Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: A INCREDIBLE conclusion to an incredible trillogy.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It is unlike the two Lecter novels before it. The writing is a bit different, and the Harris goes much more into the lives of the characters than in his earlier books.
In "Hannibal", there are three main characters. We find Dr. Lecter living in Italy, leading a life he always dreamed of. A teacher and Art Director, studying, teaching and hiding, going on with his life as if he was never locked away. Then we have FBI special agent Clarice Starling. Starling knows Lecter from the book "The Silence of the Lambs" where she intervies him for his insight on catching a serial killer. Never giving up on Lector, Starling knows she will find him, but she doesnt know why she wants to find him so bad. She fights herself, knowing that she wants him locked away again, but at the same time, she also hides more reasons for the search. And the third main character is a severly dissabled man named Mason Verger, a middle aged billionaire, who's life was ruined by Lecter when he was a young experimenting homosexual, and now he wants revenge and will do anything to get it.
Harris takes on a ride around the world following these characters, and learing about how they all connect to Hannibal in some way, even Hannibal himself. This book is VERY different then the movie, so if you want to learn more about the lives of these people and an ending very very different then the movie, then you will want to read this incredible thriller. We get driven deep into all of their minds, and learn the true reasons for Lectors behavior.
Harris did not miss his mark with this book. The ten years in the making was worth the wait.
This is an Incredible conclusion to an incredible trilogy.

Rating:
Summary: Good storytelling, bad story
Review: Thomas Harris lured me into this book with his reputation ("Silence of the Lambs") and kept me there, albeit reluctantly, with his skills as a writer. Unfortunately, in the case of "Hannibal," the plot leaves a lot to be desired. The whole thing was so bizarre that I had to finish it just to see how it turned out, but did I like what I was reading? Not so much. I'm referring specifically to the ending, which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. I can't accept that the Clarice Starling readers have come to know, admire, and even love, would ever run off with Lecter.

As far as the other characters are concerned, the new ones are so far over the top as to be completely unrealistic (Mason and Margot), and most of those we remember from "Silence" behave in ways that are just too outrageous to be credible. I finished this book and just sat with my mouth open, unable to believe what I had just read. "Sex is a splendid structure they add to every day," is not a sentence I ever wanted to read about Starling and Lecter. It's just...wrong. Granted, these are Harris' characters and he can do with them what he likes, but I think he dropped the ball on this one.

My last complaint: Harris' clumsy attempts to explain the origin of Hannibal's evil. He should have left well enough alone. To me, it is much scarier *not* to know why Hannibal Lecter is the way he is; it leaves open the possibility that it anyone could become such a monster. I imagine people had their own theories, and when something like that is left to the reader's imagination, it can assume many shapes. When Harris gives us Lecter's backstory, as unusual as it may be, he forever closes the door on our possibilities, and thereby reduces Lecter as a villain, although he does perhaps become somewhat more sympathetic a character. I don't think we needed to know *why* Lecter is evil; it is enough to simply know that he is.

Rating:
Summary: Harris is a good writer, but this is an unnecessary story
Review: Hannibal continues the saga of Hannibal Lector and it is really a pointless work and elevates Hannibal from mastermind psychopath to a primeval force of nature or something. He wreaks havoc upon his adversaries and at the same time remains a conneiseur of taste and sophistication. Yes, he still has a thing for brains and fava beans, but the biggest let-down is the character of Agent Starling who has been turned into a weak character. Whereas we saw Starling grow into a formidable agent in the previous book, she is now almost passive and the ending of the book makes little sense on either a realistic or surreal level. Of course if I was getting paid as much as Harris was I'd keep cranking out books about Hannibal Lector and probably go back and cover his childhood too for that matter. The first two books, Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon were better and seemed to go somewhere, but now it feels like retread city. The Italian settings and characters give this book a more international flavor which is nice, but Hannibal lacks the heart of Harris' previous efforts. I'd recommend reading this book if you are really bored and you have nothing else to read and that's about it.

Rating:
Summary: Yuk!!!!
Review: Yuk!! I felt like I needed to take a week long shower after finishing this book. I think that the author has been caught up in the Hollywood-ization of his work, and so he simply cranked out the most violent and incomprehensible swill he could come up with to make into an also disgusting movie. Until this book, I've enjoyed all of Thomas Harris books. I almost wondered if this was a "[discriptive word] you" to all the greedy movie types. You know the old--"You want a movie, fine.. I'll give you a stinking movie..." Would have given it zero stars or a negative rating if possible....

Rating:
Summary: Where Did This Ending Come From?
Review: This sequel to "Silence of the Lambs" was a terrific read; that is, up until the last two chapters of the book.

Poor Clarice. Her life after successfully bringing down the serial killer Gumm certainly wasn't as she had imagined. It seems she found out that if one makes a formidable enemy on the way to the top, the top may prove to be ever elusive.

Dr. Lecture's masquerade in Florence was fascinating. Harris really showed the extensive research that he did in writing this book. In many ways, it was an education in medevial art and history as well as an exploration into the mind of a serial killer.

The murder of the magistrate was particularly fascinating. This murder was more public than Dr. Lecture's previous murders. (To be sure, being fed a gourmet meal that just happens to include a former member of your board is quite public, but this was different.) The murder brings out Dr. Lecture's love of history and his flair for drama.

The in-depth exploration of Mason Virger was truly interesting. Mason happens to have many of the same complexities of Hannibal Lecture, as is obvious when Harris constantly alludes to his escapades during the summer camps that his dad sponsored. Mason's desire to bring down Dr. Lecture was more about the desire to see a human eaten alive, than about acheiving revenge. In the end, what an gorey way to die! Sharing your last breaths with the very eel that you bought because of its ability to consume life.

I just cannot accept the ending; however. I was truly wrapped into this. I expected Krendall to be eaten alive, a fate that was depicted in the movie. However, I never expected Starling to succumb to the charms of the doctor.

To be honest, the ending really disturbed me. But, isn't that what Harris probably wanted. Just the idea that we could show up at the opera one night and bump into a charming couple that could perhaps be the good doctor and Agent Starling!

Despite the ending, Harris has really outdone himself once again. His exploration of the "palace of the mind" was one of the most fasinating reads ever.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: This book was a huge disappointment. I've been a fan of this series since Red Dragon, and was excited to read this novel. But it seemed like little effort was made to stay true to the characters. Clarice's character seems to be acting younger than when she was a student, and at the end of this book I thought she was a joke. I'm still angry that I spent so much money buying the hardcover version when it was first published.

Rating:
Summary: Hannibal's Story Continues
Review: It seems that many people did not like this book, but after listening to the unabridged performance on audio cassette, I found the story compelling and psychologically intriguing, once you cut through the campy melodrama. Grant you, some of the characters, in particular, the hideously incapacitated Mason Verger, are portrayed as one-dimensional over-the-top drones on a mission that simply drive the story's action rather than provide psychological intrigue. Clarice who in 'Silence of the Lambs' was both intrigued and repelled by Lector now seems more reticent regarding him, yet remains intent on capturing him alive before he strikes again. However, her fate, albeit befuddled, befits her portrayal in this storyline. The Italian police inspector, Pazzi, proves to be an adequate fly caught within Lector's web of mindgames; Harris' well-researched information regarding the Florence of Dr. Fell's world interests the reader enough to pursue Lector's penchants for the world's finer things with outside resources.

Above all, one cannot help but like Hannibal Lector. Harris' disclosure regarding an episode in his childhood gives some indication of why he chose his rather (un)savory road, but remains mysterious enough to stimulate thought regarding this rather than providing definitive answers regarding all his motivations. His passion for good music, books, 'food' and wine, amusingly calls to mind the traits of some of my more ambitious friends; his anger with those who offend and downtrod the innocent can be thought questionably admirable rather than strictly abhorent.

The characters of Barney from 'Silence of the Lambs' and Margot, Mason's sister and one-time patient of Lector are examples of Harris' more complicated studies; both are interesting and enjoyable characterizations.

When reading this, try not to think solely of the movie, although I found this difficult to do. Instead concentrate on how wonderfully Harris fits all his pieces together to form a puzzle that is more than a satisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: Notable But Not Great
Review: You know after reading Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon I thought I was ready for a book where Hannibal was walking the streets. It came as a dissapointment. I think all readers find Hannibal to be a great character but he is a killer and the cage that he had inhabited for those long years had become a part of his character. Without that cage we feel a sense of not being safe in the world, and it is ok for us to feel that way. Finding a killer interesting is one thing, but letting him go free is quite another. I am not even sure Harris could manage this task very well. The book is just as well written as the others and I had no problem finishing it in a hurry. The book at times appears as the other books, an FBI agent trying to catch a criminal(Hanibal in this book), but the ending is much different and I think it is a little disturbing. At times Harris tries to make us relate to Hannibal. He does this by pointing out the flaws of society and he even tries to make us detest one of Hannibal's surviving victims. Maybe I felt the wrong emotion, but I felt pity for Hannibal's victim, not hatred. I am not saying that Hannibal's victim was a good man, by any means; however, I had a hard time dealing with a world where Hannibal Lecter hands out judgment and punishment. As for the flaws of society, yes they do exist, but not all of us kill. And as for Clarice, I was disappointed with her character and believe me the end shows how much of it she lacks. I would not recommend this book to anyone who has concrete ideas of good and bad or people who like books that end on a good note.

Rating:
Summary: Trash
Review: "Hannibal" is a marked departure in style from the first two books in the Lecter trilogy. Unlike the previous two, this one focuses on Hannibal Lecter, and his relationship with Clarice Starling in particular. Once again, Harris attempts to provide some psychological depths to his characters. This time, unfortunately, he fails miserably.

In trying to make Hannibal Lecter a sympathetic character, he shows a complete misunderstanding of the character traits which made him popular (at least to me). Hannibal Lecter was the ideal antihero. He was not sentimental, and you were NOT taken very far into his mind. This time around, Harris tries to gain our sympathy by taking us into his mind, giving him weaknesses, even attempting to explain his madness. Instead of the coldly rational Lecter we had before, who just happens to enjoy killing people, we now have a convoluted half-explanation for what made him what he is, and completely non-sensical ambitions, revolving around time somehow going backwards. Harris has succeeding only in diluting his character, and vastly diminishing his appeal. He is not a conventional hero, or an antihero, he is just a psychopath.

What he has done to Clarice Starling is even worse. If by some chance you haven't read the indescribably stupid ending, I won't give it away, but suffice it to say that she, too, goes against all the previous characterization we have had, and there is no explanation for what made her change.

In attempting to write lectures for a man whose intelligence is supposably 'immeasurable,' Harris also makes a grave mistake.

All the other characters are given token reference. Crawford is irrelevant, and even the ones who are given space do nothing to advance the plot, nor are their own subplots compelling.

In short, this book completely contradicts the characterization which has come before. None of the characters' actions make sense, and by the end of the book, I could find no one to root for. Don't buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: A FUN Read
Review: This is a great book that is hard to put down if you're looking for something fun and entertaining. The characters are well developed and the story is fast paced with lots of twist and turns.