Today’s Book Blogger Hop question is: Do you read tie-in novels to movies or television series? If so, which ones?
I have been known to read books based upon the universes of TV shows or movies–I put it that way deliberately, because I only read ones that are novels in their own right. I’ve never been very interested in companion books that are only retelling or commenting upon the screen story.
I’ve read great swathes of books in the Star Trek universe (almost exclusively TOS) and the Star Wars Expanded Universe. To large extent, my mental conception of those worlds and their major characters are actually shaped more by the books than by the screen versions. Separated from the sometimes cheesy acting of the TV show, or the complete disruption of the recent movies, it’s the Captain Kirk of the books that I really love. And I’m deeply invested in the romance of Leia and Han as portrayed in the Expanded Universe (stable and supportive), and particularly in the later lives of Leia (Jedi, diplomat, leader of the New Republic, wife, mother of three) and Luke (founder of the New Jedi Order). The seeds are on the screen, but all this is so much more developed in the books.
This creates some complications, of course, when the powers that be go back to the screen and disregard the books. This happened rather famously recently with Star Wars, but has happened with Star Trek too, contradicting specific books (like Federation and Prime Directive, both disrupted at one go through First Contact). I’m very comfortable, however, keeping the book version in my head as the “proper” story (for me, at least) and the screen version as an alternate universe.
Outside of those two particularly vigorous book tie-in series, I’ve also read a few Doctor Who novels…but those tend to be a bit simpler than I want in books, so my preference here is very specific–audiobooks only, and only the ones about the 10th Doctor read by David Tennant. Because…David Tennant! Reading the Doctor! It’s kind of halfway to a TV episode right there.
I’ve also held onto two Smallville novels from my high school fondness for the show, and I have the complete Hercules: The Legendary Journeys novel series…which is only four books–but they’re good ones. I also read a lot of Sabrina: The Teenage Witch novels in high school. I can’t claim those are mostly high quality (not bad for the target age, but not great literature) but though I’ve culled that collection dramatically over the years, I still have several on my shelf for sentimental fondness.
I think that covers it. Star Trek and Star Wars are the big ones…but those are the big powerhouse fandoms, so it’s not too surprising!
We recently finished out a wonderful season of Doctor Who with a Christmas episode featuring the delightful, mysterious and intriguing River Song. Because of that appearance, and maybe because I didn’t quite want to walk away from the Doctor just yet, I embarked on some rewatching–specifically, of what I’m calling The River Song Saga.
I may have reached a new geek achievement by reading Who Is The Doctor? by Graeme Burns and Robert Smith? [sic – I don’t get the question mark in his name at all]. Billed as the “unofficial guide to Doctor Who: The New Series” it’s an exhaustive look at each episode of the first six seasons (series, for the Brits) of Doctor Who.