Hannibal

A Novel

By: Thomas Harris

Narrated by: Daniel Gerroll

Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

Invite Hannibal Lecter into the palace of your mind and be invited into his mind palace in turn. Note the similarities in yours and his, the high vaulted chambers of your dreams, the shadowed halls, the locked storerooms where you dare not go, the scrap of half-forgotten music, the muffled cries from behind a wall.

In one of the most eagerly anticipated literary events of the decade, Thomas Harris takes us once again into the mind of a killer, crafting a chilling portrait of insidiously evolving evil - a tour de force of psychological suspense. Seven years have passed since Dr. Hannibal Lecter escaped from custody, seven years since FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling interviewed him in a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane. The doctor is still at large, pursuing his own ineffable interests, savoring the scents, the essences of an unguarded world. But Starling has never forgotten her encounters with Dr. Lecter, and the metallic rasp of his seldom-used voice still sounds in her dreams. Mason Verger remembers Dr. Lecter, too, and is obsessed with revenge. He was Dr. Lecter's sixth victim, and he has survived to rule his own butcher's empire. From his respirator, Verger monitors every twitch in his worldwide web. Soon he sees that to draw the doctor, he must have the most exquisite and innocent-appearing bait; he must have what Dr. Lecter likes best. Powerful, hypnotic, utterly original, Hannibal is a dazzling feast for the imagination. Prepare to travel to hell and beyond as a master storyteller permanently alters the world you thought you knew.

©2000 Thomas Harris (P)2012 Random House

Critic Reviews

"Strap yourself in for one heck of a ride - it'll scare your socks off." ( Denver Post)

"Relentless - endlessly terrifying." ( Los Angeles Times)

"Interested in getting the hell scared out of you? Buy this book on a Friday...lock all doors and windows. And by Monday, you might just be able to sleep without a night-light." ( Newsday)

Great story, but missings a few pieces

Hannibal ranks as one of my favorite books. It is fascinating how Thomas Harris successfully created an admirable villain, but in a weird ironic way, Hannibal makes the world a better, because he only attacks/eats those who are vile. I think there is a quote in the book where Barney (former orderly in Silence of the Lambs) says, "Dr. Lecter said he only ate 'the free-range rude.'"

Mason Verger is one of Hannibal's earlier victims who wants revenge, and he will stop at nothing to repay Dr. Lecter with a similar fate as his.

As I listened to the book, I didn't know who was the sickest: Verger; Dr. Lecter; Harris for creating these characters; or me for enjoying them.

What I particularly enjoyed about the book was how brilliant Lecter was; from his knowledge of Medieval literature, to his nearly perfect Italian, to his quick wit, to Hannibal's memory palace.

I loved the book; however, since I have listened to the unabridged version of the book numerous times, I was dissappointed to discover that this book really lies somewhere in that Purgatory between abridged and unabridged: certain quotes and lines were left out and the book abruptly ends with about 25 pages left. These 25 pages are crucial, because they demonstrate the consequence of greed, which is a major theme in the book. Despite the lack of quality control from Audible on this one, I still gave it a 4-stars out of 5. It is definitely worth listening to, and who knows? by the time new listeners download the book, this problem may be corrected. If not, go to the local library and check out the book and read the final 25 pages, because it is definitely worth the time. Sorry!

Returned it!!

I really wanted to listen to this book but had to return it because of the narrator! First of all he spoke too fast and then when the victim was speaking his words were SO slurred that I could Not understand ANY of it!! Guess I have to READ it!!

Excellent story but not unabridged

This is one of my favorite books. Hannibal Lecter is one of the classiest characters I've run across. This book takes you into the parts of his mind that make him brilliant. The book is not all about him but it is great reading. This is not a horror book. Silence of the Lambs was much more visually disturbing. This is more of a Suspense book. It can also be read independently of the others.

It says that this is an unabridged book but it is not. It is missing the last few chapters and in my opinion, the most important ones. They just ended a chapter and spiced in "This... is Audible". Either the recording needs to be revisited so that it can be presented in it's entirety or it should be marked "Abridged".

All that being said, this is an excellent book and I found excuses to spend extra time with it.

Narration is absurd

I am an avid audiobook listener, NEVER have I been completely unable to understand a reader. First and foremost this is a BOOK, and not being able to understand a reader is unacceptable. Character choices made by an actor should come second to understandability, in any form of media. It is very disappointing that this was released, it needs to be re-recorded.

Good Story Terrible Narrator

Would you try another book from Thomas Harris and/or Daniel Gerroll?

Yes, I look forward to Hannibal Rising. I don't think I could stand another Daniel Garroll narration unless the book is slapstick comedy.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator creates absurd caricatures of the various characters, especially Mason Verger. The Mason and Barney voices are ridiculously overdone and Barney sounds like Woodhouse from Archer and I absolutely hated it. He should have pulled back on the Verger character, it was annoyingly absurd. I get the missing lips but but Gary Oldman really found the right balance in limited speech and getting the communication across.

Decent Story, So-So Narration

Taken by itself, Hannibal is an intriguing, if somewhat unrealistic crime thriller. Compared to its predecessors, though, it is underwhelming and odd. It is not as carefully plotted or grounded as the previous books, and Dr. Lecter is nearly superhuman. I have always enjoyed Harris' realism and journalistic style, but these are lacking in this novel.

Gerroll's narration takes some getting used to. He is competent, but often reads too quickly. Some of his character voices are irritating (esp. his Barney) and his Mason Verger is nearly impossible to understand (Verger has severe vocal impediments, and Gerroll imitates them exactly).

I wish Frank Muller could have read this book. His narration of "The Silence of the Lambs" was flawless. His Lecter is particularly chilling and rivals Anthony Hopkins Oscar-winning performance.

It’s been updated, it’s all there!

I was initially turned away from this because of previous reviews that said it was missing the last 25 pages, ITS NOT, I checked the book and everything! Great performance, and one hell of an ending!

Disappointed

I could barely understand Mason Verger. I know he was severely disformed but the narrative for his lines could have been clearer. I only finished the book because I love the written book so much.

Daniel Gerroll my favourite Audible performance

The narrator does the whole cast so well. it adds so much to a great book.

Unlistenable

Daniel Gerroll is a talented voice artist, especially with accents. His ability (as a Brit!) to capture Clarice's subtle Appalachian twang is a great example. But his handling of Lecter victim Mason Verger makes this recording a disaster -- it needs to be re-recorded.

Yes, Verger is described in the novel as having a severe speech impediment, due to him having basically no face or lips. But in the book, his dialogue is still spelled out, just with commentary about how it might sound. For instance:

***
"Don't read to me. Put it up on the elmo."
The d end m and the p are lost from Mason's speech.
***

or, later:

***
The American voice Pazzi heard had a peculiar rhythm, words rushed into a
single breath with a pause between, and the plosives were lost. The sound of
it made Pazzi slightly dizzy, as though he were straining for breath along
with the speaker.
Without preamble, the question: "Where is Dr Lecter?"
***

The problem is, Gerroll delivers these bits of dialogue as something would be transcribed as "Own eed o ee. Ut eh uh aw ee ello." and "Er eh er eker?", respectively. It's too much, and since Verger's character does little besides talk, it absolutely destroys the book.

I wish I had ordered the abridged version.

very long, over 100 chapters, more detail than I personally required. As a keen fan of the previous books, I had to know what happened next, so it was worth the long wait. slightly disappointed with the ending, but it was very good and a bit scary.