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Ron Miller's DARK CORRIDORS VOL. 8, No. 3 |
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Harris' 'Lambs' prequel
probes Dr. Lecter's youth
of TheColumnists.com
Dr. Hannibal Lecter--or "Hannibal the Cannibal," if you prefer--is the most terrifyingly fascinating horror character in modern literature. He even dwarfs Count Dracula for persistenly perverse nastiness. He's been growing ever more persuasive, too, ever since author Thomas Harris created him 25 years ago in his novel "Red Dragon."
And perhaps the most fascinating thing about him is that, even though he's a serial killer who cuts his victims up and frequently eats their body parts, Dr. Lecter has evolved into what amounts to a worldwide cultural hero. So, what does that say about the state of civilization today? Let's not even go there, if you don't mind.
Right now all you need to know is that Harris finally has finished his fourth novel in the series that began in 1981. It's called "Hannibal Rising" (Delacorte Press, $27.95) and it's essentially a prequel to the earlier books, taking us back to the childhood and teen years of Hannibal Lecter in order to show us how he got the way he is today.
Just so you keep the story arc clear in your mind, Dr. Lecter played a supporting role in "Red Dragon," serving as a "helper" for the FBI agent who was trying to track down a serial killer. Immediately we learned that Lecter is a brilliant, even genius-like man with an extraordinary grasp of aberrant psychology. And he does, indeed, help trap the maniacal killer he considers a sloppy amateur.
In the follow-up, "The Silence of the Lambs," a new female FBI agent, Clarice Starling, also consults Hannibal Lecter seeking help in catching yet another serial killer. This time Hannibal is enthralled with the young and attractive Clarice and a bond is formed between them. Before the end of that story arc, though, Lecter is transferred from the asylum he's been held at for the past several years and eventually makes a violent--and successful--escape.
In "Hannibal," Dr. Lecter has created a new identity for himself in beautiful Florence, Italy, but becomes the prey of a former patient of his--a fabulously wealthy lunatic that Lecter left paralyzed, mutilated and thirsting for revenge. When the vengeful billionaire's aides finally capture Dr. Lecter, he manages to turn the tables on them and is once more a free man when the novel ends.
Though there's certainly room for further adventures of Hannibal Lecter, author Harris this time elected to answer the question so many of us have wondered about: How could such a brilliant man turn into a monster?
In the earlier novels, our interest in Dr. Lecter grew because he was such a colorful, articulate and witty man despite his horrible behavior. We actually started to root for him in "Hannibal" because he was battling men every bit as twisted and evil as himself. Poor Clarice Starling, who returned for that one sequel, even more or less fell in love with Lecter.
But "Hannibal Rising" takes Hannibal even further along the road to being a hero. We learn that he was descended from a distinguished Eastern European family dated back to the time of Hannibal the Grim, who died some 500 years Hannibal Lecter was born to Count and Countess Lecter. We first meet Hannibal when he's eight, a bright and promising lad who's devoted to his baby sister, Mischa. The only thing that spoils their otherwise rosy-tinged childhood is the coming of the Huns.
Forced to flee Lecter Castle when the Nazis invade in the early days of World War II, the Lecters take refuge in their remote hunting lodge, hidden away in a dense forest but soon they're given away by collaborators and the Nazis close in. Hannibal ends up the only survivor, his mind filled with scenes of horror that not only never will leave him, but surely will motivate him for the rest of his life.
Much of "Hannibal Rising" then becomes a tale of the boy's festering hatred for the men who betrayed his family--and how he learns to turn his intellectual gifts in a new direction, envisioning ways he can pay them back in spades.
Believe me, you will be cheering for this strange little boy to hurry up and get big enough to have a fair chance to catch them all in the postwar chaos of a damaged Rurope and give them what they deserve.
Rescued from a Soviet orphanage by his rich uncle, a famous painter, Hannibal blossoms under the influence of his uncle's beautiful wife, the exotic Japanese known as Lady Murasaki. (Yes, there's a reference to the other Lady Murasaki and her famous Tales of the Genji!) Along the way to his salvation, Hannibal becomes the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France. Yes, that's right: He was the Doogie Howser of France!
Though it may seem I've already told you quite a lot, take my word for it: Harris has a whole lot more to keep you turning the pages without letup. And there's plenty of visceral bad behavior by Hannibal, too, in case you were worried about it.
Though you'll reach the end of "Hannibal Rising" with a much greater appreciation of why he turned out the way he did, Harris doesn't whitewash him. My reading of this absorbing character is that he's a brilliant man who crossed over into insanity a long time ago and has done some unspeakably awful crimes.
But given the astonishing cruelty and unrelenting lunacy of our modern world, Hannibal Lecter often seems much more appealing than some of the alternatives out there--as long, of course, as it's not your liver he's enjoying with a side dish of fava beans.
©2007 by Ron Miller. The book cover reproduction is courtesy of Delacorte Press. This column first posted Jan. 8, 2007.
Ron
Miller is a former nationally syndicated television columnist
and the author of "Mystery! A Celebration," the official
companion book to PBS' "Mystery!" series. He currently
writes about television mysteries for MYSTERY SCENE magazine.
You can comment on this column online. Please address your message to either "The Editors" or Ron Miller. To send an email, click here and don't forget to mention Ron's name: talkback@thecolumnists.com
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