WORTH THE WAIT. . . Harris's writing bears the hallmarks of honed perfection. . . this piece of literature is popular fiction only in the sense that it will sell. And sell. . . LOOK NO FURTHER FOR THE CHILLER OF THE YEAR' Peter Millar, The times 'Insanely readable. . . No thriller writer is better attuned than Thomas Harris to the rhythms of suspense. No horror writer is more adept at making the stomach churn. . . COMPELLING. . . TRULY SHOCKING. . . A BRILLIANT BOOK' Mail on Sunday 'It is a gut-churning, nail-biting, skin-crawling, often lyrical triumph - addictive on every level. . . The plot is a helluva plot. . . The denouement is as exciting as the rest. . . IF THERE'S A BETTER BOOK THIS YEAR, with truth, fantasy and a touch of erudition combined in prose which really does leap off the page, I'LL EAT MY HAT' Francis Fyfield, Express. 'No panting fan. . . could have hope for more. . . HANNIBAL IS A GREAT POPULAR NOVEL AND A PLAUSIBLE CANDIDATE FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE' Guardian (20000121)
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Amazon Review
Hannibal. Dr Hannibal Lecter. "A brief silence follows the name, always, in any civilized gathering," wrote Thomas Harris at the beginning of his stunning The Silence of the Lambs in 1988. You don't want him in your head, you don't want you in his head. Now, a decade later, Lecter is back--ready to take up his place as one of the cult figures of contemporary fiction. Almost a modern myth, in fact, if the scale, and thrill, of the publication of Hannibal is anything to go by. Harris's book is "news": not only "book news" but "real" news, one of the biggest publishing events of the decade in terms of print run (one million copies worldwide), film rights (Hollywood has paid six million dollars for the book: Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore will star) and cultural cachet.
The serial killer--like his counterpart, the psychologist-profiler--is a figure for our times; "In the contemporary mind," as one psychoanalyst, Christopher Bollas, has put it, "the serial killer is the statement of evil". Psychiatrist and killer, Lecter gives a peculiar twist to that evil (and Harris has always been interested in the precarious division between killer and cure). In Red Dragon, published in 1981, Will Graham was one of the first of the fictional profilers thinking and feeling his way into the minds of the killers he pursued. Behind bars, Lecter was a charged, but compelling, presence--an enigma who promised to be a key to psychopathic crime if only someone were genius enough to understand him. Jack Crawford tried, and then Clarice Starling. Now, as if in response to those who wanted to know more, comes Hannibal, a novel which constantly threatens to bring Lecter to life through its (sometimes grisly) pages. "Dr. Hannibal Lecter's fingerprint card is a curiosity and something of a cult object": Harris is the one who knows, who has "been there", and takes his readers into Lecter's world of curious courtesy and exquisite taste, sickening cruelty and loving murder. Both Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs were masterpieces of plot and suspense; though complex and plotted, this is rather more "Hannibal's book": no-one who wants to know, and suffer with, Lecter--his past victims, his past life, his strange feelings for Starling--can miss this brilliant piece of mythmaking. --Vicky Lebeau
Review
'outstanding' (Observer )
'Hannibal Lecter is back at his deadliest best...for sheer heart-stopping suspense he's hard to beat in a deliriously sadistic dance with death which will grip you to its eerie, unexpected climax' (The Big Issue )
'an absolute holiday must. Quite simply this is the best-written thriller to dominate the market in years...in the wit, erudition and sheer style of the eponymous Dr Lecter, we have not only a world-class villain but a literary evocation of the diabolical to compare with Goethe and Gogol. Honestly' (The Times )
'Hannibal Lecter is back at his deadliest best...for sheer heart-stopping suspense he's hard to beat in a deliriously sadistic dance with death which will grip you to its eerie, unexpected climax' (The Big Issue )
'an absolute holiday must. Quite simply this is the best-written thriller to dominate the market in years...in the wit, erudition and sheer style of the eponymous Dr Lecter, we have not only a world-class villain but a literary evocation of the diabolical to compare with Goethe and Gogol. Honestly' (The Times )
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. Warren M. Fisher
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
HANNIBAL is a contentious book with an even more contentious ending. The debate amongst readers and critics continues to this day. Yes this isn't as good as RED DRAGON, but about on a par with THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. The prose here is more reflective than the propulsive preceding books, the chase replaced by mediation. Starling remains a slightly tedious character (why not bring back Will Graham, Mr Harris) although she is more interestingly flawed than she was in SILENCE, and Hannibal himself suffers when granted the centre stage (he was more interesting in small doses). Humanising him is an interesting move by Harris, but it is ultimately self-defeating. Mason Verger though is a deliciously monstrous creation. Harris does continue his exploration of evil, but this is chiefly a love story, albeit a slightly sick love story. Which brings us to the ending. To dismiss (or rewrite as in the poor movie version of the novel) the ending is to misunderstand the whole book.400 odd pages build to this one ending, to dismiss it is to render the whole work redundant.
HANNIBAL is beautifully written, and Harris continues to conjure with some heady ideas, and only suffers in comparison to Harris's earlier work. A flawed, but fascinating addition to the thriller genre.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Ok, ‘Hannibal’ has been hailed the worst of the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, but I am here to disagree. It is just a slightly different genre, and may not appeal to all you pyscho lovers out there! It is nowhere near as thrilling as the first two books (‘Red Dragon’ and ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ for all you Hannibal virgins out there!) however; I think it is the most essential. After reading the first instalments, I wanted to find out more about Dr. Lecter himself, and not just focus on another hero/heroine that saves the American public from an evil serial killer. Don’t get me wrong, ‘Red Dragon’ and ‘Silence’ are quite possibly the best novels of the century, and subsequently great films, but they do not capture my imagination as thoroughly as the third of the series. If you have seen the movie version of ‘Hannibal’, do not be discouraged. Surprisingly I found the film terrible as it did not incorporate the most important aspects of the plot (and changed the ending, which was vital to the storyline).
I absolutely loved how Thomas Harris delved into the character of Hannibal, and gave us a taster of his history. I also love how this scarily intelligent and eloquent doctor actually has the views of a 5-year old (see Mischa and Clarice). After ‘Silence’ I was eager to find out what Hannibal actually felt about Clarice, and it is all answered in this book (I LOVE the ending!). It emphasises the characters more than a murderous plot, as seen in the previous two, which I felt gave more depth to the novel and made it so much more interesting. However, the best part of this book is how Harris encourages and builds a relationship between the reader and Dr. Lecter, and by the end I found myself actually liking the vile serial killer! Then I started thinking, what is so bad about eating people anyway?!
(Disclaimer – I am a vegetarian!!!)
I absolutely loved how Thomas Harris delved into the character of Hannibal, and gave us a taster of his history. I also love how this scarily intelligent and eloquent doctor actually has the views of a 5-year old (see Mischa and Clarice). After ‘Silence’ I was eager to find out what Hannibal actually felt about Clarice, and it is all answered in this book (I LOVE the ending!). It emphasises the characters more than a murderous plot, as seen in the previous two, which I felt gave more depth to the novel and made it so much more interesting. However, the best part of this book is how Harris encourages and builds a relationship between the reader and Dr. Lecter, and by the end I found myself actually liking the vile serial killer! Then I started thinking, what is so bad about eating people anyway?!
(Disclaimer – I am a vegetarian!!!)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio Cassette
A few of my students (I am a teacher) had recommended the book, and I decided to read it before I went to see the film. It took me less than 4 days to read because I could not put it down. The wording, the suspense, the gore, the whole thing is tremendous. Some people complain about the ending, but I think it goes right along with the "evil" plot. I hope the film can portray the book fairly. I can't wait.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Mr Harris, the pigs are waiting.
To all those who think Dan Brown is the nadir of thriller-writers, I would recommend you read this tosh and you will elevate Mr Brown's status to near genius. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Dillon the Villain
3.0 out of 5 stars
good and bad...
Some of this book is well written. Some of it is terrifically scary. But...some of it is very poorly written and far fetched. The plot is great and gripping...up until the end. Read more
Published 12 months ago by C. Higgins
2.0 out of 5 stars
The film was far, far better
I've never ever read any of the books before and I assumed this book would be even better than the excellent Ridley Scott film. How wrong I was- the film was far better. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. M. Kostyrka
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clever writing
I read this book when it was first released and ordered it again to re-read after seening a DVD of the film "based" on the novel. Read more
Published 21 months ago by readerman
4.0 out of 5 stars
IF THE ENDING WAS BETTER,FIVE STARS
Now i get it. After all these years of hearing people say it's a really good book but the end is ridiculous,i thought it's about flippin' time i read it. Read more
Published 21 months ago by BAZ316
3.0 out of 5 stars
Close too a decent movie?
Good book, close too the movie as can be. Usually i find the books are better than the films (etc. The Beach) but being close too the movie is really that bad? Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by J. Davies
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Conclusion
Having read the three other books by Harris (including Hannibal Rising, Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs) I was looking forward to reading this last instalment. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2009 by Miss C. Valcin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Others were better
I read Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs and thought they were fantastic and I couldn't wait to read Hannibal. I have seen the films but the book present so much more. Read more
Published on 21 April 2008 by Mrs. S. Payne
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Superb Study
Thomas Harris's 'Hannibal' is suspense at its finest. Harris is able to capture a 'sense of the sinister' with precision and textual economy, sustaining the mood throughout the... Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2007 by Phil O'Pastry
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dr. Lector's mind
I've never been one for mysteries, but I picked up this one, because I had seen Silence of the Lambs. I loved the character's. Here we see the insight of the Doctor's mind. Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2007 by M. A. Ramos
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