Ranking Every Thomas Harris Book From Worst To Best

The Silence of the Lambs may have gone on to become the most iconic Harris story, but overall, it still falls short in comparison to its predecessor by just the skin of its teeth.

Red Dragon is a psychological crime thriller in its purest form, in addition to being packed to the brim with unique personalities. First of all, Will Graham, the book's main protagonist, is an absolutely brilliant character. His ability to empathize with murderers, combined with his ever-present, underlying fear of turning to the dark side himself makes him incredibly engaging. Clarice Starling is phenomenal in her own right, but Graham is just a touch more fascinating.

Meanwhile, Red Dragon's main antagonist is horrifically disturbing in all the right ways as well. Sure, comparing Francis Dolarhyde (aka the Tooth Fairy, aka the Red Dragon) to Buffalo Bill is a case of apples and oranges, but it's the character's unique motives as well as his far more erratic psyche that objectively make him the more interesting bad guy. And while Hannibal Lecter's part is very small in this novel, he still plays his role of devil's advocate perfectly and helps plant the seeds of doubt Will has about his own mental state. He may not always be in the book, but he is always inside Will's head. Less is more, as they say.

Not only is the entire book bloody and disturbingly brilliant from start to finish, but its ending is undoubtedly the most meaningful and thought-provoking of any Harris novel.

Every author has their magnum opus and while some consider The Silence of the Lambs as Harris', all things considered, that title belongs to Red Dragon.