what about those of us who read Jim before there was a show? ;DWll, there is this thread :-
-paul
Posted on: Today at 04:52:51 PM Posted by: Mickey Finn
Insert Quote
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)
MWAHAHAHAHA!
Our evil plan is succeeding! Soon we shall realize our insidious goal of spreading literacy and bibliophile-ism through the nation via quality television programming!
LET THE BRAINWASHING...erm...CONTINUE!
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)
Sweet. *sits back and waves at the newbies*
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)*is a cool kid for one time in her life then* ;)
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)
Sweet. *sits back and waves at the newbies*
Aha! VIP Privilages all the way. ;D We get real hand-craved staffs instead of hockey sticks, free paint-by-numbers mini B-Bug and first-call on silver denarians (your choice of symbols). If you come to the ButcherCon!!! in a gloved left hand, you get discounts on a skull that throws the best DF quotes! ;)
Btw, what about those who discovered the TV shows but haven't read the books yet?
Some one please tell me, how old is Harry? (I think I missed it) Thanks!
Read the books before the show, and in a way I feel a little sorry for those who are approaching from the other direction.
I checked the library on my next visit...and totally messed up! I picked up what I now know to be the 8th book, and read it first.
I noticed that too and being as i'm reading them all for the first time I have to always look somewhere to see what order whats in.
I checked the library on my next visit...and totally messed up! I picked up what I now know to be the 8th book, and read it first.
Here's a question - why do publishers stop putting "Book #__" on books in a series after a while? I was looking at Jim's books at my local Borders, and SF says "Book 1 of The Dresden Files," FM says "Book 2...", but after a few volumes, it just says, "A book of The Dresden Files" or something like that, which leads to confusion if you don't have access to a list. (I read the 7th book of P.N. Elrod's Vampire Files first, because I didn't know any better.)
I've noticed They do this with quite a few series. Any thoughts?
I've also answered this under a different topic, so apologies for the repeat. My husband noticed during the 3rd episode that the show was based on "the novels of Jim Butcher," so I checked the library on my next visit...and totally messed up! I picked up what I now know to be the 8th book, and read it first. The copy was missing the page with the book list, so... Anyway I've read # 1, and decided I couldn't wait for the other really slow people to finish # 2 and picked it up last night. My husband is laughing pretty hard, for now. But he is somewhat concerned about what's going to happen once I've read them all and am forced to wait for the next. Apparently, I don't handle suspense well over extended periods of time. Anyway, all of that was to say that I have really enjoyed what I've read so far, and have recommended the series to a few friends. Not quite sure how I feel about not being "cool" anymore, but I guess it's relative. I'm strong, I'll overcome!
I am guilty of discovering the books via the TV show. Does them mean I'm no longer cool? I am trying to compensate by buying the books as fast as humanely possible.
So is Restoration of Faith supposed to be like a prelude or what?
Where can I find it?
Where can I find it?
Thirty pages, Darkling? I think you're confusing it with "Something Borrowed," Jim's short story from "My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding." :D
As Zygoptera said, the best place to find it and "Vignette" is on Jim-Butcher.com, at the links she provided.
Currently I've read everything up to about a quarter of the way through Blood Rites, which is leaving me in something of a panic as it's the last unread book I have!
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)
You just get to hang back and be the cool kids on the block. ;)
I get to be a cool kid?? Wow. That's a first. ;-)
Initially, I didn't really know anything about Jim Butcher or the Dresden Files. Then, I heard about the TV show and was intrigued, so I tuned in. Liked what I saw and began reading the books. I'm now on book 6 and making my way through them as quickly as possible.
I am guilty of discovering the books via the TV show. Does them mean I'm no longer cool? I am trying to compensate by buying the books as fast as humanely possible.
I couldn't resist - I started reading FM in the car before I drove away, and I got sucked in, reading the first 12 pages in one whoosh before I realized I'd done it. :) I'm beginning to understand the wicked fast reading times I've seen quoted on this board.
While I like other books in the series better, the beginning of Fool Moon is still among my favorite passages.Although for an opening line, nothing beats "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault."
Welcome. I'm just curious as to the numbers of board members who "found Jim" because of the TV show.
So, with Battlestar Galactica, The Dresden Files, and now the stellar premiere of PainKiller Jane, the Sci-Fi Channel may actually redeem its reputation. . . .
I think the TV show captures the essence of the characters of Dresden, Murphy, Bob and Morgan pretty well. They played a bit loose with Ancient Mai and Bianca. I think the reasons we like the books better is that there is more background in what are the limits of power of each character in the Dresden universe.
So, I watched the show before I read the books, but I knew of the books first.
Welcome. I'm just curious as to the numbers of board members who "found Jim" because of the TV show.
Have you seen their miniseries "The Lost Room?" That was one of my favorite miniseries ever. It had a good story, wasn't terribly corny, it was fairly well acted, and so forth. They could make a good solid series out of it if they weren't morons.
MWAHAHAHAHA!
Our evil plan is succeeding! Soon we shall realize our insidious goal of spreading literacy and bibliophile-ism through the nation via quality television programming!
LET THE BRAINWASHING...erm...CONTINUE!
Loved the show. Mad that Scifi channel cancelled it. BAD, BAD, stupid decision!!!!
This is, of course, par for the course regarding Sci-Fi's mind-numbing skill in defecating on its own dinner plate.
If something works, it has (if they're lucky) one half-season in which to be judged as worth keeping...sometimes, they have a show that inspires loyalty of a size not seen since Trek (Farscape/Stargate SG-1, anyone?), and they STILL cancel it!!!
Why? Because several sources have said that Sci-Fi's CEO positively HATES science-fiction; the decision to put wrestling on the Sci-Fi Channel was ranking right up there with offering Roseanne Barr a singing gig! Wrestling and Sci-Fi go together like a peanut-butter and battery-acid sandwich; truly, the demented vision of someone who hasn't the intellect of a lobotomized coconut!
I had heard that too, may I ask what in the hell is a CEO who hates science fiction doing running a scifi channe? Or was it part of some packaged deal?
I mentioned this to a friend of mine who is a big Buffy fanatic and he went out and bought hte audio book to Storm Front and let me listen to it. I liked it so much that I started buying the books to read 2 at a time
I had been hearing about Jim Butcher and the Dresden books for years, but until I watched the series I just hadn't happened to pick up any of the books.
Now, they're an addiction :) I've churned through the entire series in the last fw months, and just started White Knight.
Quoth my wife: "It's like those books are magnetic. If you're within sight of one you MUST pick it up and read it"
I've been a scifi / fantas fan all my life - but honestly I haven't had this much fun just rabidly devouring a series in more years than I care to think about ;D
Looking forward to more!
I started with the tv show from the first episode, and when the season ended I went out and bought Storm Front. I loved it so much I went back and bought all of the rest and read them all in about two weeks. I'm re-reading them all a little slower now, trying to stretch them out until the next one comes out. I've always been a fan of urban fantasy, and I can't believe it took me so long to discover the joy that is Harry.
Please sir, can I have somemore?
But because I saw the tv series first I cannot picture Murphy with blonde hair but see her as the actress Valerie Cruz which is not bad (she is easy on the "mind's" eye).................. KP
Y'know who I've pictured as Murphy, actress-wise?
Please don't hit me.... :-[
I didn't realize she was that young! I was thinkin' she was in her early 30's at that point and so would have been in her mid-to-late-30's by "White Night". Kewelness! :)
Why would I hit you if I've had the very same thought? Katee would make a fantastic Murphy! And Murphy is about 27 in Storm Front, actually. :D
I just see Murph as being more sober (personality-wise, not booze-wise, you nutjobs ;D ) than either of the characters Sackhoff's played that I've seen. Plus, Sackhoff just doesn't give the impression of tininess. But I'll freely admit she's got the 'tude down pat.
Not having ever even watched the show Heroes, I picture Murphy looking similar to Clea DuVall (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0245112/).
One of the choices should be "Been reading the books long before the show started and couldn't wait for the show"
That would be me!
This particular poll was solely intended for the subset of people that discovered the show first. :D
Nice cat.
The ONLY problem with the series is some of the dialogue can be on the corny side. Other than that it is as perfect as it could be.
Come on. I said the series was perfect expect for a few spots where the dialogue was corny. I didn't say all of the dialogue was corny or even a substantial amount. I love the dialogue especially between Harry and Murphy. The banter is done very very well. No book and especially series is perfect but saying this is as perfect as any series can get is a huge compliment. Also, I avoid all corny dialogue. Just unnecessary and awkward.
You are going to love his Codex Alera books. I finished the first yesterday, and am halfway through the second. I'm new to fantasy, and really didn't expect to like them. I bought them for the kid. Now I'm thrilled I have two left to read after this one. It helps with the pain of having to wait for Small Favor.
Erm...where's the "Obsessed over the books and wet myself when they announced they were making a show" option in the poll, eh?
Erm...where's the "Obsessed over the books and wet myself when they announced they were making a show" option in the poll, eh?
The poll is only for the subset of people that did discover the books because of the TV show. Perhaps this wasn't clear. :D
Erm...where's the "Obsessed over the books and wet myself when they announced they were making a show" option in the poll, eh?
Yeah I was one of those losers that never read one of the books until I saw the series :-[.
...what I meant by losers is me chastising myself for not reading this series since its conception back in 2000. I need to get a few t-shirts though and meet JB in person and I'll be happy.
I hadn't actually watched the show when I found the books. I remember seeing previews for the show, so I googled "The Dresden Files", and found out that it was actually a whole series of books. So I saved up money and bought every volume that was out at that point, and read them all back to back in about 2 or 3 months.
Then I saw part of the show and cringed before turning off the TV. I'm glad I did some research without actually watching the show first.
I discovered Jim Butcher on my own. Before the TV series came out. I like the books much better. But I was sad to see that the show wasn't picked up for a second season.
I miss an option saying 'Discovered the books before the TV series was started' in the poll. :lol:
I haven't seen the TV series having only 'peasant TV' that doesn't give me the channel the series in on. I have seen stills and I have to say my image of Harry and that of the TV producers doesn't jibe. :-\ So for now I'll stick with the books and my twisted imagination...it seems to work best..Yay, it's not really the same for me either. But then I guess we both can say it was not the Series that converted us to Dresden addicts. :lol:
I'm not overly happy with the voting options.
I passed a large cardboard display for the Dresden books in a store and stopped to see what new SciFi Channel crap they were promoting shamelessly. (Since "Coming soon! To Scifi!" was plastered all over it.)
Upon reading the backs of the books that were there, I had a good laugh and decided these were worth looking into. I couldn't find any info on the show at the time, but it stayed in the back of my mind. A few months later, I came across an episode halfway through and Harry was having a conversation with Bob. I liked actor-Bob. So I went back to the bookstore and picked up a volume.
Somewhere along the line I got my hands on a copy of the TV show, but I have to say I'm a little less than impressed with it. I like the actors, sure. And the show itself is as good as the next Supernatural type show. But it seemed too canned to me. Nicholas Cage was in charge of it, wasn't he? I did hear that somewhere? I would have expected more from him...
what about those of us who read Jim before there was a show? ;D
-paul
I found Dredan Files on iTunes. It was the free download of the week. After that - I was hooked. I was SO BUMMED when it was cancelled. Later on, I wondered into a Christian based sci-fi chat room (don't ask), and I had asked if anyone had watched Dresden Files. About three of them stated they hadn't heard of the tv show, but they were frantic fans of the book. So - I went on a witch hunt to find them and eventually just went to Amazon. I'm only on the second book and I've already let 2 of my buds borrow Storm Front.
This is such a fun series!
no, I was browsing my library and they were small, black, and there were lots of them, so I read the little bio thingy and checked one out and bacame addicted. only problem is i started with Dead Beat and didn't understand some of it...lol!Far out! My initiation into Jim Butcherland was almost identical to yours. I picked up Dead Beat at the library and was so impressed I bought every Dresden book I could find and have just finished Back Up...impatiently waiting for this years offering ;D
Signed even!
I've always thought of a signed books as a kind of memento and proof of getting to meet the author in the flesh. I don't think that the virtually signed books would carry the same kind of oomph as a signed book that you had handed to the author, watch him sign, and then had handed back to you. At least, its that way for me; the signed book is all about the attached memory, not the literal signature :)
Welcome. I'm just curious as to the numbers of board members who "found Jim" because of the TV show.
because I would never have picked them up if I had seen the tv show first.
Why?
well ...
in the last few years there have been quite alot of vamps, comics and other action tv shows, some of them are not all that bad.
I saw parts of the tv show, and it just wasn't good.
although, it was hard to see the changes done to characters.
bob being a human ghost or something.
I always pictured him as a voice coming from a ghost with eyes that shine whenever he is "on".
morgan being on something of a strict c.o. with dresden instead of a nemesis.
I didn't like it.
add to it, the scene in small favor when harry electrocuted that fallen angel with an electric cord, if you realy think about it, it all took place in 2 seconds, but in the book it was a page of fun action.
you can't take books into tv shows without real effort and probably alot of money to back it.
Actually oddly enough I got into the Greywalker series by fluke on our vacation. My boyfriend wanted to suprise me so he went to the bookstore to find the next book in her series and could only find "Mean Streets." He bought it and "Storm Front" in case I found that I enjoyed "The Warrior" and ensured me there was an entire series of books written by him. I not only enjoyed them I devoured them. I then noticed the "tag" on the front of my book " As seen on Sci Fi" and wasted no time jumping on Hulu and watching all of the episodes. I then of course went to check for some source for season two only to find that the show was cancelled. I for one have seen some of the garbage carried by Sci Fi and am wondering (as I am obviously not the only one) why on earth did they cancel it and where can I go to get the answer to the many question I have left behind. That led me to this site. I am not one to go in for protests but, if there is anything I do to try and help get this series back I would love know! ;)
I agree with your sig, JediAlly...and nice name! ;)
I saw the show enjoyed it.... never thought of reading the books until I saw a posting on SCIFI.com on the show there was an interview with Jim. Fell in love with him and bought the book immediately. Been hooked ever since. Now I'm addicted to this website.
I first saw the show on Sci fi. I had no idea that books were out there until I was in a borders a couple of years ago and saw Deadbeat on a summer reading display.
So I started the series with DB and loved it. I then went back and purchased all the books. Have loved them all.
No, never heard of the show until after i read Blood Rites, i'm from Australia and i never heard of such show and if it does exist here, it would be on cable.
I just want to walk up to whichever librarian actually orders the books and smack her in the back of the head, Gibbs-style, just on G.P. (If you don't watch NCIS you won't know who Gibbs is, but that's okay, my friends and I get it, so that's what counts. :P)
To fight the effects of withdrawal, I'm on the forums, will be rereading the series (slowly, this time), and will try listening to one of the audiobooks. I think if I can make it till January and the distractions of the Olympics and then the return of "Lost" and "24" I can make the long haul to next April without ending up in the fetal position. ;DI recommend such distractions as Castle, Supernatural, and Fringe (castle for the snark, supernatural for the...well..the supernatural, and fringe for the deep mystery). All these just started their new seasons within the last few weeks.
Personaly, I find the show awful and I'd even say it's quite an insult to the "Dresden Files". All in all, if it's permitted Mr. Butcher to write even more confortably, they can make as many underfunded and misunderstood episodes as they want.
And for the record, I started with the "Masks of Death" long before the show...
I read the books first, watched the show after Turn Coat, and loved it. I like that it isn't too closely tied to the books, because let's be honest. A book per season would be 23 seasons of TV (23 years) to finish it out? Or a book per movie is 23 movies (a little over 23 years)? That's a little bit insane. It's better not tied to the books.Im happy that its not tied to the books in plot, but it would have been nice if it had been closer to the books in setting/magical systems. But then, im a geek for such things. And lets face it, TV harry was awesome, but a very different wizard and person than Book Harry.
Uhhh...wasn't the show only 1 season, or am I missing something? It's too bad...because while I thought the show got off to a rocky start, it was getting pretty good by the end of the season. I'll give a sci-fi/fantasy show one year of leeway, since most Star Trek shows started out pretty bad - I mean DS9's first season was pretty horrendous but it ended up being my favorite trek show.
But I had read the books long before the show. Was definitely disappointed by the very limited use of magic in the first episodes of the show, and the hockey stick. Ugh.
yeah...I sort of get into things really easily.
haha...shecky seems to have a sense of humor. :oDont dismiss it too quickly. Its just s side thing, not (as of yet) central to the story in any way. But it is cool to see things, especially harry himself, from somebody else's perspective. Not to mention a bit more understanding of the Hunger.
haven't read back up yet though...Thomas' point of view just doesn't appeal to me that much. I've already gotten use to the idea of the story being narrated 1st person by Dresden.
Dont dismiss it too quickly. Its just s side thing, not (as of yet) central to the story in any way. But it is cool to see things, especially harry himself, from somebody else's perspective. Not to mention a bit more understanding of the Hunger.
And I hear rumor that there is a short from Marcone's POV on deck...
are any of these shorts in book form?I believe Backup is the only one in a stand-alone form. the rest are part fo various anthologies (many of which get frustratingly filed amidst the Romance novels and bookstores)
Yup, Jim's confirmed that there is a Marcone PoV short. It's been written.
OOooh. I really want to read that. I wonder if it will have anything to do with the girl waking up. That would be a good story. Hard situation, though. Would someone who's been in a coma since they were 4, even have their brain develope normally as most adults would have?
Jim has said it's Mar-cone.
Jim has said it's Mar-cone.
I noticed that Spike says in Mar-cone in some audiobooks, Mar-con-e in others. :-\ (but he still does a great job, of course! I wonder if authors get to give a pronunciation guide to actors doing the readings...)I doubt it, considering the all pronunciations problems in the Codex audiobooks. Some of it can be explained away as a British voice actor, but the rest is just way off :P
I think I'm in the minority but the little I've heard of James Marsters, the less I like him voice actor wise. Mostly why I don't have the audio books yet. I heard a tad of the books online as a sample and was not impressed. I would prefer that Paul Blackthorne had read them or maybe even the guy that does Angel. I like his voice better. JM's voice just annoys the heck out of me maybe cause I didn't like him as Spike and he's not what I would call my favorite actor. *shrugs* But everyone has their own preferences.
I think I'm in the minority but the little I've heard of James Marsters, the less I like him voice actor wise. Mostly why I don't have the audio books yet. I heard a tad of the books online as a sample and was not impressed. I would prefer that Paul Blackthorne had read them or maybe even the guy that does Angel. I like his voice better. JM's voice just annoys the heck out of me maybe cause I didn't like him as Spike and he's not what I would call my favorite actor. *shrugs* But everyone has their own preferences.Its not as bad as you might think. I had heard them before, but when I found out it was spike doing the reading I thought I would only be able to picture buffy characters for the rest of the books. But it draws you in surprisingly well. My only beef with them isnt really him so much as the production itself. He speaks rather softly when reading the internal and descriptive stuff (which ill admit can induce some lethargy in the way any deep, soft male voice does), to the point where I have to turn up the volume to static levels. But its when Harry is shouting Fuego at the top of his lungs, so does Marsters, and it will nearly blow out my speakers. But thats not the voice actor, thats post-production. Where's the level balance? >:(
OK, rant complete. I feel better. To be fair, it may just be my copy (its SK) thats not refined, since at one point Marsters also screws up a line, drops the f-bomb, and then backs up and does it over. Weird huh?.
I had forgotten about the jeep! Now that is just so wrong, on so many levels.
True, but not so wrong as stuffing any one who is 6'6" into an old beetle.
I'm 5'9" and I feel stuffed in a beetle :P
True, but not so wrong as stuffing any one who is 6'6" into an old beetle.
Rather the reverse. Never knew a tv show even existed. Came to know about that by chance on wikipedia and couldnt wait until I got the dvds. A bit disappointing though. TV Harry some how lacked that ' panache, that moxy, that chutzpah ;DI actually rather liked Morgan's TV version.
And of course Ancien Mai and Morgan looked ridiculous.
I actually rather liked Morgan's TV version.
Me too. He was pretty cool.He was more than cool. He was FABULOUS!
He was more than cool. He was FABULOUS!
Since then I have tried reading other science fiction wizard/witch books - and it just isn't the same. Dresden Files IMO is the only series of its kind that makes me addicted as hell.
I actually found a copy of Proven Guilty in my driveway one day, I assume one of the neighbors lost it. I gave it a read and have been hooked ever since. I went right out and bought the entire series. Now I am anxiously awaiting the next book.
I actually found a copy of Proven Guilty in my driveway one day, I assume one of the neighbors lost it. I gave it a read and have been hooked ever since. I went right out and bought the entire series. Now I am anxiously awaiting the next book.
;D
Get that man a kleenex with a side order of Jimcrack to go. And remind me never to shake your...anything.
Nah, I knew Jim and Shannon before I knew he was a writer. Found out he had gotten published and bought his stuff from the get-go. Now I gotta play catch up since I played hookey at work to read Changes Tuesday and Wednesday.
I am just wondering when he is coming back to Oklahoma for a visit so I can get him to sign my stuff...
Hey guys, new here. I heard of the Dresden Files from my girlfriend. Read the short story "Something Borrowed" and absolutely loved it. From there I just devoured the books.
So anyways, my question is about the TV show. I haven't watched it yet and I'm kind of curious but cautious; I've seen too many good books fall victim to bad TV shows and/or movies. Is the TV show worth watching or is it something I could live without? I've read several posts here that have said good things about the show but I just want to be sure.
If you can suppress the desire to see the books on the screen, the show is probably okay for you; it seriously jigsaw-puzzled the books and only retained a few, mostly superficial parts thereof, but if you can separate it from your knowledge of the books, it's a reasonably enjoyable show - one of the few that Syfylis has done that don't out-and-out suck. But that's only if you're not expecting to "see" the books.
It was good enough that my wife and I were disappointed when it ended; we then found out about the books and never looked back. I'm just glad it happened in that order, because I would've been royally pissed at everyone involved if I had seen the books first and THEN saw the show - would've felt betrayed; as it was, we had fun with the show and then a lot MORE fun with the books.
one because it had a story by Patricia Briggs
It was the show that introduced me to my favorite book series.
So, although I am sorry for how it all went down between JB and the show, I am extremely grateful for it opening my eyes to this experience.
Where is the option for "Read the books way before I even knew about the show"
funny thing, but I'm a big James Marsters fan.. and google told me, hes reading Jim's books - did I ever had a chance to resist the urge to get more info?
so, here I am, having all 11 novels on my smartphone/mp3 player - as a sort of "zen for every day" excercise... and running out of stuff to read/listen while waiting for Ghost Story,
btw, for all the paper back readers - check it out, in my humble opinion, James Marsters (aka Spike from Buffy, for the TV series challenged) did absolutely fantastic reading and, seems like, enjoy it a lot.
and, if we go into the dark side - Jim and his books did help me to get over the probably my worst (2010) year in my whole life since I realized myself as a huNam being.
just a big "Thank You!" and very deep bow - I know it may not seem like a lot, but its from the living heart!
My wife and I are both sadly never heard of the books until we saw the TV show. We thought the previews on SyLy was interesting. We were looking for a new series because our obsessions at the time one was not coming out fast enough in book form (Kim Harrison's Hollow Series) & Hamilton destroying her Anita Blake series.
I grabbed the first book and the rest is history. We devoured all the books up to White Knight in that summer. We became huge fans. It is really bad here we now get them on audio then buy the paperbacks. We cannot contain our excitement when one is reading and the wife is a slow reader. So we listen to books now which is really good. Helps also when we have long trips or nothing is on (since TV is mostly crap now adays
Are you telling me that they wrote some books based off this show. Cool!I think you may have hurt my soul a little with that statement... :P
I've never even seen the show but I'm reading the books now and enjoying them. Can I netflix it?
Yeah, it's on netflix.
I actually was recommended the series by my english teacher. I discovered the show afterwards, although I think it was a major disaster and disgrace to the series.
I wouldn't say that precisely; it did bring in a FLOOD of new readers who then saw the light. :)
Indeed! It tripled Jim's readership!
Eh...I don't think that is right.
Welcome. I'm just curious as to the numbers of board members who "found Jim" because of the TV show.I happened to come across the show by chance and had almost passed it. While I was not impressed with the show itself, I am glad I looked it up on Wikipedia and followed the links to the books. My local library did the rest! The books are right up there for me, enjoying the flawed chareters and the intricate patterns of politics that seem to spill over in the world of supernatural. Yesterday, I finished reading "Proven Guilty" and couldn't stop smiling and crying through the book.
Fatlazicat,All the episodes are available to stream free on Hulu, give em a look there. It was not a bad series by any means, it was just did not have a whole lot in common with the books.
From what I have read here on the forum, the TV series left a lot to be desired. I would suggest reading through the comments before investing in the DVD. If they ever do bring the show back, I hope they are more faithful to the text.
A theatrical series based on the existing books, if it is true to the text, might be something of interest. The Charmed (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0158552/) series had a good run, but the prosthetics and CGI for Dresdenverse creatures and the Nevernever might be prohibitively expensive for television.
If Jim gets involved in a new TV or movie production, it will take away from the time that he has to write the books. Since Cold Days is about the mid-point of the book series, he may not want to spread himself too thin. I am a 1951 model ;), so I might have to come back as a ghost to finish reading the series!;) ;) ;)
A theatrical series based on the existing books, if it is true to the text, might be something of interest. The Charmed (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0158552/) series had a good run, but the prosthetics and CGI for Dresdenverse creatures and the Nevernever might be prohibitively expensive for television.;) ;) ;)
I think the technical limitations are far less constricting than they were even just four or five years ago. That being said, I think that if The Dresden Files 2.0 was filmed as a low budget show, it'd look the part. Given a decent to large budget, it could look very good.
All the episodes are available to stream free on Hulu, give em a look there. It was not a bad series by any means, it was just did not have a whole lot in common with the books.Minor quibbles: It's never confirmed what Ancient Mai is, and she's Constanza Murphy, not Katherine.
Such as (TV show Spoilers):(click to show/hide)
Minor quibbles: It's never confirmed what Ancient Mai is, and she's Constanza Murphy, not Katherine.Ah, sorry, it went from Karrin to to Connie, not to Katherine; My bad. As for Ancient Mai, it was /heavily/ implied, and when she was loosing control of her face she was blurring reptilian.
I think they could manage it, too. I'd just very much hope that they'd follow something a lot more like the way Game of Thrones is being done for HBO, rather than the way they handled the original material in the first show. GoT tries to stay very close to the books, and as such, they're pretty much as good as the books are. They did ten episodes to tell the story of the first book in the series. The Dresden show made one episode approximating Storm Front. And for the rest of the show, they seemed to be trying for a monster-of-the-week thing. Why bother using source material as good as the Dresden Files if you're just going to ignore almost all of it?
So, if they try to make another Dresden TV show, I hope they match it a lot more closely to the books, rather than following the creep-of-the-week format.
At some point last year, we had a big discussion on how we'd approach the show if we were starting over from scratch. Don't remember which thread that was in or if it's still around. Anyway, my idea would be to have HBO or one of the other premium networks do the show as a season of 10-12 one hour long episodes. The first season could contain the first three books, the second season could possibly cover the next three, but after that it'd cover two books per season, giving each book a solid 5-6 hours of screen time. These books aren't nearly as long as GRRM's, so they wouldn't need a full season per book, as squeeifying as that would be. If the books got the premium network treatment in that general format, I think it would most likely be a phenomenal production.
I admit that I could be wrong about production costs. Having said that; I lost my taste for broadcast television years ago. I would rather see the franchise go to the theaters the way Star Trek has gone. The publicity for movies would generate more interest in the Dresden Files books, as well as Jim's other works.
In fact, I have to admit that I like the show better than the books.GoT benefits from great costuming and set design, which is the reason that I enjoy the show that much more than the books. There's only so many multi-page descriptions of belt buckles I can read. Also, they have a pretty great cast, and the characters really pop out with a lot of nuance. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a little sexposition.
GoT benefits from great costuming and set design, which is the reason that I enjoy the show that much more than the books. There's only so many multi-page descriptions of belt buckles I can read. Also, they have a pretty great cast, and the characters really pop out with a lot of nuance. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a little sexposition.I dunno, Ive seen some pretty decent CGI on TV shows these days. So long as the production crews care enough not to cut corners and let is suck, they can pull off some pretty good stuff even on a weekly show.
I'd love to see the DF on the big or small screen (again-ish), but I'd be a little worried about special effects. CGI is expensive, and you can only make slinging around tubes of fire look so real. They could definitely pull it off if they took a practical approach with everything except the actual magic--seeing a full sized RCV costume would be super cool.
A direction I wouldn't mind as an alternative to live-action would be animation. It has the benefit of being able to show everything as they're described in the books, which would be pretty amazing. The only downside is the divide in acceptance which would impact the popularity somewhat, or so I would imagine.
I dunno, Ive seen some pretty decent CGI on TV shows these days. So long as the production crews care enough not to cut corners and let is suck, they can pull off some pretty good stuff even on a weekly show.That is true. If the crew and channel are behind it, they can really work wonders. The Blackwater episode from GoT is a great example of what you can do with CGI when your producers believe in your show (they had to beg above their episode budget to get that battle shot). The only problem is making it pretty costs a lot of money, and the places you really see that investment pay off is in dynamic areas like fire. It is definitely do-able though.
I would honestly rather it go to either a Series like Game of Thrones, or else a well funded Miniseries or something. Short of a Peter Jackson extended edition epic monstrosity, Id be afraid of what they'd have to cut out to fit it all into a feature length film.I would love to see it picked up by someone that can really make it true to the books like HBO. FX and AMC also wouldn't be terrible places, as they enjoy quirky programming and generally live and let live with fairly modest budgets.
Remember that really great yet short lived series Kings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_(U.S._TV_series))? It was a modern day adaptation of the biblical story of David. It was cancelled partly for costing what was called an "extravagant" sum of 10mil for the pilot and 4mil per episode (same as fringe, far less than boardwalk empires). Most of that went to the set/location rentals. It also tried an experimental and ultimately terrible marketing strategy.I did enjoy Kings quite a bit, thankfully I found it after it aired so I didn't have to endure the break. Ian McShane really acted some bits off during it's short run.
Remember that really great yet short lived series Kings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_(U.S._TV_series))? It was a modern day adaptation of the biblical story of David. It was cancelled partly for costing what was called an "extravagant" sum of 10mil for the pilot and 4mil per episode (same as fringe, far less than boardwalk empires). Most of that went to the set/location rentals. It also tried an experimental and ultimately terrible marketing strategy.
Much of Kings was shot in the New York's Central Library branch, a few blocks from my old workplace. Utterly gorgeous.Based on what I saw in the show, I wholeheartedly agree. Id make a trip to New York just to be able to spend time in that library
Marsters doing some voice acting would be pretty cool, and I could see his popularity with the Whedonites helping the show take off.And he does such a damn good harry in the audiobooks, and has already developed distinct voices for a number of characters
Marsters acting one or two roles would probably be the limit for this kind of production, voice acting is a lot of work and a pain to do. Harry and Sanya maybe? Although, he is undeniably awesome in the audio books, so I could go either way on it.It would depend on how closely they followed the books (religiously i hope), but he could do Harry plus an array of the side characters that only show up once in a while.
I think Marsters would be a good Harry, but I'd like different actors for other roles. You can often tell when it's one actor talking to himself.Often, but not always. Futurama, for example, always impressed me with the breath of characters a given VA could cover.
It would depend on how closely they followed the books (religiously i hope), but he could do Harry plus an array of the side characters that only show up once in a while.IMO one of the best arguments for animation. They can capture everything in the books in their ridiculously awesome glory.
Often, but not always. Futurama, for example, always impressed me with the breath of characters a given VA could cover.Billy West and John Dimaggio really are amazing voice actors.
Hi EvilDan- He used to publish a DF book a year. He is now taking more time, which I guess is normal. I can only think that after a time you need to do other things or you got burned out of the characters.
Also, he is now writing a new series, a steampunk one.
I bought the DVD set after I read a few of the books. Had it not been for this forum, I would not know that there ever was a TV series. Comments from others here prepared me in advance, so I was not too seriously disappointed.??? ::) ???
I actually love the casting and I think show Bob is awesome. Valerie Cruz as Murphy seems like a shock at first, but I think she nails it
I actually love the casting and I think show Bob is awesome. Valerie Cruz as Murphy seems like a shock at first, but I think she nails itaha, but she wasnt playing Karrin Murphy, she was playing Connie Murphy. Apparently the Real Murphy got mad.
Bob's easily the best part of the TV show. Somewhere there's a youtube video that's just 20 minutes of him being sarcastic at people.Want a bit of Butterfly-effect/Small-world trivia?
Almost surprised this is still a point of discussion. How many years has it been since the TV series went off the air?Five years less than it's been since Firefly aired. Time is an Illusion ;)
The show has converted another... My wife went from book one to book 5 in about a month :D
It wasn't until the last episode of the series (original airdate in 2007) that I became aware of the books. I'm sure there were captions "Based on the book series by Jim Butcher" in there somewhere, but somehow it didn't register. I remember saying out loud, "Wait. There are books?!" I remember thinking, "I really like this show. I hope they get another season."
A few days later, I picked up Books 1-8 and pre-ordered "White Night" to get me started on some power-reading. After a few books, I remember thinking, "Wow. That's tv show was crap. There's no way they get another season." :)