30 July 2011

Guest Post- True Blood Book/Show Comparison




So to start I want to tell you what I think about the TV show. I really like the TV show. My friends and I try to get together every Sunday and watch it. I like most of the characters in the show, honestly Sookie is not quite how I pictured her from the book but she does play a good role. I think it's kind of funny how Bill gets better looking with each season. Eric is definitely my favorite character in the book and in the show, Pam is my favorite character.

So I started off watching the first season of True Blood and after I liked it I started reading the books. I even got my Mom hooked on watching the show. This season is so good that it keeps me waiting for the next episode.

Now to tell you a little about the books. I think the characters roles in the books are better told than in the show. The lives that each character lead are better in the books because the show puts little twists on each character. I'll cover that later when I compare and contrast the books and the show. The way Charlene describes Bill and what he did make you still feel for him and you want him to be happy and get what he wants (Sookie). It's like you feel sad for him and like him but at the same time don't want Sookie and Bill to be together. Its kind of funny because Sookie goes from dating no one to dating a lot of people since the world around her unfolds and she discovers the  true nature of others around her: Vampires, shapshifters, were's and many more. And the way Eric is described at first it's like you want to dislike him but you can't help but like him, he has little funny quirks and the things he does make you fall for him.

So thats basically how I feel about the books and show in a nut shell because what I really want to do is dive into is comparing the two. Lets start with Sookie: so far she is pretty on track. They make her the sweet, little innocent girl next door, but a woman of independence and can stand her ground and tell you what she thinks. Bill's character is correct because he tries to do what is right yet always having to answer to his maker, which is on track with the books. But in the books, Bill never made another vampire and in the show he made Jessica. That is actually one of the twists that I like because I have really grown to like her character a lot. Also Bill never became king and never killed the queen. In the books, the Queen dies a whole other way, because half her body was destroyed in the bombing of a hotel and then the king of Las Vegas decides to take over the Louisianna region and kills the queen while she is injured. Now Eric is pretty close to his character, being the sheriff of his region, the maker of Pam, and even his maker Godrick. But Godrick, his maker never met the sun (dies) which is obvious in the last book that was recently released, which makes me curious on how the show will play out.

Now Lafayette is a main character in the show but dies in the second book or somewhere early in the series. And Tara is correctly Sookie's best friend but she is not a main character in the books like she is in the show. She mostly just comes and goes. The background on her family the show tells with her mom could very well be true because the book says her mother was alcoholic. Also the fact about the vampire taking advantage of her was correct. Pam is the same in the book.  I like Sam in the show just as in the book, he is always such a good friend to Sookie, always being there for her. But it's his family in the show that's different. He has a brother and the show made a whole role for him and his family that is mostly kept out of the book. And Andy Bellefleur is not hooked on V in the book, but I think his role in the show is kind of funny and gives me a little chuckle when I see him. Also Sookie's brother Jason's part is true being with all the girls and stuff and it is true about him being bit by panthers but not for the reason they give. In the book one of Crystal's family is jealous so he kidnaps him and bits him. They don't bite him so that he can help impregenate the girls of Hot Shot.

Now to move on to Arlene: she doesn't date the crazy Irish guy and get pregnant.  In fact, he doesn't even come from the book. Actually, once the Vampires are revealed, she becomes a vampire hater and even joins with the Fellowship of the Sun. So her and Sookie do grow apart and she tries many things to get Sookie killed. But Arlene never has to worry about an evil child. Surprisingly though, I like that twist they gave in the show. I really like Hoyt's character in the show. In the book he's not that big. He kind of gets mentioned now and then like Tara does. The whole witch thing that is going on in the show right now does indeed follow the book because a big part of the books are about Eric loosing his memory and the witches verses vampires. I'm sure the show will go into more detail soon.

The character of Alcide, being the big bad (yet caring) wolfe is true. But I am so mad that in the show he is back with Debbie Pelt. There is a big part in the book that I was hoping they would keep and I am still keeping my fingers crossed for it. But Alcide shows a lot more interest in Sookie than in the show. And in the book you really like Alcide in the beginning and truly, I was hoping that they would get together. But later on so many things happen to Alcide that harden him and change him so much that you start to not like him as much. And there is one character in the book that I can't wait for them to introduce in the show because I really like him but I don't want to give a name and give too much away.

Well I hope you liked my little compare and contrast between the movie and book. Please feel free to correct me on anything I got wrong or give your own opinion. I would love to know what you think. When I watch the show with my friend we always discuss how it compares with the book. Thanks for reading! Oh and this is my first blog I've ever written so I hope you like it!

3 comments:

Jules said...

I enjoyed reading your post!

I really like both the TV series as well as the books - I read quite a few of the books before I started watching the show and I really can't decide what I like better.

I love Eric and Layefette is probably my favourite character - I'm so glad that they kept him around!

I'm looking forward to reading your next instalment :D

Alexis @ Reflections of a Bookaholic said...

I read the series but stopped watching the show. It started to confuse me because I couldn't keep them straight and they are so different from the original that I decided one of them had to go.

I like your compare and contrast. You really got it down pretty fast. Great job.

P.S. The book with Queen and her losing her legs was my favorite so if I would have been watching the show, I would have been super disappointed to see them change it.

Molli @ Once Upon a Prologue said...

I love this post. I just do. I have started to realize, as much as I love the show, I am a bigger fan of the books. I haven't been watching this season because of so many of the changes they have made to the show - I think I will catch up at some point though.

I am a big Eric/Sookie fan, though in season one of the show and the early books, I loved Sookie with Bill. But like you say, you get to the point where you want him to be happy, but you don't want him with Sookie anymore. So true. I feel for him, but he did some bad stuff.

I think (from what I remember) Sam has stayed really close to his book counterpart, personality wise and all that. I'm glad of that, and also that Jessica was introduced on the show, because we got Hoyt/Jessica. :D


Molli
Blog: Once Upon a Prologue
Twitter: @ courageousgrace
Goodreads: Here

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