throatsprockets's review against another edition
5.0
Everything about this book has been imitated ad nauseum, but nobody else has been able to replicate the way Thomas Harris plays with reader identification. To depict Dolarhyde’s atrocious crimes and then still go on to make us empathise with him takes a master.
shonaningyo's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a long-ass time (except for Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood recently) since I've read a book of this length so quickly. It feels good.
I found that Manhunter didn't provide nearly enough characterization of Francis Dolarhyde, and Red Dragon did acknowledge the inner struggle he had between killing his girlfriend and letting her live, but his past was kept in the dark. Ehh, you can't film everything, I guess.
Brian Cox is the original Hannibal Lecter and while the dialogue of the Lecter in the written stories seem more to Cox's portrayal, I still think of Anthony Hopkins when picturing him.
If you want a perceptive comparison between Manhunter and Red Dragon, then Nostalgia Critic did an episode doing just that.
Since I saw the movie like twice before reading this I know what happens. Still, it was fun to get details that neither adaptions of this book gave me.
I found that Manhunter didn't provide nearly enough characterization of Francis Dolarhyde, and Red Dragon did acknowledge the inner struggle he had between killing his girlfriend and letting her live, but his past was kept in the dark. Ehh, you can't film everything, I guess.
Brian Cox is the original Hannibal Lecter and while the dialogue of the Lecter in the written stories seem more to Cox's portrayal, I still think of Anthony Hopkins when picturing him.
If you want a perceptive comparison between Manhunter and Red Dragon, then Nostalgia Critic did an episode doing just that.
Spoiler
While I love Red Dragon for everything but Will Graham (I thought that Manhunter's Graham was actually stronger), I grudgingly accept that there are a few bits that seem to be done better with Manhunter..but not many. But that's my personal preference.Since I saw the movie like twice before reading this I know what happens. Still, it was fun to get details that neither adaptions of this book gave me.
zzelda's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sa_ku's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
dieslaughing's review against another edition
4.0
This was a surprise. Having watched every single screen adaptation of Harris's novels, I never once felt compelled to visit the source material - until I got hooked on NBC's Hannibal TV series. I can't speak on the other Hannibal Lecter novels but when it comes to Red Dragon, that was completely my loss. What a taut, yet surprisingly poetic and surreal, read this is. I'm not entirely certain what I was expecting but it's a testament to Harris that even after watching Manhunter, Red Dragon, and Hannibal, I was still caught up in the story and dreading the fallout with every page I turned. And the words themselves are quite sensuous in places; I expected terse, hard-boiled prose, and this deftly skirts around the edges of purple, even as it's filling your head with horrific imagery.
iamgaby's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
susannameusel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
classic's review against another edition
2.0
I actually preferred the movie. That's extremely rare. Hannibal's appearances were the only things worth reading and they were too few and far between. I found the characters to all be flatter than pancakes and there were entire pages of dialog and text that I was happy to skip. I question whether I will read Silence of the Lambs but am certain I will notesas ah of the other novels that inspired the films. Giving it two stars because it is an excellent screenplay read and Hannibal is priceless.
whoisthisjan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0