Cannibal Holocaust (Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris)

Member Name: samueltyler

Product:	Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris
Date:	29/05/09 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Thrills 'n' chills, the character of Lector

Disadvantages: Really a silly action book, too sympathetic to a killer?

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 believe that my tactics can work look no further than the likes of Dan Brown or Thomas Harris. These are authors living the dream of being relaxed writers.

Hannibal Lector is one of the most popular antiheros of modern times, but how did he become the artistic cannibal? His childhood is a harrowing one and goes a long way to explain his present state. Part of a rich Lithuanian family Hannibal Lector was displaced by the invasion of the German army. Lector's family are killed and he is forced to watch some horrific scenes acted out by a group of treasonous men. Flash forward ten years and the war is over. Lector has already been accepted into medical school and his mind turns to murder. Can he find the men responsible for the death of his sister and avenge her?

When you think about the character of Hannibal Lector you could be mistaken into thinking that the books could be intellectual affairs as Lector himself is a genius. Nothing could be further from the truth as the Lector books have been more about thrills and chills than intelligence. This trend continues in 'Hannibal Rising' as the growth of Lector's personality is the nearest yet that Thomas Harris has got to an action thriller. In terms of action and dark thrills the book really works. The bad guys are painted in a way that you hate them and Harris makes you back Lector as he dispatches them one by one. 'Rising' almost felt like 'The Count of Monte Cristo' in parts as it has the same basic structure of being a dark revenge thriller.

The reason that the book works above all others is that Lector is a great character. I think that although this is a prequel you are best reading the books in the order they were written. This allows you to pick up the many subtle hints that Harris puts in the book and that are a joy to find. More than in any of the other books Hannibal Lector is painted as a hero and not a villain. He is known for dispatching the crude and unkind, but here he is after true evil. You almost feel like he is doing the right thing by murder. The cold and calculating way that his mind works is almost seductive at times and draws you into his dark thoughts.

Personally, I felt that Harris may have finally gone down the antihero route too much. Throughout 'Silence of the Lambs' etc Lector has been painted in a way that you respect him even though he is evil. As the films and books progressed I got the sense that Harris liked the man. The films in particular seem to show him as a rascal rather than a psychopath at times. 'Hannibal Rising' is the clearest indication yet that I may be right. Here Lector is victim as much as suspect. Almost every action he takes is given a veneer of acceptability by Harris painting the enemy as the worse of two evils. Personally, I think making Lector too much of a 'good guy' undermines the earlier books as he will always be a psychopath to me.

Readers of 'Hannibal Rising' will react to it depending on how they approach the book. For those new to the series they may expect a deeper and more intelligent take on the crime genre. These people will be disappointed as it is more of an empty headed actionathon. If you approach the book expecting this lighter tone, having read the other books, then you will enjoy the thrill of the ride. It is a strange book in many ways as it balances dark imagery with silly thrills, but for me Harris pulls it off. Hannibal Lector is, and will always be, an interesting character whose complex nature makes him a joy to read about. There is enough scope left in this book to allow Harris to write more young Hannibal books, or expand into the older Hannibal's life. All I know is that it may be another 11 years until we find out which will happen.

Author: Thomas Harris
Year: 2005
Price: amazon uk - £5.59
play.com - £5.49

Summary: The rise of evil