Author : Thomas Harris
What is it about : Set in the time of World War II in Europe, the story charted the childhood and upbringing of Hannibal Lecter (you know, that scary guy played by Anthony Hopkins) and how he was traumatised by the cannibalism of his captors. Our young Hannibal turned out to be an outstanding medical student with a talent for detailed drawing of human organs and had the ability to find novel ways of killing off his enemies. The book also described how a mysterious Japanese woman, his Aunt, made an impact on his early life.
Some thoughts after having read the book : The problem was that I didn't see "Hannibal Rising", just a troubled kid knocking bad guys out in cruel and ingenious ways. It was difficult for me to extrapolate and imagine this young dude would become THE Hannibal (think Anthony Hopkins wearing that menacing overall, waiting for and greeting Jodie Forster's visit to his prison cell in The Silence Of The Lambs). This book's make-up of the boy Hannibal felt hollow, with just a tiny glimpse of that chilling Monster inside and the actions and dialogues lacked psychological impact and depth. Also, the ease with which young Hannibal criss-crossed urban and rural Paris, seemingly knowing all the back lanes and short cuts felt implausible. Moreover, the slayings of the long-ago enemies were much James Bond-like - ducking bullets, him against the world, that sort of thing. The Japanese Aunt was a major distraction whose story thread, presence and contribution led to nowhere and did not add substance to our understanding of Hannibal The Monster and how he metamorphosed to become his sinister self.
Would I recommend this book to you : Good for a week's past-time and a quick thrill and kill; otherwise, the book fell short of the high standards set in the Author's excellent previous books of the same series and certainly never matched the chilling tale that was, The Silence Of The Lambs.
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