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This is a bit of a late post, because I’m just about finished with this audio book. However, I felt I needed to post something as it’s been a few days since the last one.

There have been a lot of authors I have read and listened to in my past 30 years, but I’m quickly finding Ted Dekker to be one of my favorites. He writes his stories with a subtle religious twist (which I always enjoy), and never fails to make me think. Ted Dekker’s Black is no exception.

Black is a very interesting fantasy/fiction/suspense novel that encomopasses two different worlds. If you’re not quick to keep up, you’ll miss a lot of fun listening, and important plot points.
BUT, I won’t spoil it for you now, as I’m not completely finished with the story. Check back within a few days for the complete review of this story!

Have you already listened to this story? If so, leave us a comment and let us know what you thought of this story, or the author. If you have a full review you’d like to submit, simply send it to admin [at] audiobookgeek.com, and we may post it on the blog for others to read!

Check back soon!

What can I say? I can’t really compare Hannibal Rising to any of the other audio books that Thomas Harris has released, as I haven’t listened to any of the others. Having said that, I still found this audio book rather enjoyable! It took a little bit of time to get into it, but as each chapter rolled on, the brilliance of the author, and the incredible charismatic nature of Hannibal Lecter shone through.

I have heard it said before that many, many people grew attached to Hannibal through the movies (i.e., Silence of The Lambs). The simplest explanation is because Hannibal isn’t your ordinary, gruesome serial killer. And I can list a few reasons why:

1) He’s extremely charismatic
2) He’s super intelligent, and thinks all of his “moves” through to perfection
3) He has high expectations of himself, and follows every rule he sets. This is evident in the way he treats those that he befriends (such as Lady Murasaki), and those that he despises, such as the main antagonists of the story (the Nazi thugs).
4) His emotions are complicated - and his love for his little sister is what makes me feel this, and makes him real.
5) And the winner for me, is his iron courage. He shows no fear in the entire story, and is calm throughout most of what he does. Some may say this is just a byproduct of his insanity, I say it’s just part of his character trait. It’s what makes Hannibal, Hannibal.

Although Hannibal is the reason this story was great to me, there were a couple of things I didn’t particularly care for. For one, Thomas Harris (the author) was the narrator of the story. Although he did a good job, his “almost” monotone, or calm depiction of the characters annoyed me a bit. What do I mean? The climaxes, and the normal story line all had the same tone - there was a lack of excitement in his reading. For instance, backstory, and the antagonists’ action scenes all had the same level of intensity. I think he would’ve done a better job had he instilled a little more intensity in a few parts of the story.

Also, I don’t think Thomas Harris wrote enough information, or detail in regards to Misha’s story (Hannibal’s sister - and ultimately, what sets Hannibal off). A lof of it was from Hannibal’s perspective, and was brief. I didn’t really feel much emotion for her story, even though it was still a horrible thing to experience. Had he put more into her story, I think we might’ve felt even stronger for Hannibal and his plight.

Aside from that, it was a wonderful audio book to listen to, and I’m glad I downloaded it - I had almost passed on this selection.

Now the big question is: will the movie be any good? Hannibal Rising, the movie, is expected to be released February 9th. Unfortunately, my experience with movies that are based on books hasn’t really been positive. It’s a hard thing to do - mimic the exceptional quality of a book for the big screen. The good news is that I’m a big horror movie fan, and I expect to watch it soon after it is released in theaters. Afterwards, I will of course write a post regarding it, if you’re interested.

Have you listened to this audio book yet (if not, you can download Hannibal Rising here)? Do you have any opinions on the Hannibal Lecter character, or the story itself? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Simply comment on this post, or send an email to admin [at] audiobookgeek.com.

Come back soon, as I’m planning on reviewing another audio book soon!

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