# The Silence of the Lambs!



## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I've been waiting for a while for this to come out on Kindle and just accidentally stumbled on it! Yay!



The first in the series, "Red Dragon," has been out longer and is also superb.



I enjoyed "Hannibal" for the most part (except for the ending, one of the word endings in the history of the written word!), but it is trashy. And kinda bloody fun.



I haven't bothered with the rest.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Red Dragon and Silence are two of the creepiest, most brilliant horror novels of the 21st century. Hannibal became something of a cartoon over time, due to the films, but guarantee anyone who reads these novels for the first time will have to keep the lights on all night.


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## Cavaguy (Nov 28, 2010)

Harry Shannon said:


> Red Dragon and Silence are two of the creepiest, most brilliant horror novels of the 21st century. Hannibal became something of a cartoon over time, due to the films, but guarantee anyone who reads these novels for the first time will have to keep the lights on all night.


Spot on Harry --The books are brilliant--I much prefer the original Manhunter film with Brian Cox as Lector

If you're ever in a bar start the debate SOTLs V Seven which is better --Guys go for Lambs Gals for Seven.

S


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

Probably the only book/movie that REALLY TRULY freaked me out and still gives me the creeps beyond belief but I did/do love it


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## carl_h (Sep 8, 2010)

3 real scary books, IMO.  I enjoyed all he's written.


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## Andrew Kaufman (Jun 16, 2010)

Is there something wrong with me, or am I just jaded? I didn't find any of them to be very scary. I read the books and saw the ones made into movies....nothing. I mean, I enjoyed them and found them entertaining, but as far as being frightened, not so much. Maybe because I read and write this sort of stuff. 

Drew


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## Scott Neumyer (Dec 8, 2010)

SOTL is my favorite book of all time. I actually have 3 Hannibal Lecter related tattoos. And I'm pretty normal! I promise!


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

A truly gifted writer. Not everyone gets to write a generation's cultural touchstone.

Scott


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I found "Red Dragon" to be scarier than the others, but they're thrillers, not flat-out-screaming horror.  So it's a different kind of scary for me - it lingers.

As far as "Manhunter" vs. "The Silence of the Lambs" - I must confess I don't really get why some people go for "Manhunter" and Cox.  "Manhunter" has not aged well at all.  That 1980s Miami Vice aesthetic Michael Mann perfected and never quite got over is very dated.  And Brian Cox - a fine actor to be sure - left virtually no impression on me.  While Anthony Hopkins chews the scenery in the best way and delivered one of the most famous performances in history of film.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

*Silence of the Lambs* and *Red Dragon*--two of my favorites. I find Thrillers much scarier than horror. For me, horror is often funny--most of it doesn't strike me as believable.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

DYB said:


> I found "Red Dragon" to be scarier than the others, but they're thrillers, not flat-out-screaming horror. So it's a different kind of scary for me - it lingers.
> 
> As far as "Manhunter" vs. "The Silence of the Lambs" - I must confess I don't really get why some people go for "Manhunter" and Cox. "Manhunter" has not aged well at all. That 1980s Miami Vice aesthetic Michael Mann perfected and never quite got over is very dated. And Brian Cox - a fine actor to be sure - left virtually no impression on me. While Anthony Hopkins chews the scenery in the best way and delivered one of the most famous performances in history of film.


I think a lot of people prefer it because the cop / killer dynamic in _Red Dragon_ is better than in _SOTL_.

I like the idea of a cop who can step inside the mind of the psychopath and see things from his perspective...because he's a little bit of a psychopath too.

Clarice Starling is a nice character, particularly as played by Jodie Foster, but she doesn't do a lot but kill time until Lechter hands her the answer on a silver platter.


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## mistyd107 (May 22, 2009)

SuzanneTyrpak said:


> *Silence of the Lambs* and *Red Dragon*--two of my favorites. I find Thrillers much scarier than horror. For me, horror is often funny--most of it doesn't strike me as believable.


ITA


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

tbrookside said:


> I think a lot of people prefer it because the cop / killer dynamic in _Red Dragon_ is better than in _SOTL_.
> 
> I like the idea of a cop who can step inside the mind of the psychopath and see things from his perspective...because he's a little bit of a psychopath too.
> 
> Clarice Starling is a nice character, particularly as played by Jodie Foster, but she doesn't do a lot but kill time until Lechter hands her the answer on a silver platter.


Well, it wasn't exactly on a silver platter. But I understand why people would prefer Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon" to "The Silence of the Lambs." The former freaks me out much more than the latter. It's Mann's "Manhunter" vs. Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" that I personally don't understand (and by extension Cox vs. Hopkins.) To me there is no competition. They are both very stylized films. But, like most things from the early to mid 1980s, "Manhunter" doesn't travel well into other decades.


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## Cavaguy (Nov 28, 2010)

Andrew Kaufman said:


> Is there something wrong with me, or am I just jaded? I didn't find any of them to be very scary. I read the books and saw the ones made into movies....nothing. I mean, I enjoyed them and found them entertaining, but as far as being frightened, not so much. Maybe because I read and write this sort of stuff.
> 
> Drew


The point you make about 'jaded.' I wouldn't say jaded. I write comedy and it is very hard to make me laugh because my brain is always getting to the kjokes or recognising set-ups etc. I Imagine it's very similar in your genre Drew--you write it and therefore see things coming that maybe I wouldn't.

I just let myself go in King books/ harris books--I never see stuff coming.

Just a theory

S


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

I love these books !

It seems like 9 out of 10 people HATE the ending of Hannibal, but not me, I'm not sure why this gets people so riled.

I keep checking and hoping that a new Harris book will be available soon but not so far, Stephen King called Harris out on this a bit in "On Writing" saying something to the effect of If you're a good writer, why aren't you writing ?

Looking at the time frame of Hannibal Rising, it is very feasible to have two or three more full length "Young Hannibal" novels before the events of Red Dragon.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Thayerphotos said:


> I love these books !
> 
> It seems like 9 out of 10 people HATE the ending of Hannibal, but not me, I'm not sure why this gets people so riled.
> 
> ...


To me Starling's behavior at the end of "Hannibal" has nothing to do with Starling's behavior in everything that came before it. It strikes me as preposterous that she would


Spoiler



run off with Lecter like that.


 It really defies belief. Frankly, while Lecter showed interest in Starling from the beginning, what he does at the end of "Hannibal" just seems so off as well. It felt like Harris handed off the ending of that book to another writer.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I waited for months for that book, and when I was perhaps half way through it my mother-in-law blew the ending by casually saying, "Oh, is it true that...." So I never got the chance to experience it the way Harris intended, and will never know how I'd have felt discovering that for myself. Have great admiration for Thomas Harris, Red Dragon and SOTL in particular. As Scott Nicholson just said, the man created a generational touchstone, a literary and cinematic icon. Very few can say that.

Oh, and Black Sunday was a blistering good read, and in context very ahead of its time.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Forgive the flippancy, but I started life as a lamb, was for a while a lion, and am a lamb again, and mostly silenced (one bleat, and I become a lamb chop). I need an urgent injection of Lion Serum. Help!


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

If Thomas Harris were to publish only one more Hannibal novel in the next 5 years, which would you prefer ?

Another Young Hannibal prequel

OR

A continuation of Starling and Hannibal's lives after the events in Hannibal ?


I think I'd like to see more of Hannibal's life as a young man,  here's something compelling about watching a man become a monster, and the justification with which Hannibal choses his victims.  He was Dexter before here was a Dexter


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

DYB said:


> To me Starling's behavior at the end of "Hannibal" has nothing to do with Starling's behavior in everything that came before it. It strikes me as preposterous that she would
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I think he wanted to do something the reader wouldn't expect.

Sometimes that doesn't work out.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

_Silence of the Lambs_--brilliant stand alone book. I like to read true crime books such as Joe McGinnis's _Fatal Vision_, and it's rare that a fictional book about serial killers, etc, will scare me. _Silence of the Lambs_, though--it terrified me.

As to the disturbing dynamic between Clarice and Hannibal, Harris should have


Spoiler



left it alone. He pulled it off perfectly in _Silence of the Lambs _ and kept it subtle. It's when he allowed it to take over the story in _Hannibal_ that it became a problem for me.


 I haven't read _Red Dragon _ but realize that I need to, after reading this thread.


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

For me *Red Dragon* scared me more than *Silence of the Lambs* did. I read Silence first, just days before I went to see the movie.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

I loved _Red Dragon _ and _Silence of the Lambs_, but absolutely hated _Hannibal,_ even before reaching Turow's out-of-his-ass ending.



> SOTL is my favorite book of all time. I actually have 3 Hannibal Lecter related tattoos. And I'm pretty normal! I promise!


Somehow I doubt that. But that's a good thing.


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## Guest (Dec 21, 2010)

This is so good to know, it's on my list!


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

The movie version of SOTL probably ruined Harris as a novelist.  The book could stand alone and didn't need sequels.  The success of the film probably put the pressure on for more of the same.  As I read it, the end of Hannibal was Harris' way of saying you'll get no more from these charaters.  Then came the prequel (which I did't read) that showed that once talented authors can be truly enticed to spew out formula novels to fillfull contract obligations.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

DYB said:


> I found "Red Dragon" to be scarier than the others, but they're thrillers, not flat-out-screaming horror. So it's a different kind of scary for me - it lingers.
> 
> As far as "Manhunter" vs. "The Silence of the Lambs" - I must confess I don't really get why some people go for "Manhunter" and Cox. "Manhunter" has not aged well at all. That 1980s Miami Vice aesthetic Michael Mann perfected and never quite got over is very dated. And Brian Cox - a fine actor to be sure - left virtually no impression on me. While Anthony Hopkins chews the scenery in the best way and delivered one of the most famous performances in history of film.


Thank you for posting this, until now I was almost afriad to voice my opinion that Manhunter didn't age well, felt way too 80's and while it was good, it was just good. Red Dragon however was amazing. Ed Norton was superb, and well it was just an awesome movie. Probably going to have to watch it again tonight.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

Scott Neumyer said:


> SOTL is my favorite book of all time. I actually have 3 Hannibal Lecter related tattoos. And I'm pretty normal! I promise!


Photos or it didn't happen !


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## Laurensaga (Sep 29, 2010)

I maybe in the minority on this one, but I really enjoyed the first two Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. I liked Hannible and the ending. Yes it is/ was the creepiest romantic attachment I have read in a while, but enjoyable and the fact that _____ (I really need to learn how to black things out) dies makes it worth the read.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

I haven't read the books yet, but SOTL and Red Dragon were excellent films. I can't get enough of them.


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## Cavaguy (Nov 28, 2010)

Thayerphotos said:


> Thank you for posting this, until now I was almost afriad to voice my opinion that Manhunter didn't age well, felt way too 80's and while it was good, it was just good. Red Dragon however was amazing. Ed Norton was superb, and well it was just an awesome movie. Probably going to have to watch it again tonight.


See that's what's really great about books and film--I have the complete opposite opinion about the two. I found the Norton film to be tawdry and very formulaic--so, granted the 80s aesthetic, Manhunter is superior in nearly all ways.

It's only my opinion (and most critics ) Doesn't make you guys wrong though.

S


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Cavaguy said:


> See that's what's really great about books and film--I have the complete opposite opinion about the two. I found the Norton film to be tawdry and very formulaic--so, granted the 80s aesthetic, Manhunter is superior in nearly all ways.
> 
> It's only my opinion (and most critics ) Doesn't make you guys wrong though.
> 
> S


I haven't seen the newer adaptation, but have heard very mixed things about it. In general I'm not a big fan of that director's work, but the cast is good. Maybe I'll netflix it one of these days.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

DYB said:


> I haven't seen the newer adaptation, but have heard very mixed things about it. In general I'm not a big fan of that director's work, but the cast is good. Maybe I'll netflix it one of these days.


It's definetly worth a spot on you Netflix queue if for no other reason than to see Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal again.


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## Laurensaga (Sep 29, 2010)

Thayerphotos said:


> It's definetly worth a spot on you Netflix queue if for no other reason than to see Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal again.


Great job but completly mispronounces chianti. It drives me crazy. Hannibal would never make such a mistake. He is far to refined.

Edit: Corrected my misspelling. You are right DYB. Hannibal would make a nice little snack out of me.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Laurensaga said:


> Great job but completly mispronounces chanti. It drives me crazy. Hannibal would never make such a mistake. He is far to refined.


I don't drink alcohol - so what's the right way to pronounce it?

Hannibal would probably have eaten the person who mispronounced it.


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## Thayerphotos (Dec 19, 2010)

Laurensaga said:


> Great job but completly mispronounces chanti. It drives me crazy. Hannibal would never make such a mistake. He is far to refined.


Wait, you're saying it's NOT kee-yahn-tee and fah-vah beans ?


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

You mean Chianti, I suppose.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

mlewis78 said:


> You mean Chianti, I suppose.


Ooohhhh, Hannibal would also have eaten the person who misspelled it!


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## Carl Ashmore (Oct 12, 2010)

Red Dragon is one of my fav books of all time.


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## Philip Chen (Aug 8, 2010)

Silence of the Lambs is one of the scariest books written because Harris does not spell out every bloody scene for you. He allows the reader to concoct the scene in his/her mind thereby allowing our minds to make the scene even more monstrous than words could tell.


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## KindleLovinMike (Jan 6, 2011)

I can't read things like it. Too creepy.


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