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cbrunner11 's review for:
Hannibal Rising
by Thomas Harris
This was a pretty good book. I think I could have liked this more had I not read the other three in the Lecter series. I kept comparing this book to those and it kept falling short. Now don’t get me wrong there is a lot to like about this book and Thomas Harris’s writing style is one I really enjoy.
Let me start with what I felt was missing. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book, but it was lacking in a few areas. There were some slow times but the flow of the writing made it seem to not drag too much. For me what was missing was the second story. In Red Dragon we are following the FBI and their hunt for Francis Dolarhyde, and in Silence of the lambs, we are hunting Buffalo Bill. These extra serial killer stories made those so intense, and how Hannibal played into those investigations was one that held my attention. Even in Hannibal, we followed the troubles of Clarice Starling with one story line, and Hannibal’s life in Florence. We also got to meet one of Hannibal’s early victims and follow his own privet revenge. This type of plot was missing from the book and I think kept me from being blown away.
The other issue I had was the beginning, I had gotten lost because of the rapid change in time period. I had to go back a few times in places to figure out what happened. Other than that the story flowed very well.
Here is what I liked about the book. Aside from the occasional slow point the story is fascinating. I always enjoy when I writer can humanize a villain. We finally see how Hannibal grew up. The pain and suffering he had to go through makes the reader understand why he is the man he has become. We also get to see that Hannibal is stunningly brilliant even at the age of 6. Had his life been different, he might not have gone down the path of murder and cannibalism.
I did really enjoy this book, had I read it first I think it would have rated four stars, but since I compare it to the others I would have to say it is my least favorite but still a solid three star book.
Let me start with what I felt was missing. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book, but it was lacking in a few areas. There were some slow times but the flow of the writing made it seem to not drag too much. For me what was missing was the second story. In Red Dragon we are following the FBI and their hunt for Francis Dolarhyde, and in Silence of the lambs, we are hunting Buffalo Bill. These extra serial killer stories made those so intense, and how Hannibal played into those investigations was one that held my attention. Even in Hannibal, we followed the troubles of Clarice Starling with one story line, and Hannibal’s life in Florence. We also got to meet one of Hannibal’s early victims and follow his own privet revenge. This type of plot was missing from the book and I think kept me from being blown away.
The other issue I had was the beginning, I had gotten lost because of the rapid change in time period. I had to go back a few times in places to figure out what happened. Other than that the story flowed very well.
Here is what I liked about the book. Aside from the occasional slow point the story is fascinating. I always enjoy when I writer can humanize a villain. We finally see how Hannibal grew up. The pain and suffering he had to go through makes the reader understand why he is the man he has become. We also get to see that Hannibal is stunningly brilliant even at the age of 6. Had his life been different, he might not have gone down the path of murder and cannibalism.
I did really enjoy this book, had I read it first I think it would have rated four stars, but since I compare it to the others I would have to say it is my least favorite but still a solid three star book.