Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris Review
January 24th, 2007 by admin
If you’re familiar with Hannibal Lector (he was the main character in “Silence of the Lambs,” another book by Thomas Harris that was made into a highly successful screenplay), this is the book that gives some insight into what made Hannibal into the evil and disturbed person many of us first read about in Red Dragon (the first novel Harris wrote about Hannibal Lector). “Hannibal” is the other book written by Harris about Hannibal Lector.
If you want to read the books in chronological order, start with this one, “Hannibal Rising.” then “Red Dragon,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” and lastly, “Hannibal.” But it’s not necessary to “Hannibal Rising” first because it was the last book written.
Harris writes in a style I find it hard to describe but one that I think of as descriptive and flowing. He has a gift for using the right word at the right time and is great at describing things well enough for a person to be able to produce a vivid picture in their mind, but not so long and drawn out that it gets boring.
In this book we learn how Hannibal’s mind was incredibly keen and sharp even as a child. His father recognized Hannibal’s intelligence and hired him a tutor. We also learn how World War II affected Hannibal and his family, and how he went through things that no child should have to endure.
If you’ve read any of the other books about Hannibal, it’s hard to believe he has a heart, but in this book we find out that Hannibal’s heart belongs to his little sister, Mischa, and that Hannibal would do anything to protect her and to seek vengeance in her name.
This book is not for the weak of heart or weak of stomach, but if you enjoy thrillers you’ll likely enjoy this book too.
Although it doesn’t answer all the questions I had about Hannibal as clearly as I wanted it to, it does talk about how Hannibal’s memory palace, the place he created in his mind, came to be. Hannibal’s memory palace has ornate and spacious rooms. And when Hannibal goes within his mind and places a memory in a specific room he has to take care to not put dark memories against a dark background because then it’s too difficult for him to retrieve that piece of information.
Not everything in Hannibal’s mind lives in his memory palace however. Some things, things he cannot remember because he cannot bear to go there, live outside the palace. Those memories and events are the horrors and fragments of Hannibal’s dreams that he’ll eventually try to remember so that he can seek justice and vengeance.
Although “Silence of the Lambs” is my favorite book about Hannibal, this is a good one too. Thomas Harris is a talented writer and tells a good, but creepy, story.
My rating (0-10 smilies): 9 ☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☺
Thomas Harris, I believe you are strapped for cash otherwise you would not have discraced the epic of Silence of the lambs as you without a doubt have. Im amazed you are the same Thomas Harris that has created “silence” and then the other prequells/sequells whatever. If you ever took pride in your work and not felt the greed that you obviously went with, you would’ve maintained some respect and brilliance that you once had, I would have a lot of confidence in knowing I am not alone here. Anthony Hopkins at least had the decency to not take part in the last instalment(we hope, if you have finished thrashing the original that is.) Even if it was supposedly his growing up, or whatever this crap was about, Sir Anthony would’ve rejected the role,I’m hoping after the last shit you could’nt afford him anyway. Silence of the lambs fan-Kristy.