Thomas Harris

The bestselling novel that inspired two blockbuster films--and unleashed the now-iconic character of Hannibal Lecter onto the world--is now reissued in a new tall Premium Edition.

Red Dragon

M. Marques

Wynter

Having been a major inspiration to many crime writers over the years, the plot of Thomas Harris's Red Dragon might not appear as groundbreaking as it was upon its publication. It propels itself on very familiar tropes of a psychotic serial killer with mommy issues and a troubled detective fast on his heels. Having said that, Red Dragon does these tropes very well, and deserves to be acknowledged for it. It's not the book, it's me, as I have read far too many crime novels to be surprised by much. The strength of this novel, however, is in its characters. I am yet to recall a book that made a despicable and sadistic murderer appear sympathetic in places. I think Dolarhyde is the most fleshed out character in here, even more so than the legendary Dr. Hannibal Lecter (though the brilliance of his persona is definitely demanding for more attention), while others tend to revolve around him in a slightly dimmer light. The psychological tension and character study alone carry Red Dragon out of mediocrity and into the big boys' league.

Colleen

3.5 Stars
 
I’ve seen all of the Hannibal movies, but I had never tried the books. Red Dragon is the first book in the series, and while it had some great ideas, it was definitely rough around the edges.
 
The author notes that when he wrote this book, he had no idea that Hannibal would become such an iconic character. In fact, Hannibal is barely in this book. And most of his presence is in retelling of events that happened prior to Red Dragon. While he certainly influences the story, he’s more of a cameo than a central character.
 
The story contains a lot of explanation of things that happened prior to this book. Knowing the events of the past is critical to the current story making sense, but I kept feeling like I was jumping into the middle of series. The discussions of the past felt like references made as if the reader already was familiar with the content. Even having seen the movies, I felt lost at times. It also made it harder to get to know the main character, Will Graham. Will was a fascinating, complex character but still could have used more linear character development. As I mentioned, the ideas were stellar, but the execution of the writing was rough.
 
Will is a profiler for the FBI who has an unnerving ability to think like a psychopath. Which makes him great at catching serial killers but takes a massive toll on his own sanity. He is called out of early retirement to hunt a twisted killer who is slaughtering families.
 
It is a very graphic story (which was probably more shocking when it first came out). The goriness of the murders did not surprise me, because I’d seen the movies. But there was also a ton of sexual crudeness. The characters all talked like they just got out of prison. They were mostly men, and women were definitely objectified. Some of that tied into the case. The rest was good, old-fashioned sexism brought to you by the 1980’s.
 
The thing I disliked most about this book was definitely the dialogue. It felt stunted, awkward, and inorganic. The characters tended to all talk exactly the same (other than maybe Hannibal) despite being from different places, different economic levels, and of varying ages. It was impossible to distinguish between the different “voices” because they all talked the same.
 
The story is told in third person and mostly focused on Will but jumped to random POV of people only tangentially connected to the story sometimes. It got more interesting once the killer’s POV was brought in. The killer’s POV also contained many flashbacks to slowly explain how he became that twisted killer and brings up interesting thoughts regarding society. I still felt like I was missing previous events, but not nearly as much as in Will’s sections.
 
I’m not sure about the ending though. It was not as satisfying as I had hoped. But I am still interested in continuing with the series. People who enjoy gory suspense with less mainstream writing will probably love Red Dragon.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

_________________________ THE LEGENDARY THRILLER THAT CREATED DR HANNIBAL LECTER Will Graham was a brilliant profiler of criminals for the FBI - until he suffered terrible injuries in the process of capturing Dr Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter. Years later, a serial killer nicknamed 'the Tooth Fairy' is massacring entire families each full moon. With the FBI desperate for progress, Will reluctantly agrees to consult. But he soon realises that he alone can't crack the case; he needs the help of the only mind even better than his own at understanding the mentalities of psychopaths. The mind of Hannibal Lecter. But Hannibal is playing his own twisted game from the asylum for the criminally insane. Will isn't alone in getting advice from the cannibal. So is the Tooth Fairy - the man haunted by visions of the murderous Red Dragon...

The original Hannibal Lecter classic (Hannibal Lecter)

Kathryn

Whereas The Silence Of The Lambs focus is more on Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lector, Red Dragon puts nearly all its focus on the dragon himself and Will Graham and Lector feel more pushed to the side.

Harrie parkhouse

Honestly I was disappointed in the ending . The whole story seamed to drag but yet the ending felt extremely rushed which really ruined it for me it felt like the author was made to write two more chapters and had to Rush to change what was happening.

Isabela H 

Ok, I read this book because I thought I'd like it, and I'm proud to say that yes, I know what I like. This book is the perfect mix of psychological unease and then graphic horror. I absolutely recommend this book to people who like creepier and more disturbing things, especially true crime.

** spoilers **

One of my favorite moments was when you realize that the Red Dragon kills Lounds because he's Graham's pet and it fits his MO. It's absolutely terrifying to realize how he's acting according to the patterns that they've already laid out for you, but you don't follow the application of the pattern until its too late. 

I feel like I'm obligated to comment on how it's disappointing the lack of presence that Hannibal has (understandably, he's in prison, there's not exactly a lot that he can do) but I still liked how he played a part in the plot. 

Overall, I really liked how Harris created the tension between Dolarhyde and the Red Dragon because you could feel bad for Dolarhyde and understand his actions while still fearing and condemning the Red Dragon

Georgia Carr

I mean, what a book this is! I am so impressed. I thought nothing could match NBC's Hannibal but this, oh my goodness. I don't even have words. Thomas Harris is an incredible writer, equal parts thrilling and disturbing. I devoured this book and I can't wait to read the next installment.

El dragon rojo

Mary Garza

Kirsten Simkiss

When I finally picked Red Dragon up off my shelf, I was glad that the Edward Norton movie was more of a fuzzy blur in the back of my mind so it wouldn't color my read through too much. I also have only seen slight amounts of the show Hannibal, so that didn't invade or change how I interpreted the characters too much. So, that being said, these are my thoughts on the novel.

Red Dragon is a very interesting cat and mouse crime story, flipping perspectives between our heroes, victims, and villains as needed to see the net closing in on the story's focus: Francis Dolarhyde and the Red Dragon (aka The Tooth Fairy). I will say that if you go into this book expecting a great deal of Hannibal Lecter, you won't get that in this book. We all know and love Anthony Hopkins's portrayal of the character, of course, but I must say that having read it, he wasn't quite what I pictured based on the book description. Actually, while my memory is hazy on most of them, the only one that I thought was particularly well cast in the character role for what I pictured was Crawford in Hannibal (I don't remember Crawford in the movie at all, sadly.) and Chilton from the movie who was always sufficiently slimy and obsessed.

Our main protagonist is, of course, Will Graham. Retired from assisting law enforcement, he starts the story living a mostly placid life in Florida with his wife and her son. When Crawford arrives with a new troubling case that he thinks Will would be well suited toward, Will is hesitant at first but eventually agrees. I found Will to be an interesting character. While he wants to help, the lawful and good side of him, he also is very fully aware of his limits and how far he can stand to be pushed. For most of the book, he seems to have one foot out the door, worried that some aspect of this case might push him past the brink. At the same time, he offers specific insight into what the killer's motives might be. He sees things that others might miss, thinks of things in ways that normal people might not consider. There's a level of sadness and numbness to his character, but overall he's just that level of calm most of the book.

Dolarhyde, on the other hand, is methodical, meticulous, and introverted. Close to no one, it was interesting learning how his childhood and the abuses he suffered growing up shaped him later in life. I won't give away too much, but it was interesting getting to see from his perspective regularly.

While it's definitely a keeper for my bookshelf, I can't say that I truly LOVED the book. I enjoyed it, sure, but the whole book is very flat and one note: sad and empathetic. There are no real highs or lows for the overall book, which may be a result of seeing from the perspectives of heroes AND villains - since when one is failing, the other is succeeding. I do wish the characters had had maybe a smidge more life to them, as the whole book is very dark. If you're looking for crime plus comic relief this is not the story for you my friend.

Charis Naylor

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Feed your fears with this terrifying classic that introduced cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter. FBI agent Will Graham once risked his sanity to capture Hannibal Lecter, an ingenious killer like no other. Now, he’s following the bloodstained pattern of the Tooth Fairy, a madman who’s already wiped out two families. To find him, Graham has to understand him. To understand him, Graham has only one place left to go: the mind of Dr. Lecter.

Red Dragon

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