The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series by Jesse McLean takes you behind-the-scenes of NBC’s horror hit.

‘The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series’ review

That Hannibal team sure loves to run with a theme. The Art and Making of Hannibal is divided as if the reader were at one of Hannibal’s dinner parties; the contents page is not the contents, but the menu. A foreword by executive producer Martha De Laurentiis (“Apertif”) is followed by interviews with showrunner Bryan Fuller and executive producer and director David Slade (“Entree”). Then comes the “Main Course,” with sections each for Hannibal, Jack Crawford, and Will Graham. A case study examination of the famous human totem pole follows as the “Sorbet,” before a final look at the finishing touches such as music and sound design (“Dessert”).

While this set-up at first implies to a reader that the greatest focus of the book will be an attempt to understand the series’ three key players, upon reading further this is revealed to be a minor deception. Within these three sections are short chapters dedicated to the many aspects of Hannibal, including the rest of the cast, the most memorable crimes, the different sets — even Will Graham’s dogs.

Throughout each section, the creative team attempt to explain and understand the psyche of Hannibal, Will, and Jack, through the various components and character who make up their lives. Most notable in these chapters it the degree of involvement of Bryan Fuller. Indeed, he has so much to contribute that at times the book reads like a slightly fragmented interview will Fuller on every aspect of Hannibal — a structure that will not disappoint a single Hannibal fan.

In this regard, the book truly shines. Readers will be fascinated and educated by the immense amount of information contained within these pages. Many fans have been burned when buying “making of” books about their favorite series when they discovered page after page of promotional stills, with a few quotes thrown in here and here. There is no danger of that here. The book is certainly not lacking in images, but the stills, behind-the-scenes photos, production design sketches and set blueprints all serve the greater purpose of informing Hannibal fans.

There is no doubt who the target audience of this book is, but if Hannibal fans do pick it up, they will not be disappointed. The Art and Making of Hannibal is filled with both the style and substance that characterize Hannibal itself. Bon Appétit!

The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series by Jesse McLean is available now. You can find the latest news and recaps for Hannibal right here on Hypable.