Tim answers “Is it required to read Red Dragon first,...”

David James asked this question about The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2):

Is it required to read Red Dragon first, or can I start with Silence of the Lambs and read Red Dragon afterwards?

Tim It isn't strictly required to understand and enjoy this, but here's my advice: If the reason you want to read Silence of the Lambs first is you plan t…moreIt isn't strictly required to understand and enjoy this, but here's my advice: If the reason you want to read Silence of the Lambs first is you plan to skip Red Dragon, don't. Silence of the Lambs does a few things better and is more refined, but Red Dragon is more raw, and all the more interesting for it. They're both roughly on par in terms of pure enjoyment, I liked Red Dragon maybe slightly more but then again there's a reason Silence of the Lambs is more famous, it's more mainstream. So I definitely recommend reading both. You sound like you plan to read both. If that's the case, read Red Dragon first. That way you'll already know a little bit about Hannibal and be accustomed to Harris's slightly unusual but enjoyable style.
So no, I'd never really recommend reading Silence of the Lambs first.(less)

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The Silence of the Lambs

by Thomas Harris

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