Thomas Harris
"Hannibal"
The third book in the series featuring the infamous character
Hannibal Lecter, titled "Hannibal," was written by American author
Thomas Harris. Published in 1999, it falls under the genres of
mystery, crime thriller, and horror. This novel takes place seven
years after Lecter's escape from a high-security mental
institution, as depicted in the previous book, "Silence of the
Lambs." The story continues with Lecter's life on the run, which
leads him to the city of Florence, Italy.
One of Lecter's past victims, Mason Verger, seeks revenge on him.
Verger, a sadistic psychopath, plans to use FBI Agent Clarice
Starling as bait to lure Lecter into his trap. Lecter must find a
way to thwart Verger's plot and protect himself from his vengeful
pursuer.
Critics have praised "Hannibal" for its thrilling and horrifying
narrative. The Guardian describes it as "the exquisite satisfaction
of a truly great melodrama," while The Los Angeles Times calls it
"relentless - endlessly terrifying." The Denver Post claims the
novel is capable of "scaring your socks off." Notably, acclaimed
horror writer Stephen King considers "Hannibal" one of the two
scariest novels ever written, comparing it to "The Exorcist."
The popularity of the book led to its adaptation into a major
motion picture in 2001. Directed by Sir Ridley Scott, the film
starred Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Julianne Moore as
Clarice Starling. Additionally, in 2013, the novel was adapted into
a three-season television series by NBC. Created by Bryan Fuller,
the series starred Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Hannibal
Lecter.
The story is narrated from a third-person perspective and begins in
Washington, D.C. It has been seven years since Clarice Starling
solved the case involving the serial killer Buffalo Bill. However,
her career takes a downturn after a failed drug raid. In the raid,
Starling is forced to fatally shoot a drug dealer who was holding
an infant. The incident leaves her disgraced and haunted by the
consequences of her actions.
During this difficult time, Starling receives a letter from Dr.
Hannibal Lecter, who has been living incognito in Florence, Italy.
The letter offers condolences for Starling's recent troubles and
also requests more information about her personal life. Feeling
desperate and under pressure from the FBI, Starling is ordered to
track down and apprehend Lecter in Italy.
As Starling dives deeper into her pursuit of Lecter, she becomes
acquainted with Barney Matthews, a former employee at the Baltimore
State Hospitalfor the Criminally Insane. Matthews questions Starling about her
fear of Lecter showing up unannounced, to which she confidently
replies that she has no such fear because "he said he
wouldn't."
In this section of the story, Mason Verger, a wealthy former
patient of Lecter and his sixth victim, devises a sinister plan for
revenge. Verger, a sadistic pedophile, had suffered severe
disfigurement at the hands of Lecter years ago. Motivated by a
desire for vengeance, Verger intends to subject Lecter to a
gruesome fate by feeding him to wild boars from his butcher empire.
To accomplish this, Verger envisions using Agent Starling as an
unwitting pawn to lure Lecter into a deathtrap. Assisting
Verger in
his scheme is Paul Krendler, a corrupt official from the Justice
Department.
Verger takes the drastic step of offering a bounty for the capture
of Hannibal Lecter, attracting the attention of Rinaldo Pazzi, an
Italian detective and Starling's nemesis. However, Pazzi's
investigation leads him to a grim fate. Lecter disembowels Pazzi
and hangs him in a grisly manner reminiscent of the historical
lynching of the Pazzi conspirators. Additionally, Lecter murders
one of Pazzi's subordinates before fleeing to America, driven by
his pursuit of Agent Starling.
Within this section, the narrative also provides glimpses into
Lecter's troubled childhood. A brief history reveals that Lecter
was orphaned at a young age. He vividly recalls the tragic death of
his sister, Mischa, who was killed by deserters during World War
II. The haunting aspect of the incident lies in the fact that these
deserters resorted to cannibalism, consuming Mischa's remains. This
traumatic event has left an indelible mark on Lecter's psyche,
shaping his character and actions throughout his life.
Furthermore, the story introduces Barney Matthews' involvement in
Verger's plot. Matthews agrees to collaborate with Verger and pays
a visit to Margot Verger, Mason's sister, who is a bodybuilder and
identifies as a lesbian. During their conversation, Matthews learns
the horrifying truth that Margot was raped and sexually abused by
Mason during her childhood. Additionally, he discovers that Margot
was disowned by their father upon revealing her homosexuality,
resulting in her exclusion from the family will due to her
inability to bear children. Margot admits to aligning herself with
Verger's plan because she needs Mason's sperm to conceive a child
with her partner, Judy, and become eligible to inherit her father's
fortune.
In this part of the story, Mason Verger's henchmen successfully
captureHannibal Lecter. However, Agent Starling is determined to find
Lecter and confronts the henchmen. She locates Lecter and frees him
from captivity, but before she can escape, she is rendered
unconscious by a tranquilizer dart fired by one of Verger's
men.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lecter unleashes Verger's wild
boars, which proceed to feast on the bodies of the incapacitated or
deceased henchmen left behind during Starling's pursuit.
Interestingly, the boars do not harm Lecter himself, as they sense
no fear emanating from him. Amidst the chaos, Lecter manages to
escape, carrying the unconscious Starling to safety.
Meanwhile, Margot Verger takes matters into her own hands. She
releases one of Verger's minions before murdering another. Margot's
goal is to obtain her brother Mason's sperm, which she achieves by
using a cattle prod in a disturbing manner. Following this act, she
proceeds to kill Mason by forcing his pet Moray eel into his mouth.
Earlier, Lecter had briefly treated Margot after her brother's
attack, and out of pity, he advises her to frame Mason's death as
his doing. Margot agrees and leaves behind a piece of Lecter's
scalp at the crime scene as evidence.
Subsequently, Lecter subjects Starling to a series of psychotropic
drugs and employs various behavioral therapy techniques to
manipulate and brainwash her. Lecter's ultimate aim is for Starling
to wake up believing that she is Mischa, Lecter's deceased sister,
who has somehow returned from the grave. However, despite his
efforts, Starling resists the hypnotic influence and instead tells
Lecter that Mischa will live on within him. This conversation takes
place as Lecter apprehends Paul Krendler, and in a gruesome turn of
events, Lecter proceeds to perform a lobotomy on Krendler. As a
result, both Lecter and Starling consume portions of Krendler's
prefrontal cortex. Finally, Lecter concludes his brutal actions by
murdering Krendler.
In the concluding part of the story, a shocking turn of events
takes place. Agent Starling, driven by an inexplicable attraction
to Hannibal Lecter, removes her clothing and presents her bosom to
him, a gesture he willingly accepts. This intimate encounter leads
to a romantic relationship between Lecter and Starling, and they
vanish from the world together, disappearing into obscurity.
Three years later, on July 9, 2000, Barney Matthews and his
girlfriend embark on a vacation in Argentina. During their visit to
Buenos Aires, they plan to see a Johannes Vermeer painting.
However, fate takes an unexpected turn when Matthewsspots Lecter and Starling at the opera. Overwhelmed by fear for
his life, Matthews hastily flees the scene with his girlfriend,
desperate to distance himself from the dangerous duo.
"Hannibal" is the third book in the Hannibal Lecter series,
following "Red Dragon" and "Silence of the Lambs." It is succeeded
by another book titled "Hannibal Rising." In addition to the
Hannibal Lecter series, Thomas Harris has authored two other
novels: "Black Sunday" and "Cari Mora." Notably, "Hannibal"
achieved significant success in the literary world, ranking as the
second highest bestselling novel of 1999.