SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Group Reads Discussions 2009
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Wizard's First Rule -- The Legend of the Seeker
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I'm watching this show, but I haven't read any of the books yet, though I have the first 3 on my shelf. I'm also interested in people's impressions of the show who have read the book(s). Critiquing it purely as a TV show, so far, I find the stories a bit predictable and the acting so-so, but overall, the show is entertaining enough that I plan to stick with it. I have hopes for future improvement, though, since the showrunners are the same guys who did Hercules and Xena, Warrior Princess, two of my all-time fave fantasy shows.
I think the show is kind of meh, where the book is woah (Woah in a good way).
I'm watching the show. And if comparing it to the book, then it will infuriate you. But as just a show, it's entertaining. Entertaining like Xena, kind of campy and silly...but engaging none-the-less.I think that the biggest problem with the show is that they are getting their funding from Disney...so they have the final say on the script. Everything is a little duller because of it. It's kine of a "fantasy for dummies" kind of show.
I've only watched one episode of it and that was before I read the book. I thought that it was all right, but I don't have a tv at home and didn't think that it was good enough to make an effort for it.
I have read the whole series except the final trilogy. They took so long to come out that I am rereading the series (currently on Pillars of Creation) before I finish. I also was so excited for the TV show, but a bit skeptical at the same time. Unfortunately my skepticism proved accurate. I can not stand to watch even the previews for the episodes on TV. It is so campy and the characters are so much less than they could be. The time line is all screwed up, I understand that it has to be adjusted for TV a little, but I think they messed it up too much.
I checked one last time on the upcoming episodes on the website. There is an episode next weekend where Richard is captured by Denna the Mord-Sith. It is completely WRONG. Again I know they have to adjust and everything to make it work for TV but I just can't handle it. I prefer the movie in my head. I guess I am just too attached after all the time I have spent reading and enjoying the books.
This has been one of my favorite series for several years and I was exited when I heard they were going to do a TV series on it. Boy, was I disappointed when it finally came on. They've turned Richard into a wimp. Too many women running around in the Midlands with long hair (I guess they couldn't get enough actresses with short hair). I understand things have to change when you go from book to screen but I think for someone who has read all the books the series was a big disappointment.
I was wondering how they'd handle the mord sith. I didn't realize that it was disney funded... I guess that I'll be disappointed with how that works.Brian, I totally agree on the hair thing. For the first few episodes, I really wondered about that!
The whole mord sith episode was too short. They really should have dragged it out a bit more. I think it should have spanned over a few episodes to get to right feel, but then again ***spoilers to future books*** part of all that lead up to Richard being taken away by the sisters of the light, and they already got rid of that whole thing by making thier appearance way earlier in the series so if the show continues through the books, then so much of all of that will change.
I agree with the rest, and the show is pretty stupid. Richard never came across as THAT clueless in the books. I always pictured him much taller, more built, and he HAS to have the "raptor gaze" with his grey eyes. Sorry to the guy playing Richard, but he's none of that...
I actually joined the site just to say a few things. The TV series is a bit meh. I understand that things must be done a certain way in order for TV to flow well but if your going to destroy source material at least have the decency to do away with the pretense of holding to the source material. I Have only watched the first episode and am already shaking my head. Kathy's comment about Richards "Raptor Gaze" is dead on. Richard is described in the books as a large well built man with masculine features. This shows Richard is a bit to Metro-Sexual lithe to be Richard in my mind. In the first episode Kahlan delivers "The Book Of Counted Shadows" to Richard... Eh wait a min. I thought it was essential to Darken Rahls defeat that he be surprised by and dependent on Richards knowledge of "The Book of Counted Shadows". That whole tricking with the Boxes of Orden thing. I have only heard about what happens later in the TV series with Denna which again is a critical plot element because it is Richards twisted guilty piteous love for Denna that allows him to master the sword and also firmly bind the Mord Sith to him later on in the series. Or even simply the fact that Zed is the "crazy" man on the hill instead of a loving guiding figure that he was introduced as in the books. Or the fact that the Gar seem to have more in common with the mriswith in this adaptation their shown as scaly monsters they don't even bother to explain what the blood flies do their just there to help the gar hunt...Standing on it's own merits I am not sure what I think of this show, however as a "telling" of the sword of truth the first episode is enough to tell you that it is a abomination of canon of the story.
The show is not on in my channel line-up, though I hope to rent it or something. I'm quite disturbed by the idea of Kahlan giving Richard the Book of Counted Shadows - that's just wrong! I still want to see it though.I do have a question for the viewers - how are they dealing with the child-characters on the series (or has it not gotten that far yet)?
Zen, you can watch the episodes for free on the website.
Zen, they only real child character that we have seen in the series so far is Rachel. They worked her in pretty well though I would have liked it to have been a longer process. Just like Richard being held captive by the Mord Sith was only one episode, I felt it should have been longer. With how much they have strayed from the on this journey in TV form it is almost completely different from the books. Some of they same plot lines are there, but not by much IMO. I feel like the end result will be the same, but they are taking a different path to get there. IMO it is also just not nearly as powerful as the books at all. I don't have nearly the same emotion and I do not like the actor they chose for Richard. I could keep going on, but I will stop for now. :)
Oops! Sorry about that. It's www.legendoftheseeker.com. I think you can watch all of the past episodes. The actor that plays Zed is also in the first Mad Max movie as well as the last Lord of the Rings movie. Enjoy!
Wait....who was Zed in the the last LOTR??
OK. I looked him up...he was also the Train man in Matrix Revolutions. Among many other things...I am surprised I didn't recognize him. 
As far as the characters, I really like Bruce Spence as Zed, and Bridget Regan is endearing as Kahlan. The guy that plays Richard is alright, but nothing special. Of course, I haven't cared for Richard all that much in the books either. I've only read the first two so far, and am keeping an open mind that he won't be a whiner Luke Skywalker type the whole way thru.....(Hey, even Luke ended up pretty damn cool after a couple of movies)The series is entertaining on its own, but does stray pretty far from the books. Weren't there 2 boundaries in the first book? I don't think they explained how the boundaries came to be, which is a huge part of Zed's backstory. In the series, he just seemed to wander off, but his reasons for doing such were much deeper in the book.
I liked how they brought Rachel into it, but then they took her out of the story too quickly.
The Mord'Sith will be back. Denna's not finished yet, as we saw at the tail end of that episode. That's good, because they definitely need to do more with her.
I am still upset that there have been no mud people and they completely took away the whole premise of the Sisters of the Light by introducing them they way they did. I mean, seriously, almost the whole second book was about his "trainings" with them. Rachel was supposed to go with Chase, she has a much bigger role later in the series with him. I don't like how they took his character out from the series either. I do still enjoy the show, but it really has become something outside of the books.
hey guysright now im watching starwars 3 and the part when obiwan travels to the outter rim to find grevious, well the strange aliean character who is the leader of that race, his voice sounded so familiar, but he was totaly un recognisable but it turned out to be Bruce Spence the guy who played zed, it only hit me when he said 1 line as he wispered to one of his companions.
Ugh, I HATE this show more than anything I have ever seen EVER. Well, it ties with the new Clash of the Titans film :/
Mud people sounds interesting. I guess i should read the books. I only have seen the shows.My son agrees with you regarding the new Clash of the Titans film, Elusivebreath.
I loved the old movie so I was so excited about this one and it was AWFUL! The only thing it did well was the special effects, but the 3D was a waste of money, you couldn't even tell it!
I watched 10 mins of the series because I was curious to see what Richard and Khalan look like. I was so disappointed. I guess I was hoping "Lord of the ring" greatness!
Yeah, I hadn't read the series in years and I was channel surfing and ran into it and I was zOMG so excited, but then I actually watched it. *sigh*
I heard that too *sigh of relief*
ok I read the books not too long ago and then I decided to try to watch the show. Watched 30 mins of the first episode and nearly cried it was so horrible. The actor who played Richard's character is nothing like Richard, and compared to Richard he's just plain gay, no offense to the actor. I mean, i agree with Jared about having the decency of not saying it was based off the books. This show doesn't deserve to exist, let alone say it came from THESE amazing books. And I didn't know this before, but DISNEY is filming it!? Did the people who made that decision even read the BACK of the book?! I mean, come ON people. Disney is a producer of CHILDREN'S shows!
it was pure cheese. some great fighting sequences. some attractive leads. some fetish-y costumes. not bad, but mainly trite and sorta tedious in the way of movies made for scifi network.the second season introduced a concept that was so strange: everyone goes to hell. everyone! the bad, the good, the old - even children. miserable, in pain, in hell. a pretty crazy spiritual background for a mainly pedestrian show. sometimes i wondered if the viewer just wasn't getting the whole picture by not reading the series.
I liked most of the book and the tv series. The tv series is a pretty different story with the same characters. So when I watch the tv series as if it's a different story then I really liked it. Didn't like the last couple hundred pages of the first book which is the one I read.
My kids loved the show so much that they convinced me to watch it too. While watching Denna, I realized that I had read Wizard's First Rule so I went out and bought the rest of the books and read them all in 6 weeks. I'm not the type to re-read books but I'm going through the books again because now I can take my time. I can't wait for The Omen Machine coming out later this year. I need more Richard and Kahlan in my life. I'm a big reader but not a huge fantasy fan.I'm a fan of both the books and the show. My girls drew pictures of Richard and Kahlan and sent them to Bridget Regan. I realize the show didn't follow the sequence of events in the books, but the actors really portrayed the essence of the characters. I thought Richard and Kahlan and Zedd and Cara and many others were played faithfully to their characters in the books. And the costumes and scenery and fight scenes were stunning.
We all want Season 3!http://www.saveourseeker.com/
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So, for those of you who have read the book recently and watched the show, what are your thoughts and impressions? Have they done justice to the book? Is the show better than the book? And is it just me, or does it seem like the show is a little sketchy on the timeline?