Book versus the film

I guess deep down it’s every author's dream to see their work made into a film, so I feel extremely lucky that The Kult has been adapted. Now most people always say that the book is better than the film, so I’ll be very interested to see if that holds true this time.

The reason why most people prefer the books probably comes from that fact that a film is a condensed version. Also, a film doesn’t allow you to get inside the characters heads as much as a book. I recall being excited about seeing Stephen King’s Misery on the big screen as I’d loved the book, but I walked away very disappointed as it didn’t compare for me personally. Another example was Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island, where again I much preferred the book as it allowed you to ‘walk in the characters shoes’ while reading. I think part of this is because reading is a much more personal thing, and at times we come to feel that the characters we are reading about are real people, and that sometimes they become people that we know and so it can be quite a wrench to have to finish a book and realise that we’re going to lose the good friend that we’ve made along the way.

Anyway, here are some examples of books that I felt were better than their adaptations: The Beach, Christine, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Day of the Triffids.

Examples where I preferred the film include: Fight Club, Lord of the Flies, Trainspotting, The Bourne Identity and the television series, Dexter.

So what are your thoughts? Do you prefer the books or the adaptations? Have any good examples? As for The Kult, only time will tell …

Links to buy the book:
Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/h0KuGw
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/h9sj9R
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48934
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/jNwiPc

Film trailer: