1.32k reviews for:

Hannibal

Thomas Harris

3.58 AVERAGE

sirflorencek's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

congiwa's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

cthib9's review against another edition

4.0

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“Did you ever think, Clarice, why the Philistines don't understand you? It's because you are the answer to Samson's riddle. You are the honey in the lion.”

The last third of this book was a RUSH. You could say I... ate it up. Hiyooo.

Seriously though - I am concerned about my own psyche having enjoyed this series so much.

The ending had the thinnest line between deranged and touchingly beautiful of any story I've ever encountered. I'm leaning on the side of beautiful -

Spoiler

reconciling with buried emotional baggage to become who you truly are. That's salvation.

The first half seems almost like a fever dream at this point - why did we spend so much time in Italy again?

No matter. It was all salvaged by carnivorous pigs, an eel, mind palaces and a surprising dinner guest.

saikaamreen's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

heyitsbennett's review against another edition

3.0

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Ok what. This book was so boring up until the final crescendo. SPOILERS: and then to make it a romance between Starling and Lecter at the end?? I think that’s such a slap in the face to the character of Clarice Starling and the respect of both their intelligence

galaxy_creeper's review against another edition

4.0

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

khazbin's review against another edition

3.5

dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jjonahjamerson's review against another edition

2.0

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If you loved Red Dragon and/ or Silence of the Lambs - don’t read this. Find a good fan fiction instead if you want more about this series and its characters. They’d be better than this was :)

Spoilers below!

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Ok, I’ll start by saying Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs were great. I really enjoyed them and have always been a huge fan of the 1991 movie.

Onto Hannibal the book:

What a way to completely RUIN a brilliant female main character. 2 stars for Lecter cause like, Hannibal Lecter, but what the actual f___.

How do you actively not understand your own characters and screw it up THAT badly.

I could the whole jig of “we he’s THE Hannibal Lecter and was still the only male in the series who treated Clarice with an ounce of respect so it kind of makes sense!” but I feel that would be giving Harris too much credit - as stupid an explanation as that would be.

Godddddd I wanted this to be good too and it was like watching game of thrones season 8.

Will I still read Hannibal Rising? I don’t know because I feel like the draw to Lecter is his mystique. The less you know about monsters like Hannibal Lecter, the scarier they are in my opinion!

Overall, really upset with this book. Clarice deserved far better!

2 stars out of 5

batty_about_books12's review against another edition

3.25

dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

lesley_cosh's review against another edition

4.5

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes