Hannibal Lector and Thomas Harris

Hannibal Lector is an interesting and rich character created by the author Thomas Harris who first wrote the novel Red Dragon in 1981 and later in 1988 wrote The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal in 1999 and then Hannibal Rising in 2006.
I have not read the novels but I sure have seen the movies! The Silence of the Lambs has to be one of the classics in the horror genre and introduced us to the chilling Hannibal Lector the cannibal played by Anthony Hopkins and Clarice Starling played by Jodie Foster. The story is interesting and startling but I have to say the I preferred Hannibal Rising which could not have been as good as it was without The Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal Rising gets to the root of how the cannibalism began in Lector and the horrors he suffered at the end of World War Two as a young boy from a wealthy family in Lithuania. I have read history and I have learned that due to hunger, cannibalism was a common practice in the colder areas of the Eastern European countries and Russia during the war, so the story for me, anyways, does not seem that far-fetched. I read that the film was not that popular with critics for whatever lame reason, but I have to tell you I think it was fantastic and as I watched the movie kept thinking back to The Silence of the Lambs saying: "That is why Hannibal Lector did this or that!" The movie is slightly different than the novel but not by much so if you prefer to read the story or watch the movie it is well worth the time if you like horror movies with blood and guts and a great story!