The Great...Red...Dragon!

"Fear comes with imagination, it's a penalty, it's the price of imagination." -Thomas Harris, Red Dragon

I was ecstatic to finally read Thomas Harris' Red Dragon. I've been a fan of the movie Silence of the Lambs for years, and also obsessed with the tv show Hannibal since it came out, but I've never read the books. I hope to read the other ones in the Hannibal series as soon as I get the chance.

The most recent (and sadly final) season of Hannibal dealt with Francis Dolarhyde and the material from Red Dragon, so I had a good idea of the basic plot elements going into the novel, but I was still captivated by Harris' writing. The man's style is something to learn from. The way he does dialogue, setting, imagery, characterization...just the whole lot is on fire. And throw in William Blake references and I'm in love. I particularly love this line from Dolarhyde's point of view that reads,  "There is no sense of vengeance in him, only Love and thoughts of Glory to come; hearts becoming faint and fast, like footsteps fleeing into silence" (Harris, Red Dragon).

Along with that, Harris never loses the overall mood of something sinister taking place in this story. The darkness interweaves so finely between the plot that we know it is there and we are aware of it, yet we are intrigued by it at the same time. We want to know more about Hannibal and Dolarhyde, we want more details on the murders of the Jacobi and Leeds' families. Dolarhyde is such an interesting psycho because there are parts of his history, like issues with mother and grandmother, that could border on the cliche, but Harris writes the past so richly that it does not feel that way. As we dive deeper into Dolarhyde's inner conflict with the Dragon and how

The tiger scene from the show Hannibal. I really loved
whom they cast to play her on the show. She was brilliant.
And then Dolarhyde lurking the background.

it talks to him, we are exposed to an ill man that is combating against something deep and consuming within himself. In addition, we discover Reba along the way who interferes with Dolarhyde's Becoming in some pretty interesting ways.

I really love what the show Hannibal did with Dolarhyde for the third season because I think it explored Dolarhyde's depth and character even further than what the book did. A lot of that is because of the relationship Hannibal and Will share on the show compared to the book. I won't give any spoilers away for those who haven't watched yet, but man, be prepared for some epic storytelling.

I didn't realize in Red Dragon how briefly we actually see Hannibal, but the letters he sends to Will and his infection in Will's personality certainly comes through loud and clear with the small excerpts we do see from him. Which again, all goes to highlight Harris' brilliant writing. I especially love this line from Hannibal's final letter in the book:  “We live in a primitive time—don’t we, Will?—neither savage nor wise. Half measures are the curse of it. Any rational society would either kill me or give me my books" (Harris, Red Dragon).

And then of course at the end we are left with poor, tortured Will Graham and his thoughts, which still are not tasty to him:

Hugh Dancy as Will Graham on Hannibal.

"He roused and watched the mindless clock but he couldn’t stop thinking. In the Green Machine there is no mercy; we make mercy, manufacture it in the parts that have overgrown our basic reptile brain. There is no murder. We make murder and, it matters only to us. Graham knew all too well that he contained all the elements to make murder; perhaps mercy too. He understood murder uncomfortably well though" (Harris, Red Dragon).

Again, the way the tv show plays with the darkness inside of Will is beautiful, chilling, and truly crafty. Harris brought the original material out in full force, but Bryan Fuller's Hannibal show really delves into those layers more than I thought possible. Basically, I could gush on about both this book and the show. I can't wait to read the other books.