Rating: 
Summary: Good, but unfaithful, rendering of great characters
Review: Yes, the boook is meticulously researched and has Harris' patented dense style of storytelling all through it. Yes, it makes you want to turn page after page in a rush to see what happens next, all the while feeling just a little bit smarter as you make your way through it. Yes, the story moves once you get past the first 50 pages or so, and has some fairly graphic spots. Yes, the gang is all here...but what the heck are they doing! Without revealing anything about the book that would spoil it for anyone out there, let me just say that while these characters looked, sounded and walked like the characters we've all come to know from Harris' books (and the faithful-enough movies "Silence of the Lambs" and "Manhunter"), the ending spoils the whole, wickedly delightful journey for me. Hundreds of pages of powerhouse storytelling culminate in a dissapointing and totally untrue-to-form ending for all involved, and had I not been a fan of the characters anyway, I would have felt it was total money wasted. It is for this very reason - and not so much the gore of it all - that Jodie Foster doesn't want to do the movie as it stands: the character ends up untrue to what we've been led to believe she was capable of all along. I got the sense that Harris felt as if he: a) was tired of the characters anyway b) didn't want to have to go through the pressure of doing ANOTHER book after this one with these characters c) was rushed (even though it took 10 years to see this one come through the gates) d) was tired of the character Hannibal. I recommend it for fans of the characters/movies, since your curiosity won't let you NOT get it, but beware: it's a great investment of time and energy with little payoff in the end.
Rating: 
Summary: the worst book ever
Review: I am not one who reads as many books as others, and I am sad to say that out of all the books out there, I gave this one my time that I will never get back. This is a warning. This book falls very short of anything worthwhile.The plot is thrown together in an attempt to fill the pages. The characters are destroyed from what they have been worked up to from the previous book. With all the reference work done on police procedures, he has forgotten to look back and reference his own work. The book leaves the reader very disappointed as you watch everyone act out of character. You are very aware of the rush to put this one the market and get the movie cracking(which none of the actors or director want any part of). This, if nothing else, should tell you how the book is. Forget the other reviews. When you can't pay people to be in your movie forget the book. All and all, a very thrown together, get paid, rush with the biggest drop of an ending. This book is for anyone who likes to have the characters rewritten in a sloppy way, in a quick rush at unthoughtout story telling. Go repaint the house or go to the dentist, do anything else than read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Is Harris trying to kill off his Sherlock Holmes?
Review: Arthur Conan Doyle was trapped into writing his Sherlock Holmesstories by a voracious populace who wanted more of the detective'sexploits. It became so burdensome that eventually the author killed off his character, much to the dismay of his public. I think that this is what Harris is trying to do here. He's saying, "I may be contractually obligated to write another Lecter novel, but nobody said it had to be a *good* one." He's also saying, "Never again," by writing his characters into such a box that basically they are unusable for any future books. This book is not without merit, but it is so dreadfully below the standard established by the author in his works "Black Sunday", "Red Dragon", and "Silence of the Lambs", I'm almost inclined to believe he had a ghost writer. (Almost, but not quite) The tone is *completely* different from the other two serial killer novels, which can not hope but to fail to please his fans. He must have known this. I refuse to believe that this was anything but an intentional effort to kill off his characters so he wouldn't have to write any more about them. Well, he's succeeded. I sure as heck don't want to see what happens next to Lecter or Starling. The only recourse, should he choose to pursue it, would be an "Exorcist 3". If you recall, after the incredible success of "The Exorcist", they made a *really* awful sequel, "Exocist 2", not written by Blatty. Then later, they made "Exorcist 3" after Blatty's sequel, and pretty much assumed that "Exorcist 2" never happened. Maybe we can pretend that "Hannibal" never happened. My girlfriend felt so cheated when *she* read the book that she said that she had been "Hanniballed". END
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad Read...
Review: If you are a fan of THe Silence of the Lambs, This book is for you. There are a few slow spots and some unessisary rubbish thrown in there, but it is well worth it for the ending. You're either going to love it or hate it, and I loved it
Rating: 
Summary: High Marks for Hannibal
Review: Now this is a piece of work. I did not read "Silence...", so I cannot compare the two works. However, if one's not too sensitive to read some pretty graphic descriptions this is a great read. I found the characterizations to be superb (Mason, Margot, Barney) - and of course the main two - Claire and Hannibal). The author's attention to detail (Florence, as an example) was engaging, and the plot twisted and turned. I will never look at a swine the same way again.The ending was a complete surprise - loved it. Too bad the author isn't as prolific as Mr Grisham. Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: outragest in the wrong way
Review: My honest opinion on this book is that it was too lengthy on the subject of Italy. Middle chapters devoted to this section were wasted and time that should clearly have been spent on Clarice, wasn't. Another disappointment was the ending. I suggest sticking with " The Silence..." as the last book in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: To Be Insane or Not to Be Insane
Review: I have read many other reviews and was under the impression that Hannibal would be a very disappointing ending to Silence of the Lambs. However, it didn't turn out that way. Hannibal is very slow-moving. The book starts out with a bunch of action, but then sort of declines downhill, but as you toward the climax, it becomes very suspenseful. As slow-moving as Hannibal is, you're drawn into the story and you don't really want to stop reading it. In Hannibal, you finally understand where Dr. Lecter is coming from. You learn about what happened to him when he was a child and how he may have gone insane. But really, when you think about it, Hannibal Lecter is not really insane. He was given the title "insane genius," but really he's probably the most sane person on Earth. I personally think he's going along with being insane just so he won't have to face his victims' families in court and face the death penalty. Yes, I do realize he has a thing for eating livers and the sweetbreads from a person, but take note he only ate the sweetbreads from one of his victims' and no others. Hannibal was a very thrilling book that is slow-moving, but is well worth being read.
Rating:
Summary: Worth a read
Review: Having loved "Silence of the Lambs", I anxiously anticipated this book, and I can't say I was entirely disappointed. However, I must say that anyone looking forward to a second "Silence of the Lambs" will be disheartened. This book has a pessimistic outlook, with few happy or hopeful moments. Heros, it seems, do not always meet our expectations, and can fall from grace, perhaps leading us to care less for them. Although I suppose the ending of this book could be construed as happy by some, it's not exactly uplifting, and would certainly be found disturbing by most people. However, anyone who chooses to read this book after reading "Silence of the Lambs" could certainly not be expecting a story of happiness and light. I actually found the content of this book more distressing than the previous two, not so much due to Lecter's activities, but rather those of Mason Verger. In an interesting turn, there arises a monster more heinous than even Dr. Lecter and Jame Gumb, and you find yourself fairly rooting for Lecter to avoid capture and exact punishment on someone even less appealing. I found very interesting the description of the palace of Hannibal Lecter's mind. It reminded me briefly of something I have read elsewhere, explaining how some people with photographic memories manage to retain so much of what they have seen. This book is written with a certain elegance, and Dr. Lecter's character's cultural refinements make for colourful images. It was also nice to see some of Lector's history, which may explain some of his deviant personality traits. The plot of this story definitely creates some unique imagery. Once scene in particular, near the end, left me hoping that a movie will be made based on this book, because I would be curious to see how special effects could be utilized to create a scenario I have certainly never envisioned before. If you are a fan of the horror genre, are not squeamish, and are curious as to what became of Dr. Lecter and Clarice, I recommended reading this book. This book, although shocking and disturbing at times, is definitely not predictable, and won't leave you yearning for a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Thought for Food
Review: Indeed this book has a blazing pace and is hard to put down. I find some of the graphic detail related to the crimes a bit far-fetched, especially the very last crime, but as Harris was a crime reporter, I assume the depiction is real. On the other hand, the research related to things Italian is remarkable in its precision. The most controversial part of this book is its ending. It will certainly give you food for thought (hehe, once you read the ending you will realize that the pun was intended). The more I think about it the more I believe that the ending has a large swab of realism tinged with a bit of Ionesco's theater of the absurd. The combination is refreshing. As for Lector himself, we are reminded of his insanity by his deeds alone, and not by the inner sanctum of the mind that Harris treats us to. Eccentric yes, but not patently insane by the thoughts we are given. Anyone looking for a riveting thriller should put Hannibal on the list of good reads, especially if you are planning a long (trans-oceanic) airplane ride and have burned out on hardly audible in-flight movies.
Rating:
Summary: Put paid to Hannibal and Harris
Review: In the first 100 pages we meet Mason whom Hannibal Lector tricks into slicing off his face with a piece of glass and feeding it bit by bit to starving dogs he's penned up. Then Hannibal breaks his neck and paralizes him. Mason does not die but rather lives in a wing of his house, behind a monacle (he cut out his other eye and the remaining eye must be misted for the dogs got BOTH eyelids) where he tortures orphaned black children into killing their kittens. This is revolting. My lord, I thought that I was immune from shock considering what I did in earlier days but this is too much. Realistic detail be damned; that defense could be used of Dr. Mengele's journals. This is perverse. If you read this, it will spoil your associations with the places where you read it. It ruined a vacation on South Padre Island for me.
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