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Dec 17, 2009

Peggy rated it:

Okay, let me confess up front: I loved Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs. Loved them. I enjoyed the movies, too: the movie version of Silence of the Lambs scared the pee out of me, and even so, I didn’t want it to end. So, long years later when I finally got hold of a copy of Hannibal, I really, really, wanted to love it, too.

But I didn’t.

Well, that’s not entirely true. If I pretend that this wasn’t a sequel about characters I already know, then I can find som More...

1 comment like (13 people liked it)

Sep 03, 2011

Sufferingbruin rated it:

Lord, what an awful book. Awash in mediocrity from first page to last. It has mediocre characters (the same which were so captivating in "Silence of the Lambs"), mediocre dialogue, mediocre scenery, virtually no suspense (but a plethora of pointlessly putrid acts), and a meandering narrative that often lacks consistency of time and place. "Hannibal" does not induce fear or revulsion so much as groans and guffaws. But don't worry: there's a bleeding HIV-postiive woman holding More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Noiresque rated it:

I have a theory about this horrible book.

Both Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs are formidable pieces of pop fiction. They are well-written thrillers with great descriptions and characters. They were both adapted into great movies. They made Thomas Harris a very rich man.

I think Mr. Harris made a bet, maybe with a friend or just to himself. He knew that his next novel would be snapped up for big bucks for the screen rights. He knew he would not get any contr More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Feb 05, 2008

James rated it:

The book starts off wonderfully with Harris's visualization; you can see everything you read. There are complex characters introduced and of course a wicked weave between them. He shows the master insanity of Hannibal with his elaborate set-ups for escape from not only Starling but from a vile creature named Verger who sets out to seek revenge on the good doctor. And you are eating this up the whole time, because it seems that Harris is once again quite the masterful story teller. But then you g More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2011

Andrew rated it:

I've been openly endorsing a lot of cannibalism lately, what with my "Eat the Rich" sign down at the ongoing occupy Philadelphia event up the street. As far as a strategy for revolutionary change and general economic improvement, I'm not sure it will work, but it couldn't possibly be any less effective than supply-side economics, and would be much more fun.

Hannibal Lecter is, arguably, literature's most beloved cannibal. I say "arguably" only because I want to s More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 12, 2008

Rosie rated it:

I was obviously relishing my next installment in the world of Clarice Starling and Dr Hannibal Lecter. The book opens explosively with dramatic happenings, despite Starling's FBI career being a slight anti-climax due to influences from former enemies. Again, I'd seen the film before I read the book and so most of the major plot occurences I was already aware of, but there are more differences between the two Hannibal medias than in the films of Harris' previous two novels. The film had the adva More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2009

Amy rated it:

Hannibal is the third book by Harris centering around serial killers with Dr. Lector somewhere in the action. In Red Dragon, the doctor was very much in the background, as the Dragon (Tooth Fairy) was the main killer, although he did have his memorable scenes. In Silence of the Lambs, of course, Lector met Clarice Starling and through his quid pro quo, managed to escape. Both were excellent thrillers.

With this book, though, Harris attempts to turn Dr. Lector into a sympathetic and at More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 26, 2011

Greg rated it:

The only good part of this book is the part set in Florence. It is actually outstanding. I would recommend everyone read it just for those twenty-four chapters. Chief Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi is a fascinating character. A corrupt cop who will do anything for money. He and Lecter play mind games against one another. And of course, Lecter wins by throwing him off a balcony.

The rest of it is pretty ordinary. Mason Verger is too nasty to be believable, and the part where he traps Lecter a More...

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Dec 06, 2011

Susan rated it:

It's hard to know what Harris was about when he penned this. Perhaps he was trying to avoid a formulaic sequel. I'll never know. But whatever it was he was trying for, it didn't work out.

Some critics accused him of betraying his characters. It's hard to see his reasons for having his characters do blackflips, but they're a whole lot less convincing and less engaging this time around. Barney went from being noble to perfidious, Starling from complex to frankly a little stupid. Where S More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 20, 2011

Kylie rated it:

A very creepy series, great to read over Halloween. The first book, The Red Dragon, I have yet to read because I refuse to. I saw the movie, and I didn't enjoy the plot. You can absolutely read the other three books without ever reading the first. The fourth book, Hannibal Rising, described the life of Hannibal Lector as a child and the horrors he endured. The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal are absolutely fantastic and I wish he had made more of Dr. Hannibal Lector's life known after living i More...

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Sep 03, 2011

Stargirl rated it:

Oh that ending. Sublime.

Gothic horror detective chase story, blends genres with great ease, affirming Harris as a master storyteller- as if we didn't already know. Don't go in expecting another Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs. This is a much bigger, far darker experience. It's all in the title people. Silence was the story of Clarice Starling, so there is a lot of hope and innocence to it. This one, is about the dark side of her character- and of that awful/awesome Doctor Mr Lecter More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 23, 2011

Christine rated it:

After reading Silence of the Lambs and thoroughly enjoying it, I took on board the recommendations for this sequel. The style is very similar to the original, as you would expect, and there’s plenty of action to keep you turning the pages.

As with the previous book, what struck me more than anything was the ability of Harris to turn Hannibal into a sympathetic character. The man kills and eats people, for goodness sake. Yet, most of the way through, you were rooting for him not to be caught. By t More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Saimah rated it:

Hannibal is Thomas Harris' third novel in the Hannibal Lecter series. I absolutely adored Dr. Lecter even in the previous works.
This novel is set up seven years after The Silence of the Lambs when the FBI is still searching for the cannibal psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. I so love him!
Clarice Starling, after the short lived Jame Gumb publicity, has got her career in a ruckus and is trying to get things straight by capturing Hannibal for the FBI.

The villain of this novel, Mason Verger, is one More...

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Jun 23, 2011

Lex rated it:

Let me start out by saying that I loved "The Silence of the Lambs" more than I ever expected to. The characters were engaging and multifaceted, the story was riveting, and the suspense built at a perfect pace. Starling was a rookie and in some ways naive, but she was a powerful female lead, an excellent foil to the charming but nefarious Dr. Lecter.

Now take out everything likable about "Silence of the Lambs" and you have "Hannibal." I don't think words More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 20, 2011

Steve rated it:

*CONTAINS SPOILERS & SWEETBREADS*
After discovering Harris upon seeing the phenomenal movie 'Manhunter' in the '80s I sought out Red Dragon which was a fantastic and gripping cat & mouse rollercoaster ride. It's follow up was of course Silence Of The Lambs, equally engrossing and with a massively popular movie adaptation to boot. It was therefore such a massive disappointment to read Hannibal, a book I'd waited impatiently for for the best part of a decade.
In all honesty I don't think More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 28, 2011

Mimi rated it:

To be completely honest, I think I liked the movie better than the book. Well let me take that back; I loved the ending of the book much more than the movie, but I thought the movie was more seductive.

The relationship between Dr. Lecter and Clarice Starling is one that has always puzzled and confused me. It might sound sadistic and strange but I have always been of the opinion that if I had had the attentions of Dr. Lecter I would be so very happy. Yes, even though he is a murderer an More...

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Dec 23, 2010

Jared rated it:

Again, with Harris, I admire absolutely his attention to details. The man has definitely done his homework on how criminal justice works. His characters are varied and most of them very interesting, or at least certainly well-written. I will also say that the book leaves in quite a few interesting details and very interesting back story for characters that come across as flat and stupid in the movie. Having read the book now, I think it is MUCH better than the movie. Where Harris fails in t More...

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Oct 15, 2010

Venus rated it:

هانیبال دنباله موفقی از رمان سکوت بره هاست که در سال 1997 نوشته شده است داستان تا آنجا ادامه داشت که هانیبال موفق به فرار از دست پلیس می گردد وپلیس جوانی به نام استارلینگ موفق به کشتن بوفالو بیل قاتل زنان درشت اندام می گردد ولی هانیبال آدم خوار می گریزد.
این داستان 7 سال پس از سکوت بره ها اتفاق می افتد زمانی که افسر جوان به مدارج بالاتری دست پیدا کرده است اما در ادامه وی وارد خطر ناکترین و سیاه ترین ایام کاری خود در ارتباط با این آدمخوار مخوف می گردد...
در این قسمت نویسنده هانیب More...

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May 18, 2010

Dava rated it:

103 Chapters

I once had a friend tell me that she hated this book. She revealed the ending to me and my curiosity was peaked. I had already seen the film and was intent on understanding why the end would be so different.

Now I understand. My friend misunderstood the circumstances of the finale of Hannibal . She believed that the character made the choice of her own free will and did not understand the use of the hallucinogenic and hypnotic drugs in that character's immed More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 02, 2009

Daniel rated it:

What the....?

If when I was 400 pages into this read you asked me who I'd rate it, I would have replied that while it is a pretty sellar read it is definetely the weakest of Harris' Hannibal novels. Now that I've finished it I would dare mention that not only is it the weakest book Harris has written, but if there is a worse ending to a written work I haven't read it.

Unlike Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal is written like a supernatural thriller. Red Dragon More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 18, 2009

Charlotte rated it:

Dr. Lecter has not been as careful as he should have been, and is now hunted both by the FBI and a revengeful sadist. Clarice Starling has not been as careful as she should have been, and is now at the mercy of both resentful FBI colleagues and the aforementioned sadist. [Anguished tone:] How ever will they escape?

Why, through some major plot hole, of course! Incoherence plagues the book (characterization is particularly lame, and the ending tragically silly), as do too many verb-les More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 26, 2011

Arun rated it:

Question: Why does Hannibal Lecter command a cult following ? What is different in him from a Ted Bundy or a Charles Manson ? The answer : general awesomeness !! Lecter is one of the most appalling, brilliant,classy, terrifying, ruthless ( and countless other such terms) characters in popular fiction of our time. Thomas Harris in one of those rare interviews called Lecter 'The dark side of our world'.

I will draw comparisons to a stringed instrument here : Silence of the lambs was More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 08, 2008

Judy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2011

Branwen rated it:

I am very conflicted as to how I feel about this book. I almost put it down about halfway through, because I was just so damn bored and disgusted with it. I love Silence of the Lambs, because the intensity of the characters and their encounters is just so amazing. This book (until the last few chapters) seemed to really lack that. But. At the end of the book I really found myself cheering for Hannibal Lector, and when I realized I was doing it I found myself confused. Why would I cheer for a mon More...

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Jul 26, 2010

Diane rated it:

This book is quite possibly what would be considered a disaster. There was never a single moment where I was enthralled enough to keep turning the pages. Of course, that's unfortunate, because it's set in a world where a monster like Hannibal Lecter runs free. The very earth should be shivering beneath his footfalls and it doesn't. Each page should be something of a continued suspension and I had no problems putting the book down to turn to something more important.

I've always enjoyed More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2009

Laura rated it:

I am absolutely heartbroken that I've finished this series! I have overly optimistic hopes that Thomas Harris will surprise everyone with another addition, but I doubt that I'll be that lucky.
I've read a lot of reviews which have said that Hannibal is far worse than any of the other books, and that the ending (different from the film's) is too unrealistic to believe. I have to disagree with them all!
I loved this book, and even though it's been 2 days since I finished it, I've read an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 21, 2011

Tony rated it:

Harris is a talented writer, no doubt. He writes with conviction and his subjects, numerous and varied, are exhaustively researched to a fault. However, what made Silence of the Lambs so good -- the interaction between intriguing characters and griping pace -- is lost in Hannibal.

When I picked this book up, I wanted more of one of my favorite antagonists of all time: Hannibal Lecter. Instead, he got lost in lengthy narrative and characters I just didn't care about. So much of the first More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 06, 2010

Tim rated it:

A rollercoaster of a read, but not in the good sense, the descriptions are gloriously detailed and well crafted and then there is a stuttering pause whilst we do Italian linquistics classes and get bogged down in unnecessary minutiae. Up again and rolling, tense storytelling, horror beyond thinking evil personified only to stagger into more literary glue traps as the page turning once more slows. I lost my place reading this book more often than any I have ever read and couldn't maintain the ent More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 03, 2011

Kristensilvermoore rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 01, 2011

Lindsey rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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