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Cannibal: The True Story Behind the Maneater of Rotenburg
German native Armin Meiwes placed this ad in an internet chatroom catering to cannibals. He received 430 responses. Among them was Bernd Juergen Brandes, who arrived at Meiwes’s isolated country home literally to be eaten alive. Escorted to the “slaughtering room”—equipped with meat hooks, a cage, and a butcher’s table—Meiwes assisted Bernd in a gourmet candlelight dinner of his own cooked flesh. Meiwes then stabbed his victim in the throat—bringing the ghastly videotaped ordeal to an end.
From a childhood perverted by unhealthy obsessions to his notorious trial that ended in a stunning verdict, Cannibal discloses for the first time the true story of a real-life Hannibal Lecter and his victim. And with details never before divulged to the public, it takes readers step-by-step through the unspeakable crime that fascinated and revolted the world.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
From a childhood perverted by unhealthy obsessions to his notorious trial that ended in a stunning verdict, Cannibal discloses for the first time the true story of a real-life Hannibal Lecter and his victim. And with details never before divulged to the public, it takes readers step-by-step through the unspeakable crime that fascinated and revolted the world.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 4, 2005
32 people are currently reading
2055 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
July 10, 2022
Omg I think I’m going to throw up now
So I just finished what has to be for me the most inconceivably hideous book I’ve ever read. Srsly i don’t think I’ve ever read something that has affected me deep in my soul and chased me to a receptacle to void my stomach. I do understand the nuances of his court sentencing; the court really had their hands tied. I dont know if I’ll ever be the same after reading this. And that’s why I’m rating this five stars. No pun intended, but I feel this book down to my very bones.
Oh my sweet baby ray! There is an actual name for how Ed Gein hanged his very few live victims to drain them-The Gein Configuration WHY DOES THIS NOT SURPRISE AND AT THE SAME TIME DISGUST ME? And why would I question the use of it in this case?
I don’t like using my sailor mouth on GR, so im using volume x2 out loud at home. Mostly WTF, THIS IS F-Ed UP, HOLY_UCK, etc. i do not think I have ever read anything so disturbing in my life. This cannot be real.
Ok I’m just going to say this with my Scooby-Doo ears-dude, you are an electrical engineer. You swiped all of your computer shit and you think no one will be able to retrieve your secrets. YOU ARE A BIG STUPID just all of this is a BIG STUPID. If I had quadruple capital letters that font would still not be big enough for your BIG STUPID
on page one Armin and his chat room pal: ( I still cannot wrap my head around this) one advertised for someone he could grill and eat and the other one advertised to be grilled and eaten…I have never been in a chat room. I don’t even know if they still exist, but WTHEACTUALF
So far I’m getting Psycho vibes with a dash of Ed Gein then blend some Dahmer. And I just started chapter 4. CHAPTER FOUR! How messed up is this book going to get because I may have to wear special gear or hide under the blankets or something. Sorry!i was just sitting here trying to think about kittens and shit but I think this book has broken my 🧠
So I just finished what has to be for me the most inconceivably hideous book I’ve ever read. Srsly i don’t think I’ve ever read something that has affected me deep in my soul and chased me to a receptacle to void my stomach. I do understand the nuances of his court sentencing; the court really had their hands tied. I dont know if I’ll ever be the same after reading this. And that’s why I’m rating this five stars. No pun intended, but I feel this book down to my very bones.
Oh my sweet baby ray! There is an actual name for how Ed Gein hanged his very few live victims to drain them-The Gein Configuration WHY DOES THIS NOT SURPRISE AND AT THE SAME TIME DISGUST ME? And why would I question the use of it in this case?
I don’t like using my sailor mouth on GR, so im using volume x2 out loud at home. Mostly WTF, THIS IS F-Ed UP, HOLY_UCK, etc. i do not think I have ever read anything so disturbing in my life. This cannot be real.
Ok I’m just going to say this with my Scooby-Doo ears-dude, you are an electrical engineer. You swiped all of your computer shit and you think no one will be able to retrieve your secrets. YOU ARE A BIG STUPID just all of this is a BIG STUPID. If I had quadruple capital letters that font would still not be big enough for your BIG STUPID
on page one Armin and his chat room pal: ( I still cannot wrap my head around this) one advertised for someone he could grill and eat and the other one advertised to be grilled and eaten…I have never been in a chat room. I don’t even know if they still exist, but WTHEACTUALF
So far I’m getting Psycho vibes with a dash of Ed Gein then blend some Dahmer. And I just started chapter 4. CHAPTER FOUR! How messed up is this book going to get because I may have to wear special gear or hide under the blankets or something. Sorry!i was just sitting here trying to think about kittens and shit but I think this book has broken my 🧠
September 21, 2018
Upfront warning: very graphic book.
This is a book about two consenting adults who came together to act out their most secret fantasies. But their fantasies were not run-of-the-mill fetishes - one man wanted to be eaten, and the other to eat.
The author covers the lives of both men before they met, and shows us how they came to find themselves in Armin's home, preparing for Bernd's death. As is often the case, both men functioned in society as 'normal', and those who knew them were deeply shocked at what eventually transpired.
Even the court case held my attention, and the German justice system is explained in an easy to understand manner.
Some reviewers have criticised the author for speculating as to Bernd's thoughts during his final day ... but Bernd's last evening was captured on a 4-hour videotape (with his consent) by Armin. The video has not been made public (to my knowledge), but it was viewed by court officials, etc. Surely it would have conveyed a good deal about Bernd's last thoughts, and feelings, as he talked with Armin ... until he could no longer speak, of course.
In many ways, this was a book of sadness. Yes, it is graphic, 'cause the event was graphic. But I came away feeling a deep sorrow for all involved.
Just so you know, Armin was retried after this book was published, and the outcome was different. So, after you read the book, you may want to Google the court case, and be updated.
4 Stars = It gave me much food for thought.
This is a book about two consenting adults who came together to act out their most secret fantasies. But their fantasies were not run-of-the-mill fetishes - one man wanted to be eaten, and the other to eat.
The author covers the lives of both men before they met, and shows us how they came to find themselves in Armin's home, preparing for Bernd's death. As is often the case, both men functioned in society as 'normal', and those who knew them were deeply shocked at what eventually transpired.
Even the court case held my attention, and the German justice system is explained in an easy to understand manner.
Some reviewers have criticised the author for speculating as to Bernd's thoughts during his final day ... but Bernd's last evening was captured on a 4-hour videotape (with his consent) by Armin. The video has not been made public (to my knowledge), but it was viewed by court officials, etc. Surely it would have conveyed a good deal about Bernd's last thoughts, and feelings, as he talked with Armin ... until he could no longer speak, of course.
In many ways, this was a book of sadness. Yes, it is graphic, 'cause the event was graphic. But I came away feeling a deep sorrow for all involved.
Just so you know, Armin was retried after this book was published, and the outcome was different. So, after you read the book, you may want to Google the court case, and be updated.
4 Stars = It gave me much food for thought.
March 16, 2010
I'm damn near at a complete loss as to what to say about this book. I'm going to do my best to do justice to what I'm thinking and if I jump back and forth and my review isn't exactly "in order" or easy to read, forgive me.
I have no idea where to start. I didn't set any expectations for Cannibal. I did think it would be the average t.c. book, maybe a little more disgusting. I had no idea, going in, whether this man actually did what the title implies or if he was stopped beforehand. I had no knowledge whatsoever about this man or this case when I started this book.
Lois Jones did a good job with the book IMO - she did better than I could have. There are many, many, many, many (feel free to add some more "many's" in if you'd like) VERY, VERY, VERY (ditto for the "VERY'S") graphic parts to this book. On this site and another one I read the reviews from a few people who felt it was too graphic. I agree and I don't. Part of me asks how in the world to take something like this and describe it in a non-graphic manner. Then the part of me that actually read these graphic details thinks that maybe she could have stepped it down a little. About this, I "liked" it and didn't.
Jones, in the beginning of the book, proposes to know an awful lot about what Armin and Bernd were thinking, what they felt like, exactly what they said, etc. and this sort of thing bothers me unless it's fact. A certain amount of speculation muct go into a t.c. book - I'm aware of this - but Cannibal had a very large amount of speculation with these things and this bothered me. I feel she should have saved her thoughts about these things, at least until after the court case where he was examined and talked to by the doctors.
Honestly, I'm having a hard time explaining what I mean by that so you just have to read it to know what I mean I think. Sorry about that, usually I can articulate my thoughts better but this book has really twirled all my thoughts around and around and scattered them all.
A lot of times in a t.c. book my attention will wane during court case - not so with Cannibal. Even with all the details in the more than first half of the book, the court case is simply astounding. This is the type of book that can be read in a sitting if the time is there. I'm not going to give specific details of the court outcome - I hate spoilers - but I was told I'd be shocked..... and I was. I'm not sure 'shocked' does what I felt justice. For that matter, I'm not sure this review does my feeling justice.
My mind is still swirling with thoughts of the book and I don't think I'll ever in my life forget this book or this man. I told a friend and I mean this, I've read fictional books with zombies eating people as the main characters. Cannibal scared me more. Cannibal affected me more. Cannibal made me think more. They say truth is stranger than fiction and there is no greater testament to that statement than this book.
I have no idea where to start. I didn't set any expectations for Cannibal. I did think it would be the average t.c. book, maybe a little more disgusting. I had no idea, going in, whether this man actually did what the title implies or if he was stopped beforehand. I had no knowledge whatsoever about this man or this case when I started this book.
Lois Jones did a good job with the book IMO - she did better than I could have. There are many, many, many, many (feel free to add some more "many's" in if you'd like) VERY, VERY, VERY (ditto for the "VERY'S") graphic parts to this book. On this site and another one I read the reviews from a few people who felt it was too graphic. I agree and I don't. Part of me asks how in the world to take something like this and describe it in a non-graphic manner. Then the part of me that actually read these graphic details thinks that maybe she could have stepped it down a little. About this, I "liked" it and didn't.
Jones, in the beginning of the book, proposes to know an awful lot about what Armin and Bernd were thinking, what they felt like, exactly what they said, etc. and this sort of thing bothers me unless it's fact. A certain amount of speculation muct go into a t.c. book - I'm aware of this - but Cannibal had a very large amount of speculation with these things and this bothered me. I feel she should have saved her thoughts about these things, at least until after the court case where he was examined and talked to by the doctors.
Honestly, I'm having a hard time explaining what I mean by that so you just have to read it to know what I mean I think. Sorry about that, usually I can articulate my thoughts better but this book has really twirled all my thoughts around and around and scattered them all.
A lot of times in a t.c. book my attention will wane during court case - not so with Cannibal. Even with all the details in the more than first half of the book, the court case is simply astounding. This is the type of book that can be read in a sitting if the time is there. I'm not going to give specific details of the court outcome - I hate spoilers - but I was told I'd be shocked..... and I was. I'm not sure 'shocked' does what I felt justice. For that matter, I'm not sure this review does my feeling justice.
My mind is still swirling with thoughts of the book and I don't think I'll ever in my life forget this book or this man. I told a friend and I mean this, I've read fictional books with zombies eating people as the main characters. Cannibal scared me more. Cannibal affected me more. Cannibal made me think more. They say truth is stranger than fiction and there is no greater testament to that statement than this book.
July 5, 2016
Take a load off your weary carcass and rest your bones. Uncork a bottle of your favorite South African red Merlot and slice a warm portion of your choicest cut of dinner meat garnished with shallots and garlic and porcini. Relax, it's that special time of evening we like to call story time. Imagine me speaking to you in a Vincent-Price-like voice.
Imagine a land where Grimm's Fairy Tales had been penned centuries before; where in our own time, in that same vicinity in central Germany, a lad lived who'd loved the story of the witch fattening up Hansel and Gretel for dinner. Imagine this fatherless, friendless boy wanting to eat someone, to make take someone inside him so as to have a friend with him always, as a part of him, ensuring that he would never be lonely again. Imagine, no less, that this same contemporary lad lived next door to a real witch. A witch who told him tales about her power to will the deaths of others. Imagine, too, this same latter-day fellow living a youthful existence oppressed very much like "Aschenputtel" (Cinderella) of the famous Brothers Grimm tale, dressed in Old World garb and sent to school in humiliating disgrace and made to do menial chores all day under the autocratic and demanding will of a mentally unbalanced mother. Imagine that same lad upon the death of his mother, commemorating her and re-living her personality by dressing in her clothes and talking in her voice, to himself. Kind of like Norman Bates in Psycho.
Add a pinch of this and a pinch of that and behold the recipe that results: one majorly fucked-up dude. Whatever ingredients go into the making of a cannibal, the recipe seems to have been realized in the form of Armin Meiwes.
The Meiwes case seemed to prove to a lot of people that, no matter how twisted you thought things could get in this world there's plenty of room for them to raise the bizarre bar.
In case you hadn't heard of the case, which seems unlikely at this point, Meiwes was an early middle-aged, well-mannered, exemplary computer worker with social shyness but no outwardly alarming behavior or evident bent toward psychotic obsessions. Inwardly, he had a seething yearning harbored since childhood to slaughter and eat a willing human victim. The only times he spent with a healthy family in his childhood was in the company of neighbors when they slaughtered their livestock. He came to associate the slaughter act with love. When puberty hit, the cannibalistic desire merged with his sexual identity. He saw consumption as the ultimate sex act, a way of bonding with someone completely and profoundly and holding them inside himself forever.
And there was even a religious component, as author Lois Jones, points out: "Armin had been taught as a child in the Roman Catholic Church that transubstantiation takes place during communion; the bread and wine actually turn into Christ's body and blood."
By March 2001, Meiwes had become a regular contributor in gay forums and in the cannibal fetish subculture on the internet. Hundreds of people populated these sites to share fantasies about eating people and/or having people eat them. Most of them seemed happy enough just imagining the acts. Meiwes wanted much more than that. He advertised for a willing victim. And, amazingly, he found several. Most of them even traveled to his house, but to his disappointment, they backed out of going through with the act. For most, role-play was all they wanted. Meiwes wanted reality.
One of his "victims," however, did not back out. And that was a respectable, well-liked, personable and physically healthy 44-year-named Bernd-Jürgen Brandes. For some reason, Brandes harbored deep desires to have his penis and the rest of his body dismembered and eaten (while alive) and to be slaughtered like a pig.
Needless to say, this fetish seemed even more twisted than Meiwes'. Here were two men who met on the internet to meet each others' mutual needs. It was love at first...uhm...bite. (Sorry, couldn't resist)
Without going into the grisly details, let's just say that this macabre feast came to pass, and it resulted in a trial for which the German legal system was ill-prepared. For one thing, cannibalism was not a crime, and the definition of murder apparently does not include people who are more or less simply asking for assisted suicide.
So, the question is, is this a good book? On the whole, yes. Lois Jones tells the tale with dispatch (though is sometimes repetitive in making certain points) and with all the gory details you would expect. The killing itself is not without its moments of pitch-black humor (the wrong knife is used at first), and the palpable details of the acts will make you grit your teeth, if, that is, you haven't bailed from the book in complete revulsion.
I had mixed feelings about whether Jones' attempts at ironic black humor worked or simply made a sick story even more tasteless. In one instance, she writes: "[Meiwes] removed the whole calf muscle from the back of the lower legs and admired the cut. All those hours Brandes had spent cycling in the gym had paid off." Although informed by the facts, such as statement is clearly authorial intrusion for a laugh. It is hard not to notice Jones' attempt at humorous irony when mentioning that at the same time Brandes was having his wanker whacked off by Meiwes, Brandes' worried lover Rene was cutting slices of cheese to accompany his far more tame meal of goat-cheese salad.
The author seems unfazed at playing amateur psychologist throughout the story, and even admits at times to "imagining" the thoughts of the protagonists. How much of this artistic license (inserted for the sake of narrative flow, context and irony) you are willing to accept depends on your tolerance for unsourced assertions. It's healthy to cast a skeptical eye on some of the book's statements. There seems to be differences about the facts of the case as presented here and in documentaries I've seen and other written accounts online. There are factual contradictions within the book itself, as well as the kind of syntax or grammatical sloppiness that seem to be de rigueur in sensational books like this.
Oddly, Meiwes comes off more as a pathetic victim himself, rather than a monster. At least in this telling. In his first court trial, psychological experts actually deemed him sane.
Compared to many other sicko killers, Meiwes seems like one of the least monstrous. He had a weird fetish and a terrible upbringing. He was not a wild-eyed raving lunatic, but a meek, well-behaved, quiet, considerate, well spoken and intelligent man. And he honored consent. He never killed until someone actually wanted it. He always honored the wishes of would-be victims who asked to released from his "slaughter room." Virtually no deranged serial killer would ever have done that. Meiwes was a cannibal first, and a killer by necessity.
So, yes, folks, this is some strong meat to chew on, and if true crime of the extreme variety piques your interest, then have at it.
...And some of them lived happily ever after...
(KevinR@Ky 2016)
Imagine a land where Grimm's Fairy Tales had been penned centuries before; where in our own time, in that same vicinity in central Germany, a lad lived who'd loved the story of the witch fattening up Hansel and Gretel for dinner. Imagine this fatherless, friendless boy wanting to eat someone, to make take someone inside him so as to have a friend with him always, as a part of him, ensuring that he would never be lonely again. Imagine, no less, that this same contemporary lad lived next door to a real witch. A witch who told him tales about her power to will the deaths of others. Imagine, too, this same latter-day fellow living a youthful existence oppressed very much like "Aschenputtel" (Cinderella) of the famous Brothers Grimm tale, dressed in Old World garb and sent to school in humiliating disgrace and made to do menial chores all day under the autocratic and demanding will of a mentally unbalanced mother. Imagine that same lad upon the death of his mother, commemorating her and re-living her personality by dressing in her clothes and talking in her voice, to himself. Kind of like Norman Bates in Psycho.
Add a pinch of this and a pinch of that and behold the recipe that results: one majorly fucked-up dude. Whatever ingredients go into the making of a cannibal, the recipe seems to have been realized in the form of Armin Meiwes.
The Meiwes case seemed to prove to a lot of people that, no matter how twisted you thought things could get in this world there's plenty of room for them to raise the bizarre bar.
In case you hadn't heard of the case, which seems unlikely at this point, Meiwes was an early middle-aged, well-mannered, exemplary computer worker with social shyness but no outwardly alarming behavior or evident bent toward psychotic obsessions. Inwardly, he had a seething yearning harbored since childhood to slaughter and eat a willing human victim. The only times he spent with a healthy family in his childhood was in the company of neighbors when they slaughtered their livestock. He came to associate the slaughter act with love. When puberty hit, the cannibalistic desire merged with his sexual identity. He saw consumption as the ultimate sex act, a way of bonding with someone completely and profoundly and holding them inside himself forever.
And there was even a religious component, as author Lois Jones, points out: "Armin had been taught as a child in the Roman Catholic Church that transubstantiation takes place during communion; the bread and wine actually turn into Christ's body and blood."
By March 2001, Meiwes had become a regular contributor in gay forums and in the cannibal fetish subculture on the internet. Hundreds of people populated these sites to share fantasies about eating people and/or having people eat them. Most of them seemed happy enough just imagining the acts. Meiwes wanted much more than that. He advertised for a willing victim. And, amazingly, he found several. Most of them even traveled to his house, but to his disappointment, they backed out of going through with the act. For most, role-play was all they wanted. Meiwes wanted reality.
One of his "victims," however, did not back out. And that was a respectable, well-liked, personable and physically healthy 44-year-named Bernd-Jürgen Brandes. For some reason, Brandes harbored deep desires to have his penis and the rest of his body dismembered and eaten (while alive) and to be slaughtered like a pig.
Needless to say, this fetish seemed even more twisted than Meiwes'. Here were two men who met on the internet to meet each others' mutual needs. It was love at first...uhm...bite. (Sorry, couldn't resist)
Without going into the grisly details, let's just say that this macabre feast came to pass, and it resulted in a trial for which the German legal system was ill-prepared. For one thing, cannibalism was not a crime, and the definition of murder apparently does not include people who are more or less simply asking for assisted suicide.
So, the question is, is this a good book? On the whole, yes. Lois Jones tells the tale with dispatch (though is sometimes repetitive in making certain points) and with all the gory details you would expect. The killing itself is not without its moments of pitch-black humor (the wrong knife is used at first), and the palpable details of the acts will make you grit your teeth, if, that is, you haven't bailed from the book in complete revulsion.
I had mixed feelings about whether Jones' attempts at ironic black humor worked or simply made a sick story even more tasteless. In one instance, she writes: "[Meiwes] removed the whole calf muscle from the back of the lower legs and admired the cut. All those hours Brandes had spent cycling in the gym had paid off." Although informed by the facts, such as statement is clearly authorial intrusion for a laugh. It is hard not to notice Jones' attempt at humorous irony when mentioning that at the same time Brandes was having his wanker whacked off by Meiwes, Brandes' worried lover Rene was cutting slices of cheese to accompany his far more tame meal of goat-cheese salad.
The author seems unfazed at playing amateur psychologist throughout the story, and even admits at times to "imagining" the thoughts of the protagonists. How much of this artistic license (inserted for the sake of narrative flow, context and irony) you are willing to accept depends on your tolerance for unsourced assertions. It's healthy to cast a skeptical eye on some of the book's statements. There seems to be differences about the facts of the case as presented here and in documentaries I've seen and other written accounts online. There are factual contradictions within the book itself, as well as the kind of syntax or grammatical sloppiness that seem to be de rigueur in sensational books like this.
Oddly, Meiwes comes off more as a pathetic victim himself, rather than a monster. At least in this telling. In his first court trial, psychological experts actually deemed him sane.
Compared to many other sicko killers, Meiwes seems like one of the least monstrous. He had a weird fetish and a terrible upbringing. He was not a wild-eyed raving lunatic, but a meek, well-behaved, quiet, considerate, well spoken and intelligent man. And he honored consent. He never killed until someone actually wanted it. He always honored the wishes of would-be victims who asked to released from his "slaughter room." Virtually no deranged serial killer would ever have done that. Meiwes was a cannibal first, and a killer by necessity.
So, yes, folks, this is some strong meat to chew on, and if true crime of the extreme variety piques your interest, then have at it.
...And some of them lived happily ever after...
(KevinR@Ky 2016)
November 7, 2009
On Wednesday, July 04, 2007 I wrote about this book:
My God this book was so scary. I had to skip some parts and I hardly ever do that (about the butchering for instance).
Very well written. Such an unbelievable story this is.
My only negative thing is that Lois Jones pretended to know what was in Bernd's head at the time of his dying. On the other hand I understand she did that to make the book better, but for me that was not necessary. O that was such a hard part to. I gave it a 9 out of a 10 on bookcrossing
My God this book was so scary. I had to skip some parts and I hardly ever do that (about the butchering for instance).
Very well written. Such an unbelievable story this is.
My only negative thing is that Lois Jones pretended to know what was in Bernd's head at the time of his dying. On the other hand I understand she did that to make the book better, but for me that was not necessary. O that was such a hard part to. I gave it a 9 out of a 10 on bookcrossing
June 14, 2013
This book was recommended to me by several people. I think all the hype is the reason I didn’t love it. It fell short of my expectations. I would still recommend it but there were some parts of it I definitely didn’t like. I’ll get to those later. First the summary.
Armin Meiwes is definitely deranged, but what some people find even more deranged is that his victim wanted to be eaten. He answered an ad and traveled from Berlin to Rotenburg to meet Meiwes for the purpose of ending his life and his body being destroyed. He wanted his body gone but didn’t want it to go to waste. Meiwes was eventually found out and brought to trial.
What I liked about this book was it covers the lives of both men, how they met and the reasons for their actions. I also liked that the procedures of the German justice system are explained to those who are not familiar with it. What I didn’t like was it read like a novel. The thoughts and motivations of the killer, victim, and even spectators of the trial are given but Jones doesn’t say how she got them, in other words there are facts but not much documentation.
However a search of the internet shows that the facts of the book are accurate and it was an interesting read, some have said the ‘butchery parts’ are a little hard to read. I didn’t find that to be so, but then ‘squeamish’ is not a word that has ever been used to describe me. The book ends with Meiwes serving 8-½ yrs for manslaughter.
Update: According to BBC NEWS (9 May 2006) a judge ruled the sentence too lenient and ordered a retrail. In this trial he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Armin Meiwes is definitely deranged, but what some people find even more deranged is that his victim wanted to be eaten. He answered an ad and traveled from Berlin to Rotenburg to meet Meiwes for the purpose of ending his life and his body being destroyed. He wanted his body gone but didn’t want it to go to waste. Meiwes was eventually found out and brought to trial.
What I liked about this book was it covers the lives of both men, how they met and the reasons for their actions. I also liked that the procedures of the German justice system are explained to those who are not familiar with it. What I didn’t like was it read like a novel. The thoughts and motivations of the killer, victim, and even spectators of the trial are given but Jones doesn’t say how she got them, in other words there are facts but not much documentation.
However a search of the internet shows that the facts of the book are accurate and it was an interesting read, some have said the ‘butchery parts’ are a little hard to read. I didn’t find that to be so, but then ‘squeamish’ is not a word that has ever been used to describe me. The book ends with Meiwes serving 8-½ yrs for manslaughter.
Update: According to BBC NEWS (9 May 2006) a judge ruled the sentence too lenient and ordered a retrail. In this trial he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
March 27, 2011
Wow! I actually never knew there was a society of people out there who not only want to eat other people but be eaten themselves. I've heard of many different fetishes (and can we even call this a fetish?) seems to me it's a death wish. They both seemed like nice and normal, everyday men who were able to pass in society as such and they looked that way too. How shocking this was to all that knew them!
The author done a great job on her descriptions of what she believed occured between these two men and being this was her first book I was impressed. I was very shocked at the verdict handed down in this case but not surprised, the law seems to go with "what society feels is wrong, is right and vice-versa. Just MY opinion and that's what a review is about.
The author done a great job on her descriptions of what she believed occured between these two men and being this was her first book I was impressed. I was very shocked at the verdict handed down in this case but not surprised, the law seems to go with "what society feels is wrong, is right and vice-versa. Just MY opinion and that's what a review is about.
June 26, 2017
This book makes you question what you think about murder. It is a very good book for dabate. Some people think the guy was a terrible monster who should have been killed, some think he is just a wierd guy who did some stupid things (but nothing wrong). I would love to read this book in some sort of book club so I would have more people to talk about it with. I think the conversation could go on forever!
May 8, 2009
I liked this book and it is a fascinating story. However, I felt that the author was almost too gory in her details of the story. I realize it is a gruesome story, but I have read other true crimes that were just as gruesome of crimes, but that didn't make me nauseous. I would rather have the straight facts of what happened rather than hear about the blood, gore, and screaming. Just my opinion, but a very interesting case to say the least.
October 31, 2008
Poignant tale of a socially misunderstood cannibalistic mama's boy with good fashion sense and an appetite for sauteed human penis. Chockful of delicious recipes! Invite your friends!!
May 23, 2015
“Why do you read books about North Korea and serial killers?” That’s a question I received last year. Aside from my general curiosity, I’m not sure why, but I do know that I’m keeping the trend alive in 2015 (granted, Armin Meiwes was arrested before he could become a serial killer).
To my stomach's horror, "Cannibal: The True Story Behind the Maneater of Rotenburg" is the first true-crime book to nearly make me faint. I'll let you decide if that's a positive or a negative. The grisly details that are expected of the true-crime genre are not absent. Likewise, the lives and motives of cannibal Armin Meiwes and willing victim Bernd Juergen Brandes are given a satisfactory portrayal. However, where it branches off from traditional true-crime topics are of deserved fascination. It was particularly interesting to learn about the internet communities that are formed by people who have sexual desires to cannibalize and/or to be cannibalized. I wasn’t aware that such fetishes existed, and I feel my world has become both more enlightened and dark because of this knowledge. I’ve since looked up more paraphilias, and I feel like Ned Flanders staring into an abyss of incomprehensible perversions.
Perhaps the scariest thing about this book (for most people, I imagine) is that I felt sympathetic toward Meiwes. It should go without saying that I extend my sympathy to Brandes as well. Both Meiwes and Brandes are peculiar, yet it seems too easy for people to demonize Meiwes for his actions. Meiwes is an odd fellow who committed unthinkable crimes, and I really cannot fathom his sexual impulses, but he turned down numerous opportunities to kill and eat people due to their lack of consent. The man isn’t in the same league as Jeffrey Dahmer. No doubt killing Brandes was an immoral act, but he made sure multiple times that Brandes was still willing to go through with his death (Meiwes met many of Brandes’ demands in order to ensure a comfortable demise, too). Admittedly, I’m willing to condemn Meiwes’ acts for different reasons. My condemnation would rest on Brandes not being of a clear state of mind when he consented, and how Meiwes' treatment of Brandes, although relatively kind, boils down to Brandes being used as a means for Meiwes' sexual desires.
As for the book itself, my main complaint is focused on the narrative style and its scope. There are, for example, sections where Jones attempts to divulge the thoughts of Brandes. Whether he’s reflecting on the surrounding landscape during a car ride or admiring his cadaverous form that’s bleeding out in a bathtub, Jones laces these thoughts alongside the more demonstrable matters of the case.
To my stomach's horror, "Cannibal: The True Story Behind the Maneater of Rotenburg" is the first true-crime book to nearly make me faint. I'll let you decide if that's a positive or a negative. The grisly details that are expected of the true-crime genre are not absent. Likewise, the lives and motives of cannibal Armin Meiwes and willing victim Bernd Juergen Brandes are given a satisfactory portrayal. However, where it branches off from traditional true-crime topics are of deserved fascination. It was particularly interesting to learn about the internet communities that are formed by people who have sexual desires to cannibalize and/or to be cannibalized. I wasn’t aware that such fetishes existed, and I feel my world has become both more enlightened and dark because of this knowledge. I’ve since looked up more paraphilias, and I feel like Ned Flanders staring into an abyss of incomprehensible perversions.
Perhaps the scariest thing about this book (for most people, I imagine) is that I felt sympathetic toward Meiwes. It should go without saying that I extend my sympathy to Brandes as well. Both Meiwes and Brandes are peculiar, yet it seems too easy for people to demonize Meiwes for his actions. Meiwes is an odd fellow who committed unthinkable crimes, and I really cannot fathom his sexual impulses, but he turned down numerous opportunities to kill and eat people due to their lack of consent. The man isn’t in the same league as Jeffrey Dahmer. No doubt killing Brandes was an immoral act, but he made sure multiple times that Brandes was still willing to go through with his death (Meiwes met many of Brandes’ demands in order to ensure a comfortable demise, too). Admittedly, I’m willing to condemn Meiwes’ acts for different reasons. My condemnation would rest on Brandes not being of a clear state of mind when he consented, and how Meiwes' treatment of Brandes, although relatively kind, boils down to Brandes being used as a means for Meiwes' sexual desires.
As for the book itself, my main complaint is focused on the narrative style and its scope. There are, for example, sections where Jones attempts to divulge the thoughts of Brandes. Whether he’s reflecting on the surrounding landscape during a car ride or admiring his cadaverous form that’s bleeding out in a bathtub, Jones laces these thoughts alongside the more demonstrable matters of the case.
March 15, 2013
Any lover of True Crime books should really enjoy Cannibal. It is one of the better written true crime books I have ever read. There was an issue with the author saying what the victim was thinking and feeling in situations were he was alone and no way for the author to know any of this but it added to the story and I personally didn't mind this and at times was thankful for the insight.
There were parts of this book that some may have a hard time getting through as the book does get rather graphic at times but I have read much worse so for me it wasn't to bad.
The case was disturbing then again what true crime isn't at least a little disturbing. This was more unique tho so that made it much more interesting for me.
The only real complaint I had was that I wish the author had published the book later when Meiwes sentence was made to to life imprisonment. It would have given it more of an ending but that does not reflect my review or rank because that is the authors choice and it did happen after the book was written and published.
There were parts of this book that some may have a hard time getting through as the book does get rather graphic at times but I have read much worse so for me it wasn't to bad.
The case was disturbing then again what true crime isn't at least a little disturbing. This was more unique tho so that made it much more interesting for me.
The only real complaint I had was that I wish the author had published the book later when Meiwes sentence was made to to life imprisonment. It would have given it more of an ending but that does not reflect my review or rank because that is the authors choice and it did happen after the book was written and published.
March 8, 2011
Very well written..loved her style. On Armin WOW, he is in need of some serious help. Who dreams of eating people at 6 years old. How screwed up was him homelife to even be thinking such thoughts as a child. This goes into a little of his homelife but not to deep. (I wanted to know more).
The man that let him kill and eat him another WOW. Who's life long dream is to eat their own "man member"? Sick! I was grossed out by this book so many times but I wanted to read right through. I found it very interesting. Even though I sure that makes me very morbid. The entire time I was reading it I wanted to know how he got caught. I also think it was crazy they did noot find any mental illness....are you kidding me. So this guy is sane? If I read it right he is free some place to do this again. What a very crazy world we live in. A must read for true crime addicts. Her writing and the fact that she did so well with a discusting story she deserves 5 stars.
The man that let him kill and eat him another WOW. Who's life long dream is to eat their own "man member"? Sick! I was grossed out by this book so many times but I wanted to read right through. I found it very interesting. Even though I sure that makes me very morbid. The entire time I was reading it I wanted to know how he got caught. I also think it was crazy they did noot find any mental illness....are you kidding me. So this guy is sane? If I read it right he is free some place to do this again. What a very crazy world we live in. A must read for true crime addicts. Her writing and the fact that she did so well with a discusting story she deserves 5 stars.
November 9, 2007
I was intrigued when the story about this came up on the news, since it seems like if two consenting adults want to play out their own fantasy, it should be their own business. In this case, one man wanted to be eaten, and the other to eat...and although I sided with both of them in their civil rights, these two guys are by far the most messed up I have ever read about. The images from this book haunted me for weeks...it was terrible. And true. And full of way too much detail.
And I hope that no-one ever makes a movie about it. (Rob Zombie, stay away from this one, please, for all of our sake.)
And I hope that no-one ever makes a movie about it. (Rob Zombie, stay away from this one, please, for all of our sake.)
August 2, 2010
This was one weird read in that I had no idea things like this existed. Oh yes, I am well aware that there are psychos who go about killing and indulging in the flesh of others - but that there are people who actually volunteer to be killed and eaten was news to me! How do you convict a man for murder when his victim was willing? You'll have to read this book to find out.
March 4, 2017
I am so underwhelmed by the writing in this book. Most of the dialogue comes off as cheesy and it was so irritating to "hear" the decedent's thoughts. I thought this would be biographical (if not autobiographical) but it lost all credibility for me because of it. I've read much better. So frustrating.
May 10, 2018
I don't even know how to describe this book. It felt more like a super fucked up romance novel through half of it. It's not well-written, but that kind of makes it an even better read. It gets 4 stars because I just enjoyed the fuck out of it.
April 3, 2010
Seriously disturbing account of one of the strangest cases ever to occur. One man agrees to let another man eat him and the killer only got a few years for the crime!!!!
July 3, 2016
Probably the most disturbing book I have ever read, and I have read a lot of disturbing books.
May 9, 2017
I used to believe that Final Truth was the most messed up thing I have ever read. I take that back- this one is.
June 11, 2019
Disgusted about his story to the point i have to stop so many times before i was really sick and puke about it.
It's interesting though ,but it's very vulgar
It's interesting though ,but it's very vulgar
November 16, 2023
Time taken to read - 3 days as able
pages - 215
Publisher - Berkley pub group
Source - I think I bought this or was given it
Blurb from Goodreads
German native Armin Meiwes placed this ad in an internet chatroom catering to cannibals. He received 430 responses. Among them was Bernd Juergen Brandes, who arrived at Meiwes’s isolated country home literally to be eaten alive. Escorted to the “slaughtering room”—equipped with meat hooks, a cage, and a butcher’s table—Meiwes assisted Bernd in a gourmet candlelight dinner of his own cooked flesh. Meiwes then stabbed his victim in the throat—bringing the ghastly videotaped ordeal to an end.
From a childhood perverted by unhealthy obsessions to his notorious trial that ended in a stunning verdict, Cannibal discloses for the first time the true story of a real-life Hannibal Lecter and his victim. And with details never before divulged to the public, it takes readers step-by-step through the unspeakable crime that fascinated and revolted the world.
My Review
So this happened in the 1990's and was apparently covered quite wide on the news, I have no idea why but I don't think I ever seen nor heard of it. German native Armin Meiwes was obsessed with the thought of eating another person, his obsession/fetish whatever you want to call it started way back them. Armin was quiet, polite and relatively normal seeming in real life, in his private life he spent many hours online, in cannibal chat rooms and websites looking for someone who wanted to be eaten. Honestly this is a true story and what is more disturbing is he found many people. Most backed out when they realised it was a genuine request and not just a fantasy, until he found Bernd Juergen Brandes. Bernd had his own obsessions again rooted from childhood but he wanted to be consumed and for him and Armin they felt they met their perfect match(s).
So I have read many a horror (fiction) and many true crime but this one is really and truly disturbing. I think because the book is so so graphic like you are walked through exactly what happened to poor Bernd. Even with the strongest stomach I think you will struggle to get through it, I did I had to put the book down several times and switch to lighter books.
It is unimaginable someone would want to eat another human being or that a human would want someone to eat them and be party to their own mutilation. Hannibal Lector is a scary character but he is fiction, Armin is a very normal, non violent, regular person who yearns to do these diabolical things, feel they are very normal and actually commits the unthinkable. 3/5 for me for this one, absolutely one of the most disturbing stories I think I have ever read, I also feel for Bernd's family/partner having to have lost a loved one and learn the horrors involved, it is just heartbreaking.
pages - 215
Publisher - Berkley pub group
Source - I think I bought this or was given it
Blurb from Goodreads
German native Armin Meiwes placed this ad in an internet chatroom catering to cannibals. He received 430 responses. Among them was Bernd Juergen Brandes, who arrived at Meiwes’s isolated country home literally to be eaten alive. Escorted to the “slaughtering room”—equipped with meat hooks, a cage, and a butcher’s table—Meiwes assisted Bernd in a gourmet candlelight dinner of his own cooked flesh. Meiwes then stabbed his victim in the throat—bringing the ghastly videotaped ordeal to an end.
From a childhood perverted by unhealthy obsessions to his notorious trial that ended in a stunning verdict, Cannibal discloses for the first time the true story of a real-life Hannibal Lecter and his victim. And with details never before divulged to the public, it takes readers step-by-step through the unspeakable crime that fascinated and revolted the world.
My Review
So this happened in the 1990's and was apparently covered quite wide on the news, I have no idea why but I don't think I ever seen nor heard of it. German native Armin Meiwes was obsessed with the thought of eating another person, his obsession/fetish whatever you want to call it started way back them. Armin was quiet, polite and relatively normal seeming in real life, in his private life he spent many hours online, in cannibal chat rooms and websites looking for someone who wanted to be eaten. Honestly this is a true story and what is more disturbing is he found many people. Most backed out when they realised it was a genuine request and not just a fantasy, until he found Bernd Juergen Brandes. Bernd had his own obsessions again rooted from childhood but he wanted to be consumed and for him and Armin they felt they met their perfect match(s).
So I have read many a horror (fiction) and many true crime but this one is really and truly disturbing. I think because the book is so so graphic like you are walked through exactly what happened to poor Bernd. Even with the strongest stomach I think you will struggle to get through it, I did I had to put the book down several times and switch to lighter books.
It is unimaginable someone would want to eat another human being or that a human would want someone to eat them and be party to their own mutilation. Hannibal Lector is a scary character but he is fiction, Armin is a very normal, non violent, regular person who yearns to do these diabolical things, feel they are very normal and actually commits the unthinkable. 3/5 for me for this one, absolutely one of the most disturbing stories I think I have ever read, I also feel for Bernd's family/partner having to have lost a loved one and learn the horrors involved, it is just heartbreaking.
December 28, 2024
As someone who enjoys learning about true crime, I devoured this book. Extremely well detailed and really fuels the imagination. Absolutely insane this happened in real life and was all recorded on video.
April 23, 2018
An interestingly different and fascinatingly unique read.
This book has paved way for a bizarre involvement with a true story of a real life Hannibal Lecter.
It is such a gripping experience. Many would be surprised at how engrossing the story is, especially for someone like me who have read such a gruesome true story for the first time.
The flow of the story is really nice. The fluidity and transition of each chapter and paragraph was well done.
The author, Lois Jones, did an amazing job in giving life to Armin Meiwes. Her writing opened a door so different, I didn't realize I was already inside.
Diving deeper into the character being told in this book, it is utterly perplexing how his fantasies actually manifested into reality. Although in our recent era, I doubt that this can still be addressed as such.
It is highly understandable how his mind spiralled into his weird interest in cannibalism. His day to day life is somewhat limited because their household issues and his mother's authoritative demeanour leading to a restricted lifestyle. This, then resulted to a secluded environment, which we can assume resulted in his way of thinking.
There is not much to be discussed on the plot point of the book simply because it is a true story. We can only be reasoned out by the credibility of what was written. But, overall, the book is absolutely well-written.
This book has paved way for a bizarre involvement with a true story of a real life Hannibal Lecter.
It is such a gripping experience. Many would be surprised at how engrossing the story is, especially for someone like me who have read such a gruesome true story for the first time.
The flow of the story is really nice. The fluidity and transition of each chapter and paragraph was well done.
The author, Lois Jones, did an amazing job in giving life to Armin Meiwes. Her writing opened a door so different, I didn't realize I was already inside.
Diving deeper into the character being told in this book, it is utterly perplexing how his fantasies actually manifested into reality. Although in our recent era, I doubt that this can still be addressed as such.
It is highly understandable how his mind spiralled into his weird interest in cannibalism. His day to day life is somewhat limited because their household issues and his mother's authoritative demeanour leading to a restricted lifestyle. This, then resulted to a secluded environment, which we can assume resulted in his way of thinking.
There is not much to be discussed on the plot point of the book simply because it is a true story. We can only be reasoned out by the credibility of what was written. But, overall, the book is absolutely well-written.
May 31, 2018
This is a very interesting case to me, so I was excited to dive in and check out this book.
Overall I thought it was a very thorough and well thought out explanation of what happened, of motivations of both parties, and I appreciated some of the insight into how it was prosecuted.
It was very graphic when describing the actual murder. I read that on reviews here before reading the book, and even expecting it and having a generally high tolerance for descriptions of graphic violence I still felt uncomfortable and squeamish a few times while reading. I do think that there is merit to going into this kind of detail, but I also think that any prospective readers should know to expect a lot of detail so you can be prepared going in.
The only part of the book that I had a problem with was when the author attempted to write Brandes' (the victim) thoughts. I do understand that the format of this book is based around constructing a narrative around the crime, but it felt weird to me when the author wrote about what Brandes was feeling or thinking with certainty, because it's entirely speculative considering that he isn't here to explain what he's feeling, and he wouldn't be able to correct the author if he was misrepresented. I would rather have more of an acknowledgment that we will never fully know his side of things since he isn't around to explain himself.
Overall I thought it was a very thorough and well thought out explanation of what happened, of motivations of both parties, and I appreciated some of the insight into how it was prosecuted.
It was very graphic when describing the actual murder. I read that on reviews here before reading the book, and even expecting it and having a generally high tolerance for descriptions of graphic violence I still felt uncomfortable and squeamish a few times while reading. I do think that there is merit to going into this kind of detail, but I also think that any prospective readers should know to expect a lot of detail so you can be prepared going in.
The only part of the book that I had a problem with was when the author attempted to write Brandes' (the victim) thoughts. I do understand that the format of this book is based around constructing a narrative around the crime, but it felt weird to me when the author wrote about what Brandes was feeling or thinking with certainty, because it's entirely speculative considering that he isn't here to explain what he's feeling, and he wouldn't be able to correct the author if he was misrepresented. I would rather have more of an acknowledgment that we will never fully know his side of things since he isn't around to explain himself.
November 3, 2014
When Armin Meiwes met Bernd Juergen Brandes on the internet, he was delighted to find a complicit victim for his cannibalistic desires.
This is the kind of true crime book that effectively induces nightmares. The descriptions of Bernd’s slaughter are depicted with explicit detail and are not for the squeamish.
It is important to remember that Armin is no serial killer. He was seeking a willing participant to fulfill his childhood fantasy of consuming another man. He had met other potential victims and had every opportunity to slay them against their wills, having released anyone reluctant to follow through to the end. Armin also had discerning taste (pun intended) and Bernd was the first and only individual who fit his criteria and was desperate enough to meet his end in such a gruesome way. While Jones does take liberties inferring what Bernd thought and felt during his final hours, I’m sure the video footage of the entire ordeal (filmed by Armin) would lend credence to Bernd’s state of mind. Regardless, it is a chilling portrait of a disturbed individual and his horrific fantasies coming to fruition.
This is the kind of true crime book that effectively induces nightmares. The descriptions of Bernd’s slaughter are depicted with explicit detail and are not for the squeamish.
It is important to remember that Armin is no serial killer. He was seeking a willing participant to fulfill his childhood fantasy of consuming another man. He had met other potential victims and had every opportunity to slay them against their wills, having released anyone reluctant to follow through to the end. Armin also had discerning taste (pun intended) and Bernd was the first and only individual who fit his criteria and was desperate enough to meet his end in such a gruesome way. While Jones does take liberties inferring what Bernd thought and felt during his final hours, I’m sure the video footage of the entire ordeal (filmed by Armin) would lend credence to Bernd’s state of mind. Regardless, it is a chilling portrait of a disturbed individual and his horrific fantasies coming to fruition.
January 1, 2013
Oh goodness, where to start? Well I first heard of this man a few years back when I rented the movie "Butterfly: A Grimm Love" which is based on this man and the case (Although many details such as names, places, etc. were changed), and I was so curious to learn more about him.
This book, or even this case is not for the weak stomached. Normally I have no problem seeing or reading about grotesque things. But I found myself having to stop reading a few times to clear my head and get my stomach to settle down. This story is truly unsettling.
Normally when I read True Crime stories, I want just the facts. But in the case of this book, the author, Lois Jones, incorporated dialogue and feelings throughout the book. Now, under most circumstances, this would have annoyed me, but because this case is something you would find in a horror movie, and not something that could have actually happened, the extra dialogue and feelings made this story seem more real.
I would highly recommend this book to others who are interested in these kind of True Crime cases.
This book, or even this case is not for the weak stomached. Normally I have no problem seeing or reading about grotesque things. But I found myself having to stop reading a few times to clear my head and get my stomach to settle down. This story is truly unsettling.
Normally when I read True Crime stories, I want just the facts. But in the case of this book, the author, Lois Jones, incorporated dialogue and feelings throughout the book. Now, under most circumstances, this would have annoyed me, but because this case is something you would find in a horror movie, and not something that could have actually happened, the extra dialogue and feelings made this story seem more real.
I would highly recommend this book to others who are interested in these kind of True Crime cases.
Read
May 21, 2007I learned that a person can become so lonely that they take extreme measures to feel like being with another person. I also saw how the early stages of life can have a profound impact on a person's sexual orientation and ability to distinguish fantasy from reality. This is the story of the guy who the character Hannibal is based on. What happens in this novel is not what happens in the movie. To put it mildly, if they made this book into a movie everybody would be grossed out. For what transpires in a small German town is so gruesome that no film maker would touch it. There are some photos in the novel but they are just a glimpse of the horror that occurs. I recommend this book for anyone willing to explore the mind of a psychopath.
August 8, 2010
To say this book is disturbing is an understatement. A murder is against the law, but it is not really a taboo -- there are many reasons you might murder someone. Suicide is against the law of most religions, but again, not taboo. But eating human flesh? Pretty much taboo in any modern day world. Yes our ancestors did it, often for religious reasons, but in today's world, it is something that is not accepted -- and yet, thousands of websites (apparently) are out there for cannibals, and those who wish to be eaten. disturbing. But even more disturbing is that a cannibal and a victim found each other and followed through with it. Disturbing.
October 3, 2013
When I started this I was a little unsure on the concept where the author embellishes the thoughts of the people in the book. I would not say it completely worked but you certainly get a good idea of what actually happened and my word is it gruesome. You do feel that you know Armin the cannibal by the end of the book. The writing is a little simplistic which does make it a very easy and quick read but the book could do with more substance. I would have liked to hear more from the psychiatrists. The book also needs to be updated as there has been some developments since but maybe that is just due to the edition I was reading.
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