Are you one of those people who likes to read a book before you watch the TV show based on it? Or maybe you prefer to watch then read? Simultaneously you say? Sounds like a challenge to me!
This summer I’ve been reading books in the Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series by George R. R. Martin and watching Games of Thrones, the HBO show based on them. Both are set primarily in the fictional kingdom of Westeros at the end of summer. Summer there has been a tad bit longer than ours. The first two seasons of the TV program were pretty good about sticking to the general concept of the related book, but it took seasons three and four to cover book three. When I say “pretty good” I’m actually very impressed with how much of the plots and many of the characters they were able to keep in spite of the massive length of the books and vast amount of source material. Martin hasn’t finished book 6 yet, so I’m hoping that in the future multiple seasons of the TV show will continue to cover single books again until the series is finished. It would be an artistic tragedy to have the show end because it ran out of source material. Note: Not for the faint of heart. Both the books and TV show have significant violence in them.
Song of Ice and Fire Series (Books) – Check Research@UWW for location and call numbers of individual volumes
- A Game of Thrones (1996) – print and audio book at UWW
- A Clash of Kings (1998) – print and audio book at UWW
- A Storm of Swords (2000) – print and audio book at UWW
- A Feast for Crows (2004) – print and audio book at UWW
- A Dance with Dragons (2011) – print and audio book at UWW
- The Winds of Winter (????)
Game of Thrones (TV Show) – Browsing DVD, call number: GAM
- Season 1 (2011) – DVD
- Season 2 (2012) – DVD
- Season 3 (2013) – DVD
- Season 4 (2014) – DVD
- Season 5 (anticipated 2015)
- Season 6 (anticipated 2016)
Such attention to original content has not been the case with True Blood, another HBO TV show, this time based on a rural fantasy (tropes of urban fantasy in a contemporary rural setting) series of books by Charlaine Harris set primarily in Louisiana. True Blood quickly strayed from its source material. Season one is pretty faithful, with lots of extra bits thrown in and little lost. Season two really starts to veer away, yet manages to cover major plot points. Season three continues on in that vein, and after that there are fewer and fewer connections. HBO is now airing the seventh and final season just over a year after the final book in the series was released. The books and TV program are, by this point, two different entities based in the same world with many of the same characters. I’ve been enjoying both immensely. Note: The TV program has significantly more sex and violence than the books.
Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Mystery Series (Books) – Check Research@UWW for location and call numbers of individual volumes
- Dead Until Dark (2001) – other UW system libraries
- Living Dead in Dallas (2002) – other UW system libraries
- Club Dead (2003) – other UW system libraries
- Dead to the World (2004) – other UW system libraries
- Dead as a Doornail (2005) – other UW system libraries
- Definitely Dead (2006) – other UW system libraries
- All Together Dead (2007) – other UW system libraries
- From Dead to Worse (2008) – other UW system libraries
- Dead and Gone (2009) – print at UWW
- Dead in the Family (2010) – print at UWW
- Dead Reckoning (2011) – print at UWW
- Deadlocked (2012) – print at UWW
- Dead Ever After (2013) – print at UWW
True Blood (TV Show) – Browsing DVD, call number: TRU
- Season 1 (2008) – DVD
- Season 2 (2009) – DVD
- Season 3 (2010) – DVD
- Season 4 (2011) – DVD
- Season 5 (2012) – DVD
- Season 6 (2013) – DVD
- Season 7 (2014) – still airing
