Red Dragon

by Thomas Harris

book data

7,940 ratings, 3.78 average rating, 362 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		23%
4		39%
3		29%
2		5%
1		1%

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published

1993 by Arrow (first published 1981)

details

Paperback, 356 pages

characters

Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham, Francis Dolarhyde

description

Shares ISN (9780099111511) with US edition (different cover).

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Mar 25, 2008

Brad rated it:

(review of isbn 0440206154)

bookshelves: cinematic, horror, mystery, serial-killer

Is it heresy to say that I liked both film versions better than I liked the book? Probably, but it's true.

Thomas Harris isn't the finest writer in the world, and I think even he'd acknowledge that, but he is full of great ideas, and Red Dragon is absolutely one of his best.

I think the mark of how great his ideas are is that they almost always make a compelling transfer to the screen, and Red Dragon has made that transition twice: once as Michael Mann's Manhunter and once...more

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Sep 12, 2007

Robotribble rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

recommends it for: People who like Mysteries, Detective Stories, and Hannibal Lecter.

Okay, to start off, Hannibal is in the book twice. There are only two times that you actually see him, and it upsets me greatly.

Anyway, huzzah for the dollar-rack paperback. I went to the thrift store Tuesday, came out with this and a few others, and finished it Wednesday afternoon. I read the version with a newer intro, but it doesn't have my version on Goodreads.

Why Goodreads, why have you forsaken me? :/

This book is fascinating. You actually start to feel b...more

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Jan 06, 2009

Susan rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: re-reads

Read in January, 2009

Glad I re-read this one. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

RED DRAGON was the first (published) installment in the series of four books surrounding Hannibal Lecter. We don't see much of the good doctor in this book, though he's obviously never far from the thoughts of Will Graham and, therefore, the reader. Like the second installment of the series, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Lecter is merely a secondary character, a serial killer on the loose leads us to him. It takes a killer to know ...more Glad I re-read this one. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

RED DRAGON was the first (published) installment in the series of four books surrounding Hannibal Lecter. We don't see much of the good doctor in this book, though he's obviously never far from the thoughts of Will Graham and, therefore, the reader. Like the second installment of the series, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Lecter is merely a secondary character, a serial killer on the loose leads us to him. It takes a killer to know one, and especially one as intelligent as Lecter obviously is.

We first meet the main character of the book, Will Graham, being little more than a beach bum in sunny Sugarloaf, Florida. Section Chief Jack Crawford has come to him looking for help solving the murders of two families. Lecter is incarcerated because of Will Graham, having gotten away with nine known murders before getting caught. Will was badly injured by Lecter and got out of the investigating business after that. He's since gotten married and works as a diesel mechanic, taking in stray dogs that no one else will have. Once Crawford shows him the pictures of the families, he's in. Begrudgingly, but he is.

He first goes to Atlanta, location of the most recent killing (the other a month prior in Birmingham). It's made clear throughout the book that Will Graham has some sort of "extra" ability when it comes to getting clues. He senses things, gains information from clues that others don't, seems able to get into the killer's mind, which is what makes him valuable to the FBI. He suffers greatly for this, however, being able to connect with a killer. After viewing the crime scene, he decides that a visit to Lecter to gain some insight would be in order.

Eventually, the reader learns the identity of the killer. So, the book is not a "who done it?" but rather when will the FBI figure it out and catch him. Francis Dolarhyde proves to be a formiddable foe to both Will Graham and the FBI. His is a story of becoming, the Red Dragon. A man who's never known acceptance or love, abused as a child, shunned by his mother.

Obviously, the good guys win. Mr. Dolarhyde is stopped, but it costs Will Graham a lot more than he bargained for when he agreed to help Jack Crawford with the case. This is probably my favorite book of the Lecter series. The characters really came alive for me. I liked the case Will Graham and the FBI had to solve. The way the killer found his victims was quite original. As much as I like Clarice Starling, I really enjoyed Will Graham and wish we'd seen more of him. A brief mention of him in the later books, so he's clearly out of the game for good. A strong book that introduces the Lecter character well, sets up the idea that he'd be consulted as he is in Silence of the Lambs. (less)

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Jan 03, 2009

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

Read in January, 2003

Our darkest fears come to life in this riveting novel as we follow the case of the "Tooth Fairy," a serial killer on the loose who targets suburbian families as his victims. Will Graham, an FBI agent assigned to the case because of his unique ability to break inside the head of the killer, enlists the help of Hannibal Lecter, the criminally insane and exceptionally brilliant killer we met in Silence of the Lambs (incidently, this novel precedes that novel and film).

If you...more

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Jan 24, 2009

Kathleen rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

Read in January, 1985

The Hannibal Lecter saga begins. The first movie version of this book was made by Michael Mann, whose vivid 1980s style suited it. In contrast to the now iconic portrayal by Anthony Hopkins in his dark dungeon of a cell, we meet Lecter dressed in white, in an antiseptically white cell - a vision of the operating room in his head that awaits the first slash and splash of crimson blood. Okay, you can tell Mann's movie version made an impression on me, but the way Harris portrays the tormented F...more

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Apr 15, 2007

La Petite rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: guilty-pleasures, kicked_ass, scared_the_crap_out_of_me

Read in December, 2002

recommends it for: Guilty Pleasure Seekers :)

Read this in college for relief when I could no longer stand The Canterbury Tales and the other horrors that were revealed to me after I declared my English major.

This book scared the living crap out of me, to the point that I couldn't read it unless my boyfriend was in my dorm room.

The best part? Unlike most thrillers, this one's not all's well that end's well. CHRIST it was scary. Loved it.

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Apr 03, 2008

Simone rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

Read in January, 1987

recommends it for: crime / horror fans

This is an excellent novel, part police procedural, part criminal psychology. It was the basis for the superb Michael Mann motion picture, Manhunter (a much better picture than the recent re-telling, Red Dragon).

I love Thomas Harris's style, and the sequel, The Silence of the Lambs was very good as well.

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May 27, 2009

Lindsay rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: adultfiction

In this debut novel by Thomas Harris, the infamous Hannibal Lecter is introduced. Already imprisoned by the perceptive ex-cop Graham, he enters the story when Graham is embroiled in yet another serial killer case, and is desperate for extra insight. Graham's new villain kills entire families at once, leaving the mothers alive long enough to torture them. Graham is trying to find the link between his victims in time to stop the next killing.

This intelligent and morbidly fascinating...more

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Jun 08, 2009

Yonatan Rivera rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

This has been the only book I've read from Harris. I read it while on high school, on a summer vacation away from home, and even now I can't really understand why my aunt had it on her library, next to the illustrated bible for kids, and some token encyclopedias. I enjoyed the depiction of Dolarhyde, and Will Graham's interaction with that reporter, whatever his name was. Hannibal Lecter I found (and still find), to be a lot of hype, a psychotic killer that was suave and sophisticated, and reall...more

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Jan 04, 2009

Michael rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

Read in December, 2008

Red Dragon is Thomas Harris' 2nd book and first book to introduce the character of Hannibal Lecter (which led to Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising). The characters are developed reasonably well, the plot moves along steadily for the most part, and the action/suspense is paced well. One of my only real complaints is that Thomas Harris suffers from awkward prose in some parts -- much less than Hannibal Rising for example -- and unnatural dialog in others. However, these instances...more

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Oct 20, 2008

Bee rated it:

(review of isbn 0385319673)

Read in October, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 07, 2009

Joy rated it:

(review of isbn 0440206154)

Read in June, 2008

I was looking forward to a more suspenseful, nerve-wracking novel that would grip me and keep at the edge of my seat; maybe I read those kinds of novels before and this one didn't achieve that effect. The disturbing part is the subtlety and the mind games. It has an interesting plot, very good storytelling, and I was kind of in the dark at first because the author kept changing the names from first to last to first name again in naming the characters, so I didn't know who was who. Generally it's...more

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Jan 12, 2008

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: thrilla

Of the Hannibal-tinged books, I've little doubt that this is the best one that Thomas Harris has written (and unfortunately there's not much to argue about, except, of course, Silence of the Lambs). Dr. Lecter is actually in prison and thus only a consultant for the protagonist of this book, Will Graham. Graham, who put Lecter away, is trying to solve some strange serial murders, and his quarry is a quirky guy, to say the least. Graham has a knack for getting into killers' heads, something he do...more

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Feb 28, 2010

Bob Schuman rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in February, 2010

I normally like books like this but I can't recommend it unless you have some time to kill. The book starts off ok with the FBI trying to find a serial killer. I started not to like the book when 1/3 through the author tells us who it is. I think he was trying to tell the story from both perspectives but it would have been way better to hide the identity (Name, where he works, where he lives, etc). It ruined it for me...at that point I was simply waiting for him to get caught.

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Sep 03, 2009

ThomasAD rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

Read in September, 2009

I don't know if I would have enjoyed the book as much if I hadn't already seen Silence of the Lambs.

Its perfect to envision Anthony Hopkins as the notorious Hannibal Lecter, but without the frame of reference that he will appear in future Harris novels his role in this book seems almost out of place. He is this figure outside of the action, not at all integral to the plot.

But I did enjoy it. The characters were well rounded, especially Will Graham, the protagonist.

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Mar 24, 2009

Jake rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: thriller

Read in March, 2009

Trashy, but really fun to read. Harris was a reporter for many years before he became a novelist, and he's at his best with the procedural details of the investigation-- that part of the plot really shines. The rest of it, especially the psychology of the FBI agents and the serial killer-- that stuff tends to get a little schlocky, but not so bad that it ruins the rest of the book. And the finish is great.

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Dec 08, 2008

Donna rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: crime, horror

Read in December, 2001

I actually liked this book the best in the 'Hannibal Lector' trilogy - I found it the most human of the stories, Lector is younger and doesn't seem quite as ridiculously clever as he did in the follow-ups. I also like the Francis Dolarhyde (sp?) - I found him to be a frightening character, but also an intriguing one.
Thomas Harris contructs this story very well indeed.

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Jan 05, 2009

Bill rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

bookshelves: fiction, horror, thriller

Read in January, 1991

Thomas Harris is reputed to do a dozen rewrites of every book he's written - before it's published. This is why it takes ten years between books, I guess. Red Dragon gave us our first glimpse of Hannibal Lecter. Francis Dollarhyde is nearly as monstrous as Lecter and every bit as terrifying. DO NOT read this book if you are alone in a house. A truly frightening book.

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Dec 28, 2009

Margo Candela rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

Read in December, 2009

Not at all the usual type of book I read, but I read it all even though parts of it creeped me out. Was an entertaining enough way to spend some time, but I doubt I'll make these types of books a major part of my reading diet. I just don't have the stomach for them. And yes my sister, who passed her copy of Red Dragon along to me, thinks I'm a wimp. I guess I am.

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May 22, 2009

Sam Lembanna rated it:

(review of isbn 0525945563)

Read in February, 2002

recommends it for: people who enjoy psychology and crime

I've always been pulled to books like these because I really enjoy the back stories of the villian. I become intrigued by the social psychology intertwined with the books; how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Great read but not for the faint of heart as with the movies.

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