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A review by powerpuffgoat
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
There is a reason why the Hannibal series took off - the first installment does an excellent job setting the scene and laying out the background and motivations of key players.
I think it particularly benefits from introducing Hannibal as a side character; someone who contributed to Will's mindset and the relationship between Will and Jack before the event of Red Dragon began.
Characters like Dr Alan Bloom, Freddy Lounds and even the titular Red Dragon get a great deal of freshing out without exposition dumps.
The present story unfolds at a nice pace, quite masterly really.
However, I found all the female characters written poorly, like they were props, or caricatures, or aliens. I kept thinking, Why do women talk like that in this book? Has the author not met a woman before? Does he think they are a different species?
It tainted my overall impression of the book, and made me somewhat reluctant to read Silence of the Lambs, since it centers around a female character and I don't want her to feel like she breasted boobily down the stairs.
I think it particularly benefits from introducing Hannibal as a side character; someone who contributed to Will's mindset and the relationship between Will and Jack before the event of Red Dragon began.
Characters like Dr Alan Bloom, Freddy Lounds and even the titular Red Dragon get a great deal of freshing out without exposition dumps.
The present story unfolds at a nice pace, quite masterly really.
However, I found all the female characters written poorly, like they were props, or caricatures, or aliens. I kept thinking, Why do women talk like that in this book? Has the author not met a woman before? Does he think they are a different species?
It tainted my overall impression of the book, and made me somewhat reluctant to read Silence of the Lambs, since it centers around a female character and I don't want her to feel like she breasted boobily down the stairs.