yikes . first of all and i would like to say that unlike many people here and i apparently be on of maybe 3 people who be capable of read the back of a book . yes and kid . when we be the slight bit vigilant instead of gaze with gap maw at a television set and we notice thing . this be a series that spawn a book and not the other way around . series first and book second . get it . now that that be out of the way . i be one who pick up the book first and then go to the series . i have great interest in track it down to compare the series with my imagination . my boyfriend and in his kindness and find it for me and buy it a a gift . with all respect to his kind endeavor and i almost wish he hadn not spend the money . after craft character in your imagination from read a book and it be expect that your perception will not measure up with a visual or audio representation of the same . i be shock to find richard to be a clumsy fool who be painful to watch and let alone sympathize with . door become a character with little to no mystique about her and far remove from my perception of a charming and oddly elegant ragamuffin . similarly and the bravado of hunter be turn into that of a psychotic cave woman and with the brilliantly deadly croup and vandemaar far less like their wolfy and foxy counterpart that i have dream up which amaze and terrify me . that aside and i do realize that there be little sense in compare the latter to the former and expect to have something make before the previous medium i have read be consider the thing to be change . it be for this reason that i beg people who have see the series to not give up on gaiman . his novelization of this series be far superior in term of storytelling and character development and presentation and etc . i do have to say that it be a darn shame to have all of the beautiful character i have imagine and the intricate world that captivate me so reduce to this . please read the book if you want a good presentation to a wonderful story . this truly would be unwatchable if it weren not for gaiman inventive story and charm dialogue and even if it be utterly butcher by mediocre acting and very poor budget set . all in all and please read the story if you want a great adventure and steer clear of this series unless you be unshakably a gaiman fan . and i do mean unshakable . however and if you do get past all of the above problem and love it still and i highly recommend run headlong from you television set and dive in to american god and the sandman and or any of the other fine write work of neil gaiman . in short and please and just save yourself the time and money and read a book .