is a masterpiece. BUY IT and keep it. People will still be reading this book 50 years from now.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing and unbelievable satisfying book...
Review: An incredible book...what really did it for me was the ending. While many think it's too unrealistic, it was exactly what I was too scared to wish for from the very moment Clarice and Hannibal first met in Silence of the Lambs, fearing it might be too childish. It was perfect, in my opinion, and sends a refreshingly different message than most books...

Rating:
Summary: Fantasic for 543 of 562 pages...
Review: I recently bought this book while on vacation in Thailand. Being a big fan of Silence of the Lambs (both the book and the excellent movie) I was looking forward to reading this but hadn't gotten around to it until now. In general this book is outstanding, it starts off with a bang and then doesn't let up for nearly the entire book. The character developments are outstanding and for the first time we are allowed to see a bit of Lecter's background and understand a little of what made him the monster that he is. The book itself focuses less on Starling and more on the other characters that make up this complex tale. However, the last twenty pages of the book are unacceptable. It is as if Harris suddenly woke up one day and said "that's enough writing, let's finish this thing today". Starling's character changes 100% at that point in the book and these changes are so profound and unbelievable that I feel Harris has done a great misjustice to the character and the readers. I can fully understand why Jodie Foster refused to take up the role again for the upcoming movie version. Those last twenty pages are totally disjoined from the rest of the novel and it left a very bad taste in my mouth after having read such a great story up to that point with anticipation of a fantasic ending. Stunning? Yes. Fantastic? Far from it, in my humble opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: This is the first book that I have read from Harris and found that I was very dissappointed. For one thing, I hate excess verbiage, which this book definitely entails. Second, if you are interested in elegance and upper-class lifestyles, which I'm not, then this book is for you since it entails very descriptive intricacies of the upper-class lifestyle. Third, the ending was terrible and completely and ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE, or even thinkable! From what I hear, from friends and other reveiwers is that Red Dragon and Silence of The Lambs are a lot better. So with that in mind I think I'll give these two books a try. As for the Hannibal, I wouldn't give this book a high recommendation to anyone. Sorry but I was definitely disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: MADE ME VOMIT
Review: This is the first book that made me vomit. It is the most sickening, revolting, repugnant and NASTY story I have ever made the mistake of reading.

First off, the story is implausible. You know right away "Dr. Fell" is really Hannibal and you know his escapes just don't add up.

The entire book is sickening. The least revolting description offered was that of a young mother on a plane with Hannibal who dipped the same finger in his food that she used to check her baby's diaper. That was very mild compared to the rest of the book.

Mason Varger is a revolting mockery of humanity. This twisted travesty has carried on an incestuous relationship with his gay sister. The sister is one of the few quasi-pitiful characters. There is no shortage of revolting characters here.

Clarice Starling is the biggest disappointment of all. She literally lives by the motto of "if you can't [b]eat 'em, join 'em," and joins Hannibal in a particularly gruesome repast. She is another disgusting creature after all. I'd give this no stars if I could.

THIS BOOK SHOULD COME WITH A WARNING LABEL WARNING PEOPLE NOT TO READ IT. IT IS TRULY HEINOUS.