Hannibal

A Novel

By: Thomas Harris

Narrated by: Daniel Gerroll

Invite Hannibal Lecter into the palace of your mind and be invited into his mind palace in turn. Note the similarities in yours and his, the high vaulted chambers of your dreams, the shadowed halls, the locked storerooms where you dare not go, the scrap of half-forgotten music, the muffled cries from behind a wall.

In one of the most eagerly anticipated literary events of the decade, Thomas Harris takes us once again into the mind of a killer, crafting a chilling portrait of insidiously evolving evil - a tour de force of psychological suspense. Seven years have passed since Dr. Hannibal Lecter escaped from custody, seven years since FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling interviewed him in a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane. The doctor is still at large, pursuing his own ineffable interests, savoring the scents, the essences of an unguarded world. But Starling has never forgotten her encounters with Dr. Lecter, and the metallic rasp of his seldom-used voice still sounds in her dreams. Mason Verger remembers Dr. Lecter, too, and is obsessed with revenge. He was Dr. Lecter's sixth victim, and he has survived to rule his own butcher's empire. From his respirator, Verger monitors every twitch in his worldwide web. Soon he sees that to draw the doctor, he must have the most exquisite and innocent-appearing bait; he must have what Dr. Lecter likes best. Powerful, hypnotic, utterly original, Hannibal is a dazzling feast for the imagination. Prepare to travel to hell and beyond as a master storyteller permanently alters the world you thought you knew.

©2000 Thomas Harris (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"Strap yourself in for one heck of a ride - it'll scare your socks off." ( Denver Post)

"Relentless - endlessly terrifying." ( Los Angeles Times)

"Interested in getting the hell scared out of you? Buy this book on a Friday...lock all doors and windows. And by Monday, you might just be able to sleep without a night-light." ( Newsday)

Great story, but missings a few pieces

Hannibal ranks as one of my favorite books. It is fascinating how Thomas Harris successfully created an admirable villain, but in a weird ironic way, Hannibal makes the world a better, because he only attacks/eats those who are vile. I think there is a quote in the book where Barney (former orderly in Silence of the Lambs) says, "Dr. Lecter said he only ate 'the free-range rude.'"

Mason Verger is one of Hannibal's earlier victims who wants revenge, and he will stop at nothing to repay Dr. Lecter with a similar fate as his.

As I listened to the book, I didn't know who was the sickest: Verger; Dr. Lecter; Harris for creating these characters; or me for enjoying them.

What I particularly enjoyed about the book was how brilliant Lecter was; from his knowledge of Medieval literature, to his nearly perfect Italian, to his quick wit, to Hannibal's memory palace.

I loved the book; however, since I have listened to the unabridged version of the book numerous times, I was dissappointed to discover that this book really lies somewhere in that Purgatory between abridged and unabridged: certain quotes and lines were left out and the book abruptly ends with about 25 pages left. These 25 pages are crucial, because they demonstrate the consequence of greed, which is a major theme in the book. Despite the lack of quality control from Audible on this one, I still gave it a 4-stars out of 5. It is definitely worth listening to, and who knows? by the time new listeners download the book, this problem may be corrected. If not, go to the local library and check out the book and read the final 25 pages, because it is definitely worth the time. Sorry!

Daniel Gerroll my favourite Audible performance

The narrator does the whole cast so well. it adds so much to a great book.

Characters

The performance was great. The only problem I had was understanding what the character of Mason was saying. Understanding Jason's medical condition the reader did an amazing job.

wonderful

Loved it. Great narration. I love this so much more then the movie. The intricacies and depth of the characters made the story so enjoyable

So good!

As is often the case, the book is so much better than the movie! The characters are far more complex and interesting, and the storyline is intriguing in a way that the film could never capture. The narrator was spot-on!

Good story

Mason Vergers voice was too muffled, could not understand most of his speech ☹️, otherwise excellent

Thomas Harris' finest book questions your morality

The final book of the trilogy is the longest, the most captivating, and most exciting. Its psyche exploration sheds deeper lights onto the inner workings of human beings. It is, however, marred by an immoral conclusion that is sure to leave the reader in a moral dilemma.

Almost recommend the abridged version

If the story of Hannibal was not so superior I would recommend the abridged version where the author reads. Daniel unfortunately, has a very hard time with the accents, and reads too quickly. There is not enough differentiation between characters and even if Harris described Barney's voice as high, the dreadful falsetto used is grating beyond belief. The story of salvation evolving into creation of another monster like Hannibal is brilliantly executed. I strongly disagree with the set of actors who declined to participate in the 2nd film.

Narration

Daniel Gerroll brought this story to life with his tempo and ability to give unique voices to each character. I never had trouble knowing which character was speaking. This made the story even easier to follow. The only complaint I have is one chapter where Mason’s speech was overly slurred and made it difficult to understand exactly what he was saying. It wasn’t exactly crucial to the plot, so I overlooked it. Even with this in mind, 5 stars for performance and I’m left wishing Mr. Gerroll had narrated “the Silence of the Lambs” as well. Pity!

So good!!!

This is by far one of my favorite books! the ending here in the book is so much more satisfying than the movie's was. Such a good story.