Well, I didn’t think it was all that bad.
You see, that is one thing that can never be done, you can not take a book and make it into a movie verbatium. I will agree that the Harry Potter books are missing a lot in the movies, but when you are given only a certain amount of time to air on screen, you got to leave a few pieces on the cutting room floor. But when you use the words “a Basis for the Story”, you don’t have to follow it word for word. Case in point is the Legend of the Seeker series. They took a portion of the book and made it their own story with the nod from Terry Goodkind. Mayhap this is what he envisioned all along for his stories, but knew that he couldn’t put all that into a novel because it might not be attractive for the readers. I looked at it this way: they have done TV series about Hercules back in the ’90s, though none of it was anywhere close to the actual myth, but they basically said this was all before the myth. It was a basis only, with their own stories for a mortal with a God’s strength. Same with this story here, this is what happens during thier trip into the Midlands. (Of course, the whole Book of Counted Shadows was messed up, I do recall him memorizing the book, but instead they had him destroy it without ever reading it by the second episode. So now how are they going to defeat Rahl?) In the TV series, they do make mention that Zed is Richard’s grandfather, but it is a secret. And by the end of the first run of the series, Darken Rahl has found one of the 3 Boxes of Orden. So it is different, but yet still following the storyline, in a sense.

Some things that make me laugh though is that Kahlan is this great fighter, constantly killing all her foes that she meets with her sword and dagger (like she is some fierce warrior), and Zed is a silly looking old man, who a lot of corny lines, but yet he does have the appearance as the book describes him. Richard reminds me of a whiny brat at the beginning, but matures pretty quick through the run of the series.

Anyways, I say that you can critize every movie or TV series that was made from a book all you want, but there might not be too many that you will like overall. Most of Disney’s stories were once fairy tales, books or myths, that they made them much nicer than they actually were written. And lets not forget to mention all the Remakes of Films and TV series for today’s age. Everything changes, nothing is exactly the same, or it would be boring as hell to watch it all over again. Case in Point, the new The Day the Earth Stood Still. This is much different than the original (which I can not believe they left out the famous line “Klaatu Brada Nikto”, I am appalled) but tells the story the same way with their own verison to it.

Anyways, just wanted to put in my two cents.

Came across this looking for spoilers on the TV series, and just thought I’d put my two cents in.

You make some interesting points, but you have to remember to judge the series among its medium, TV! It’s not entirely fair to compare it to a book because an adaptation will always be found lacking (although I’ll admit to having read some crappy books that turned out to be much better as movies). I find this to be particularly the case of sci-fi and fantasy novels. These authors create such wonderfully rich and colourful worlds for us to lose ourselves in, and the way we imagine them depends a lot on each of us, our history, what has influenced us culturally etc. Once on the screen we are seeing someone else’s vision, and it is bound to be different from ours. Plus you have the budget limitations to factor in, let’s face it SF/F are very expensive and somethings are sadly bound to be left on the pages (often very frustrating, Eragon made soooo much more sense to me when I read the novel!).

Now I haven’t read the Sword of Truth novels, but I’m getting so caught up in the series I’ll probably end up digging them up sometime.

It may be odd to some, but for a while now I’ve actually preferred seeing the screen version of something and then reading the novel. That way I discover so many more hidden treasures, whereas doing it the other way around you’re almost always bound to be disappointed.

I hope you’ve given the rest of the series a chance, because personally I find it to be quite entertaining, and the only of its kind on TV (although Sanctuary comes close for a good dose of fantasy, but it’s still rooted in the “real world”).

This seems to be an interesting sight you’ve got up, I’ll have to browse through some more of it! ;o)

I know I’m late to this discussion but I came across it while looking for spoilers. I understand your feeling of having a beloved book being adapted. I almost never see a movie made from a book but almost always pick up a book after I’ve seen a movie because like the commenter Christina said, “That way I discover so many more hidden treasures, whereas doing it the other way around you’re almost always bound to be disappointed.”

Thankfully I read Princess Bride after seeing the movie. A friend read the book on my recommendation and then saw the movie and she hates the movie. She can’t let it go. The movie was such a let down for her. For me the book totally enhanced the movie. It’s all relative.

The show has to be watched on it own merits. It’s a totally different medium. I think the two leads are amazing and I love the play of good/evil and destiny vs making ones own future and believing in the power of love.

Thanks for listening. Hope you’ve been able to watch the rest of the series.

I also read and loved the books years ago and had great hopes for the series. I agree with some of the previous replies that when turning a book into a TV-series you have to make sacrifices, but this is just ridiculous. There has to be a way to make smaller episode-wide plots without totally destroying the original story from the book. I’ve seen first 16th episodes but I don’t think I can take any more. I’ve also read enough spoilers so that I know they don’t get any better at sticking to the book. Maybe I had unrealistic hopes for the series and a very different idea on how the series would play out, but I just can’t stop myself from wanting to punch Sam Raimi on the nose. Hard! ARGH!
Sorry for the rant!

Noooo, Legend of the Seeker is based on ALL the Sword of Truth books, every single one, not just Wizard’s First Rule.

What would make people think it was only one?

I watched ‘Legend of the Seeker’ the television series first. If I’m honest, at the start, I thought it was reasonably good (7/10 if I had to rate it!), but if I did miss an episode, it wouldn’t have killed me, then I got to know the characters and world of the midlands, gars and confessors much better. By the last couple of episodes of series one, I remember thinking that the story was one of the most original and creative works of genius I has ever witnessed, what with Kahlan having to live a full life of anguish wih Darken Rahl, (which is a bit of a suspicious name, – it leads me to believe that that is why he calls himself ‘Father’ Rahl in the book to those he is trying to trust. Let me ask you, would you trust someone called ‘Darken’????? He was doomed from from birth really!………But I’m getting ahead of myself) It takes quite a lot for me to cry or get emotional at things, but the last episode where Richard and Kahlan were talking about ‘Loving through time’ made my eyes gush with sentimentality. After this, I brought the first book, ‘Wizard’s First Rule’. From a perspective of watching the TV show first, the first 250 pages were okay, but a little disappointing, however I think I read from page 250 up until the end (page seven hundred and something….) in the following week, taking the book everywhere with me, work, toilet etc. It was an ACTUAL addiction! My point is though, that even though you Goodkind novel fans who read it first may not like it, and in all honesty, I may have done the same, but what you call a ‘terrible’ series has brought a BIGGER fan base to the book, and not just ‘Wizard’s First Rule’, I personally have become hooked on the series and am now half way through ‘Naked Empire’, (the eighth or ninth book in the series) and the world that Goodkind has created just gets EVEN better the further you delve into the books!!!!

One additional point I would like to make, – from the descriptions in the book, the dialogue, and the way people react to him, Richard is a physically dominating man, and has a very strong presence about him and an X-factor that makes him stand out from the rest (hence why he was appointed the Seeker). All of these factors in mind, WHAT ON EARTH possessed them to cast Craig Horner in the part!? Even though he has a six pack, etc, he still carries the demeanour of a weed, and he’s barely 5’9 plus he looks like he’s been pulled straight from a boy band, and seriously DON’T get me started on his acting!!!!! He is awful and in NO WAY even slightly resembles Richard from the book! I honestly don’t blame the actor, or the director, – I blame whoever cast him as this is casting disaster of epic proportions! Craig has no presence, and even when he’s angry, he’s about as scary and forceful as my elderly grandmother (who is in a retirement home as she can no longer hold her bladder, – another resemblance to Craig Horner……..I digress). I can accept everyone else, – in fact I think Bruce Spence as Zedd is a brilliant piece of casting! He’s not your typical Wizard, and to me it is the most true interpretation of any character from the book, but as someone says further up this page, this is only what it means to me, though I still can not fathom why Craig Horner got the part of Richard Rahl!!! I personally see a more smarter and less neanderthalic version of Russell Crowe playing it (not Russell Crowe, because if I’m honest, I’m not a fan, and I don’t feel he possesses that ‘likeable’ quality that Richard requires, but just the BASIS of the look…….but now I’m starting to disagree with that….)

I’d love to hear other peoples opinions on the TV cast compared to their personal visions in the book, plus who would YOU cast?