Hannibal by Thomas Harris
Okay, first of all, many thanks to Ann Jie for recommending me this book. I had no idea about this Thomas Harris' masterpiece until she suggested me to give it a try (I know, I know, I should be punished for not knowing about this book's existence. Dumb) and just like what she told me, it was full of gore and plain gruesome.
Short, lots of graphic, sadistic events take place in this book.
For the benefit of my fellow few readers who are still in the dark about this book, Hannibal by Thomas Harris is about the namesake, a cannibalistic serial killer who escaped to Italy and being hunted by his rich, surviving victim, Mason Verger with the help of a tainted Italian detective and a corrupt US government official.
At the same time, there's Clarice Starling - an FBI agent who's trying to fix her bad reputation from a raid-gone-wrong by pursuing Dr Hannibal Lecter. Interestingly, the antagonist likes her (as told from previous books and through their encounters) and understands her better than anyone else.
The rest of the book looks into the dizzying parts where Dr Hannibal makes his mark professionally in Italy before escaping back to the United States with all the scheming, hunting and killing take place in between. One can appreciate how Dr Hannibal manages to keep his composure and remained cool (and witty?) even during the most pressing times. That makes him and the book interesting.
However, the movie version of it (released in 2001) is somewhat disappointing, considering you have read the book. It has been simplified to the max, lots of details in the book have been taken out, some characters are not included and the major bummer of all, the ending is not like what's in the book. I still prefer the book's ending as it tells the ultimate connection between Clarice Starling and Dr Hannibal, while the movie's one appeals more to Hollywood.
Think you like clever, charming psychopath with lots of blood and human organs spewing out in a book? Then go and read this one.
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