: Red Dragon
Author: Thomas Harris
As Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorite movies, and this summer I enjoyed the thrillride of Harris’ diabolical Hannibal, I figured it was a good time to read the novel that introduced the character of Hannibal Lector to the world. I purposely didn’t expect much; after all, Lector’s barely in the book, and Harris’s masterwork was Silence, right? Wrong. Though I’ve only seen Silence as a film, Red Dragon is far superior. Silence was about the hunt for a serial killer, with mind games from Lector thrown in to mystify and amuse. We only get glimpses into psyches. Hannibal is the same, as it exposes more of Lector’s past. But Lector’s not your average serial killer; he’s an extraordinary being. Despite what he does, it’s hard to not like Lector. Dragon is also about the hunt for a serial killer, but it allows us to see into his mind. It’s amazing. First you’re presented with his awful crimes, then, when you begin to understand him, you feel sympathy for him! And he’s not as sympathetic a character as Lector by any means. Obviously much of the psychology is simplistic and pat; but that’s why we read novels and watch movies, because they’re easier to understand than real life. I enjoyed this remarkable book very much. Like Silence its subject isn’t pleasant, but it’s presented in such a clinical fashion it isn’t sensationalized.
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