Hannibal Rising

By: Thomas Harris

Narrated by: Thomas Harris

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

He is one of the most haunting characters in all of literature. At last the evolution of his evil is revealed.

Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck. He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him. Hannibal’s uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle’s beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki. Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France. But Hannibal’s demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn. He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death’s prodigy.

Serial thriller: don't miss more from Thomas Harris.

©2006 Yazoo Fabrications, Inc. (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“There are images of morbid beauty here.... Harris' handling of the wartime violence is also impressive, as swift and vicious as the blitzkrieg itself.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Gripping detail.... [Harris] moves the story along at an impressively fast clip.” (Boston Globe)

Better than the others

This book wasn't great but then again it was definitely better than the other two books that were published following the original.

Best Series -- Outside of Sherlock Hol.es

I decided to venture into the Hannibal series because my GSDs are named after the main characters (thank my husband). I've never seen the movies because I've never been a fan of suspense/thriller movies, but thought I might enjoy the books. This series has become my absolute favorite series I have ever read (or in this case listened to).
Hannibal Rising was heartbreaking to me. I teared up multiple times experiencing Hannibal's beginnings. I hope one day we'll see more of Hannibal's rise to infamy. I enjoyed learning that my preconceived notions that Hannibal is only a bad guy cannibal was wrong. He is insanely meticulous & observant. I was very sad to see the end of this series & it will be one that I revisit many times.

Magnificent!!

this is phenomenally written. well thought out and meticulous. I see why now... Hannibal became so he is and was

Exactly Like Movie

Great narrator. Alot more poetry than expected. Not as much insight into the mind. I assumed the prequel would do this. Other wise decent book, with historical moments woven in!

Hannibal Rising

Hannibal Rising is another Masterpiece by Thomas Harris. It takes a step back in time to the young Hannibal before he became the insane Genius of his adult years.

This book was the last in the line of the Hannibal Lecter series. But in chronological order, it should have been the first. It makes one wonder if Thomas Harris had this entire book in the back of his mind, or should I say his Mind Palace, when he wrote the first four books of the Hannibal Lecter series.

FANTASTIC

Simply fanastic. Harris has done it again. His ability to have you visualize the scene with his intricate detail of the slightest details is what enhances the story telling. He grips your attention from start to finish and still refuses to release it long after the book is over. You just want to tell everyone to read it so you can relive the mezmorizing details over and over. Like I said "FANTASTIC".

For me, narration underscores the tone

This book chronicles the formative experiences in Hannibal Lecter’s childhood, taking the reader through Lecter’s late teenage years. Having read and listened to Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal and enjoying all three, I was eager to hear this one.
I don’t share the view of many reviewers who state that Thomas Harris is not a good narrator. For me, his accent and the way he reads the text enhance the tone of the story; Harris’s subtle narration guides the listener into the depths of a soul as it begins to freeze and carries us out so calmly we hardly notice the ground is solid a moment after we emerge.

very sick

all the reviews on here bashing on thomas harris' accent are way too harsh, i think he did a pretty good job and its a great story

A very dull storyline.

I have read every novel by Thomas Harris regarding Hannibal Lector. This is by far the worst novel in the series. The storyline is dull and uneventful. The first half of the book focuses on wartime more than Hannibal. I often listen to audiobooks while at work, but I found this one difficult to follow. Several times I found myself loosing interest in the storyline. However, I forced myself to finish the novel.
Thomas Harris, as the narrator, gave an average performance. It wasn’t horrible but also not very engaging. Thus, the 3 star performance rating. Also, the accents given to characters made it difficult to understand the dialogue at times.

Loved hearing how it all began

Excellent story. Held my attention till the end. Love that it was read by the author.