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Have read the books (except Red Dragon) and I am curious whether Thomas Harris will write another book with Hannibal Lector. I enjoyed both Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Hannibal Rising was ok. There is still a great gap between HR and Red Dragon, and I would be anxious to read a story where the FBI are still looking and hoping to catch Hannibal Lector. What do you all think?

I would be totally interested in reading more Hannibal books as long as they're nothing like Hannibal Rising, because that book left a lot to be desired on all fronts, plus it seemed so rushed compared to all Harris' other books. There wasn't that slow creepy sinuous build which is what I love about the Hannibal character.

I thought Hannibal Lecter's character was a lot more interesting before he became Harris's primary character. Evil is best when it lurks in the shadows and is never fully understood nor expected.

John wrote: "Have read the books (except Red Dragon) and I am curious whether Thomas Harris will write another book with Hannibal Lector. I enjoyed both Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Hannibal Rising was ok..."

I'd definitley read that book, although I'd want it to be written by 'Red Dragon/Silence of the Lambs' Thomas Harris, not 'Hannibal Rising' Thomas Harris...

:-)

No, I don't think so. What more could be said that hasn't already been covered in the previous books?

Between Hannibal Rising and Red Dragon, there is still a good deal of time between the two stories, not to mention how Hannibal went into psychiatry, committing murders with Will Graham trying to catch him, although that will probably be done with the tv series (which I like).

I also thought it would be cool, if it could be done, to see if a good story can be made where the FBI are after both Hannibal and Clarice after their escape from the FBI in Hannibal. Maybe capture Clarice in an attempt to recapture Hannibal. Maybe?

red dragon and silence were fantastic, both with hannibal in the wings rather than centre stage. hannibal was a slow boil novel that never really got to the grand status of the previous novels. i'd like to see Harris do something new, something non Hannibal related or with hannibal way in the background

'Between Hannibal Rising and Red Dragon, there is still a good deal of time between the two stories, not to mention how Hannibal went into psychiatry'

That sounds interesting.

I've read all books of Thomas Harris' and I feel that there is still a lot of things going on in Hannibal Lecter's mind that would gladly like to know. So Yes, I would love another book!

Come on, guys. He wouldn't leave Starling stranded with the Other in S. America.

Rumors of the new Hannibal sequel:
Ten years have passed and the Doctor and Clarice turn up in Century Village in Hallandale, Florida, where Lechter resorts to shooting his victims since his dentures are no longer effective for biting.
The two are, of course, quite well off, as Clarice has opened a shooting range for seniors, who serve as both customers and targets. Hannibal comes up with a novel 'Early Bird Special' at a local Denny's, and then he corners the fava bean market.
They finally meet their doom when they are gunned down for not having health insurance.

Larry wrote: "Rumors of the new Hannibal sequel:
Ten years have passed and the Doctor and Clarice turn up in Century Village in Hallandale, Florida, where Lechter resorts to shooting his victims since his dentur..."

Is this a true rumor or your suggestion? :)

Larry wrote: "Rumors of the new Hannibal sequel:
Ten years have passed and the Doctor and Clarice turn up in Century Village in Hallandale, Florida, where Lechter resorts to shooting his victims since his dentur..."

Sorry, Elina, it was just a suggestion. I'm sure Thomas Harris can do better than this!

After his last novel I would almost hope he has retired.
And with the tv show currently running there seems to be NO need for a new novel by Harris.

The only story out there, is the what could have been story with the Menage a Trois of Graham,Lector and Starling. Which I felt sure was coming until the 'Silence' movie got so huge that all the publishers/Hollywood wanted was more Starling and Lector.

I truly believe that Harris would have not only have kick started the whole serial killer genre in the 80's but would have fully explored the Detective/Investigator as latent Serial Killer that Graham certainly had in him. A storyline that later of course became a genre itself starting with Dexter.

Something along the lines of Lector setting Graham up to be the serial killer he knows him to be, and after doing so. Having the evidence to convict him dangling over his head, leading to a deadly game of chess between the two with Starling as one of the pawns.

Could have been Great Stuff, but after Starling took home best picture, they wasn't going to make her a 3rd banana, Just not the way Big Entertainment works.

There's actually an interesting explanation for why Hannibal Rising (the novel) sucks in comparison to the others: Harris didn't want to write it.

The studio that held the rights to the Lecter character, which was at the time run by Dino DeLaurentiis, basically told Harris that they wanted to do a Lecter origin film. Harris told them he wasn't planning on writing that story, and they told him that they'd do it without him if he refused. So he basically wrote the book to make sure that nobody else could--which, ultimately, shows.

James wrote: "There's actually an interesting explanation for why Hannibal Rising (the novel) sucks in comparison to the others: Harris didn't want to write it.

The studio that held the rights to the Lecter cha..."


I don't doubt it James, Course it's still Harris responsibility to his self respect and fans not to become a Hollywood Hack.

It's similar to how our politicians try to keep a clear conscience of their corrupt ways by justifying it to themselves that if they don't do it, someone else will.

True it may be, but not a excuse.

"Midas68-- Something along the lines of Lector setting Graham up to be the serial killer he knows him to be, and after doing so."

That's actually the plot of the first season of "Hannibal." If I understand the producer's recent comments, the first 2 1/2 seasons cover up until "Red Dragon" and then Season 3 is "Red Dragon"(ish?) And they've already announded that Mason Verger (from "Hannibal") and his sister have been cast for Season 2.

James wrote: "There's actually an interesting explanation for why Hannibal Rising (the novel) sucks in comparison to the others: Harris didn't want to write it.

The studio that held the rights to the Lecter cha..."

So Harris himself is responsible for this turd in his own series.
He could easily have told them to go ahead but leave his name away from the cover and then denounce the book.
That said a ghostwriter would perhaps have done a better job.

I think there should be a sequel.I just can't stop thinking about what happened Clarice and things ended that way.It's just cruel and horrible.I just wish she get away from Lecter.That would be o.k ending.Now it's like not finished and anybody who read all books feel really bitter after spending all this time,reading this books and getting to know Lecter and Clarice and then ends like real nightmare.

Veka wrote: "I think there should be a sequel.I just can't stop thinking about what happened Clarice and things ended that way.It's just cruel and horrible.I just wish she get away from Lecter.That would be o...."

Which is somewhat fitting as Lecter is a figure from a nightmare and is somewhat glorified through the movies and now the show.
Fitting in that Clarice is another victim of the nightmare that are people like Lecter. With Will Graham we saw the cost of hunting the like of Hannibal.

In that sense I find the end quite satisfying, better than any happy ending which would not fit the series.

I think in "Hannibal" Harris himself fell victim to the "Cult of Lecter" that glorified/lionized the character following the release of SotL. His Clarice in "Hannibal" is much more an amalgam of Jodie Foster's Clarice with a bit of the original literary Clarice thrown in. Ultimately, "Hannibal" (both the book and the film) did a severe disservice to the Clarice character-- not simply disempowering her, but reducing her to a drugged doll that he carries around (sometimes literally) as his ultimate trophy. In "Red Dragon" (the book) Will has been psychically damaged-- perhaps beyond repair-- by his hunting of Lecter. In SotL (again, the book) Clarice actually comes out stronger for having hunted Bill using Lecter (as Will did). By the end of "Hannibal" (the book) she has absolutely no autonomy and doesn't seem particularly concerned about it. The narrative at the end of the book attributes her compliance at least in part to the drugs, but the romanticism of the writing in Mr. Harris' word choice and scene description implies that this is *truly* where Clarice wants to be.

I think the (book) ending of Hannibal was indeed intended to be a "happy" ending for both Lecter and Starling. The way I read it, Hannibal was the only person who was able to help her get past the death of her father, which he did by use of psychiatric drugs and dramatic "therapy."

I didn't pick up on any significant implication that Clarice was with him for any reason but by choice. However, he does clearly imply that Clarice is able to control Hannibal's homicidal cravings somewhat with sex, and I think you can definitely question whether she's with him just because she loves him or whether she also feels a duty to be with him because she's developed the ability to curb his madness.

I'd love a new book covering what happened when Hannibal went to psychiatry. I'm a psychiatrist myself and believe me most of the doctors that choose this particular specialty have very private and somehow dark reasons. I think Harris has a very interesting character here to develop. Of course he would need some research but he is good at this. He should definitely write one more book. But we are not in his mind...

James wrote: I didn't pick up on any significant implication that Clarice was with him for any reason but by choice. However, he does clearly imply that Clarice is able to control Hannibal's homicidal cravings somewhat with sex, and I think you can definitely question whether she's with him just because she loves him or whether she also feels a duty to be with him because she's developed the ability to curb his madness."

This possible reading is what makes me really dislike this book-- (for many reasons but especially) its gender politics. Will Graham very well knows that his "duty" in life isn't to curb any homicidal maniac's cravings by sex or any other means no matter what the psychic cost-- and in his writing, Mr. Harris clearly indicates this. In "Hannibal" however, Mr. Harris has Hannibal "make Clarice over" (a feminized trope about the ugly duckling turned into a swan) with drugs and plastic surgery. It's been a while since I read the book, but I think I do remember there being a passage where Hannibal ruminates that he worries in passing that "someday the mirror will shatter" (ie, Clarice will somehow "see through") and then the implication is that this will be somehow a "return" to who Clarice really is. Which will, admittedly, be very bad for him. But the novel does not end on that potential, instead it ends on the "reality" of Hannibal at the opera, with a compliant Clarice at his side.

James wrote: "I think the (book) ending of Hannibal was indeed intended to be a "happy" ending for both Lecter and Starling. The way I read it, Hannibal was the only person who was able to help her get past the..."

NO;NO NO. I didn't think of that,Thank you for that thoughts. Now I feel more cheated then I was before.I thought he brainwashed her and she is stuck with him to be his creepy bride.Makes EVERYTHING SO FUCKED UP and now I'm damaged for life having all this on my mind,she choose somebody like him, who use her weakness to make her in some kinda brainwashed zombie who would sleep with him and even kill with him or kill for him.

We can't exclude that.SHIT!

I don't think people are giving Starling enough responsibility for her own actions. Everyone seems to think she was brainwashed/drugged/coerced into her actions. I kind of think that Starling had this inner lawlessness inside her all the time. She controlled it and channeled it into an acceptable form; fighting the bad guys. Then came a time when she had to ask herself who the bad guys really were, and she couldn't see much difference between Hannibal Lecter and Paul Krendler......so she rebelled. Remember what they say about a criminal hiding within every cop?

Interesting theory. What in the books' characterization of Starling draw you to that conclusion?

It was her disillusionment with the FBI; the politics and manipulations. She saw that people like Paul Krendler were not noble, but corrupt, and that politics and petty pissing contests were undermining the true mission of the bureau. I think Starling was a good agent and had a strong sense of right and wrong; and when she realized how skewed the parameters were she just checked out. Perhaps she had been reading Machiavelli, but Harris forgot to mention it.

There's a considerable bit of distance between recognizing the institutional sexism and corruption of the FBI and deciding to throw one's lot in with a homicidal maniac. And that ground (in Clarice's psyche in the book) to me, is definitely not covered to make a convincing argument. But everyone's mileage does vary, and that's a wonderful thing.

As Hannibal and Clarice head off into the sunset, it is difficult to see how he can bring them back without a motive of revenge for the hurt inflicted on Agent Starling. One plot line would involve a serial killer who overshadows the work of Lector and thus dents his considerable ego. Together with Starling they embark on a journey to capture the killer before he completely eclipses Lector's status as FBI most wanted man.

Harris marches to his own beat- he's one of the few authors who can spend years up to a decade before releasing a new book.

Is Hannibal done? I doubt it- my gut tells me Harris has one final one in the works he plans to release on his own schedule- his version of Hannibal vs. the film version are two separate vehicles. While DeLaurentiis holds the film rights to the franchise- he's going to have a b*%^& of a time figuring how to deal with the resolutions within the books that need to resolved (if anything, Harris is methodical and he doesn't leave loose ends- there was a huge conflict between the book version of Hannibal and the film, which went in a different direction than what Harris wanted).

Bet on one last Hannibal novel- but it will be on Harris' terms, and no one else's.

"Son of Hannibal," scheduled for release soon, is the story of Jaime, the offspring of Clarice and Dr. Lechter. The proud parants affectionately call the infant "Fava Bean," and all goes well until Clarice throws down on Hannibal when he screws up with the diapers.
At one point she yells, "It puts the baby in the bassinet, Han," and stomps out of the room.
Hannibal tries to calm her down with a nice Chianti, but its all downhill from there...

Drats, it seems that I'm terribly late to this discussion. However, I'd still like to chime in. My thought is that, if Harris decides to write another book, he absolutely must stay away from any more prequels. What made the character of Hannibal so terrifying and so great was that we didn't understand him. He did horrible things for nothing but his own amusement and enjoyment. I understand that fans always want to figure a character out, but doing so with Hannibal ruins him. Portraying him as some poor, tragic hero (as in Hannibal Rising) hamstrings a marvelous enigma of a character into becoming a worn out cliché. We loved Hannibal because his motivations were unfathomable, his mind impenetrable. So, with that in mind, here's what I would like to see. First off, we get rid of all of that awful Hannibal Rising story by discovering it was all an elaborate lie he he spun to Clarice in order to further ingratiate himself to her, thereby making his manipulations even more effective (sure, this is a crummy device to get rid of some awful writing, but I feel it's worth it). This returns Hannibal to what he truly is, a malevolent being seeking only to fulfill whatever whims take him. Clarice has become somewhat of a disciple to him and, as he pushes and prods her to become like him with increasing effectiveness, her tentative hold on who she was grows increasingly weak. Meanwhile, Jack Crawford is dying in a hospital bed. He is consumed with guilt over his failure to properly help Clarice with all the bureaucratic BS in the past, and maybe even assumes she's died at the hands of Hannibal. He picks up a phone and makes a call. The last thing we hear him say is "Hey Will, it's Jack. Don't hang up." After all, who is more suited to pull Clarice back from the precipice of darkness than Will Graham? Long story short, Will (still struggling with, but maybe having a more secure hold on his own darkness) sets off to recapture Hannibal. Now, from here you could go a couple ways; have it turn into a struggle between Hannibal and Will for Clarice's soul, have Will be Clarice's first real murder in the end (or vice versa), have Will be so degraded that he kills her to get to Hannibal, have Will kill him and have Clarice take revenge on him, have Hannibal kill Will and then Clarice kills him, etc... Point being, there's still a lot of room for a really great ending to this story.

Derek wrote: "Drats, it seems that I'm terribly late to this discussion. However, I'd still like to chime in. My thought is that, if Harris decides to write another book, he absolutely must stay away from any mo..."

I love the idea of bringing back Graham, particularly in the damaged form we last hear of in the books. I also like the potential of pitting him against Clarice--that sounds very much a Hannibal Lecter thing to do.

The only problem I see with your proposed plot is that Crawford dies in the book version of Hannibal. Unless you're saying this is in flashback?

Its speculation as to what Harris could add to the Hannibal Lechter saga. The ending of "Hannibal" was chilling and satisfying.

Of course, if the author wants to write a cookbook, it could open up whole new possibilities... "Human Food for Human Beings" for instance?

I bet you won't do THAT on your show, Rachael Ray...

Yeah, flashback. Once again, hate to use that device, but I think Crawford is the only one that could get Will back into the game.

Larry wrote: ""Son of Hannibal," scheduled for release soon, is the story of Jaime, the offspring of Clarice and Dr. Lechter. The proud parants affectionately call the infant "Fava Bean," and all goes well until..."

Larry,it's so hilarious!If you write short story about Han and Clarice and their new family,I would read it.

beatlebazza wrote: "As Hannibal and Clarice head off into the sunset, it is difficult to see how he can bring them back without a motive of revenge for the hurt inflicted on Agent Starling. One plot line would involv..."

That also great idea for a book.I can see it!

As interesting as the character is, I think the series is done. I loved the ending of Hannibal and it leaves the reader to wonder on the future, not wrap it up. Hannibal Rising was definitely weaker as you sense the author's heart wasn't in it at all, but it was a detailed enough sketch of his early years. Red Dragon was a good book but after seeing the show, feels like a letdown a little.

Don't see much more to tell - sometimes if you over explain and show too much it may weaken the character of Hannibal as less mysterious in the eyes of readers.

The Car (NC-17) , by Tom Reilly
Wednesday, 10-Nov-99 11:32:42

Hannibal Flunks His Driver’s Test!

High in the woods, near Quantico, Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling were engaged in a titanic bout of love-making. The woods were hushed in their vicinity as dozens of local wildlife gathered, awestruck at the mind-boggling coupling of these two humans.
Again and again and AGAIN, Hannibal thrust his 19-inch, steel-hard member deep into Clarice’s flooded-in-ecstasy mons veneris! � AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa�..EEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee�..IIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiii�.OOOOOOOOOoooooo�.UUUUUuuuuuuuuuu, �, bellowed Starling, as Lecter wondered whether she was insane with demented lust or merely asking Vanna White for a vowel.
� You will be mine, Clarice. Oh yes, you will be mine, �, screamed the cannabalistic serial killer, as he drove his mammoth member far into Clarice’s quivering labia majora, his attention only mildly distracted by the hoots of the talking mynah birds nearby. � You go gyrrl! �, the mynahs ( who had been accompanied by adults ) shrilled at their heroine as she lay sprawled on the forest floor, pinned there by Hannibal Lecter’s tool of indescribable bliss.
Starling shook violently as wave after wave of erotic ecstasy swept over her.
� My God! �, she thought. � If I didn’t know I was being ravaged by the superbly endowed maniac from the Baltimore Hospital For the Incurably Sex-Obsessed, I’d think A T & T was missing a telephone pole! �
Unfortunately for our two love-birds, their frenetic coupling had induced an earthquake in the hill and soon they found themselves doing not only the horizontal mambo but a horrendous vertical descent down the hill!
Still rutting in an orgasm-near state, followed by a herd of squirrels exclaiming � We’ve found some nuts! �, Hannibal and Clarice slammed into her Mustang! The impact tore them apart, Clarice flying through the open drivers-side door and impaling herself on the gear shift! Hannibal, in turn, careened into the driver’s seat. The embedded gear shift drove Clarice over the brink into a mind-numbing climax.
� AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! �, roared Clarice. � Dat was great! Let’s do it again!! �
Hannibal meanwhile had spent himself and was frantically trying to start the car when a State Trooper pulled up.
� I’ll need to see your license, sir �, said the stern lawman. � Do you know how fast you were humping there? �
Lecter could only groan as he knew he was headed back to the loving care of Dr. Chilton.
Clarice was bitterly sobbing: � Men! Damn them!! After they’ve used you, they’re off on another adventure! �

Funny, Tom. =)

Thanks, Erin. I had fun writing it. I've loved all the Lecter novels.

Ardelia and Clarice, by Tom Reilly

Temper cooling now, Ardelia Mapp waited outside the cineplex lobby and, eventually, her patience was rewarded as she spotted a somewhat flustered-looking Clarice Starling emerge, followed by those grinning buffons, Francis Dolarhyde, Jaime Gumb, Dr.Chilton, Paul Krendler, Jack Crawford and Will Graham! Good grief, thought Ardelia, disgust wrinkling her luscious lips, Starling must have been used, over and over again, that poor girl!
Ardelia would have been surprised and revolted if she could have read Clarice's mind, for the FBI agent had enjoyed herself much more than she anticipated when first Chilton, then the other men, had used her hands for their lascivious purposes!
Mapp had watched Dr. Hannibal Lecter storm out of the theater showing HANNIBAL and into JURY DUTY 6, starring that amazing actor, Paulie Shore. Ardelia thought: Paulie Shore??? De gustibus non disputandem, indeed!
Now, though, Ardelia had no time to dwell on Lecter's choice of entertainment. It was time for her to seduce Starling away from nasty men and back into the fold of Sapphic devotees such as Mapp!
" Clarice? Over here, darling! ", cried the Nubian lesbian.
" Oh, hi, Ardelia. ", murmured Starling, her mind still obsessed with visions of Mount St. Helens, Vesuvius and Krakatoa. " I'm sooooo glad you're not still angry with me? "
" Not at all, you sweet thang! Now, let's go back to my apartment. I need your help in brushing up on my next FBI exam: restraints and cuffs 101.
" You know I'll do anything I can to help you, Ardelia! "
Mapp had trouble keeping her grin to a minimum.
..................................
Clarice Starling sat on the couch and sipped a glass of wine Ardelia had poured for her as she listened to the seductive lyrics of Melissa Etheridge in the background. The song, " I'm the Only One ", brought back memories of her experimentation with Ardelia, memories that brought a hot flush to her cheeks. God! What HAD she been thinking that night when she allowed the gorgeous African-American girl to ply her with grass and wine and then...that shameless tramp!...take terrible advantage? It's true, thought Starling, Hannibal's treatment of me, when I was rescued by him, his use of drugs and deep hypnosis HAD unleashed a side to her that Clarice, in her wildest imagination, could not have imagined in her life prior to becoming Lecter's love-toy! And yet, she thought, it all made sense now: her attraction to strong authority figures such as her father; Jack Crawford; Agent John Brigham, her pistol instructor ( God! When that man drew his long-barrelled .38 Special, it turned Clarice to mush! )....And, of course, the ultimate, for her, authority figure, Hannibal! Only he had been able, with his incredibly perceptive knowledge of human nature, to look deep inside Starling and see the longing for discipline, the urge to submit!
As Starling mused and, unbeknownst to her, the aphrodisiac-laced wine worked its magic, Ardelia Mapp peeked from her bedroom door into the living room. The tall, strong black woman smiled as she saw Clarice Starling lean back on the couch, her skirt riding up lovely, slim, tanned thighs. Oh my, thought Ardelia, you have no idea, Clarice, what this night holds in store for you, sweetie!
Knowing she was taking a chance on shocking Starling into flight with the outfit she had on, Mapp strode out into the living room and dimmed the lights.
" Ardelia!!! ", gasped Clarice. " What in Heavens name....
Ardelia Mapp stood there, grinning wickedly. " Like it, honeybunch? "
She wore a mind-boggling dominatrix outfit, all in black from the bustier to the thigh-high boots. Four sets of cuffs hung from an evil-looking belt.
Clarice gulped and started to bolt for the door but the superbly-muscled yet strikingly feminine Mapp grasped her about the waist. Clarice had but a second to struggle and then, Mapp, applying a hold she had learned from Spock on Star Trek, rendered Clarice unconscious. She lifted the lovely woman into her arms and carried her to her bed. There, Ardelia cuffed Clarice to the bed and waited for her to regain conciousness.
Mapp recalled a great line from HELLRAISER; " We have such sights to show you! ", and she smiled.
....................................................

When Clarice came to, her first confused thoughts were: where was she? why in the world was she handcuffed, face down, on a bed? and who was that woman seated opposite, on a chair, leering at her with a most domineering expression? With a sudden distressing clarity, Starling recognized, under the erotic trappings...Ardelia Mapp!
" Ardelia! For God's sake, untie me, this instant!! "
" You're in no position to give orders, my dear, " snarled Mapp. " According to this hourglass I hold, you're in for 60 minutes of indescribably delicious bondage and...though you may not agree with me right now...you're going to become my more-than-willing partner before all the sands drop! "
Clarice struggled, feeling supremely helpless. Ardelia had removed all Starling's clothes, knowing that total nudity made a prisoner feel especially vulnerable and powerless.
For the next few minutes, the small bedroom was quiet except for the sounds of Clarice groaning as Ardelia Mapp spanked her buns till they GLOWED! Starling's body soon glistened from a fine sheen of perspiration as the Nubian lesbian laid on with a vengeance, never going too far, mixing just the right amount of wicked SMACKS with an occasional sweet stroke of her gloved fingers that had Clarice panting and moaning into the pillow beneath her face.
Ardelia paused and rose from the bed. When she returned, she was carrying something that took Clarice's breath away, once more! � Candles have more than one use, my darling. " murmured Ardelia, who was now completely naked herself. "... And just in case you become too vocal in this next stage....", the dominatrix growled as she slipped a ball gag around Clarice's head and into her mouth.
Starling's sweating body arched and her eyes shot wide open as drops of hot wax began to fall on her bottom!!!

Everyone's sitting and waiting for fantasy. Why not create a reality.

I love the series Dexter but I used to gripe that I felt that the book/series ruined what quite possibly would have been Harris's motivation for the next and last Lector book. I think it would have been natural for him to have had Will Graham (Just as Fascinating a character as Lector) start going off the deep end with his escaping in Silence of the Lambs, Knowing he considered Graham his only real mental challenge, Especially considering that he knew how close he was to being what Lector himself is.

I think naturally his wife or he himself would have broken it off between them as Lector would no doubt use them as bloody pawns in his chess match with Graham, What I think Harris would have gravitated towards is that Graham loses his battle with his inner demons and becomes a serial killer, but one that with a sliver of morality and therefore he sates his thirst by being a serial killer of serial killers. A true Anti-Hero.

And of course Lector knows that Graham is a Serial Killer now, and throws out clues that could lead to his capture. Possibly even false flags before Graham becomes a serial killer, forcing his hand to kill bad guys to keep from being blamed as one, setting up the two for the wicked game of chess to come to be played out over many years. The great Hannibal series delved some into this, But I really would have loved too see Harris write the final nail in the coffin book(course Starling would be a piece as well) Sadly at 77 and more interested in making fancy dishes, I don't think there will be another one book from him.

By the way, watching the Great if not perfect Michael Mann movie Manhunter now which led me here, A film which I've come to appreciate more and more, especially since the very disappointing Ridley Scott 'Red Dragon' just did not translate well.

Seaver wrote: "I thought Hannibal Lecter's character was a lot more interesting before he became Harris's primary character. Evil is best when it lurks in the shadows and is never fully understood nor expected."

What I always hoped was a book in which Starling and Graham join forces to stop Lecter. That scenario could never happen given the climax of Hannibal. Hannibal Rising's plot doesn't help as we now understand that Lecter is not so much evil as just misunderstood.

Of course thinking about the odious Ray Liotta character in the movie Hannibal, not to mention our current political situation with Donald Trump hoping to become ruler supreme of the West, while Vladimir Putin controls the East (!) would it be too nutty to envision Lecter, Starling, and Graham forming a righteous triumvirate and cleaning house? Imagine the three bringing down the corrupt Trumpian regime, along with the royal Saudi family, Syria's Bashar al Assad, Erdogan, Kim Jong Un, even the ring leader of all human evil-Vlad (to his buddies) Putin!

Of course it's over-the-top. But what an epic, in the right hands, tale it could be!

James wrote: "I think the (book) ending of Hannibal was indeed intended to be a "happy" ending for both Lecter and Starling. The way I read it, Hannibal was the only person who was able to help her get past the ..."

Clarice goes off with Lecter because he saves her life, but even more tellingly, because she finally understands that the powers-that-be, embodied by the sneering Paul Krendler, are even worse evils than Lecter, who we discovered in Hannibal Rising, is less evil than just misunderstood!