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A review of Hannibal

by Thomas Harris

Sequel to the bestselling "Silence of the Lambs"

Reviewed by: Guy Brandon
About Guy Brandon

Hannibal The sequel to Thomas Harris' hugely successful "Silence of the Lambs" is set seven years after the escape of the serial killer, Dr Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter, from police custody. The doctor is still at large, enjoying a life of leisure away from the eyes of the law, until chance circumstances force him to surface again. As the object of his special interest, FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to track him down and put him back behind bars. However, there are others who want the doctor, and will stop at nothing to catch him for their own more sinister purposes. So begins a complicated game of cat and mouse across the world, in which Starling is used as bait by both sides.

Harris has already proved himself to be an extremely talented writer in his previous books (Black Sunday, Red Dragon, and Silence of the Lambs), and Hannibal is no exception. The author has carefully researched a number of topics to provide depth and colour to his characters, and is helped by his outstanding command of English. Throughout, Harris draws on his considerable education and experience to provide context for their actions and personalities. The characterisation is superb, from the dangerously ambitious agent Paul Krendler and the world-weary Jack Crawford, to the ruthless and twisted vigilante Mason Verger and, of course, the collected anti-hero, Lecter. This book is the first in which the Doctor actually takes the centre role, and as a result it sees another dimension added to him. Hannibal builds on some of the themes begun in Silence of the Lambs and introduces others barely hinted at.

The author brilliantly weaves together his several plot lines, skilfully bringing them together at the end in a finale both fitting and surprising. As is often the case, the film adaptation took too many liberties and failed to do justice to Harris' talent. Hannibal is a compelling read, gripping from the first page.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Hannibal

Copyright © by Guy Brandon, 2002

Reviewed by Guy Brandon:
-- Koba the Dread - by Martin Amis
-- The Eagle's Shadow - by Mark Hertsgaard
-- Human Instinct - How our primeval impulses shape our modern lives - by Robert Winston
-- Hannibal - by Thomas Harris
-- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
-- A Clockwork Orange - by Anthony Burgess
-- 2001: A Space Odyssey - by Arthur C. Clarke
-- Color: Stories from the Paintbox - by Victoria Finlay
-- Arcadia - by Tom Stoppard
-- Angry White Pyjamas - by Robert Twigger
-- Lord of the Rings - by J. R. R. Tolkien
-- The Matrix and Philosophy - by William Irwin









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