After purchasing the series a few years ago, I decided to start reading the Hannibal Lector novels by Thomas Harris. I've seen
Manhunter once, which was based off the first book
Red Dragon. I haven't seen the remake yet, even though I own it. I've seen the sequel
Silence of the Lambs a few times, and
Hannibal twice. I don't remember much from
Manhunter since I saw it -- how long is it now? -- I'd say close to a decade ago, but I'm almost eager to watch it and
Red Dragon just to compare some notes.
I just finished reading
Red Dragon and started into
Silence of the Lambs. I am amazed at how addicitng the novel was. I've actually lost sleep, and not from the dark subject matter, but because I really wanted to know what happened next. Reading it also gave me several ideas on how to effectively make some of my characters significantly darker. One of my weakenesses in writing is developing dark, troubled, or deliciously evil characters. Dolarhyde was most certainly two of the three, and Lector picks up the slack by embodying the rest. Graham was also a great template for a troubled and/or haunted protagonist.
What I really didn't like was the way things wrapped up in the book. It felt almost like the typical plot device for any slasher flick. Read the book and you'll see what I mean. The other nit-picky thing is how Harris shifts from descriptions in the present tense to progressive action in the past tense. Such as "Lector's cell
is blah-blah-blah" instead of "
was". I've never read anything like that before, and as a result, it kind of pulls me out of the experience for a minute until I readjust.
I don't recall if I have the book or film of
Hannibal Rising around here. I may have picked the DVD from a bargain bin once.
--
Quick update on my writing status:
Perdition's Progeny: Outlining
Pro Patria: 45,077 words (first draft)
Bhriar's Blade: Outlining
Elemental: Researching
Project Ark: Concept
Project John: Concept
Project Recursive: Concept
Project Christmas: Concept
I have a short story entitled "Meruva" that I submitted to a podcast author for an anthology. As far as I know, the project is currently on hold. I also have several articles in various states of completion for The ScapeCast.
Anyway, back to it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
