Rating: 
Summary: A Slight Disappointment
Review: While very excited about reading the next in the saga of Hannibal Lecter, I was somewhat skeptical of how good the book could truly be, knowing how poor sequels can sometimes be. I was wrong. This book was excellent. It takes you deep inside the mind of Dr. Lecter, at one point it had me looking over my shoulder in fright. The only disappointment is the ending. It leaves readers somewhat confused, asking themselves why. Otherwise it is a pleasure to read!
Rating: 
Summary: It's NOT Red Dragon
Review: I originally stumbled across Red Dragon in 1982 when I moved to St. Charles, MO about 1 mile from Highway 94 as described in Harris's original novel with Lector. The book was mesmerizing. Silence of the Lambs, though not as taut, still provided a good read. Hannibal was a fast but less than satisfying read. The characters were shallow, the story not believable, and the ending .... give me a break.
Rating:
Summary: Too Over the Top for Me
Review: When I heard that Thomas Harris had written a sequel to Silence of the Lambs I was truly anxious to pick up the book. Now I'm sorry I did. I have always been a fan of thriller mysteries, and had read Mr. Harris' last two books. To me, his latest was an exercize in total gratuitous violence, graphic beyond any extent of the imagination. Honestly, the only reason I finished the book, was to find out the fate of Clarice Starling and the titled character. The story started out well enough, catching up the reader on Clarice Starling's career in the FBI. Then we are introduced to Mason Verger, a victim of Dr. Lector's who survived the horrible experience of being eaten alive by dogs that he himself had starved and that Lector had conveniently released to feed on their master. You not only learn of the perverse history of this horrible man (or what's left of him) but of his gruesome plans to capture Dr. Lector and feed hime alive to a specially bred (for this purpose) herd of wild pigs. When I reached this point in the book, all I could think about was how someone could have actually come up with these horrible descriptions and actually included them in the plot. Not only did Mr. Harris describe in detail what the pigs were being trained to do, but insisted that the kidnappers listen to tapes of victims past who had succumbed to similar fates. The final pages of the story were a feeble effort to bring Clarice and Hannibal into a liaison that no Lector fans would find the least bit plausible. A redeeming aspect of the book, if I had to pick one, is that Harris did develop a history for Hannibal that might explain his cannibalistic tendencies and an interesting effort in the end to woo the reader over to accepting Dr. Lector's evil ways. This read could only be intended for those with stomachs of steel who don't mind being exposed to the truly evil criminal mind. Can you say Ewwh?
Rating: 
Summary: untrue to character
Review: I had anticipated a great escape, wonderful story, great character development. I was sorely disappointed. Although the author writes an intriguing story with bizarre and surprising twists, I can't believe that Starling could turn 180 degrees changing from a young woman of high ideals and integrity to an unprincipled person who would form a relationship with a monster. I was appalled.
Rating:
Summary: Was this a satire?
Review: This book was so implausible it wasn't even witty. Auto-cannibalism, man-eating pigs...and the "Nazis ate my sister" bit just wasn't enough to turn Hannibal into a romantic hero. And that ending! Did Starling sustain massive head trauma at some point? I did not find it believable that Clarice, our scion of law and order, would ever run away with a mass murderer. But God forbid that a strong woman not be knocked down into her place. Still, couldn't Harris have contented himself with trivializing her character by refering to her looks every time she was mentioned? This book left me with the feeling that Tom Harris toyed with his readers as skillfully as Lecter ever did.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I have to admit I used the audio tapes for this book and believe strongly had I chose to read the novel I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. Much of the Italian language would have frustrated me. But the reader for this book did such a wonderful job, I found myself completely wrapped up in Hannabal and Starling's world. With that said. I think this was the best book I read/listened to this year.
Rating:
Summary: if you're a fan, you won't like where it goes
Review: Having read "Silence of the Lambs" I was eager to see the movie, and was not disappointed. Consequently I read "Hannibal" with images of Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in my mind. Mr Lechter is explored and his skills are clearly demonstrated. I diud not feel the same for Agent Starling, who seemed to lose her self-worth and my interest. Mr Harris seems to have lost interest in the characters that made him rich.
Rating:
Summary: Biggest disappointment of the year
Review: I've waited ten years for the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs; ten very patient years because I believed the longer the wait, the bigger the payoff. Wrong. If Thomas Harris spent the last ten years meticulously writing this latest installment, I'll eat my liver. Now hang on, I don't mean to say this is a bad novel, in fact it will make a tremendous movie. That's the problem...it read like a screenplay. The characters I grew to know in the last novel just didn't seem real enough and I didn't really feel anything about anyone. The writing seemed rushed, and as a whole rested on the laurels of Silence of the Lambs, of which there were many references. On the other hand, the story is pretty darn good. So this is a mixed review...great story, disappointing writing. To be frank, I first smelled trouble when the highest accolades came from Stephen King, whose endorsements I take with a truckload of salt. I recommend you read it, just don't set your hopes as high as I did and you'll enjoy a good story. And be sure you have an Italian-English dictionary on hand for those annoying non-translated passages.
Rating:
Summary: The movie will have to be better
Review: There isn't much I can add to the comments that have been made in the other reviews. I enjoyed the first part of this book - though not as much as Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon - but like both of those titles, Harris seems to have had a problem with the ending. Here, unfortunately, he seems to be writing the ending to a different book than the one the reader had been involved in. Where this strange and unsatisfying ending came from is a mystery. Nothing really prepares us for it. Neither Starling nor Lecter act as we have come to expect them to. I am not against being surprised, but with no lead in or justification for what happens it is shocking and my response was to literally throw the book across the room.Make no mistake, when the film is made of this book it will be a different story. No one in Holywood wants to spend millions of dollars just to tick the audience off at the end. Maybe this is Harris's way of putting an end to this series. I can't imagine may who would want another dose after this one.
Rating:
Summary: Perspective
Review: Alright, so Hannibal is not the best of Thomas Harris. But lets face it, the least of Thomas Harris is better than the best of a whole bunch of others. Cases in point - Tom Clancy and John Grisham whose most recent efforts have produced the next thing to projectile vomiting. Toss in that utter drivel entitled "I Know This Much is True" that the dilettantes love so well, and the not-the-best of Harris comes across like a nightingale in flock of crows. As to those who denounce the denouement - get a life. The seeds of mutual respect between Clarice and Hannibal were sown in Silence of the Lambs. She has been pilloried by the organization she served so faithfully, and can anyone deny that many women fall in love with their physicians? More power to you, ex-Agent Starling. May you live happily ever after!
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