Rating: 
Summary: Harris couldn't have written it better...
Review: This book is the perfect sequel to 'Silence of the Lambs'. I can only recommend it to those who like suspense thrillers!
Rating: 
Summary: Harris took the money and ran
Review: This is one of the most over-rated books I have ever read. Thomas Harris now seems to think himself far superior to his readers and produces this load of rubbish. If readers want a good serial killer book, then try THE PSALM KILLER BY CHRIS PETIT or MESSIAH by BORIS STARLING
Rating: 
Summary: Waffle, waffle and a rushed ending.
Review: I was cautious about buying this book as I had read Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs and thouroghly enjoyed them. Curiosity got the better of me however and I gave way to tempation.I have to say I thought the book began well, the first part was compelling, all the usual suspense was there along with the characters we met in the previous books. There were also various new and interesting people. Sadly by the time the book moved to Florence the pace was lost. It seemed the author was trying desperately to flaunt a knowledge of Italy and was concentrating on padding the book out to it's final 562 pages. Thankfully some pace was regained by the end of the Florence part and the well known characters of the previous books were once again central to the story. In reading on my spirits lifted, as I felt the book was improving and I believed I could forgive the author for the boring interlude. Alas this was not the case. The final part of the book was so preposterous that I felt frustrated beyond imagination. The author rushed to the ending seemingly without any real thought as to how the characters have been written all along and how much of a sudden contradiction this brought. Then it just finished, using Barney in a rather crass final chapter to let us know where Starling was. I feel that this book could have been much better if Harris had remained true to the characters he created in the beginning of the series rather than trying to delve into pastures new. He completely distroyed any feelings of familiarity I had with the main characters and left them distorted beyond recognition. Maybe I am just set in my ways, but I believe the characters in Silence of the Lambs were powerful and did not require this twist to make them any more interesting.
Rating:
Summary: What a waste!
Review: I would rather be watchin the Jerry Springer Show than read this crap. What happened to theme consistency, deep characterization, and logical resolution. Mr Harris, get another job!
Rating:
Summary: WHO WOULD OF THOUGHT?
Review: I know that a lot of people will be giving this book terrible reviews, however, I feel that in all fairness, this is not an honest assessment. I was enjoying this book the entire time I was reading it, right up until the shocking conclusion. I thought it was written very well and kept the attention of the reader throughout. Additionally, it has everything one needs in a good story....drama, mystery, gore and romance....yes, that was romance in a Hannibal Lecter novel. Go figure. Anyway, I think that it is a must read, however, be prepared to dislike the ending immensely, as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Harris took the money and ran
Review: Thomas Harris obviously got tired of the publishers and public asking when the next Hannibal Lecter novel would appear, so he produced this load of garbage. Hopefully this will be the last one. Readers who enjoyed the first 2 books would be better off if they read MESSIAH by BORIS STARLING or THE PSALM KILLER by CHRIS PETIT.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment of the decade
Review: I started reading this book hoping that the publicity it received will match its substance. Boy, was I wrong! I just finished it today(after struggling to read it) and it is hogwash. Not enough characterization for me to relate to. The story was pulled in all directions---except where it would have been more entertaining. The only credit Mr Harris gets from me is for the beautiful descriptions of Florence. Other than that, this was a very big disappointment. Mr Harris, I want my money back.
Rating:
Summary: Who wrote this and why?
Review: After considering Thomas Harris' earlier works as exceptional entertainment, I found I had an exceptionally difficult time even getting through this book. One wonders if the same person wrote it as the writing styles seemed to change throughout -- sometime in the normal third person and sometimes as the all-knowing narrator -- making the book extremely difficult to read. Probably the biggest disappointment was in how the author chose to end this novel. After giving us exceptionally strong characters in "Silence of the Lambs", these same characters rolled over and died without a fight(sometimes literally) in the sequel. If Thomas Harris was seeking contraversy, he hit the mark. If he was seeking a quality novel, he went off course about a third of the way through. Bottom line: don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: What a waste of good characters
Review: Having read both Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, I am terribly disappointed to see Lector and Starling come to such a mediocre end. In Harris' previous books there was always a twist - a surprise. The plot in this book is so thin and predictable I am not sure that Mr. Harris' creative well hasn't run dry.
Rating:
Summary: Superb audio interpretation; a bit too far-fetched
Review: Although I saw the excellent film adaptation of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this was the first Thomas Harris book I have undertaken. In HANNIBAL, we are introduced to a veritable pantheon of villains, from the disfigured, paralyzed Mason Verger, to the corrupt Florentine lawman Pazzi, to the vengeful, scheming OIG-man Krendler. A gang of murderous Sardinian thugs is thrown in for good measure. Dr. Hannibal Lecter can't compete very well with so much evil, so Harris gives us a kinder, gentler insane cannibal in the title role. Harris handles the character transition very well, but he gets into problems by trying to so the same with the main protagonist, FBI agent Clarice Starling. I can't go into details without giving away too much, but suffice it to say that both the means by which her character is changed, and the ultimate product into which it evolves, is simply not justified by the action leading up to it. Ultimately, the ending, which seems rather rushed, is grossly unsatisfying. I do have to grant kudos to Thomas Harris for the style of writing. His venture into Italian culture and history is engrossing and makes me want to learn more about it. His descriptions of scenes involving Dr. Lecter's elegance, sophistication, and culinary skills are positively poetic. For this unabridged audio version the reader is veteran English stage, TV, and film actor Daniel Gerroll. As the story opens, Gerroll seems a little rushed, distracted even, and my first thought was, "Oh no, another bored Hollywood actor slumming for a few bucks in the audiobook studio." If you have the same first impression, just be patient. After the first scene, Gerroll quickly finds his pace, and his interpretation is a real treat. When he describes Italian culture and Dr. Lecter's pomp and finery, his British accent is a delight. However, when it's time to portray American regional accents, he slips effortlessly into those just as well. Ultimately, it is an excellent reading, one of the best in my admittedly brief experience with audiobooks.
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