Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Out There
Review: While I found the book to be very entertaining overall, I was not satisfied with the ending. It was a bit far fetched for Starling to end up as Lector's companion. The planned torture of Lector was a little lacking in imagination as well. I just didn't find that the book measured up to the complexity of Lector's charactor.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling, horrifying reading, very well crafted
Review: Contrary to some other reviewers' reactions, I think this book is excellent and I enjoyed it very much--although "enjoyed" is an odd word for a book that leaves you with images you wish you could forget. Harris spares us little horror here. Many reviewers have said they were disappointed with the ending, but I thought the ending was very gratifying and made complete sense. This is not Patricia Cornwell, this is Thomas Harris. Readers who prefer surface characterizations and slick, abrupt resolutions should probably look elsewhere. If you were fascinated by Clarice and Hannibal in Silence of the Lambs, you should read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Please save your money
Review: I have waited many years for another novel by Mr. Harris and was surprised to see that Hannibal arrived. I reserved a copy before its release and waited until I had a weekend to devout myself to this book. I had devoured red dragon, silence of the lambs, and thought that this would be just as delicious. Was I wrong! The book is disjointed, poorly edited and disgusting. The intelligence of Hannibal Lecter depicted in Silence of the Lambs and implied in Red Dragon, appears brilliantly in the first half of the novel but then disintegrates like the rest of the novel into trash and very poor character development. I would not be suprised if the first part had been written years before the second part. Agent Starling has changed dramaticaly, not matured but contradicts her established ethical and moral pattern. Mr. Harris owes his fans an apology.

Rating:
Summary: Review of Hannibal
Review: I don't often have a lot of time to read a lot of books. When I first saw the book, I thought the book had too many pages but when I started reading it, I could not put it down. I continually looked forward to seeing what was going to happen next. What I liked about this book is that you did not have to read or see Silence of The Lambs to understand what was going on. The author did a wonderful job of going back over the important points from the first book before continuing with his story. This book used very good description and detail to give the reader the ability to visualize what was going on. It made you feel like you were part of the story, on the outside watching all that happened, afraid for the characters in the story. The description and dialogue that the author used reached out and grabbed you, taking you into the story. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a little mystery and fright. The author throws in a suprise ending that makes you wonder what he will come up with for the third book!

Rating:
Summary: Grisly, but fun to chew on.
Review: I more than liked this sequel to "Silence of the Lambs", although I must admit no one I've talked to rated it with more than two stars. In this book the reader finally got to know Dr. Lecter, and strangely,I liked him very much. He is mad (crazy), yes, but brilliant, funny, and, as we discover, capable of love. Most people can't understand how Clarice Starling could love Hannibal Lecter, but he is, afterall, the man who risked his life to save her. Jodi Foster doesn't want to play Clarice in the movie because Clarice "doesn't stay true to her character." I disagree. Clarice never fit in with the FBI. Maybe Dr. Lecter is the only man as smart as she is.

Rating:
Summary: Major disappointment
Review: I loved "The Red Dragon" and "The Silence of the Lambs" but this third episode was a major disappointment for me. I found I simply couldn't believe Hannibal Lecter living a new life as a Dante scholar in Florence. And the whole sub-plot with the wild pigs is a mess. As for the end, well... a lot of the other reader reviews have said it already. I simply couldn't accept it, especially as the progression to that point doesn't ring true. All in all, a big let-down.

Rating:
Summary: On the slippery slope of the bizarre
Review: It was with great anticipation that I poured through Hannibal when it came out. Quite a page turner, the further exploits of the doctor take precedence over the secondary agent Starling for much of the novel. Mason, while repugnant does not provide a suitable foe for the good doctor. The doctor's culture and genius are given free reign and explored passably within the setting of Italy. Harris obviously was taken w/ the locale. Painted as an almost sympathetic figure, the reader is apparently encouraged to sublimate his brutality towards non-combatants in earlier novels. His insanity is also downplayed as we are given a glimpse into his inner dialogue which to him is perfectly sane and modulated. That was a bit different from the earlier novels and could throw people in that we, as readers, are brought into his world and spheres of understanding. The bizarre is mundane, the insane, sane. Agent Starling eventually re-enters the scene and, perhaps too quickly for some, in the end, is swept up in the whirlwind of Hannibal's delights. I had to digest the ending for a while after finishing the book. However in time it became clearer, that this was the ultimate bizarre ending to the journey started. More meandering and verbose than the earlier novels, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: What a disappointment....after reading The Silence of The Lambs I expected so much more. Hannibal hardly held my interest for longer than 30 minutes at a time. Where is the mystery? These two characters came together so wonderfully in SILENCE and created such an intriguing relationship. One could have only anticipated the same for the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I could not wait to read this book. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it, that is until the end. I know that endings are supposed to surprise you, but come on! This is not the same Clarice that was in Silence of The Lambs. Let's pray for a conclusion to Hannibal so Clarice can become a strong character again!

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly Captivating
Review: Silence of the Lambs was one of the best books I'd ever read, and I was keen to see what lay in store for our leading characters. I personally think Harris took them in the best direction possible. The ending is sheer perfection because we have ended the book by joining with Lecter's mind. This is his fantasy and our reality. Why settle for the boring compromise of Starling blowing him away, becoming vindicated by the FBI and living her life out as a senior weapons expert (like Brigham)? No - this elevates everything and puts these characters on a different - and surreal - plane. Let's face it - we left the confines of Earth as soon as we reached Florence. Things got hazier from then on. At the end - we are ALL under the influence of Lecter's drugs. Our skulls have been removed in situ.