From
the back cover
“You
remember Hannibal Lecter: gentleman, genius, cannibal. Seven years have passed
since Dr. Lecter escaped from custody. And for seven years he’s been at large,
free to savor the scents, the essences, of an unguarded world. But intruders
have entered Dr. Lecter’s sanctuary, piercing his new identity, sensing the
evil that surrounds him. For the multimillionaire Hannibal left maimed, for a
corrupt Italian policeman, and for FBI agent Clarice Starling, who once stood
before Lecter and who has never been the same, the final hunt for Hannibal
Lecter has begun. All of them, in their separate ways, want to find Dr. Lecter.
And all three will get their wish. But only one willlive long enough to savor
the reward.”
Review
Hannibal is
part witty comedy, part travelogue and part bloody thriller. This third entry
in the Hannibal Lecter quadrilogy ups the series’ humor and Grand Guignol
elements, as well as Hannibal’s love of Florence, Italy─whose sensory-based
glories get plenty of “air time” in this cinematic-descriptive horror work. I
tired quickly of this latter element (I’m a barebones thriller reader), but I
understand why Harris included these parts in the book: it is consistent with
Hannibal’s sensibilities and the tone of the previous novels. I laughed quite a
bit, especially during the dinner scene near the end of the book. An
over-the-top work, this is worth reading, possibly worth owning if you are into
the above, well-written elements.
Followed
by a prequel, Hannibal Rising.
#
The
film version was released stateside on February 9, 2001. Ridley Scott directed the
film, from a screenplay by David Mamet and Steve Zaillian.
Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter. Julianne Moore played Clarice Starling. Gary Oldman played Mason Verger. Ray Liotta played Paul Krendler. Giancarlo Giannini
played Insp. Rinaldo Pazzi.
Frankie Faison, billed as Frankie R. Faison, reprised his role of Barney from The Silence of the Lambs.
