I’ve only attempted to read a handful of novelizations — Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1, Stephan’s Diaries (The Vampire Diaries), etc. — and they weren’t my cup of tea at all. Of course, I only attempted to read those because I finished watching the TV shows, and I was craving to spend more time with my beloved characters.
Unfortunately, the characters in the novelizations felt awkward and forced. They weren’t at all the characters I’d grown to love. If I had been drawn only to the plot, these might have sufficed.
They don’t portray my favorite characters well enough
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV show) was a huge part of my childhood. I spent hours every week — and years — watching this show and rooting for the characters. I didn’t care much for the world or setting of the show. The vampires and world were cheesy and predictable, but I grew attached to Buffy, Willow, and Xander. They were my favorite characters.
The book failed to capture these characters in a way that satisfied my interest in them. Of course, this could partly be due to the fact that I became attached to the actors portraying these characters, as well.
The Vampire Diaries books were totally different than the TV show — so I had very low expectations that Stefan’s Diaries would bring the characters to life in the way I hoped, and I was right. They weren’t even written by the same author; they were ghostwritten.
Obviously, there are going to be some readers who adore these novelizations — I’m not trying to say that any or all novelizations are bad. They just don’t work for me.
Novelizations for young children
I have noticed that my 8-year-old sister is particularly fond of book versions of her favorite movies, shows, and toys. I think this is where novelizations are especially successful because many young children become very attached to certain toys or shows, and then they want everything to be about those toys or shows.
My sister adores the novelization of Finding Nemo and the American Girl books. Maybe novelizations can be good to encourage young kids to read more.
Either way, they have their pros and cons for me.
What do you think? Do you read novelizations of your favorite TV shows, movies, comics, etc.?
I do but only for Star Wars books. The new canon they write under follow what the LucasFilm storygroup wants so I definitely thing they adhere to the characters better. Also I think Claudia Gray writing Princess Leia novels has been really good for the books. But I totally understand why they don’t work for you.
LikeLike
I’m glad they adhere to the characters better. If that were the case with all novelizations, I would be in heaven. Thanks for commenting!
LikeLike
I watch the TV shows or the movies if I liked the book. Usually. There are some I’ve watched that I’m not really interested in going back and reading, like Miss Peregrine
LikeLike
I sometimes do that too, but when it comes to novels that are based on TV or movies, I can’t get interested. I actually didn’t love the Miss Peregrine books to begin with, so I’m not sure how I would feel about adaptations. Thanks for commenting!
LikeLike
I’ve thought about reading some but I’m nervous they won’t stand up to the shows.
LikeLike