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Hannibal (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "CLARICE STARLING'S MUSTANG boomed up the entrance ramp at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on Massachusetts Avenue, a headquarters rented from the Reverend..." (more)
Key Phrases: scrub room, memory palace, thee lie, Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Starling, Mason Verger (more...)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,767 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Horror lit's head chef Harris serves up another course in his Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter trilogy, and it's a pièce de résistance for those with strong stomachs. In the first book, Red Dragon (filmed as Manhunter), Hannibal diabolically helps the FBI track a fascinating serial killer. (Takes one to know one.) In The Silence of the Lambs, he advises fledgling FBI manhunter Clarice Starling, then makes a bloody, brilliant escape.

Years later, posing as scholarly Dr. Fell, curator of a grand family's palazzo, Hannibal lives the good life in Florence, playing lovely tunes by serial killer/composer Henry VIII and killing hardly anyone himself. Clarice is unluckier: in the novel's action-film-like opening scene, she survives an FBI shootout gone wrong, and her nemesis, Paul Krendler, makes her the fall guy. Clarice is suspended, so, unfortunately, the first cop who stumbles on Hannibal is an Italian named Pazzi, who takes after his ancestors, greedy betrayers depicted in Dante's Inferno.

Pazzi is on the take from a character as scary as Hannibal: Mason Verger. When Verger was a young man busted for raping children, his vast wealth saved him from jail. All he needed was psychotherapy--with Dr. Lecter. Thanks to the treatment, Verger is now on a respirator, paralyzed except for one crablike hand, watching his enormous, brutal moray eel swim figure eights and devour fish. His obsession is to feed Lecter to some other brutal pets.

What happens when the Italian cop gets alone with Hannibal? How does Clarice's reunion with Lecter go from macabre to worse? Suffice it to say that the plot is Harris's weirdest, but it still has his signature mastery of realistic detail. There are flaws: Hannibal's madness gets a motive, which is creepy but lessens his mystery. If you want an exact duplicate of The Silence of the Lambs's Clarice/Hannibal duel, you'll miss what's cool about this book--that Hannibal is actually upstaged at points by other monsters. And if you think it's all unprecedentedly horrible, you're right. But note that the horrors are described with exquisite taste. Harris's secret recipe for success is restraint. --Tim Appelo --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

This narrative roils along a herky-jerky vector but remains always mesmerizing, as Harris's prose and insights, particularly his reveries about Hannibal, boast power and an overripe beauty. If at times the suspense slackens and the story slips into silliness, it becomes clear that this is a post-suspense novel, as much sardonic philosophical jest as grand-guignol thriller. Hannibal, we learnA"we" because Harris seduces reader complicity with third-person-plural narrationAis not as we presumed. The monster's aim is not chaos, but order. Through his devotion to manners and the connoisseur's life, in fact to form itself, he hopesAconsciouslyAto reverse entropy and thus the flow of time, to allow a dead sister to live again. He is not Dionysius but Apollo, and it is the barbarians who oppose him who are to be despised. Hannibal may be mad, but in this brilliant, bizarre, absurd novelAas in the public eyeAhe is also hero; and so, at novel's end, in blackest humor, Harris bestows upon him a hero's rewards, outrageously, mockingly. Agent, Morton Janklow. 1.3 million first printing; film rights to Dino De Laurentis. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
  • Publisher: Dell (May 23, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0440224675
  • ISBN-13: 978-0440224679
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,767 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #729,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Thomas Harris
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First Sentence:
CLARICE STARLING'S MUSTANG boomed up the entrance ramp at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on Massachusetts Avenue, a headquarters rented from the Reverend Sun Myung Moon in the interest of economy. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
scrub room, memory palace, thee lie, torture instruments
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Starling, Mason Verger, Rinaldo Pazzi, Palazzo Capponi, Jack Crawford, Evelda Drumgo, Palazzo Vecchio, Margot Verger, Muskrat Farm, Paul Krendler, Inspector General, Kitty Cat, Donnie Barber, Santa Croce, New York, United States, Clint Pearsall, Miss Starling, Ardelia Mapp, Feliciana Fish Market, Jame Gumb, Ponte Vecchio, Signora Pazzi, National Tattler
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Hannibal
73% buy the item featured on this page:
Hannibal 3.0 out of 5 stars (2,767)
$7.99
The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lector)
13% buy
The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lector) 4.6 out of 5 stars (281)
$11.16
Red Dragon
8% buy
Red Dragon 4.4 out of 5 stars (455)
$9.99
Hannibal Rising
4% buy
Hannibal Rising 2.9 out of 5 stars (372)
$7.99
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87 of 104 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An Elegant Thriller, November 19, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Hannibal (Audio Cassette)
I can't recall a more elegant thriller than "Hannibal"-- in its careful, restrained use of language, its well-drawn characters, and especially in its commanding use of painstaking research. The book is replete with interesting facts about medicine, history, forensics, zoology, animal husbandry, medieval literature, art, cooking, the city of Florence, the Italian language, classical music, and wine-- all presented with Thomas' sure, confident touch.

This is not a conventional sequel, and many fans of "The Silence of the Lambs" will surely be horrified by this book's extremely shocking conclusion. Those in particular who regarded Clarice Starling as a feminist icon (including, perhaps, Jody Foster) may feel betrayed. However, I think Harris should be commended for his courage. The easiest (and most profitable) thing for him to do would have been to give us a "Silence of the Lambs" rehash, tailor-made for another blockbuster film adaptation.

Most of the plot concerns Mason Verger, a meat-packing tycoon and an early victim of Hannibal Lecter. A child molester whose victims include his own sister, Verger is as diabolical in his way as the doctor himself. Paralyzed and disfigured by his brush with Lecter, he is planning an elaborate and ghastly revenge-- which Harris describes with a morbid lyricism worthy of Edgar Allen Poe. The conflict here is between two monsters: one attractive (Lecter), one unattractive (Verger). Harris subtly encourages us to root for Lecter, giving "Hannibal" a moral landscape far more ambiguous, more disturbing, and more ironic than most thrillers.

Although I'm saving my pennies for the hardcover version, the 6-hour audio abridgement that I was lucky enough to find at my local library features a nicely understated reading by Thomas Harris himself-- speaking in a craggy, Mississippi-inflected voice that made me think of Mark Twain.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Fitting End To The Lecter Trilogy, February 14, 2001
Being one of Thomas Harris' most dedicated fans, I purchased this novel upon the day of its release and eagerly gobbled up every sinewy morsel. After finishing, completely in awe of Harris' work (as always), I was astonished that so many had been disappointed, even appalled, by this offering. Speaking as one who has gone as far as to seek out and purchase first editions of all four Harris novels, I can say this..."Hannibal" was NOT as good as "The Silence of the Lambs"...this much is true. Then again, "The Silence of the Lambs" wasn't as good as "Red Dragon" was. But "The Silence of the Lambs" was still a fine novel and a fitting sequel to "Red Dragon"...just as "Hannibal" is a fitting final entry in the series. What Harris has given us here is almost a parody, a caricature of Lecter as he appeared in the first two novels...and why not? Now that Lecter is free, is it not plausible that he would be behaving quite differently than he did while confined? As for one reviewer's note that Lecter has been transformed into a "psychopath-wizard-pharmacist-scholar-surgeon"...well, apart from being a wizard, Hannibal has always been skilled in anatomy (see the previous books for further elaboration on this point) and his training as a psychiatrist would certainly explain his knowledge of pharmaceuticals...and who can deny that the good doctor has ALWAYS been a scholar? So, why is it that the same readers who believed Lecter capable of accurately depicting the Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo (as seen from the Belvedere, mind you) solely from memory find his actions and capabilities in this novel so far-fetched? Lecter's intelligence, let us remember, has never been successfully measured by any standardized testing. As for Starling's actions in the book's closing chapters, she WAS under the influence of heavy drugs when she first bonded, shall we say, with Lecter...and, after learning the reasoning behind Lecter's cannibalism, she felt a certain kinship with him, and even an empathy for this man who was initially described to her as a monster. And what this novel does so brilliantly is to bring to light the root source of Lecter's psychosis...something which had always been the subject of fierce doubt. After all, people don't become serial killers (much less CANNIBALISTIC serial killers) without reason. And the childhood trauma experienced by Lecter as a child in WWII Europe certainly explains well enough why the doctor has such a taste for human flesh. And let's not forget that Thomas Harris didn't HAVE to write this novel. He was at the peak of his popularity with "The Silence of the Lambs" after the film version prompted many to pick up the novel at their local bookstores...he had written three #1 best-selling novels, all of which were adapted for the screen, and he was living the good life in Italy, feeling no financial or career-oriented pressure. He never had to write another word as long as he lived. He had earned his living, and he'd certainly made his mark. This novel was a GIFT from Mr. Harris to us, his loyal fans worldwide. It's a gift which I, personally, had been waiting YEARS for...and I loved every word of it...
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Good storytelling, bad story, January 14, 2003
This review is from: Hannibal: A Novel (Hardcover)
Thomas Harris lured me into this book with his reputation ("Silence of the Lambs") and kept me there, albeit reluctantly, with his skills as a writer. Unfortunately, in the case of "Hannibal," the plot leaves a lot to be desired. The whole thing was so bizarre that I had to finish it just to see how it turned out, but did I like what I was reading? Not so much. I'm referring specifically to the ending, which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. I can't accept that the Clarice Starling readers have come to know, admire, and even love, would ever run off with Lecter.

As far as the other characters are concerned, the new ones are so far over the top as to be completely unrealistic (Mason and Margot), and most of those we remember from "Silence" behave in ways that are just too outrageous to be credible. I finished this book and just sat with my mouth open, unable to believe what I had just read. "Sex is a splendid structure they add to every day," is not a sentence I ever wanted to read about Starling and Lecter. It's just...wrong. Granted, these are Harris' characters and he can do with them what he likes, but I think he dropped the ball on this one.

My last complaint: Harris' clumsy attempts to explain the origin of Hannibal's evil. He should have left well enough alone. To me, it is much scarier *not* to know why Hannibal Lecter is the way he is; it leaves open the possibility that it anyone could become such a monster. I imagine people had their own theories, and when something like that is left to the reader's imagination, it can assume many shapes. When Harris gives us Lecter's backstory, as unusual as it may be, he forever closes the door on our possibilities, and thereby reduces Lecter as a villain, although he does perhaps become somewhat more sympathetic a character. I don't think we needed to know *why* Lecter is evil; it is enough to simply know that he is.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling story
I am reading Hannibal for the second time and find it just as thrilling as my first encounter with Hannibal Lecter. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sabrina Ernst

2.0 out of 5 stars Not well done
Overall, this book was rather disappointing. The story has a very disjointed kind of feel to it. I suspect that the author wrote the middle section first and then tried to build... Read more
Published 1 month ago by N. Perz

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly written
I am a new reader of Thomas Harris. I had seen the movie adaptation of 'The Silence of the Lambs' when it first came out, but had never read any of the books. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. L. Cravens

5.0 out of 5 stars Good condition.
When I received this book in the mail, it was packaged neatly and carefully. I really appreciate the way it was handled. It looked almost like new. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alexander Smith

4.0 out of 5 stars The Entire Story
The movie was pretty good but there were some inconsistencies. The book has the details and creates a better 'visual' than the movie.
Published 6 months ago by MGH

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick Review
The sequel to "The Silence of the Lambs", set seven years later.

After a drug-raid gone bad, and with some help from a corrupt agent, once rising-star Clarice... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Rick

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Tour de Force
"Hannibal," is superb, carrying the characterizations of Lector and Starling to their logical, though shocking, conclusion. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Barton K. Hawkins

5.0 out of 5 stars In my top Ten Favorite Books List
There is something so sinister and unfamiliar to most people with Hannibal Lector - you love him or you hate and fear him. I don't see any gray area there. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Dogs&Horses

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the movie. . .
This book is everything I expected and more. Without giving away details, I'll just say that the ending was stunning. This book was intense, shocking and brutal. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Clark

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting story; not for the squeamish
It's been seven years since Special Agent Clarice Starling visited Hannibal Lecter in the asylum in Silence of the Lambs. Read more
Published on February 3, 2008 by Kona

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