Hey, guys! So here's a book I regret reading.
Previous book in the series (can read it out of order):
Red Dragon
The Cover:
The Cover:
It shows the protagonist Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter side by side with their mouths covered by a moth (found in a murder victim's mouth). It's a cool cover. B cover
Official Description:
Hannibal Lecter. The ultimate villain of modern fiction. Read the five-million-copy bestseller that scared the world silent... A young FBI trainee. An evil genius locked away for unspeakable crimes. A plunge into the darkest chambers of a psychopath's mind-- in the deadly search for a serial killer... Thomas Harris is the author of Hannibal , Red Dragon , and Black Sunday . As part of the search for a serial murderer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill," FBI trainee Clarice Starling is given an assignment. She must visit a man confined to a high-security facility for the criminally insane and interview him.
(That description says about nothing about the book.)
My Condensed Description:
A serial killer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" is kidnapping and skinning his victims and he won't stop. It is up to FBI trainee Clarice Starling to help solve the case. She works under Jack Crawford to help the FBI find the clues that may lead to Buffalo Bill's capture before he disposes of his latest victim. When stuck, she seeks clues from the captured serial killer Hannibal the Cannibal who gives cryptic information that may just help Starling stop Buffalo Bill's killing spree.
My Review:
This was just disappointing. First of all, the only reason to read Silence of the Lambs really is Hannibal, and he's in only about a fifth of the book. The parts of the book he's in is by far the best parts of the book, but it isn't good enough to overweight the other four fifths.
Also, Silence of the Lambs is unnecessarily crude. Both in language and situations. I would give you an example, but I would feel gross to mention it. There is never a scene were the female characters are not objectified on the most vile level. It's just gross (I get that it's the point to show the terrible acts of prisoners, etc. but that doesn't excuse it) and made me self- conscious of reading the book. In fact, it goes to the point where I may judge someone for reading Silence of the Lambs to begin with.
The main character was boring. She could've been basically anyone and nothing in the book would have changed. She didn't do anything to advance the plot, was unremarkable, and had no personality to speak for.
Also, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but there is an occasional perspective from Buffalo Bill. In my opinion, in cop books, perspectives from the "bad guy" only ruin all of the suspense, make you frustrated with the main characters, and distract from the actual plot. I hate it, and Silence of the Lambs definitely told things from the villain's perspective multiple times.
The only redeeming parts of this book were the moments with Hannibal, which is why I read Silence of the Lambs to begin with, but it wasn't worth it. I would not recommend reading this book. It was crude and not very interesting.
Phrase:
Don't pass him any paperclips
If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Stephen King books
Check out my Suggestions Page!
Previous book in the series (can read it out of order):
Red Dragon
The Cover:
It shows the protagonist Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter side by side with their mouths covered by a moth (found in a murder victim's mouth). It's a cool cover. B cover
Official Description:
Hannibal Lecter. The ultimate villain of modern fiction. Read the five-million-copy bestseller that scared the world silent... A young FBI trainee. An evil genius locked away for unspeakable crimes. A plunge into the darkest chambers of a psychopath's mind-- in the deadly search for a serial killer... Thomas Harris is the author of Hannibal , Red Dragon , and Black Sunday . As part of the search for a serial murderer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill," FBI trainee Clarice Starling is given an assignment. She must visit a man confined to a high-security facility for the criminally insane and interview him.
(That description says about nothing about the book.)
My Condensed Description:
A serial killer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" is kidnapping and skinning his victims and he won't stop. It is up to FBI trainee Clarice Starling to help solve the case. She works under Jack Crawford to help the FBI find the clues that may lead to Buffalo Bill's capture before he disposes of his latest victim. When stuck, she seeks clues from the captured serial killer Hannibal the Cannibal who gives cryptic information that may just help Starling stop Buffalo Bill's killing spree.
My Review:
This was just disappointing. First of all, the only reason to read Silence of the Lambs really is Hannibal, and he's in only about a fifth of the book. The parts of the book he's in is by far the best parts of the book, but it isn't good enough to overweight the other four fifths.
Also, Silence of the Lambs is unnecessarily crude. Both in language and situations. I would give you an example, but I would feel gross to mention it. There is never a scene were the female characters are not objectified on the most vile level. It's just gross (I get that it's the point to show the terrible acts of prisoners, etc. but that doesn't excuse it) and made me self- conscious of reading the book. In fact, it goes to the point where I may judge someone for reading Silence of the Lambs to begin with.
The main character was boring. She could've been basically anyone and nothing in the book would have changed. She didn't do anything to advance the plot, was unremarkable, and had no personality to speak for.
Also, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, but there is an occasional perspective from Buffalo Bill. In my opinion, in cop books, perspectives from the "bad guy" only ruin all of the suspense, make you frustrated with the main characters, and distract from the actual plot. I hate it, and Silence of the Lambs definitely told things from the villain's perspective multiple times.
The only redeeming parts of this book were the moments with Hannibal, which is why I read Silence of the Lambs to begin with, but it wasn't worth it. I would not recommend reading this book. It was crude and not very interesting.
Phrase:
Don't pass him any paperclips
If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Stephen King books
Check out my Suggestions Page!
