Hannibal Rising

hi there

well, i am delighted to see that the awful Before The Mask name has been dropped for the 4th Hannibal Lecter book at least! that said, i am not at all sure that Hannibal Rising is all that a good idea for a number of reasons.

firstly, does the tale of Hannibal really need a dedicated prequel? fans of the novel of Hannibal will recall fondly some brilliant insights into this character, giving you all the background you could want for him, in particular his rather curious eating habits.

secondly, will this be an actual, proper novel? i raise an eyebrow at the fact that the film version of Hannibal Rising is due in early 2007. granted Thomas Harris also wrote the screenplay, but if he was busy writing the novel at the same time, is there not the great danger of the novels intentions being compromised by creating a whole stack of "Hollywood Moments"? i mean, there can be no realistic happy ending to this one.......

that said, of course i shall be reading the novel and then watching the movie!