Have You 'Red' This Book? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hannibal Lecter

'Red Dragon', originally published in 1981, is the first in Thomas Harris's series of novels featuring the aptly named cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. The most famous novel in the series is probably the sequel 'Silence of the Lambs', whose 1991 movie adaptation bagged five Oscars, including Best Director for Jonathan Demme, Best Actress for Jodie Foster (in the role of FBI agent Clarice Starling) and Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins for his portrayal of Lecter. However, 'Red Dragon' has also been adapted for cinema, firstly in 1986 under the title 'Manhunter' and then again in 2002 as 'Red Dragon' - with Hopkins reprising his role.

Regan MacNeil was the possessed girl in William Blatty's novel 'The Exorcist'. Norman Bates and Patrick Bateman were serial killers from the novels 'Psycho' by Anthony Perkins and 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis respectively.

Answer: Gabilan Range

John Steinbeck is perhaps best known for his Depression-era novel 'The Grapes of Wrath' which won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 1940. 'The Red Pony' is split into four chapters, each dealing with a different event in the life of the young protagonist, Jody Tiflin. The first part, 'The Gift', deals with the titular red pony and Jody's dedication to it. Other parts cover the story of an old man who visits the ranch and steals a horse named Easter, a mare named Nellie who dies giving birth to a young colt, and a visit from Jody's grandfather.

The Gabilan Range is located near the coast of central California and also is mentioned in other, more famous, works by John Steinbeck such as 'East of Eden' and 'Of Mice and Men'.

The Endicott Mountains are in Alaska, the Pinaleno Mountains are in Arizona and the Teton Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, is in Wyoming.

Answer: Boston, Massachusetts

Hester Prynne is a young wife who gives birth to a child long after her husband has been given up as lost at sea. Since her husband clearly couldn't be the father of her child, she is convicted of adultery and forced to display a large letter 'A' - the eponymous scarlet letter - on her clothing as punishment.

The novel explores the theme of sin. Hester's daughter, Pearl, is a living reminder of her adultery; Pearl's father suffers guilt over how Hester and Pearl are treated by society while he has escaped unpunished; and Hester's estranged husband is consumed by anger and thoughts of revenge. The novel also details the effects of Hester's punishment on her Puritan faith and beliefs.

The three incorrect options are all New England cities named after places in England, as is Boston. At the time of the 2010 Census Boston had a population of nearly 620,000, making it the 24th most populous city in the United States.

Answer: Marko Ramius

'The Hunt for Red October' was Tom Clancy's debut novel, published in 1984. The main character in the novel is Jack Ryan, a CIA agent, who afterwards appeared in numerous other novels including 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger'. A film version of the novel was first released in 1990, starring Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and 'James Bond' star, Sean Connery, as Marko Ramius.

General Arkady Ourumov was a Russian army officer in the 1995 Bond film 'Goldeneye'. General Anatoly Gogol was the head of the KGB in six different Bond films during the 1970s and 1980s, while General Leonid Pushkin was Gogol's replacement in the 1987 film 'The Living Daylights'.

Answer: Sally

The character of Sally Lockhart is a beautiful, blonde teenager living in London in the 1870s. However, she is not a typical young woman by Victorian standards as she has been taught more about how to shoot a pistol than the intricacies of embroidering a cushion. She is also set apart by her career as a financial consultant - not a choice usually made by women at that time.

'The Ruby in the Smoke' is a historical thriller, following Sally's journey to discover more about the circumstances of her father's death, the mysterious titular ruby and the opium trade.

Anne Lockhart is an American actress best known for her roles in 'Battlestar Galactica' and the 1977 film 'Joyride'. Her mother June Lockhart and grandmother Kathleen Lockhart were also actresses.

Answer: Margaret Beaufort

Philippa Gregory's 'Cousin's War' series details the events of the Wars of the Roses through fictionalised accounts of the lives of influential women of the time. In addition to the story of Lady Margaret Beaufort, the series also depicts Elizabeth Woodville, a young Lancastrian widow who married the Yorkist King Edward IV; Elizabeth of York, a daughter, sister, niece, wife, mother and grandmother of various Kings of England; and Anne Neville, daughter of the Earl of Warwick aka 'The Kingmaker', the wife of King Richard III. (He was the king whose body ended up in an undignified grave underneath a car park in the city of Leicester).

Mary de Bohun, Cecily Neville and Blanche of Lancaster were all mothers of Kings of England who never held the title of queen. Blanche of Lancaster was the mother of King Henry IV, Mary de Bohun was the mother of King Henry V and Cecily Neville was the mother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III - who also appear as characters in the 'The Red Queen'.

Answer: Short story collection

'Vermilion Sands' consists of nine short stories, written between 1956 and 1970, that are all set in the same fictional location. Each story tends to focus on a different use of technology and art forms, such as the poetry machines of 'Studio 5, The Stars' and the sound sculptures of 'Venus Smiles' and 'The Singing Statues'.

J.G. (James Graham) Ballard is perhaps best known for his 1984 novel 'Empire of the Sun' which was set in the Japanese occupied Shanghai International Settlement during the Second World War. It was turned into the 1987 film of the same name that was directed by Steven Spielberg.

Vermilion is a bright red pigment, obtained from cinnabar (an ore of mercury), that was used extensively in artwork of the Middle Ages and Renaissance paintings.

Answer: Herbert George Wells

'The Red Room' was written in 1894 and first published in 'The Idler' magazine in 1896. The titular red room is supposed to be haunted and the narrator of the story intends to spend the night in it, which is a daring move given that the last man who tried ended up dead. Despite his initial bravado, the narrator becomes increasingly nervous and ends up filling the room with lit candles in an attempt to banish some slightly scary looking shadows. Unfortunately his candles begin to go out one by one - with no apparent cause - and in his panic to escape the room he is knocked unconscious. The next morning he wakes up with an injured head and declares that the room is haunted by "Fear itself".

H.G. Wells is probably now best known for his science fiction novels which include 'The Time Machine', 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' and 'The War of the Worlds'. However, Wells was in fact a prolific author producing dozens of novels, short stories, articles and other works of non-fiction in a literary career that lasted more than fifty years.

Answer: French Revolution

The Scarlet Pimpernel is in fact the foppish and unassuming Sir Percy Blakeney. Despite outward appearances Blakeney is extremely intelligent, brave, strong and a master of disguise. Along with his league of helpers (all also rich aristocratic young Englishmen), he undertakes the task of rescuing members of the French nobility from the clutches of the government led by Maximilien Robespierre, who came to power following the revolution of 1789. The name of his alter ego derives from the calling card he leaves at the scene of his rescues, which depicts a single flower - a scarlet pimpernel.

Although most of the characters and events of the 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' are fictional inventions of Baroness Emma Orczy, the novel is set against the very real backdrop of the dangers faced by the monarchy, aristocracy and any other citizens who opposed the government of the new French Republic. During the period 1793 to 1794 (which included the infamous 'Reign of Terror') over 16,000 people were guillotined, including the former King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.

Answer: Henry Fleming

'The Red Badge of Courage' was first published in 1895, when author Stephen Crane was just 24 years old. It received instant critical acclaim and thrust its young author into the spotlight. The novel was particularly praised for its realistic portrayal of war, which was ironic given that Crane had never experienced battle himself (he was actually a journalist).

The 'red badge of courage' referred to in the title of the novel represents the wounds suffered by soldiers in battle, which indicate their bravery in having seen action on the front line. However, the only injury Henry Fleming receives is a knock on the head during a fight - although he leads his fellow soldiers to believe that it was incurred in the line of duty.

The character of Henry Walton Jones is better known by his nickname 'Indiana Jones'. Professor Henry Higgins is from George Bernard Shaw's play 'Pygmalion' and Henry Tilney is the hero of Jane Austen's 'Northanger Abbey'.