Stefan's Origin in book form
Apr. 20th, 2012 03:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedi_of_urthSo more thoughts on TVD books.
I took a break from reading the books the show was based on and read the first book based on the show. And the short version: IT IS SO MUCH BETTER.
Is it flawless? Not by a longshot, but it is a ton better than the original books. In spite of being based on the show it still doesn’t match perfectly with what we’ve seen of the 1864 era of backstory, but part of that is clearly because Stefan is an unreliable narrator (self-deception, compulsion, narrow focus, and uncertain memory all add up to muddy things a lot). But I do just want to hug these characters in their baby-faced forms and unlike the original books I CARE about what’s happening.
I actually think a lot of the success of this story is how much we the reader/watcher know compared to Stefan. WE know that Katherine is also sleeping with Damon, WE know she’s out at night training Damon to be a vampire and attacking people on the road, WE know she’s totally the type who’d kill Stefan’s fiance and then go innocently flirt with him immediately after washing the blood off her face. Because she’s KATHERINE, and however innocent she plays with Stefan, she ain’t.
It’s also a big flaw because the show definitely implied that Stefan knew more than book-Stefan does, he was just compelled not to care too much. At least it always seemed to me that Stefan knew Kat was carrying on with Damon too and he was in competition for her affection, that she *liked* having them fight over her and she wanted to carry on their little threesome for all eternity even if she loved Stefan a little more the Damon and enjoyed Damon a little more than Stefan.
And it’s funny that the book writer really didn’t know how to reconcile a lot of Stefan’s late actions either. And since I’ve never been able to fit all of them together either it was amusing to me. Because supposedly Stefan’s compelled to completely love Katherine, but then he follows his father’s orders to turn her in, then he turns around and goes to rescue her with Damon. It doesn’t all fit together in the show and it doesn’t really here either (especially when you consider some of the stuff that was supposed to be happening with Damon’s efforts to save Katherine during that timeframe).
It also funny, that out of all the players in the 1864 story, you realize Stefan has the least agency in what’s going on. Katherine has plans within plans (that I’m fairly sure the book writer didn’t know all about when this was written because I’m pretty sure it was written before the whole ‘Katherine was in league with the Lockwoods to make the vampire round up happen in order to fake her own death’ plot was revealed). Emily was playing both sides of the game, helping Jonathon Gilbert with his inventions but clearly not telling him everything. Damon...okay Damon was just as subject to the whims of others as Stefan, but he was more in the know of what was going on (he was out learning to be a vampire, he knew Emily was a witch, etc.).
But one thing I didn’t really comment on in the original books that relates to this book and the TV show, was the difference in how Stefan and Damon died. It’s so much more meaningful in this version the LJ Smith’s version. Because they died for love, for Katherine and/or each other, which makes for much more interesting character dynamics. In the original version they just killed each other after book-Katherine died, basically they died for hate.
I will say that it doesn’t really resolve any plot holes the show left though (like how Papa Salvatore was buried with Emily’s grimoire when he died before her). And it has some stuff (besides what Stefan may or may not know) that contradicts show canon (I don’t think Pearl and Anna’s backstory lines up although it could be adapted to fit in).
Overall it was mostly enjoyable, WAY more than the original books (sigh, if only there were Original books out there). I wouldn’t treat it as hard and fast canon for the TV verse, but I would recommend reading it if you enjoy that verse.
I took a break from reading the books the show was based on and read the first book based on the show. And the short version: IT IS SO MUCH BETTER.
Is it flawless? Not by a longshot, but it is a ton better than the original books. In spite of being based on the show it still doesn’t match perfectly with what we’ve seen of the 1864 era of backstory, but part of that is clearly because Stefan is an unreliable narrator (self-deception, compulsion, narrow focus, and uncertain memory all add up to muddy things a lot). But I do just want to hug these characters in their baby-faced forms and unlike the original books I CARE about what’s happening.
I actually think a lot of the success of this story is how much we the reader/watcher know compared to Stefan. WE know that Katherine is also sleeping with Damon, WE know she’s out at night training Damon to be a vampire and attacking people on the road, WE know she’s totally the type who’d kill Stefan’s fiance and then go innocently flirt with him immediately after washing the blood off her face. Because she’s KATHERINE, and however innocent she plays with Stefan, she ain’t.
It’s also a big flaw because the show definitely implied that Stefan knew more than book-Stefan does, he was just compelled not to care too much. At least it always seemed to me that Stefan knew Kat was carrying on with Damon too and he was in competition for her affection, that she *liked* having them fight over her and she wanted to carry on their little threesome for all eternity even if she loved Stefan a little more the Damon and enjoyed Damon a little more than Stefan.
And it’s funny that the book writer really didn’t know how to reconcile a lot of Stefan’s late actions either. And since I’ve never been able to fit all of them together either it was amusing to me. Because supposedly Stefan’s compelled to completely love Katherine, but then he follows his father’s orders to turn her in, then he turns around and goes to rescue her with Damon. It doesn’t all fit together in the show and it doesn’t really here either (especially when you consider some of the stuff that was supposed to be happening with Damon’s efforts to save Katherine during that timeframe).
It also funny, that out of all the players in the 1864 story, you realize Stefan has the least agency in what’s going on. Katherine has plans within plans (that I’m fairly sure the book writer didn’t know all about when this was written because I’m pretty sure it was written before the whole ‘Katherine was in league with the Lockwoods to make the vampire round up happen in order to fake her own death’ plot was revealed). Emily was playing both sides of the game, helping Jonathon Gilbert with his inventions but clearly not telling him everything. Damon...okay Damon was just as subject to the whims of others as Stefan, but he was more in the know of what was going on (he was out learning to be a vampire, he knew Emily was a witch, etc.).
But one thing I didn’t really comment on in the original books that relates to this book and the TV show, was the difference in how Stefan and Damon died. It’s so much more meaningful in this version the LJ Smith’s version. Because they died for love, for Katherine and/or each other, which makes for much more interesting character dynamics. In the original version they just killed each other after book-Katherine died, basically they died for hate.
I will say that it doesn’t really resolve any plot holes the show left though (like how Papa Salvatore was buried with Emily’s grimoire when he died before her). And it has some stuff (besides what Stefan may or may not know) that contradicts show canon (I don’t think Pearl and Anna’s backstory lines up although it could be adapted to fit in).
Overall it was mostly enjoyable, WAY more than the original books (sigh, if only there were Original books out there). I wouldn’t treat it as hard and fast canon for the TV verse, but I would recommend reading it if you enjoy that verse.
