First, I want to say WOW. I watched all of season 1 and caught up with 2 in three days. THREE DAYS. That is just how good the series is and YES there are huge gaping differences with the tv show and the books. So if you’re watching the show and not reading the novels, don’t worry about it. If you don’t want to read them, you don’t have to and you won’t be concerned about all the differences.
If you’ve read the novels then you’re going to be like “HOLY CRAP!” when you watch the show. Even though they have made some HUGE changes the show it still worth watching. You can just be like me and wonder how the hell are they going to pull off Stan being Sherriff of Texas if he’s dead? Lafayette is alive and working for Eric, unwillingly, of course.
I do have compliments for a lot of the effects though. Shifting is semi-believable. It’s not “my bones are breaking and reforming and there’s all kinds of clear goop you’re going t have to clean up off the bathroom floor”. It looks magical, first you see human, then you see dog, then you see human and of course they are naked. It’s absolutely hilarious when Sookie finds out about Sam and how - which is pretty close in the book, but not quite. The book version was better.
It’s also quite nice to see what’s going on with other people living in Bon Temps. I’d never think of Jason doing V or kidnapping a vampire. They changed the way Rene died and I wasn’t thrilled about that. Sookie saved her own life in the book and I think it would have been nice if they had followed that scene in the show. It wasn’t in the middle of the day and I think Bill was out of town. Oh, and Rene didn’t die, he’d started confessing like crazy in the hospital. I don’t recall if he made it or not.
The entire story regarding Long Shadow was done differently, except for the embezzlement, but there was a lot more going on afterwards that connected to his death and his maker in the book. There wasn’t any tribunal that Bill and Eric had to go to and he sure as hell didn’t have to make a new vampire. Although I do like the twist it adds and of course, the drama, for the show.
There are enough differences between the series and the show to make it interesting enough to want to follow both. I’ve read all 9 books now and I’m going to finish watching season 2. HBO has said it’s going to have a season 3. I think that’s a pretty good thing. I just wish I knew the thinking behind the screenwriters reasons as to why they changed parts of the main story itself (Lafayette dies, Stan Lives in the books) because I think it was fine the way it was.
If you’re interested in the show and haven’t read the books, you might want to do so. Check your library, they may have them, or download it to your Kindle if you have one. They are worth reading and comparing to the show. Enjoy.
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