Hannibal Rising - Thomas Harris

nHe is one of the most haunting characters in all of literature. At last the evolution of his evil is revealed. n Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck.

n n He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him. n n Hannibal's uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle's beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki. n n Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal.

With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France. n n But Hannibal's demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn.

n n He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death's prodigy.n