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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
THOMAS HARRIS IS A WRITER NOT A READER..., 1 Jan 2003
In this abridged, audio cassette version of "Hannibal", the author, Thomas Harris, decides to treat the listener by doing the reading himself. This was a decided mistake. Mr. Harris, while no doubt a masterful story teller, is unable to read his own work without making the listener wish that Hannibal Lecter would creep up upon him and put an end to his reading. Mr. Harris should stick to writing, something at which he is quite capable, and leave the reading to those whose talents lie in that direction. This is, without a doubt, one of the worst audio cassette versions of a book that I have ever heard. Mr. Harris has a voice that gives the same effect as one who is raking one's fingernails across a blackboard. The story itself is fairly good, though it is not in league with "Red Dragon" or "The Silence of the Lambs". Here, Hannibal Lecter, having escaped from custody about ten years ago, is living the good life in Europe. Unbeknownst to him, however, he is being hunted down by Mason Verger, a fabulously wealthy, former patient of Dr. Lecter. Verger is also one of Lecter's victims who happened to have survived Lecter's unusual mode of attack. Left horribly disfigured by his former encounter with Lecter, Verger is very determined to hunt him down, and what he has in mind for Lecter will chill the listener. It is Verger who is truly monstrous, as the listener will discover (though with his unskilful reading, Harris gives him a run for his money). FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling remains an integral part of the story. After heading up a drug bust that went bad, she becomes persona non grata with the FBI. Still, when the FBI gets a tip about Lecter's whereabouts, it is she to whom the FBI turns, given the unusual relationship she previously had with Dr. Lecter. This assignment, too, turns bad, as Agent Starling is being set up for a fall by members of her own agency. What ultimately happens to all the players in this story is horrific. This abridged audio cassette version gets three stars for content and one star for the reading by the author. If one is interested in an audio version of the book, it is recommended that one pass on this one and try any one of the other versions in which the author is not the reader.
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