Yeah, the way WFR handled RichardxKahlan was nonsensical (mostly in that Kahlan not telling him anything was retarded, whereas in the show she told him but left out some details). The plot of the books continue to get better up until the 8th book.
However, I disagree with you about the characters. I don't like TV Zedd at all, and TV Richard is only "ok". Kahlan and Cara are both done well, but I do also really like book-Cara (who you'll meet in book 3). There's also really great characters in the books for whom I have not yet seen an equivalent, like Nathan and Nicci and Rachel (she had a cameo in the TV show).
The continual references to future books on the TV show is somewhat entertaining. The plot of the last episode was obviously a reference to Naked Empire (which had a half-decent plot, but an example of some of the worst writing in the series).
I like TV!Kahlan far more than book!Kahlan. Book!Richard I go back and forth on, but TV!Richard started getting much more interesting in this last episode.
I adorbe book!Rachel and am super sad her role in the show was so small. And I'm super super sad that the show doesn't have the budget to pull off Scarlet, 'cause she is faaaabulous.
I'm on like chapter 15-ish of Stone of Tears, btw. Woo!
Book-Kahlan is someone who is sometimes good and sometimes just average. She has her moments, but you are right that there are definitely more interesting characters. Book-Richard irritated me enormously through much of Stone of Tears with his incessant whining, but after that becomes much better.
Scarlet and especially Rachel are indeed awesome. SoT brings its own entertaining side characters, most notably Gratch and Nathan.
I'm not sure what information you're trying to give to me by telling the chapter number. I have no idea where chapter 15 is. I assume that's far enough for you to have read the ever-entertaining screeling song? Yet another thing that was referenced in the TV show, though without the significance to Richard.
At first I was like "oh wow, you are getting through a lot quicker; you must be most of the way through," and then I remembered you probably just meant the brief scene between Nathan and Margaret near the beginning of the book, and so I was back to being unimpressed.
Nathan is badass, though.
i think we can all agree that tv Kahlan is wicked sexy though. (!)
She looks so pretty in her casket, I'm in love with a corpse!
So this show apparently started up again; I didn't notice until today and just watched the latest episode.
It was ok. Interesting plot, but a rather lame way of getting rid of Denee at the end. The previews for the next episode look promising, with the headaches of the gift and what looks like a Sister of the Light (or some equivalent). And the mriswith! Though I do not see any sign of Gratch.
Am I the only one still watching this? Shlup, have you foresaken me?
The last episode was ok, though I am highly disappointed in the butchering of Nicci's character, because she is great in the books (though not developed at all until book 6).
I haven't read the books, but I'm watching the show. So, I can't really do all the comparisons that all of you are doing - I can only speak for the show.
Richard has gotten a lot more interesting in the 2nd season. He was a little too neat and squeaky clean before. I guess that with the new hair and beard comes a more manly and gritty attitude or something. Idk.
Zedd is great, and so is Kahlan. She's quite interesting in the way that she's all mother confessor holy, but still an awesome hands-on warrior woman that'll kick your ass. In fact, she's pretty cool. Plus, the new outfit they gave her is all dark and leathery. Not bad
I like the addition of Cara too. Very dry, sarcastic and dark.
All in all the 2nd season looks like it's going to be more interesting than the first.
Of course I'm still watching it. I should probably chill out on reading it though--after reading the story, the books are so watered-down it's just like... wtf. I mean, I still like the show, and some things in the show are cooler, and Kahlan and Cara are hot, but some stuff I want to smack them for.
Like, in the book, the people inside the Palace of the Prophets age slowly because it takes so long to properly train a wizard. Kind of lame but makes sense. In the show, one day in the palace is ten days outside the palace, effectively taking something that made sense and taking the sense out of it, making it just annoying.
Also the fact that Richard's traveling to the palace, which took like 700 pages in the book, took all of a commercial break in the show.
Again, not that I hate the show or anything. It's nice that no one's getting raped every other page, or that Richard doesn't have time to be up his own ass with righteousness all day. And there aren't any speeches that are twice as long as they need to be because Mister Goodkind is always sure to repeat himself three times in any monologue.
I assume you've finished, or are close to finishing, SoT? You should be ahead of the show then, and I think the show will start to deviate more from the books, given that the show has changed so much around (for example, the entire 7th book has already been done, condensed into one episode in the first season -- same with the 8th book in this current season). The 3rd book also has Cara, along with other Mord-Sith!
Yeah, I didn't understand the TV-Palace of the Prophets, either. xD It was a pleasant change towards realism that they weren't ting gold, though.
I was fine with that, mostly because I would get frustrated with book-Richard's constant whining throughout the book. He whines a lot less after SoT, thankfully.Also the fact that Richard's traveling to the palace, which took like 700 pages in the book, took all of a commercial break in the show.
You seriously don't know the half of it. I consider the last four books of the series to be more or less awful, largely because of the increase transition from dialogue to speeches.It's nice that no one's getting raped every other page, or that Richard doesn't have time to be up his own ass with righteousness all day. And there aren't any speeches that are twice as long as they need to be because Mister Goodkind is always sure to repeat himself three times in any monologue.
It's like every book tries to top itself with freaking me the smurf out. I'm well into book three, btw.
In book one there was Nas the pedo, the Kahlan almost-rape, and the testicle eating (twice).
In book two there was an entire city of corpses, with like ten pages dedicated to describing how all of them were raped, Kahlan almost being raped two more times, and the second time her rolling with it.
In the third book so far there's the dude who collects left nipples. WTF??
Also, for you.