Hannibal Rising
Hannibal Rising is a novel by American author Thomas Harris, published in 2006. It is a prequel to his three previous books featuring his most famous character, the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The novel was released with an initial printing of at least 1.5 million copies[1] and met with a mixed critical response.
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Community Reviews
I think the first half of this book I would almost give a 2. It lags incredibly and seems to lack the familiar voice of Thomas Harris that is so consistent in the original trilogy. I had previously attempted to pick this book up years ago, but couldn't get past the first few chapters mostly because it wasn't what I was expecting out of Hannibal's origin. I knew of his trauma relating to the war and his sister's plotline, but some of the early childhood material felt extraneous.
The original trilogy is my favorite series, and in my opinion we begin to hear Harris' unmistakable narrative when Hannibal begins his revenge. Back to a place of comfort, learning to know Hannibal as a young man getting a feel for why he kills and how he shines as a villain against a background of markedly more heinous villains in his upbringing bumps the quality of this book up substantially and lends itself to a significantly more interesting book by its end. Additionally, knowing that Harris received pressure to write the book from the future movie producer under threat of losing control over his character also makes me softer in this review. However, I don't believe I would've ever read this book had it not been for the audiobook narrated by Harris. The voice he gives to the moderately flat-on-page characters elevates this book to something I might read again like the original trilogy, rather than a bookend on a shelf simply to complete the series. There are large portions I would've trimmed down, but I am grateful for the experience Harris gave me as a reader/listener toward the end.
I suggest giving the audiobook a shot if that appeals to you. There are many embellishments off page by Harris' narration that make the book, unfortunately a failing of the original material, but beneficial to an avid fan of Hannibal as a character.
The original trilogy is my favorite series, and in my opinion we begin to hear Harris' unmistakable narrative when Hannibal begins his revenge. Back to a place of comfort, learning to know Hannibal as a young man getting a feel for why he kills and how he shines as a villain against a background of markedly more heinous villains in his upbringing bumps the quality of this book up substantially and lends itself to a significantly more interesting book by its end. Additionally, knowing that Harris received pressure to write the book from the future movie producer under threat of losing control over his character also makes me softer in this review. However, I don't believe I would've ever read this book had it not been for the audiobook narrated by Harris. The voice he gives to the moderately flat-on-page characters elevates this book to something I might read again like the original trilogy, rather than a bookend on a shelf simply to complete the series. There are large portions I would've trimmed down, but I am grateful for the experience Harris gave me as a reader/listener toward the end.
I suggest giving the audiobook a shot if that appeals to you. There are many embellishments off page by Harris' narration that make the book, unfortunately a failing of the original material, but beneficial to an avid fan of Hannibal as a character.
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