Vampires y'all!

Last week I started reading the Southern Vampire Mysteries, better known to all and sundry as True Blood. The books have even been retronymed (or so wikipedia informs me) into the True Blood series, probably to make more people buy them.

As I started reading I had watched the HBO show up until season 4 episode 7, but this was a long time ago, and overcome by curiosity, I started re-watching from the first episode.

I have to say I'm impressed with the work the screen writers have done. The books aren't all that long, and since American TV has a fetish for long seasons, they've added and stretched a few things. I was pretty surprised when I discovered that these things were not in Mrs. Harris's books.

Allow me to highlight a few examples. Warning, if you haven't watched the show, there are spoilers ahead. (And some for the books, I suppose, but to a lesser extent).

Tara Thornton.

In the show, she's Sookies best friend. In the books, they went to school together, but they don't really hang that much. This means that all the plot lines that revolve around Tara in the show are null and void. No alcoholic mother, no huge fight with, well... everyone. You get the picture.

MaryAnn Forrester (aka the Maenad)

In the show, half of the second season revolves around her efforts to turn Bon Temps into one huge non stop orgy. In the books, she pops up, the vampires decide to pay her tribute, she kills a couple of people and goes away. She has barely any screen time (page time?) at all.

Lafayette Reynolds

There is practically no difference between the TV and the books when it comes to the flamboyant cook at Merlotte's, except he's killed off at the beginning of book two, meaning like his on screen cousin Tara, all the stuff concerning him are also absent from the books. This is a shame really, since he's so damn entertaining.

I could go on, but that would be pointless, however, all the important bits are included in the show. Particularity in season one, there are scenes that are recited verbatim from the book. This combined with the skill with which the screen writers have blended the original content with their own stuff, is super impressive.

So are the books worth the effort, especially since the show is so good? The answer is: Absolutely! They are highly entertaining, well worth your time. They also explain more about the world and how things work between the different supernatural beings.

Besides there's one added bonus. Sookie Stackhouse is much cooler in the books. Seriously, go check it out.