Rating: 
Summary: I know how the good Dr. feels....
Review: So, after all the horrors witnessed by Dr. Lecter, from his troublesome childhood, to brilliant insanity, to being locked in that windowless Baltimore dungeon for so many years, what *is* it that finally makes him scream aloud?-- Flying transatlantic coach next to a screaming baby and a fidgety preadolescent. Hey Doc, I been there too; I feel your pain. Harris is a powerful writer, and the books is fraught with images that stuck with me for a while: a flashback to Lecter's childhood. An unusual meal towards the end. I shan't spoil these scenes with details, suffice it to say that their vivid descriptions and, um, "creative" scenarios left me a tad green. But overall, such things are what I expected from the novel, and I wasn't disappointed. "Silence" is a hard act to follow... even for Mr. Harris.
Rating:
Summary: Italian Cannibal
Review: I enjoyed "Hannibal". Not as much as Harris' others. Yet, in this, I found a more relaxed, even romantic view of a now Italian cannibal. Not as graphic, not as terroristic yet much more introspective.... I liked the ending & 'tis no wonder Jody Foster bowed out for the film! Would she dare want to be known as Mrs. Lecter? *smiling* If you enjoy graphic murderous thrillers, read "Messiah" by Boris Starling.
Rating: 
Summary: The Biggest Disappointment of the Year
Review: After reading both The Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Hannibal. After waiting eleven years for this sequel, I expected the same suspense filled, totally frightening thriller, Harris had written before. Unfortunately, this is not the case. This book does not fill you with terror. Instead, many of the really "scary" scenes are just silly and disgusting. The characters, so well developed in the two previous novels, have become cartoon characters. The plot is not suspenseful, but very predictable and gets bogged down in many places. And, the ending is ridiculous and unbelievable. The one element that made The Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs such great books, stories you were afraid to read when you were home alone, was their plausibility; the idea that this could really happen. That feeling is completely absent in this novel. The only positive thing I can say about Hannibal, is that you get a very nice walking tour of Florence, Italy. But of course, that's not what I was looking for, from Thomas Harris. If you want to read a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller, that keeps you up all night, this is NOT the book. A total disappointment!
Rating:
Summary: Starts off boring and then downhill...
Review: I loved Harris' other two Hannibal books, but this doesn't even sound like the same author. The story plods along, especially after Lecter leaves Florence. The long discourse on different kinds of wild pigs was unnecessary. I was also annoyed by the second-person narrator in parts: "For you the door is open...we are dimly aware of passing..." Being spoken to directly by the narrator draws me out of the story. And can someone tell me why no one in the world likes Clarice except for a roommate, two dead men, and a psychopathic cannibal? She seems nice enough. As for the ending...well, everyone's already talking about that. I wanted her to just shoot him.
Rating: 
Summary: Guess who's coming to dinner tonight
Review: If you liked "The Silence of the Lambs," you will love "Hannibal." Hannibal was a very intereting character in prison, and he is even more atractive out of prison. It is totally worth to take a little trip to Florence and have a great time with our friend Dr Lecter.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written but ultimately disappointing
Review: Thomas Harris has been one of my favorite authors since "Red Dragon," which ranks among my favorite novels of all time. "The Silence of the Lambs" was just as compelling, if slightly less vivid. "Hannibal" doesn't really live up to either of them, largely because it's an out-and-out sequel (instead of a loose continuation, as "Silence" was). The story has plenty of exciting moments and gory deaths, but they all seem to be there to distract us from the fact that nothing much really happens in the course of the novel. What's missing is the ticking-clock tension of the first two, in which the protagonists have to accomplish something by the end to save lives; it would have been a bit hollow to do this a third time, maybe, but the different bent Harris takes in simply playing out events without any real anticipated climax or continuing tension doesn't work as well as repeating the format would have. Essentially, the story concerns a disfigured victim of Lecter, himself a psychopath, trying to capture Lecter in order to torture him to death; Clarice Starling is working to apprehend Lecter before this happens. The fact that Hannibal is the only victim here deflates a lot of potential tension; whatever the events are we *know* that he will escape, just because it's already been built so deeply into his character. Also, as the title might indicate, we get a more probing look into the inner workings of Hannibal Lecter, with a surprisingly simple explanation of his behavior. We also get a few hints that he is not nearly as controlled or sure of himself as he appears, and that he might be slowly disintegrating, but this is never really followed up. The ending, though not nearly as bad as some have said (and in fact pretty perverse and surreal, a truly Lecter-esque metaphor), doesn't gel with the characters as we've seen them; the Starling we know would never act like this, even after going through therapy. Minor characters, also, get much more print than usual for Harris; this slows the story down considerably at times and makes the entire point a bit fuzzy (it's easy to see why Stephen King loved this so much; he's been doing that for years). Altogether, the inconsistent tone and pace and wildly varying plotline make for an unsatisfying sequel that plays out with a surprising lack of tension. It is undeniably well-written, and has some good moments, but too much of that air of contrivance where you can feel the writer writing as you read it.
Rating: 
Summary: This novel is not what you are expecting...it is better.
Review: Let's just start by saying that I hate suspense-thriller novels. They are tripe. I have been reading the reviews on Amazon, and I have to say I am saddened. DO NOT take the reviews of these gore-o-philes seriously. "Hannibal" is a case study of Hannibal Lecter's psyche mixed with one of Lt. Starling, with a little old fashioned detective story. If you are looking for crap, read something else. This book has a lot of history, research, and fascinating, if somewhat self-indulgent, descriptions of Florence. Mr. Harris is to be commended for writing such an insightful book.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: After waiting nearly ten years for Harris to put out another book, I read this one with high hopes. I was disappointed. Although Harris explores some interesting concepts, I didn't feel driven by the characters. The plot was weak to say the least, and the ending was contrived, silly, and untrue to both the character of Lector and Clarisse. I do hope Harris writes another book, his use of imagery is stunning! But I do NOT want to see another Hannibal or Clarisse story. And I hope the movie falls through, too.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Awful (not because of the gore and violence)
Review: First of all, let me say that if it were possible, I would have given this book no stars. Maybe I was influenced by the Silence of the Lambs movie,but I just can't believe that the characters in this book would do the things they did. I can understand Starling having some sympathy for Dr. Lecter, however, what she did at the end of the book was absolutely out of character for her in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...truly exceptional quality
Review: Most of the reviews on here critisize HANNIBAL, but I loved it. Yes, we know people, that HANNIBAL isn't exactly the bad guy, it's Mason Verger, so just stop blabbing that out. Hannibal doens't have to be 'the bad guy'. Speaking of Mason, he was truly grotesque and Mr. Harris writes him with an unique unholy relish. I also liked his sister, Margot. The theme of this novel is revenge, different from the previous two, but alot better. I rarely every give out 5 stars. I didn't give 5 for RED DRAGON, or THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, because HANNIBAL is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
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