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Hannibal Rising Hardcover – Deckle Edge, December 5, 2006

by Thomas Harris (Author)

4.4 3,297 ratings

Book 4 of 4: Hannibal Lecter

See all formats and editions

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HE IS ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING CHARACTERS
IN ALL OF LITERATURE.

AT LAST THE EVOLUTION OF HIS EVIL
IS REVEALED.

Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck.

He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him.

Hannibal’s uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle’s beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki.

Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France.

But Hannibal’s demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn.

He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death’s prodigy.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Discover the origins of one of the most feared villains of all time in Thomas Harris's Hannibal Rising, a novel that promises to reveal the "evolution of Hannibal Lecter's evil." Thomas Harris first introduced readers to Hannibal Lecter in Red Dragon, a tale wrapped around FBI agent Will Graham (the man who hunted Lecter down) and his ability to "get inside the mind of the killer." Graham consults Dr. Lecter (the man who nearly killed him) on the case, and the legend of the nefarious Dr. Lecter was born. Harris's masterful and mesmerizing follow up, The Silence of the Lambs wowed fans, but it was Jonathan Demme's terrifying, Oscar-winning (Best Actor, Actress, Director, Picture and Adapted Screenplay) film, and Anthony Hopkins's extraordinary (and arguably over the top) performance that made "Hannibal the Cannibal" a household name. Hannibal, the third book in the Lecter saga made Lecter the prey and seemingly wrapped up the tale of the cannibalistic psychiatrist, but never revealed the source of the doctor's...gifts. Fans have been waiting decades to find out how the good doctor became "death's prodigy," making Hannibal Rising one of the most anticipated books of 2006 (and movies of 2007). --Daphne Durham

Hannibal Rising: An Excerpt

Prologue

The door to Dr. Hannibal Lecter's memory palace is in the darkness at the center of his mind and it has a latch that can be found by touch alone. This curious portal opens on immense and well-lit spaces, early baroque, and corridors and chambers rivaling in number those of the Topkapi Museum.

Everywhere there are exhibits, well-spaced and lighted, each keyed to memories that lead to other memories in geometric progression.

Spaces devoted to Hannibal Lecter's earliest years differ from the other archives in being incomplete. Some are static scenes, fragmentary, like painted Attic shards held together by blank plaster. Other rooms hold sound and motion, great snakes wrestling and heaving in the dark and lit in flashes. Pleas and screaming fill some places on the grounds where Hannibal himself cannot go. But the corridors do not echo screaming, and there is music if you like.

The palace is a construction begun early in Hannibal's student life. In his years of confinement he improved and enlarged his palace, and its riches sustained him for long periods while warders denied him his books.

Here in the hot darkness of his mind, let us feel together for the latch. Finding it, let us elect for music in the corridors and, looking neither left nor right, go to the Hall of the Beginning where the displays are most fragmentary.

We will add to them what we have learned elsewhere, in war records and police records, from interviews and forensics and the mute postures of the dead. Robert Lecter's letters, recently unearthed, may help us establish the vital statistics of Hannibal, who altered dates freely to confound the authorities and his chroniclers. By our efforts we may watch as the beast within turns from the teat and, working upwind, enters the world.

Chapter 6

Lothar heard it first as he drew water, the roar of an engine in low gear and cracking of branches. He left the bucket on the well and in his haste he came into the lodge without wiping his feet.

A Soviet tank, a T-34 in winter camouflage of snow and straw, crashed up the horse trail and into the clearing. Painted on the turret in Russian were AVENGE OUR SOVIET GIRLS and WIPE OUT THE FASCIST VERMIN. Two soldiers in white rode on the back over the radiators. The turret swiveled to point the tank's cannon at the house. A hatch opened and a gunner in hooded winter white stood behind a machine gun. The tank commander stood in the other hatch with a megaphone. He repeated his message in Russian and in German, barking over the diesel clatter of the tank engine.

"We want water, we will not harm you or take your food unless a shot comes from the house. If we are fired on, every one of you will die. Now come outside. Gunner, lock and load. If you do not see faces by the count of ten, fire." A loud clack as the machine gun's bolt went back.

Count Lecter stepped outside, standing straight in the sunshine, his hands visible. "Take the water. We are no harm to you."

The tank commander put his megaphone aside. "Everyone outside where I can see you."

The count and the tank commander looked at each other for a long moment. The tank commander showed his palms.

The count showed his palms. The count turned to the house. "Come."

When the commander saw the family he said, "The children can stay inside where it's warm."

And to his gunner and crew, "Cover them. Watch the upstairs windows. Start the pump. You can smoke."

The machine gunner pushed up his goggles and lit a cigarette. He was no more than a boy, the skin of his face paler around his eyes. He saw Mischa peeping around the door facing and smiled at her.

Among the fuel and water drums lashed to the tank was a small petrol-powered pump with a rope starter.

The tank driver snaked a hose with a screen filter down the well and after many pulls on the rope the pump clattered, squealed, and primed itself.

The noise covered the scream of the Stuka dive bomber until it was almost on them, the tank's gunner swiveling his muzzle around, cranking hard to elevate his gun, firing as the airplane's winking cannon stitched the ground. Rounds screamed off the tank, the gunner hit, still firing with his remaining arm.

The Stuka's windscreen starred with fractures, the pilot's goggles filled with blood and the dive bomber, still carrying one of its eggs, hit treetops, plowed into the garden and its fuel exploded, cannon under the wings still firing after the impact. Hannibal, on the floor of the lodge, Mischa partly under him, saw his mother lying in the yard, bloody and her dress on fire.

"Stay here!" to Mischa and he ran to his mother, ammunition in the airplane cooking off now, slow and then faster, casings flying backward striking the snow, flames licking around the remaining bomb beneath the wing. The pilot sat in the cockpit, dead, his face burned to a death's head in flaming scarf and helmet, his gunner dead behind him.

Lothar alone survived in the yard and he raised a bloody arm to the boy. Then Mischa ran to her mother, out into the yard and Lothar tried to reach her and pull her down as she passed, but a cannon round from the flaming plane slammed through him, blood spattering the baby and Mischa raised her arms and screamed into the sky. Hannibal heaped snow onto the fire in his mother's clothes, stood up and ran to Mischa amid the random shots and carried her into the lodge, into the cellar. The shots outside slowed and stopped as bullets melted in the breeches of the cannon. The sky darkened and snow came again, hissing on the hot metal.

Darkness, and snow again. Hannibal among the corpses, how much later he did not know, snow drifting down to dust his mother's eyelashes and her hair. She was the only corpse not blackened and crisped. Hannibal tugged at her, but her body was frozen to the ground. He pressed his face against her. Her bosom was frozen hard, her heart silent. He put a napkin over her face and piled snow on her. Dark shapes moved at the edge of the woods. His torch reflected on wolves' eyes. He shouted at them and waved a shovel. Mischa was determined to come out to her motherhe had to choose. He took Mischa back inside and left the dead to the dark.

Mr. Jakov's book was undamaged beside his blackened hand until a wolf ate the leather cover and amid the scattered pages of Huyghens' Treatise on Light licked Mr. Jakov's brains off the snow. Hannibal and Mischa heard snuffling and growling outside. Hannibal built up the fire. To cover the noise he tried to get Mischa to sing; he sang to her. She clutched his coat in her fists.

"Ein Mannlein . . ."

Snowflakes on the windows. In the corner of a pane, a dark circle appeared, made by the tip of a glove. In the dark circle a pale blue eye.

Excerpted from HANNIBAL RISING by Thomas Harris Copyright © 2006 byThomas Harris.
The Hannibal Lecter Books
Red Dragon
The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal

The Hannibal Lecter DVDs
Manhunter
Red Dragon
The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal

From Publishers Weekly

Twenty-five years after Hannibal Lecter, a cross between Professor Moriarty and Jack the Ripper, first invaded the imaginations of countless readers worldwide in Red Dragon, bestseller Harris has crafted an unmemorable prequel that's intended to explain the origins of Lecter's evil. Fans of Harris's previous Lecter novel, Hannibal (1999), already know the major trauma that transformed the young Lecter-the murder of his beloved younger sister, Mischa, during WWII-which the author describes in more grisly detail. Lecter also has an unusual love interest, his uncle's Japanese wife, Lady Murasaki, but the bulk of the narrative focuses on Lecter's quest for revenge on those he holds responsible for Mischa's death. Unfortunately, the prose and plotting lack the suspenseful power of Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs, and will leave many feeling that with such a masterful monster as Lecter, less is more.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“There are images of morbid beauty here.... Harris' handling of the wartime violence is also impressive, as swift and vicious as the blitzkrieg itself.”—Los Angeles Times
“Gripping detail.... [Harris] moves the story along at an impressively fast clip.”—Boston Globe

About the Author

Thomas Harris began his writing career covering crime in the United States and Mexico, and was a reporter and editor for the Associated Press in New York City. His first novel, Black Sunday, was published in 1975, followed byRed Dragon in 1981, The Silence of the Lambs in 1988, and Hannibal in 1999.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue

The door to Dr. Hannibal Lecter's memory palace is in the darkness at the center of his mind and it has a latch that can be found by touch alone. This curious portal opens on immense and well-lit spaces, early baroque, and corridors and chambers rivaling in number those of the Topkapi Museum.

Everywhere there are exhibits, well-spaced and lighted, each keyed to memories that lead to other memories in geometric progression.

Spaces devoted to Hannibal Lecter’s earliest years differ from the other archives in being incomplete. Some are static scenes, fragmentary, like painted Attic shards held together by blank plaster. Other rooms hold sound and motion, great snakes wrestling and heaving in the dark and lit in flashes. Pleas and screaming fill some places on the grounds where Hannibal himself cannot go. But the corridors do not echo screaming, and there is music if you like.

The palace is a construction begun early in Hannibal’s student life. In his years of confinement he improved and enlarged his palace, and its riches sustained him for long periods while warders denied him his books.

Here in the hot darkness of his mind, let us feel together for the latch. Finding it, let us elect for music in the corridors and, looking neither left nor right, go to the Hall of the Beginning where the displays are most fragmentary.

We will add to them what we have learned elsewhere, in war records and police records, from interviews and forensics and the mute postures of the dead. Robert Lecter’s letters, recently unearthed, may help us establish the vital statistics of Hannibal, who altered dates freely to confound the authorities and his chroniclers. By our efforts we may watch as the beast within turns from the teat and, working upwind, enters the world.

Chapter 6

"Do you know what today is?" Hannibal asked over his breakfast gruel at the lodge. "It's the day the sun reaches Uncle Elgar's window."

"What time will it appear?" Mr. Jakov asked, as though he didn't know.

"It will peep around the tower at ten-thirty," Hannibal said.

"That was in 1941," Mr. Jakov said. "Do you mean to say the moment of arrival will be the same?"

"Yes."

"But the year is more than 365 days long."

"But, Mr. Jakov, this is the year after leap year. So wasl941, the last time we watched."

"Then does the calendar adjust perfectly, or do we live by gross corrections?"

A thorn popped in the fire.

"I think those are separate questions," Hannibal said.

Mr. Jakov was pleased, but his response was just another question: "Will the year 2000 be a leap year?"

"No—yes, yes, it will be a leap year."

"But it is divisible by one hundred," Mr. Jakov said.

"It's also divisible by four hundred," Hannibal said.

"Exactly so," Mr. Jakov said. "It will be the first time the Gregorian rule is applied.

Perhaps, on that day, surviving all gross corrections, you will remember our talk. In this strange place." He raised his cup. "Next year in Lecter Castle."

Lothar heard it first as he drew water, the roar of an engine in low gear and cracking of branches. He left the bucket on the well and in his haste he came into the lodge without wiping his feet.

A Soviet tank, a T-34 in winter camouflage of snow and straw, crashed up the horse trail and into the clearing. Painted on the turret in Russian were AVENGE OUR SOVIET GIRLS and WIPE OUT THE FASCIST VERMIN. Two soldiers in white rode on the back over the radiators. The turret swiveled to point the tank's cannon at the house. A hatch opened and a gunner in hooded winter white stood behind a machine gun. The tank commander stood in the other hatch with a megaphone. He repeated his message in Russian and in German, barking over the diesel clatter of the tank engine.

"We want water, we will not harm you or take your food unless a shot comes from the house. If we are fired on, every one of you will die. Now come outside. Gunner, lock and load. If you do not see faces by the count of ten, fire." A loud clack as the machine gun's bolt went back.

Count Lecter stepped outside, standing straight in the sunshine, his hands visible. "Take the water. We are no harm to you."

The tank commander put his megaphone aside. "Everyone outside where I can see you."

The count and the tank commander looked at each other for a long moment. The tank commander
showed his palms.

The count showed his palms. The count turned to the house. "Come."

When the commander saw the family he said, "The children can stay inside where it's warm."

And to his gunner and crew, "Cover them. Watch the upstairs windows. Start the pump. You can
smoke."

The machine gunner pushed up his goggles and lit a cigarette. He was no more than a boy, the
skin of his face paler around his eyes. He saw Mischa peeping around the door facing and smiled at her.

Among the fuel and water drums lashed to the tank was a small petrol-powered pump with a rope starter.

The tank driver snaked a hose with a screen filter down the well and after many pulls on the rope the pump clattered, squealed, and primed itself.

The noise covered the scream of the Stuka dive bomber until it was almost on them, the tank's gunner swiveling his muzzle around, cranking hard to elevate his gun, firing as the airplane's winking cannon stitched the ground. Rounds screamed off the tank, the gunner hit, still firing with his remaining arm.

The Stuka's windscreen starred with fractures, the pilot's goggles filled with blood and the dive bomber, still carrying one of its eggs, hit treetops, plowed into the garden and its fuel exploded, cannon under the wings still firing after the impact. Hannibal, on the floor of the lodge, Mischa partly under him, saw his mother lying in the yard, bloody and her dress on fire.

"Stay here!" to Mischa and he ran to his mother, ammunition in the airplane cooking off now, slow and then faster, casings flying backward striking the snow, flames licking around the remaining bomb beneath the wing. The pilot sat in the cockpit, dead, his face burned to a death's head in flaming scarf and helmet, his gunner dead behind him.

Lothar alone survived in the yard and he raised a bloody arm to the boy. Then Mischa ran to her mother, out into the yard and Lothar tried to reach her and pull her down as she passed, but a cannon round from the flaming plane slammed through him, blood spattering the baby and Mischa raised her arms and screamed into the sky. Hannibal heaped snow onto the fire in his mother's clothes, stood up and ran to Mischa amid the random shots and carried her into the lodge, into the cellar. The shots outside slowed and stopped as bullets melted in the breeches of the cannon. The sky darkened and snow came again, hissing on the hot metal.

Darkness, and snow again. Hannibal among the corpses, how much later he did not know, snow drifting down to dust his mother's eyelashes and her hair. She was the only corpse not blackened and crisped. Hannibal tugged at her, but her body was frozen to the ground. He pressed his face against her. Her bosom was frozen hard, her heart silent. He put a napkin over her face and piled snow on her. Dark shapes moved at the edge of the woods. His torch reflected on wolves' eyes. He shouted at them and waved a shovel. Mischa was determined to come out to her mother—he had to choose. He took Mischa back inside and left the dead to the dark.

Mr. Jakov's book was undamaged beside his blackened hand until a wolf ate the leather cover and amid the scattered pages of Huyghens' Treatise on Light licked Mr. Jakov's brains off the snow. Hannibal and Mischa heard snuffling and growling outside. Hannibal built up the fire. To cover the noise he tried to get Mischa to sing; he sang to her. She clutched his coat in her fists.

"Ein Mannlein . . ."

Snowflakes on the windows. In the corner of a pane, a dark circle appeared, made by the tip of a glove. In the dark circle a pale blue eye.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Delacorte Press; First Edition (December 5, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385339410
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385339414
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #177,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,642 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #5,664 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)
- #13,571 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
4.4 3,297 ratings

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A native of Mississippi, Thomas Harris began his writing career covering crime in the United States and Mexico, and was a reporter and editor for the Associated Press in new York City. His first novel, Black Sunday, was published in 1975, followed by Red Dragon in 1981, The Silence of the Lambs in 1988, Hannibal in 1999 and Hannibal Rising in 2006.

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They appreciate the interesting storylines and character development. The visual style is described as elegant and sophisticated. However, some readers feel the writing style is too fragmented and sketchy. Opinions differ on the writing style - some find it exquisite and easy to read, while others say it's surprisingly poor.

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Readability Story quality Character development Visual style Writing style Pacing Spooky content Fragmentation

89 customers mention "Readability"89 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy reading the book. They find it fascinating and engaging, saying it's a satisfying experience. Readers also mention that the book is the best of all Hannibal books.

"...Hannibal Rising is a deeply satisfying experience for those, like me, who have long loved the character and wished to know more about him...." Read more

"...improvement on the last, but that is of little concern as the book is fascinating independent of whether there was or was not a series; just as the..." Read more

"...I snapped it up without even thinking twice because every book in this series has been great. Until now unfortunately...." Read more

"...the fascinating descriptions and plots he devises and reading his novels is pure pleasure...." Read more

61 customers mention "Story quality"55 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story. They find the backstory of Hannibal Lecter fascinating. The book takes readers on a thrilling adventure, providing insights into his character. Readers appreciate the vivid descriptions that immerse them in the action.

"...Taken as what it is--a gripping psychological portrait, not a crime procedural--Hannibal Rising is a worthy addition to the Lecter canon...." Read more

"...were always brief and simple, yet effective and esstential counterpoints to the other developments...." Read more

"...I also was able to immediately establish and develop a sense of connection between the Hannibal in this book and the adult character in the other..." Read more

"...Until now unfortunately. Rising is by no means a bad book and it has some great moments, but overall it doesn't have the pull to keep reading that..." Read more

31 customers mention "Character development"24 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters interesting and relatable, with a compassionate Hannibal and a real-life persona. The dialogue flows naturally, and the depth of the descriptive narrative is appreciated. Readers also mention that the story gives him a human side and experiences.

"...of content that can only be appreciated by readers who enjoy nuanced character development...." Read more

"...His character dialogue flows so naturally, and very few contemporary authors know how to do that...." Read more

"...and well-crafted, with a lot of attention to plotting and character detail, and some very memorable Grand Guignol images to take away..." Read more

"...There is no real character development and many of the characters are interchangeable...." Read more

6 customers mention "Visual style"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's visual style. They find it elegant and sophisticated, with powerful imagery. The book provides a chilling look at the origins of obsession and a suspenseful glimpse into Hannibal's youth. Readers describe him as a preeminent literary icon.

"...Harris's prose is as spare and beautiful as the Japanese poetry he intersperses throughout his work, and while the novel does take longer to get..." Read more

"...the images of his interactions with the animals are powerfully visual - I can still see how he entered into the dance of intimadation..." Read more

"...What this novel gives readers is a sumptuous look at Hannibal's youth, the plot of which is not much more than a thrilling story of grisly vengeance...." Read more

"...this novel and must say I was mesmerized by the exquisite prose and imagery...." Read more

40 customers mention "Writing style"27 positive13 negative

Customers have different views on the writing style. Some find it exquisite and easy to read, with interesting storylines. Others find the writing awkward and poorly written, with stilted dialogue.

"...Harris's prose is as spare and beautiful as the Japanese poetry he intersperses throughout his work, and while the novel does take longer to get..." Read more

"...The pictures drawn were always brief and simple, yet effective and esstential counterpoints to the other developments...." Read more

"...The dialogue is occasionally stilted and the character of Lady Murasaki, who sensually introduces the impressionable teenage Hannibal to a rarified..." Read more

"...Add that to the fascinating descriptions and plots he devises and reading his novels is pure pleasure...." Read more

13 customers mention "Pacing"7 positive6 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing. Some find it incredible and engaging, reading quickly to see where the story is going. Others feel it's rushed and forced, with some slow chapters. The action is swift and often fleeting, with brief chapters.

"...pens a well-plotted, richly-detailed storyline that captures the reader from page one...." Read more

"...The action is swift and often fleeting, and the chapters brief (often only four pages), and the sentences are, for the most part, simplistic and..." Read more

"Not a bad story, and the pacing worked well...." Read more

"There are a few chapters that are really slow. I think he overdid the whole fragmented story telling. I get why he used it...just overdone...." Read more

8 customers mention "Spooky content"3 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the spooky content. Some find it a classic literary character and a dominant fictional villain. Others feel the story of a serial killer is evil and horrifying, with endless scenes of violence that are nauseating and boring.

"...That's all missing here. The bad guys are suitably monstrous but there's nothing really to differentiate them from each other and as Lecter..." Read more

"...Hannibal Lecter remains a preeminent literary icon, a dominant fictional boogeyman, and that's primarily due to Anthony Hopkins's unforgettable..." Read more

"...What we get is a lot of half-baked psychology and endless scenes of nauseating violence designed for no other purpose than to shock and revolt us...." Read more

"...Half the time my mind was wandering off. Even the murders were a bore. Do not buy this...." Read more

8 customers mention "Fragmentation"0 positive8 negative

Customers dislike the fragmented storytelling. They find the chapters short and sketchy, with many being only four pages long. The plot is thin, with no real insight into Hannibal's motivations. The book seems disjointed and hard to follow at times, with abstract musings. There are 60 chapters in the book, many of them three pages or less.

"...The action is swift and often fleeting, and the chapters brief (often only four pages), and the sentences are, for the most part, simplistic and..." Read more

"...There are 60 chapters in the book and many of them are three pages or less...." Read more

"...I think he overdid the whole fragmented story telling. I get why he used it...just overdone...." Read more

"...It is a series of short, sketchy chapters that reads like what it probably is, a swiftly produced novelization of a screenplay..." Read more

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A Happy Reader
An unexpected pleasure
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2006
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Fans of Thomas Harris's crime thrillers will very likely be disappointed by Hannibal Rising. This novel is no Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon, but what it is, is quite wonderful: a chilling look at the origins of obsession and madness.

Part Kill Bill, part Heart of Darkness, Harris's latest novel traces how child aristocrat Hannibal Lecter, eighth of that name and last of his line, became Hannibal the Cannibal, nightmare of millions. In seeking revenge for the death of his sister, Hannibal loses himself. Or perhaps he doesn't--as the author himself muses, perhaps he simply unleashes what had always been there, waiting in the dark.

Hannibal Rising is a deeply satisfying experience for those, like me, who have long loved the character and wished to know more about him. Harris's prose is as spare and beautiful as the Japanese poetry he intersperses throughout his work, and while the novel does take longer to get going than his earlier narratives, the final outcome is well worth the wait.

The one flaw I found--and I believe it was mentioned by another reviewer here--is that Lecter's polydactyly has apparently been forgotten. Harris seems to grow a bit hazy on facts between sequels--recall Clarice Starling's siblings in Silence, who had disappeared even from memory by the time of Hannibal.

But these are minor quibbles: Thomas Harris always gets the feeling right, even if a few facts disappear down oubliettes along the way. Taken as what it is--a gripping psychological portrait, not a crime procedural--Hannibal Rising is a worthy addition to the Lecter canon. I can only hope Harris retains enough interest in his greatest creation to one day provide us with the final chapter, those missing years between Rising and Red Dragon.

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Richard Dempsey
moved by the lost innocence, still seeing the swans, thinking about the horse
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2007
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This book is a dramatic improvement on the last, but that is of little concern as the book is fascinating independent of whether there was or was not a series; just as the fact that some of the themes are not new (e.g., childhood trauma begets twisted adult) is irrelevent to the fact that Hannable comes out of them with a unique bent that not predictable. Most of the criticism of this book seems to rest on the fact that the book was not what they wanted or expected; which has little to do with whether it was good or bad.

Why the book remains on my mind: 1) the images of his interactions with the animals are powerfully visual - I can still see how he entered into the dance of intimadation with the swan and how he kissed the horse upon his return to his home. But even more vivid was the tragic encounter between the mate of the fallen leader bird with a mechanized war machine. The pictures drawn were always brief and simple, yet effective and esstential counterpoints to the other developments. 2) The irony in his belief in the absurdity of life as a contrast to the intensity with which he resisted the indignities of random tragedy, and 3) the apparent normality in some many respects of children who are already in the processes of embracing the darkest elements of human potential.

In sum, different style, different viewpoint, and altogether different type of story; but creepy, jarring stuff nevertheless.

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Tony
Outstanding Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2011
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I could not put this book down once I started. Once again, this book has detractors who in my view are best suited to Hardy Boys or Harlequin Romance novels. Harris' books Hannibal and Hannibal Rising have a depth of content that can only be appreciated by readers who enjoy nuanced character development. Harris does a stellar job in Hannibal Rising, and as I said I could not put the book down. As one other reviewer said, if you did not like Hannibal, you will not like this book. To avoid spoilers I am keeping specific references to the book out of this review. Suffice it to say that the imagery and character development are unparalleled. You feel like you are standing beside the characters as a mute witness to the stunning story. I also was able to immediately establish and develop a sense of connection between the Hannibal in this book and the adult character in the other books.

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Boomer
Unnecessary origins story
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023
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I read Red Dragon recently for the first time in many years and that made me hungry (pun intended) for more Hannibal Lecter. I have to admit I didn't even realize Harris had written this prequel story Hannibal Rising until I saw it on my Kindle recommended list. I snapped it up without even thinking twice because every book in this series has been great.

Until now unfortunately. Rising is by no means a bad book and it has some great moments, but overall it doesn't have the pull to keep reading that its predecessors possess. It's odd seeing Hannibal portrayed as a protagonist after years of being such an awesome villain and it never quite works for me. I think the biggest flaw here is the lack of a foil or equal for Hannibal. Sure he and Lady Muraski have a bond, but she's no Will Graham or Clarice Starling. The big appeal of these books for me has always been the relationship Lecter has with his adversaries - I love the conversations he has with Graham in Red Dragon and the bond he develops with Starling is what Silence of the Lambs is built on. That's all missing here. The bad guys are suitably monstrous but there's nothing really to differentiate them from each other and as Lecter dispatches them I found myself not really caring one way or another.

For me this is an unnecessary addition to the Lecter series and far inferior to previous books. There's a couple of good moments but overall I'd say skip this one and start with Red Dragon before enjoying the classic Silence of the Lambs

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david cooke
the history
Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2022
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I liked all things "Hannibal"

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Emily Helal
A psychological horror novel by American author Thomas Harris
Reviewed in Egypt on July 7, 2024
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Hannibal Rising brings with it all the horror of a gothic novel and all the excitement of the action/adventure genre.

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Pedro Costa
Adorei
Reviewed in Spain on August 6, 2023
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Livro muito bom de ler.

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Erika López EDLM
Justo lo que esperaba.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 15, 2019
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Justo lo que pides recibes. Libro completo, en orden y llegó a tiempo. Idioma original en inglés. De la edición de libros de bolsillo DELL FICTION la cual no me ha causado disgustos. Hojas algo delgadas lo cual es común en estos libros de edición pequeña. Mínimo detalle a la orilla superior del borde.

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Erika López EDLM

Justo lo que esperaba.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 15, 2019
Justo lo que pides recibes. Libro completo, en orden y llegó a tiempo. Idioma original en inglés. De la edición de libros de bolsillo DELL FICTION la cual no me ha causado disgustos. Hojas algo delgadas lo cual es común en estos libros de edición pequeña. Mínimo detalle a la orilla superior del borde.

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Dr ABISH
Dark and twisted
Reviewed in India on September 30, 2020
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Always a fan of the Hannibal series . Special mention about the seller alohomora book house for the incredible packing.

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Dr ABISH

Dark and twisted
Reviewed in India on September 30, 2020
Always a fan of the Hannibal series . Special mention about the seller alohomora book house for the incredible packing.

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