Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris

He is perhaps the most famous, freighting psychological killer to have ever graced literature. The return of Hannibal doesn't see him picking up where the last novel left off; rather Hannibal Rising gives an insight into what caused Hannibal to become the beast we all now know. The book explores his live during the war hiding away with his parents in the forest to escape the front lines. When his entire family are killed towards the end of the war, something changes in Hannibal and the rest of the novel explores and develops that change in personality and psyche. I've really enjoyed the previous novels in the Hannibal series and because of that it made ...  Read the complete review

Introduction ---------------- Ever wondered why Hannibal Lecter turned out the way he did? Read on, as we delve into the memories of the world’s most famous cannibal. The Book ------------- The book starts from an intriguing premise: how did Hannibal the child become the adult we know of from both Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs? How did he become so disturbingly good at killing? I’m sure it’s a thought that most of us have had at one time or another when reading the books or watching the films. I was certainly intrigued by the notion when I saw the book advertised. However, then I stopped and had second thoughts (always ...  Read the complete review

If I was an author I would want to be as lazy as I could possibly be. To do this I would firstly have to become phenomenally popular - no problem, I am a genius. With my popularity intact I am assured that any book that I write will make me lots of money. I could earn even more by churning out one book a year, but that seems like hard work, better to wait 5 years or so and take my time. I can live of a few million as easily as 20 million. Perhaps I could have a prolific twelve months or so where I write two or three books. I could hand one to the publisher and keep the other two locked up for a few years - at that rate I could have 10 years off! If you don't ...  Read the complete review

I’m not normally into the horror/thriller genre but ever since I saw Silence of the Lambs I have been a closet Hannibal ‘fan’ (if that’s the right word, I don’t want to sound like some sort of psychotic maniac!). I actually got Hannibal Rising as a present and couldn’t wait to read it before I saw it at the cinema. The book is basically a prequel to Silence of the Lambs. It attempts to describe some of the aspects that turned Hannibal into the monster that we know and, in a very strange sense of the word, love. The book follows young Hannibal as he goes through a very traumatic event which is to shape all of his later life. He ends up being brought ...  Read the complete review