So much hate before the release?

Because it became painfully apparent before the release that is basically pissed all over the Farmer novels.

I'll Teach You To Laugh At Something's That's Funny
Homer Simpson

I did not find the books long-winded and boring and I am not even an avid reader! I really enjoyed the books and am sad that syfy used that same horrible production company that made "Alice" and "Tin Man'. I tried to watch the movie as it's own separate thing since there was nothing else to watch and I knew it had ruined the story from the books already. Even as a story on it's own, taken completely separately from the books I thought it was superficial, badly paced and unbelievable from the start. I thought it was agony.

What history have you been reading? The politically corrected history or the actual history based on facts like log journals of his travels, and other explorers who accompanied him on his journeys?

Besides if you got impaled by a javelin through your jaw, having to escape being killed by Somali warriors with said javelin still in your skull, you might not be the most agreeable person, since it left him with a pronounced scar on his face, as well as being blamed for the failure of the expedition, even after being cleared, Burton's career suffered for the rest of his life.

You obviously haven't read anything about Richard Burton, try reading his book "First Footsteps in East Africa" about the ordeal or his book on his second expedition to Africa called "Lake Regions of Equatorial Africa"

Not to mention the fact that Speke came back from the second expedition first and took credit for discovering what was then believed to be the source of the Nile River, leaving little credit for Burton, who had organized and gotten the funding for the second expedition. Burton didn't believe that what Speke claimed to be the source of the Nile river, but the Royal Geographical Society awarded Speke its Gold Medal.

Speke, who was suppose to debate Burton on this subject matter abruptly walked out of the debate before it even started, and went to go hunting and was killed in a hunting accident although some suspected that he committed suicide because he didn't want to debate Burton or that he felt guilty about how he had treated Burton.

The reason Mr. Farmer chose Richard Burton as the hero in his "Riverworld" stories, is because he knew his history, and the facts regarding Richard Burton's explorations, as well as his many travel books for future explorers and travelers, his writings on various customs of the peoples of Africa and Southern Asia earned him a Knighthood.

I've never read anything that would suggest he was not likable, he was prone to anger easy as time went by, but look at how was treated by Speke and the rest of Royal Geographical Society, and some of his peers for his work and achievements.

If someone is accused of wrong doing of any kind, it will always follow them for the rest of their life, even when they're completely exonerated like Richard Burton, the allegations never really went away. With people constantly whispering about failed expeditions or the fact that they didn't like the detailed sexual descriptions of other civilizations and cultures, which is talked about quite openly these days on talk shows, magazines and news programs, when it comes to talking about sex he was actually quite a head of his time, he had a disdain for the prudish Victorian era in which he lived.

As for the SyFy productions they changed the characters of the books, and that's probably why neither the movie or the mini series did very well, although most people probably have not read the books, and wouldn't know anything about Richard Burton the explorer or any of the other characters in the books that are based on real historical figures to some extent.

Movies will make you famous; Television will make you rich; But theatre will make you good.

The books are long winded and boring?? They're like a 150 pages long.

http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/the-middle-word-in-life-20100 406

I must say I disagree with those who feel the 2010 version is an improvement. Perhaps you have to be innocent of the novels to feel that way. This adaptation abandons the pretense of following the original work or even making sense. The resurrectees pop out of the river complete with their characteristic earthly clothing? Minutes after resurrection they're cooking with a handy iron cauldron? No one slaps Matt and tells him to just shut up about Jessie? Virtually nothing about the mechanics or purpose of the Riverworld are explained. Case in point - it's said in a couple of meager lines that the Suicide Express is a bad idea, but why that is (and how it's known!) are ignored.