It's hard to put my finger on just why this book left me so unsatisfied. Hannibal Lechter as a sympathetic character just doesn't sit right. And when he reaches adulthood, the book's plot becomes utterly predictable. One of the most fun aspects of previous books is the series is the unexpected nature of Hannibal's "adventures."
Mr. Harris is not a professional narrator and I am willing to grant him some slack. But I could more animation into "I got the wash off the line" than Hannibal's declaration of love for Lady Murasaki, to cite just one of many examples. Some characters of a geographic region had accents and some did not. And most were rendered so thickly that they were almost not understandable. Certainly a more able reader would have helped, but I don't think enough to make this a good audiobook.

Like the other reviewers, I had high hopes for this history of Hannibal the Cannibal. Harris hinted at the trauma which created the monster, but this book just didn't do justice. The revenge plot was acceptable, but the author did NOT explain what created the monster -- the man who continued on with his heinous activities.

The author as narrator was a mis-step in my opinion. A valiant attempt was made to provide Eastern European and French accents, however Harris slipped out from beneath them before the end of a sentence.

What a great audio book. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I could not stop listing!

I enjoyed the book but I felt that Mr. Harris was only writing it for the publisher. The book was released 2 months before the movie. It does answer a lot of the questions as to why he is "other".

This book was so dreadfully bad as be almost unreadable as a book and, along with Harris' narration, unlistenable as an audiobook. Save your money. The action is bland and the explanation of the monster was already done in Hannibal. There is nothing new here.

So disapointed! This book was not up to par with the other Hannibal books. I was not thrilled either with the author's reading voice. Sort of a twangy southern drawl...All and all a big disapointment!