Darkly Dreaming Dexter discussion

I became a Dexter fan from the Showtime series (actually I'm a Dexter addict) and was wondering if those of you who read the series could give their opinion on the show vs the books (which I have yet to read).

Is it similar? Not? Better? Worse?

I thought the show was better.

Only the first book is similar then they are very different. I enjoyed reading them.

I've only read the first one so far, and although somewhat similar, there are some major differences. I'm absolutely addicted to the show, so I really wanted to read the books. So far, I wouldn't say one is better than the other, I just think they are different.
I think the way it goes is if you've watched the show, you probably won't enjoy the books in the same way, and if you've read the books first, you probably won't like the show as much.

I enjoyed reading the books but I must say I ADORE the series. I'm a bit of a Dexter addict as well. I only started reading the books because I was distraught (view spoiler)[ when Rita was murdered and I wanted to read about her being alive. (hide spoiler)]

I think the books are goofy and somewhat lighter (as light as books about a serial killer can be), whereas the tv show is geared more toward the drama of it all.

I liked that the after the first book, the other books are so different from the tv show because its easier for me to seperate the two where I don't watch the tv show and think it didn't do the books justice or vice versa. It's like watching dexter in an alternate universe where the characters are essentially the same but the overall world is very different.

Show is absolutely better than books! I read only Darkly Dreaming Dexter (#1) and it was disappointment. But I heard, that next books are better.

I read the books first. I was surprised how closely the series played with the first book, but I don't get to see the show very often, so I'm not sure how it goes from there.

One of the big differences I saw between the books and the show are the kids. They're definitely more damaged in the books than what I've seen of the series. They're what attracts Dexter to Rita in the first place. Not sure how that played out in the series.

I agree with Rose that the books are funnier (well, she said goofy). Not laugh out loud funny, necessarily, but snickering inside funny.

Very different and both have their good points and not so good points, as most book to tv merges go, I think.

I absolutely adored the show up to the end of the John Lithgow season (the best season IMO). For some reason, I couldn't even finish last season and I love Julia Stiles! I just found it boring and uninteresting, not sure if I'll pick up the next season or not.

With the books, I enjoy them and I do prefer how he writes the kids, they are little monsters in training lol I think they tried to do that in Season 1 (anyone remember how they talked briefly about neighborhood animals going missing and kind of led you to believe it was Cody?), but they quickly turned around and made them normal kids. Too bad, would have made the show even better.

I am a huge fan of the Showtime series. I picked up the first book in the series out of curiosity and was a bit disappointed. Agree it's like the characters in the book are living in an alternate universe and the tone is different than the show as well. I then picked up the fifth book, Dexter Is Delicious, partly for the same reason Rose mentioned in her spoiler. It was enjoyable but again I felt dissatisfied. Think I'll stick to the show from now on....

Show > Books

This is one of the few times where I think the show (or a movie) is better than the book. Although I enjoyed the books, they were fun.

I read all the books before I tried to watch the show and I like the books better.

If dark humour is your thing, the books are better. Lindsay has a truly wicked sense of humour. I think the books darker over all. Some of the stuff in the books would just never make it to TV.

I too was a bit disappointed in the books. I love the series, and I found that the books don't really get that much into the other characters, who are a big part of the series.

I'd watched 3 or 4 seasons of the show before I ever picked up one of the books, and boy was I disappointed. I had to give up about 130-140 pages into the first novel.

There were two major problems for me:

1. Normally when a book turns into a movie, it loses a lot of content--you can only cram so much info into 2-3 hours of screen time. But the first book in the Dexter series took place over the course of the entire first season of the show--meaning that we actually had something like 12 hours of screen time with which to work, instead of 2-3. This made it so that the TV show actually had more content. So, as I read the book, I already knew everything that would happen--the TV show had had all of that stuff and MORE.

2. Dexter's character was kind of annoying in the book. He seemed really cocky; in his head (the book's narrated in first-person), he's always making fun of how idiotic everyone around him is. The thing is, Dexter is supposed to be largely devoid of emotion (in the show, anyway), and I didn't think his little comments in his head really portrayed that.

Well - the comments are hugely helpful but not. Which one would expect as we see in most opinionated questions. I greatly appreciate the comments which have led me to the decision to go ahead and read the books (first novel at least) and go from there.

But it is a certainty that once the new season begins I will be on the couch watching along all my Dexter loving friends.

Yes, I agree. Go read the first book then decide from there whether you want to continue or not. I found that with my friends who are huge Dexter show fans, they found it hard to transition into "book mentality" because yes, Season 1 was loosely based on Book 1 but they have entirely different endings.

I have yet to watch the show, but I love the books

i have watched the show and just finished the first book, i really enjoyed it

I have been reading the Dexter serries since before there was a show. The books are more in Dexter's head and make him darker and more troubled. The show seemed to play down his inner monster and Rita's kids are very different. The show seemes to be picking up with the 'demented kid' aspect with Harrison and I look forward to seeing where they go with it.

In the show Dexter seems to get his victims from cases at work where as in the book he picks victims who are in no way connected to his life.

I like both the books and the show even though they have progressed in very different ways. The only exception is the third book, I was not a big fan. It didn't feel very 'Dexter' to me and took me a long time to finish, so long that I had to start over on a long flight. I understand why the show branched out on it's own as too much naritive would have gotten boring.

i never read the books but the tv show is awesome

I read the first two books way before there was a TV show and thought they were brilliant. Then I watched the show and thought it was brilliant. Then I went back to the books and was disappointed. I agree that the other characters are more fleshed out in the show and I love the way they play off each other. Plus there's been some awesome acting. Once I'd seen the show, the books seemed washed-out by comparison. And a little too flip.

Daniel wrote: "I have been reading the Dexter serries since before there was a show. The books are more in Dexter's head and make him darker and more troubled. The show seemed to play down his inner monster and..."

I think maybe they thought if they did Rita's kids like in the books it might have been "off putting" to the audience.

The books are darker there is a lot more of the "Dark Passenger" almost like it a charcter in it's own right. I loved both but TV Dexter is more human and book Dexter is less so, but then the books are in first person.

I find that I have to completely seperate the books from the tv show for me to be able to enjoy both the series and the books so much. It's like imagining a Dexter alternative timeline. The characters have the same names and a few of the same traits but beyond that, they almost completely different.

I really like 'em both, maybe the show more so...but I thought it was funny how in the book deb somehow has an ever filthier mouth- I wouldn't have thought that possible!