Book Review: Hannibal Rising

Ever since I saw Silence of the Lambs, I have been enamored with the character of Hannibal Lechter, and the writings of Thomas Harris. I often wonder if Hannibal was the character that Thomas Harris wanted to be remembered by. He was an integral character in his first two books, Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, but never the focus of the stories. In fact, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lechter appeared in slightly over 16 minutes out of the 118 minutes of film. The main story was always the cat and mouse games of the FBI and serial killer. Hannibal gave us a unique perspective of the serial killer psyche. I truly believe that Anthony Hopkins incredible portrayal of Lechter's intelligent ruthless character created a bit of a monster, pun intended. Every book thereafter focused on Hannibal and seemed to be written with the sole prospect of becoming film. Hannibal, the 3rd book wasn't a bad story, but still felt forced. That leads to Hannibal Rising.

Rising chronicles a young Hannibal Lechter and the circumstances that led to him becoming the Chianti sipping cannibalistic serial killer we have all come to know and love. Hannibal, a child of a nobleman growing up in Lithuania is uprooted from his home during World War 2 as Nazi Germany is making it's sweep East towards Russia. His family is displaced, hiding for 3 years in the woods as the battle rages on. His family meets a tragic end, leaving he and his sisters in the capture of Lithuanian rebels. Hannibal's sister, Mischa is eaten by the starving soldiers to survive. The story follows Hannibal's escape from the soldiers, return to his family, his contempt for those who bully, are rude, or just loathsome and ultimately his revenge upon those who killed his sister. The book is written in a different style then Harris' other novels. The movie has been in production for over a year, and it seems as though the book has been adapted from the screenplay. All in all, not a bad read and worth it if you are a fan of the Hannibal novels and character. I read it in roughly 2 days.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Chianti's