Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly series hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic was suggested by Dani and is Books Based on Games/Movies/Shows/Comics.
“The book is better” is a common outcry amongst book worms, because the book came first…but what about when it didn’t? How do you feel about book adaptations of movies? Books based on video game worlds? Books that tell alternate stories from television worlds? Or even books featuring your favorite superheroes? Do you have any favorites in these genres? Is the book still better?
I had to really think about this week’s topic and consider if I’ve ever actually read a book based off of something else already created in the media. I have read a few and all of them are books based off of movies. In my limited experience so far, I’ve found that these books often follow very closely to their original basis compared to their counterparts. We’re all very familiar with movies and television shows taking creative liberties for various reasons whether it be to make them more appealing to the general population, to make them more relevant to the gen pop, or to make them more “interesting” and more marketable, but it’s rare that we ever see a movie/television show that actually follows closely to its book basis. But when it’s a book based off of a movie, it’s nearly identical to its source material which is interesting.
I think fanfiction comes into play a bit with this topic too. Yes, they’re not actually published books (usually) but they’re based off of another media source and then made into something new. And 100% I’ve read fanfiction that’s better than its source material. But with fanfiction, it’s also important to recognize that a lot of the world and character building has already been done by someone else so it’s easier to jump right into a plot line and evoke nostalgia and other fond feelings from readers.
Overall, I feel pretty neutral about books based off of other media. I don’t find myself reading them frequently I think because they are so close to the source material in my experience so I’m not gaining or learning anything new when reading them. Whereas if I watch something based off a book, I know there’s always more story to be found in the original compared to what made it on screen. So in this case, I would have to take a bow and say that I think the original media is still better, even though it pains my heart that it’s not the book that’s better and I don’t have any favorites to share unfortunately.
Have you read many books that are based off of another form of media? Do you feel like the original source is always the best one like I do? Let me know in the comments and happy reading!
wings and fables 
I love that you mentioned fanfiction! I didn’t even consider it in my post!! It’s so fun to read different imaginings based on your favourite worlds and written by fans just like you.
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I spent a solid couple of years reading only ff and very few books so it’s always prevalent in my mind for discussions. 😂 I think it gets less credit than it’s due too often by readers. 😔💕
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I like your point about how when a movie is turned into a book there is a lot more similarity than when the opposite happens. I’ve come to accept that things are always going to be changed/left out when books are made into adaptations and I’m mostly okay with that. Also, is it just me or do you feel less motivated to read the book if you happen to watch the adaptation first?
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Same, it used to bother me a lot when they dropped things or changed things for the screen but now I’m just excited to see the books given a different medium and excited for the opportunities it gives the writers. And, yes, I def am less motivated to read the book if I’ve seen the adaptation first. I still usually add it to my TBR but I end up reading it months later rather than immediately or sometimes I just end up listening to the audiobook. 😊💕
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You make some really good points and I would agree about usually preferring the original medium used, be that book or film.
I suddenly remembered about fanfic when I was replying to another post, there are some really good fanfic stories out there. My film and book choices are very different in genre, so there are only a handful of books I’ve seen as films whilst I’ve not read anything adapted from a movie or TV series.
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Ooh I think it’s interesting that some of us jump around in what we prefer to watch vs what we prefer to read. I have the same habit! I don’t read many mystery/thrillers but some of my favorite movies/TV shows are that genre. Maybe some of us just like variety more than others do. 😊
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I haven’t really read books that are based from other media, but I’ve expressed interest for some novels based from comic book characters like Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds. I also read fanfiction, but you made a really good point, where the characterizations were already laid out by the source material. Although, I’ve read great fics that are better than the source material too and it’s truly amazing how fanfic writers expand the characters and their stories beyond the source.
Love this post!
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Thank you, Inah! 😊 I would love to see some novels based off comic books! The one you mentioned would be a perfect candidate I think. I felt like fanfic fit great for this topic and is often discounted as ‘not real writing’ so I wanted to talk about it. It really is amazing to see how much they can expand the characters and stories, I completely agree! 😊💕
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