Without going into too much detail, I'll say this much: The book was good, not great, and definitely not as bad as most have said it is.
It's interesting to see the early life of Hannibal Lecter, but my biggest complaint is Thomas Harris' attempt to humanize Lecter. Reading and watching The Silence of the Lambs, the character of Hannibal Lecter is a complete psychopath, and he sends chills up your spine whenever he speaks.
Hannibal Rising effectively turns Lecter into a tragic figure, a victim of a traumatic childhood. It somewhat diminishes the mystery and legend of the character.
Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read, albeit a tad disappointing. I don't know if I can fully recommend it, though. It was definitely better than Hannibal, so you may wanna give it a look, SB. Maybe check it out at the library?
"Growing up my dad was like 'You have a great last name, Galifianakis. Galifianakis...begins with a gal...and ends with a kiss...' I'm like that's great dad, can we get it changed to 'Galifianafuck' please?" -- Zach Galifianakis
