Book, Series and Games

Hello all! Only two days late this time! I’m improving. Today, I wanted to delve deeper into my personal preferences hobby-wise, aside from reading and writing, both of which I don’t take lightly at all.

Regarding books, I only had time and attention for one: Wizard’s First Rule. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I read a book for the first time I tend to skim what I deem to be minor details- which of course are not- to get into the resolution of the plot line a lot quicker. Thus, I usually remember the story as a whole, but not all the details, and that is why I like to re-read many of the books I enjoyed. With this one, it was no exception. I enjoyed the book more because I already knew how it ended and was in no hurry to get there. And, like usual, it was a completely different experience for me. I remember that I liked the book, not that I loved it. I love it now. I had forgotten those tiny details that make a great book great and not simply good: it is witty, funny, tragic, well written, strong characters, mysterious, etc. I simply loved the book.
Now, with the intent of reading the Sword of Truth series again, I wanted to see the TV series that was made based on the books, because I am enjoying the Game of Thrones series as much as I enjoyed the books, and I enjoyed the books a LOT.
I can’t understand what the Sword of Truth series wanted to do in the first place. To call a series loosely based on an author’s work is not carte blanche to destroy the world created by said author and do over the world using the director’s and writer’s discretion. No, in my book that is called a crime.
You see, I understand that a book and a miniseries or movies are two completely different mediums, and that a story sometimes needs to be trimmed or slightly changed in order to comply with the visual and time restraints the medium demands. However, as I have said on numerous occasions to my very patient friends, one can omit certain parts of the story, leaving the whole intact, or one can butcher the whole using the banner of artistic license.
Thus, we have that the Lord of the Rings, as movies are great, glorious and epic, but they, at least in my eyes, are not a representation of Lord of the Rings, the books. The movies are merely based on the books and then are completed using Peter Jackson’s version. I mean, Galadriel was played by Cate Blanchett, enough said, her feet are bigger that Frodo´s for God’s sake! And don’t get me started on the whole shattering of Gandalf’s staff nonsense or the fact that Arwen, played by Liv Tyler, actually appeared on the movie and performed heroic acts.
And don’t even get me started on the adaptation made to Ann Rice’s Vampire novels because I begin to weep. Well, I could only stomach the Sword of Truth first episode, well, half of it really, before turning off my TV in disgust and storming out of the house to smoke. Why would you destroy the whole plot of the book, specially the beginning, when it makes no freaking sense to do so? They changed the relationship between the characters and ended up trying to invent more ways to get them closer by inventing more stupid lies and scenes. WHO in the nine hells came up with the script? I mean, the guys or gals obviously hated the book because they could not use the well structured and logical storyline already offered to them. No, they had to do their own thing.
Rant is over, for now.

So, in terms of series, I am enjoying quite a few them, beginning with Fringe, Battlestar Galactica Season 1, Firefly, NCIS Season 7, Sanctuary Season 1, Dollhouse Season 1, Deadliest Catch Season 7, Camelot, The Borgias and Game of Thrones. I will discuss my impression of each series during the week or in next week’s entry. Suffice to say that I FRACKING love me some Starbuck and that Tyrion Lannister is my favorite character so far.

In terms of games I am now playing Guild Wars, hoping to get a few characters to level 20 before GW2 hits the stores, Fallout 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect and Final Fantasy VII.

I am reading Stone of Tears, book two of the Sword of Truth series and I am enjoying it as well.

See ya next week!