Hannibal vs The Silence of the Lambs: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Government investigators, Serial murderers, Mystery, Fiction
Hannibal
“CLARICE STARLING'S MUSTANG boomed up the entrance ramp at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on Massachusetts Avenue, a headquarters rented from the Reverend Sun Myung Moon in the interest of economy.”
Sequel to: [The Silence of the Lambs][1] Hannibal is a novel by American author Thomas Harris, published in 1999. It is the third in his series featuring Dr. Hannibal Lecter and the second to feature FBI Special Agent…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Silence of the Lambs
“Behavioral Science, the FBI section that deals with serial murder, is on the bottom floor of the Academy building at Quantico, half-buried in the earth.”
The Silence of the Lambs is a psychological horror novel by Thomas Harris. First published in 1988, it is the sequel to Harris's 1981 novel Red Dragon. Both novels feature the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Readers rate The Silence of the Lambs highest: The Silence of the Lambs 4.3 · Hannibal 3.8.
- The Silence of the Lambs is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 9 for Hannibal.
- Hannibal has the widest readership — 120523 ratings behind its score.
- Hannibal runs the darker storyline; The Silence of the Lambs stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Silence of the Lambs
≈ 6h vs 9h for Hannibal
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Hannibal
120523 ratings vs 13299 for The Silence of the Lambs
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Silence of the Lambs
4.3 vs 3.8 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
Hannibal
a darker storyline than The Silence of the Lambs
Want something lighter?
The Silence of the Lambs
an easier tone than Hannibal
Scores by source
| Hannibal | The Silence of the Lambs | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (120523) | 4.3 (13299) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (247) | 4.2 (715) |
| Google Books | 3.5 (8) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (478) | 4.5 (1096) |
Reception
| Hannibal | The Silence of the Lambs | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 120523 | 13299 |
| Editions | 48 | 72 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 82397 | 354849 |
| Reading it now | 3091 | — |
| Written reviews | 5329 | 13299 |
| Wikipedia attention | 11191 | 22246 |
| Pages | 492 | 325 |