The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series Paperback – May 5, 2015

If you're a fan of Hannibal, and you better be, GET THIS.I would say I give this 4.5, because Amazon doesn't do decimals. (BOO) Here are bullets. Because bullets are sexy.- This book is sexy. Beautifully composited (although I see some photoshop oopsies but that's me being picky for being a graphic designer and yest that's a shameless plug and also a run on sentence)- Excruciating detail the the VFX that are mind-boggling gross and beautiful- Mads Mikkelson- It has info I haven't read anywhere else which is refreshing- It's too short though. As I understand this was probably published or sent to an editor during a time near or by the middle of season 2, I want more. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. EXPAND IT.- I wish they had a more detailed section of the praying angels. Yes I'm weird and that's super creepy, but you are reading this so there's a chance you see where I'm coming from. (DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS??) This was by far THE main part of the show that has always stuck with me, even after dogs eating faces off and such. That was the time where I was like, "This...shouldn't be on NBC.."Conclusion: Get it.

I'll start by saying that this is definitely a "niche" product, inasmuch as that if you aren't a fan of the TV series, you'll likely not find much of interest here, and in fact may find a lot of the content off-putting. However, if you are as much a fan of the series as I am, you'll be fascinated by much of the content included in this book. Full of beautiful photographs, it is a compendium of the first two seasons, with a lot of background info on the various episodes and characters. Like the series itself, this book isn't for those easily offended by horrific images, irrespective of how "artful" the presentation. But any fan of "Hannibal" will find a lot to like in this book.

Jesse McLean's "The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series" offers a deeper examination into the television series for the fans. It profiles the actors who played the main and recurring characters along with the characters' motivations for the television series and how that might differ from Thomas Harris' original novels. McLean provides extensive coverage on the creation of props, most of which were prosthetics used as stand-ins for victims or other body parts, and how the filmmakers set up shots for maximum effect. Not all of the information is up-to-date with the ending of the television series, but it still provides enough to warrant a place as a companion volume to home media collections of the show. The pages are high quality and glossy and the cover is gorgeous.

I love NBC Hannibal; I binged the three seasons within 4 days during summer break (instead of working on college essays). This book has some great shots of the corpses and the sets! There's such great detail given to this show. You can really see the methodology behind every lovingly arranged crime scene body. I especially liked a page that included a 3D model of Hannibal's office. One gripe about the book design, however, would have to be the coloring and layout of the text. Some pages had a black background with small, serif (it looks like Times New Roman, really...) body text in GREY, which is hardly conducive to easy reading. Otherwise, it's a great book for any fan! Will Graham, my best boyo...

This is a beautiful book.The pages are thick and glossy, and often more of the page is covered with rich, high-quality pictures than words. There are pictures of characters, food, concept art, prosthetic corpses, and sets. Also, there are some behind-the-scenes goodies too, like candids of the film crew bustling around and detailed architectural layouts for some of the sets as well as plenty of interesting facts, like how they chose Hannibal’s wardrobe and how the show was conceived in the first place. Every main character has a page or two of quick summary and brief insight.This is also a short book. 175 pages is not enough. There is basically no talk of the symbolism, metaphor-heavy dialogue, hallucination/nightmare scenes (the wendigo and ravenstag are nowhere to be found), and deeper character insight. “I see him as one of those pitiful things sometimes born in hospitals. They feed it, keep it warm, but they don't put it on machines. They let it die. But he doesn't die. He looks normal. Nobody can tell what he is.” I’m more interested in what that means about Hannibal and how Will perceives him than in how much Hannibal’s comfy office chair cost. There is also no mention of Brian Reitzell, the composer for Hannibal. The soundtrack is bizarre and unnerving and unlike anything else I have ever heard. The guy’s innovative work for the show made it into Wired magazine but he didn’t make it into The Art and Making of Hannibal?I think this book could easily have been twice as long. In my opinion it should have been. It’s a nice buy for fans, but be aware that it definitely does not encompass all that can be discussed about the show. I gave it four stars because what’s there is good. I just wish there was more.

Fabulous book! Very nicely assembled material on this unique and beautiful show. A section is devoted to each major character, and the book is lush with photographs. Not a book for you if your obsession is devoted to a single member of this exquisite cast--everyone gets a pretty even slice of time and print space, here. Based on their relative importance to the storyline, that is to say. A great token of the show, its actors and its artistry. Brava! Get a second serving for a friend!

I love Hannibal. The book shows a great detail of some of the most striking visuals and pairs well with any other Coffee table art books you have. I especially like the general aesthetic, and the attention to the small details the book has. It was a solid buy and must have for die hard Hannibal fans.