What readers think of Hannibal, plus links to write your own review.

Lily
This book makes you use your imagination at it's furthest and it is all ruined at the end. Hannibal should of eaten her or something-anything-other than that. She's too smart to fall into his twisted life style.

Kelly Lanier
I read the book last week and saw the movie two hours ago. The book and the movie are two different experiences as one would expect. Don't miss the book. It won't disappoint you if you want your senses overwhelmed--the shock value alone is worth the book's cover price. If you want something "tasty," see the movie. Regardless of your expectations, don't let us wait another 10 years for the next entree.

Jessie
I had seen Silence of the Lambs as a child, and had not read or seen anything else of Dr. Lector. That is until, I was searching for a book to read on my flight home from San Francisco. Hannibal was a fantastic book. The plot was ok, but Hannibal Lector is just about the coolest killer I know of. He is intelligent, and highly sophisticated. He is able to play with a victim's mind and then literally consume them in the most unusual ways. Such a complex character would be impossible to pass up.

Celia N. Zoiopoulou
One of the best novels I have ever read. It's tasteful, in spite of the gory scenes and it shows that a lot of research has been done by the author in order to give the reader a book that is worth reading. I' m very sorry that I had to read the Greek translation, because I am sure that I have missed a lot and I don't mean that as an insult to the translator. I can understand why some people are not able to understand this novel but I have to say they completely missed the point, in my opinion. Sometimes, it's useful to keep an open mind.

Michael
Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that ending! I understand that there was a certain chemistry between Lecter and Starling, but kindred spirits essentially walking hand in hand into the sunset, no way! It wasn't the ending I envisioned and I had a tough time catching that curve ball. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It provided a lot more insight into Lecter's character and Harris is superb at setting a scene and developing characters. I particularly enjoyed the section of the book that placed us in Florence. Lecter is resourceful, intelligent, and cultured. As a result, you are drawn to his personality. Despite the fact that he is a psychopathic cannibal, you find yourself pulling for him. Even though Mason, who has a few problems himself, has every right to seek revenge, you remain on Lecter's side. Starling's "fall from grace" in the FBI was interesting and her insight to the treachery that led to it was keen. Through it all, her sense of right and wrong was clearly visible but, because of the ending, the line dividing the two clearly blurred. I was of the opinion that Starling's morality would never allow her to have a deep, committed relationship with Lecter, no matter how much she may have respected him. I applaud Harris' bravery regarding the ending, I'm just curious to see how the movie version will handle it.

Sebastian
Where should I begin ? I just finished Hannibal about 15 minutes ago , and am at loss of words . I found my self gripped to this book , reading obsessively and becoming more and more intrigued by what would finally happen in the ending . And then.... WHAT ? Clarice becoming a cannibal ??? Her and Hannibal going off together ????? This idiotic romance ruined the book , destroying the clever and interesting connection and relationship between these key characters that was so well established in SILENCE . It was not the twist that annoyed me the most , it was the lack of a clear explanation to this odd, sudden change . The motive of Clarice and Hannibal in this affair was vague at best . The ending really upset me , I knew and related to Clarice in particular , and I feel that her character was definitely cheated by Harris and put into a Hollywood ideal . It was really quite pathetic . I applause Jodi for her decisions concerning the movie , and am quite shocked by Hopkin's decisions , as he has obviously taken a turn for the worst when it comes to movie selections ( I am still maimed by watching his last film with Jessica Lange , which frankly I can't be bothered to remember the name of ) . The book still had many good points , I was on my feet for 4/5 of it . I think this book's high point was definitely the scene in which Lector and Starling help each other in order to escape Mason's realm , I felt that Harris could have easily concluded the novel at this point with another 10 pages , avoiding the romance . In my opinion , Margot ended up really stealing the " strong woman " role from Starling . She was a very interesting factor in the novel . I still recommend reading the book , but please try to stop reading it after the " high point " which I spoke of , and try to pretend that that's it , I regret not doing so.

Reign
I unlike others, considered 'Hannibal' to be a brilliant thriller that kept me in suspense. I think it sad that others should call it unrealistic because they don't wish to acknowledge the political depravity in western worlds. As for the ending, where else or who else could Clarice turn to? She was a wrongly accused fugitive, with only the understanding Lecter to lean on, some one who was clearly never a threat to her. A book should not be deemed "pathetic" because one can't mentally handle the idea of the "bad-guy" getting lucky, or of "Clarice" losing faith in her moral foundations after seven years of being pushed around by Krendler, and then losing her career! (How did you expect her to feel? It happens okay!) To me the book was as realistic as a book can get, and Harris wasn't afraid to break the 'goodie always succeeds' regurgitated ending that most of us are sick of. Well done Harris.

Patty
I think the book was great. I've been reading other reviews and a lot of people don't like the fact that Clarice didn't make it in FBI, but actually she did, she was better than other agents. It was the corrupt FBI agent and Mason Verger who messed everything up for her. She's still a very intelligent person in this second part. That's why Hannibal didn't kill her. I think people were expecting a typical ending.. they catch Hannibal, he gets the death sentence and Clarice gets an award or something.. but I found this ending to be a LOT better.