Hannibal Rising (Hannibal Lecter Book 4) Kindle Edition

We get insight into everyone's favorite fictional serial killer and what shaped his deliciously twisted personality in Mr. Harris's tome 'Hannibal Rising.'This very well could be the last time we hear from Hannibal, as William Thomas Harris III has a new book debuting this spring that reportedly has nothing to do with Mr. Lecter.So, pick this one up and enjoy it - I did. It was easy to burn through it in one day, as it is very engaging. I'm sure you will be happy with it.

While not as satisfying as Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, or (to a lesser extent) Hannibal, Thomas Harris manages to cook up a decadent appetizer to an already loaded three-course meal. It's hard not to see Hannibal Rising as a last-ditch effort to revive an ailing franchise by further developing one of the most complex characters of modern fiction. By offering a traumatic origin story as explanation for how a human being could become Dr. Lecter, Harris walks a dangerous tightrope in making his magnificent creation a less-fascinating avatar of evil.What this novel gives readers is a sumptuous look at Hannibal's youth, the plot of which is not much more than a thrilling story of grisly vengeance. A young Lithuanian aristocrat loses his parents and darling sister, Mischa, in the final desperate days of World War II. Hannibal is forced to watch as little Mischa is devoured by callous Nazi-sympathizing ruffians whom Hannibal later tracks down and gruesomely dispatches in the natural course of the novel. By the end of Hannibal Rising, the reader is left with a better understanding of the epicurean psychiatrist, even if the book doesn't exactly conclude with the satisfaction one would wish from an examination of Lecter's tenebrous beginnings. The action is swift and often fleeting, and the chapters brief (often only four pages), and the sentences are, for the most part, simplistic and lacking the eloquence found in Harris's preceding works. The dialogue is occasionally stilted and the character of Lady Murasaki, who sensually introduces the impressionable teenage Hannibal to a rarified world of Japanese art and poetry, exists only to be beautiful.Thankfully, Hannibal Lecter remains a preeminent literary icon, a dominant fictional boogeyman, and that's primarily due to Anthony Hopkins's unforgettable screen incarnation. Hannibal Rising reads like the novelization of a screenplay; not surprisingly Thomas Harris wrote the screenplay in the course of writing this novel. That isn't to say the book is a complete loss, for even after so many years since writing Red Dragon and Silence, Harris still possesses a keen aptitude for depicting the animal nature that lurks beneath mankind's veneer of civilization.

Having read the first three books in this series, I found this one a bit tedious in comparison. That said, it gave me a lot of insight into how Hannibal Lecter became what he was in later life. He endured horrors that would turn most of us into monsters. I almost felt sorry for him and even found myself cheering for him when he dispatched some of those who hurt him.I have always been interested in what triggers serial killers to become serial killers. While I realize this book is fiction, much of the motivation Harris uses to develop his unforgettable character no doubt manifests itself in real life. It is said that there is a fine line between genius and insanity and that point is driven home in this book.This is not the best of the series by any stretch of the imagination but if you want a primer on what makes a Hannibal Lecter, this book will provide that.

I read this book immediately after Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, so the character of Hannibal Lecter was fresh in my mind. Compared to the first three (including Red Dragon, which I read last year), this book is much different. Red Dragon and Silence are tight police procedurals in which an FBI employee (Will Graham and Clarice Starling, respectively) goes on the hunt for a serial killer consulting with the captured Dr. Hannibal Lecter, whose character increases importance and "screen time" as we move through the series. Hannibal (book 3) puts Dr. Lecter in more of a hero's role, being hunted several years after his escape from captivity. Hannibal Rising has almost none of the procedural elements of the first three books but instead allows a glimpse into how a character like Hannibal Lecter could be molded (based on the atrocities he witnessed and was victimized by during WWII).If you liked the character of Hannibal Lecter from the first three books, this book is worth checking out in my opinion. You don't get some of the biting insight that Hannibal displays in the earlier novels, which I found to be the most interesting scenes, but I was never bored. Some critics have said Harris only wrote this to cash in on the movie which was going to be made with or without his participation, but I would disagree. I think this novel shows an empathy to the character of Hannibal Lecter, who, in my opinion, was made into the monster you come to know in the later works rather than born as one.Thomas Harris could be accused of leaning on a well known (and fascinating character) to push the series further, but he gained plenty of good favor in books 1-3 so I'm certainly not complaining.

As I get older there are fewer and fewer authors I can tolerate, which is why it’s so disappointing that I’ve read everything Thomas Harris has written and there is no more. His character dialogue flows so naturally, and very few contemporary authors know how to do that. Add that to the fascinating descriptions and plots he devises and reading his novels is pure pleasure. To me, ‘Hannibal Rising’ is the best of his Hannibal Lecter books, and makes you understand and even feel sympathetic for Dr. Lecter. I won’t give anything else away, but advise readers who have read his other books to read this one. You will NOT be disappointed.

I will confess that I saw the movie long before I read the book. I was gratified to find out that for the most part, the movie stayed faithful to the book, though minor characters / events had been rewritten.Overall the book has good pacing and is entertaining, though I did not find some of the descriptions and actions of Lady Murasaki particularly convincing: when she asks Hannibal what is there left in him to love and nearly immediately afterward dives off the canal boat and moves back to Japan, it just seemed a convenient way to write off her character. There was no struggle with her love and whilst Hannibal had more pressing matters on his hands at the time, he seems to accept her decision without fighting, yet he pursued Grentz to the frozen north of Canada.Overall it was an entertaining book, but the woodenness of Lady Murasaki - beyond simple stoicism or cultural training - leaves something to be desired in what could have otherwise been a deeply poignant part of the story. Still waters may run deep but they were sadly left unexplored in this case.

The origin story of Hannibal Lectern is laid bare in all its terrible truth as we watch a child evolve from a loving 8 year old big brother into a cold calculating killer bent on avenging his sister's brutal murder at the hands of cannibal soldiers. Beautifully written, Harris weaves a tragic yet morally ambiguous tale. Should we feel for Hannibal and his murdered sister Misha and cheer him on as he wreaks revenge on her murderers or turn away in disgust? You decide.

This tells the story of Hannibal from his childhood to adulthood. I think they made a disappointing film out of it. It's a disappointing book - that figures. It never really convinces. I never really cared about anyone.It's basically a rip roaring rollercoaster of revenge, but told in a way that suggests Harris thinks Lecter is above the standard revenge movie fare. Because Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs were.But this is returning to the scene of the crime once too often.Not a hit, sorry.I mean, it's fine. But no better

A great read that kept me really engaged throughout.We do get to see a young Hannibal Lecter experience some awful things. These things shape him into the monster he is today. Although a dark book that delves deep into the psyche of an emerging monster , we also feel pity of what he has to endure. Probably not best to read if you're going through a hard time though.

Ordered this book after rereading the "Hannibal" Trilogy for probably the 5th time.This book gives a great insight into the early years of Hannibal and gives some of the back ground as to how he developed into the famous Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. At times some of the writing is slight difficult to follow, but I found this with all of the books and it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the books. I would like the next instalment into what is a fascinating character!