Rating: 
Summary: swill
Review: It took seven years for Harris to follow up Red Dragon with Silence of the Lambs but that was well worth the wait. Now we've had to wait ELEVEN years for Harris to come up with the worst piece of literary tripe I have ever read! What the (heck) was he thinking? How many half-assed books have Stephen King or Dean Koontz released in eleven years? At least with those guys you know you are going to be reading crap. Harris screwed us over....I had been anticipating this book release more than any other. And even if it had not been as good as SOTL, that's understandable. But this....the literary equivalent of going from the penthouse to the outhouse, is an absolute travesty. DON'T BUY THIS BOOK! Unless you want to spend the rest of your life(yes, it seems that long) reading about Italian history and some freak pedophile....oh but wait I thought the book was supposed to be about Hannibal Lecter, huh? Well, hopefully, by the time Thomas Harris decides to write another book, I will be stone dead and buried with my Deaver books.
Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling, Cinematic, but perhaps a touch Forgettable
Review: As soon as I heard that Hannibal was released I rushed to the bookshop in a cliched manner. I couldn't put the book down for the two days that I spent reading it, and when I did, I was breathless. However..... The scenes are atmospheric, and gripping, but I get the feeling that Harris is playing too much on the success of the Silence of the Lambs film. In hindsight, Harris seems to be too over-concerned with portraying Hannibal as a nice chappie with a small "canibalistic" problem. I guarantee that the film will be a stunner though...
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Is it really that bad?
Review: Thomas Harris has done the most amazing thing. He has writtenthe best suspense novel of the 20th Century (Silence of the Lambs) andthe worst (Hannibal). Silence of the Lambs will never be forgotten. Hannibal already has been.
Rating:
Summary: If Books Could Kill...
Review: ...this would easily do the job. English not being my native language, I have to point out the beautifully composed English in which Harris writes. It also helped me deal with the gory details which were depicted tastefully though. Harris really has an psychological eye which reflects in his characters. It was captivating to learn more about Starling and Lecter. Most suspense novels concentrate more on the gore and less on the characters but that never was Harris' besetting sin. Puzzling though was 'the explanation' Lecter's insanity got but acceptable still. I won't even go to the finalé which was more surprising I could imagine, disturbing even. As a distiction to his three previous Hannibal-books, this lacked some sense of reality. 'Dragon' and 'Lambs' were both blood-dripping and gory but still quite 'real'. Hannibal FELT like fiction. These kind of characters just don't exist. Still, the book is enjoyable and great suspense. While reading this, I had to check every closet and peer vigilantly at all entrances. Horror has no need for reality, nor does the sub-conscious mind and it's just where this book sets its goal -and makes a hit.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: Another brilliant book by the master of suspense Thomas Harris. It is rendered in exquisite detail,and memorable for it's frightening,unflinching presentation of evil. The gore and disembowling only adds to it's peculiar charm.And Clarice Starling,cool,confident,sure-footed is back,forced to re-evaluate herself when a drug bust goes bad!Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down, but Didn't Stay With Me
Review: I admit, as soon as my friend finished this book, I snatched it up and began reading. And finished it pretty much the same day. And yes, bits and pieces of it are memorable, particularly the climax (which will probably be the world's worst kept secret by the time the movie comes out)--I certainly haven't forgotten that. But the slow build and creepy moods and masterful characterizations of RED DRAGON and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS are nowhere to be found here. I've heard that Harris had this manuscript published as he submitted it, with no editorial changes--it shows, and not in a good way. The writing is self-indulgent and over the top and turns Hannibal Lecter into a caricature of himself.
Rating:
Summary: Hannibal the "Hero"?
Review: Who would have thought you would be rooting for Hannibal? That's about what says it all. How Hannibal is honorable cannibal who is just mis-understood. I would have never thought he would be turned into the "hero" but that is exactly what has happened here. And one of his victims is the real villian? Starling traveling the world with him as his "love interest"? Come on! It's a total departure from the original story line and not very believeable at that. The book isn't a total waste of time - I had to read it to see where all of it was going. But if you're looking for something will scare you, forget it.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: Few books have inspired as much conversation and thought as this one did for me. If you can move beyond Harris' hyperbole of cannibalism into a more theoretical space involving consumption, preservation, and waste, you'll love this book. Otherwise, you'll probably still like it, but just be grossed out by it. In either case, it's well worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing...
Review: Have you ever had the feeling, while reading a book, that the author has run out of good ideas and is simply writing for the sake of writing? Have you ever known an author to add shocking things, regardless of how rediculous they may sound, just for the sake of shocking? Have you ever known an author to use names, from some of his past books, on completely different characters that have nothing to do with the characters used in those previous books? Have you ever known an imposter to get a book published under a well know author's name? I was very disappointed with this book. Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs were excellent, which is why I just can't figure out what happend with Hannibal. I figure that at least one of the above questions is the appropriate one to ask. I finished this book, which is why it got 2 stars, since I reserve 1 star for books I can't even finish. It was close though, being that looking back upon my decision, and the fact that the book just got worse as I continued, I probably should not have finished this book. At least if I would have put the book down prior to the approximate page of 100, I would not have gotten the distorted image of previously used, brilliantly contrived characters. And, my only negative memory of the book would have been that it was unrealistic. At least my image of Starling and Hannibal would have been preserved at what I previously thought...brilliant. Unfortunately, it's too late for that...I read on.
Rating:
Summary: Ambivalence
Review: After reading the reviews of readers who disliked this novel, I can understand why they didn't like it. If you want to read a novel with clear-cut heroes and villians, this book is not for you. If you like the classic happy ending, read elsewhere. Harris' main characters in this novel, with the possible exception of Mason, are more real than many fictitious characters. They are not all good or all bad- they can experience ambivalence and in order to enjoy this novel, the reader must be able to tolerate that. I struggled with my feelings of empathy for Hannibal throughout this novel. I was shocked to find myself actually rooting for him, and I was disdained that I was acutally pleased with ending. I like that Harris has created a portrait of reality in that nothing is ever Black and White. Besides that, I found this book to be a great read.
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