Hi all,
I've really gotten into this show and i'm one episode away from the end.
I just wondered if any of you had read the books, if they were worth a go and how the show compares to the books?
I absolutely love Bosch's character and wanted to know if its anything like the character from the books...
There are two kinds of people in this world, hammers and nails...
By all means -- read the books.
shareThe show is great.
However, the books make the show look like dog poop.
"Nobody wants to admit they ate nine cans of ravioli."
Absolutely correct.After you read the books and the tv shows are a farce.
shareTotally agree with this sentiment, but the TV show is still better than several other shows of recent years....
The books should be read in order, just like the Matthew Scudder series by Lawrence Block or Kellerman's, Alex Delaware series. It makes more sense and reads so much better as the characters evolve. Both this series and the Block movie, A Walk Among the Tombstones, start somewhere closer to the middle of the series than at the start, which is a crying shame.
Both Block and Kellerman's characters would make really good TV series if cast well, and done in order.
Lee Child's Jack Reacher series was also totally botched by having a half-pint Tom Cruise playing a character that is physically larger than the now much stereotyped, Liam Neeson and more battle-hardened than either of these actors.
Anyway, I hope the Bosch series continues to improve and Michael Connelly keeps being involved in the series.
I'll check it out then! Thanks :)
Yes definitely the books are far superior and I for one liked Bosch in the books better than he is portrayed in here. I would really start from the first Bosch book but you can pretty much jump in at any sequence. This season of the series was based on Echo Park and City of Bones.
shareAwesome, thanks.
What is the first book in the Bosch series?
There are two kinds of people in this world, hammers and nails...
The first book is ironically The Black Echo which if you noticed the poster in Harry's house is name of the movie he consulted on based on one of his cases which is where he got the nice house. I could be wrong but I thought in the books he actually was supposed to have gotten the money from the book and movie Bloodwork which was in real life written by Connelly and starred Clint Eastwood. I think the Clint Eastwood character was supposed to be Harry's old partner but I could have remembered that incorrectly. I know there was some crossovers between different Connelly's characters.
FYI, not sure if you have ever read anything by Johnathan Kellerman but if not his Alex Delaware series is really great. Of course, James Patterson's Alex Cross novels are also very good.
I think it matters to read the books in order. There are several story arcs that take place over the course of several books, one of which is Irvin Irving's.
shareI agree it's best to go in order. But, I started with Echo Park and read through to what was the last of the series at the time (this was about 2011/2012). Then I started with Black Echo and read all of them up to Echo Park. I still thoroughly enjoyed them even though I knew things about Irving, and about Eleanor Wish.
shareTerry McCaleb is the lead in a couple of Connelly books, and crosses paths with Harry Bosch in what I think Bloodwork is based on. I don't remember if the book is called Bloodwork, though. He's basically hired by a murdered woman's sister to find the sister's killer. I want to say at one point he even suspects Bosch. Terry McCaleb was a FBI profiler who had to quit because he had some sort of heart disease and had to have a transplant.
I don't remember from the books if the movie Bosch consulted on was specified, although the poster in the series indicates it was Black Echo. I remember him saying in the book that he bought the house, and his partner took the money and retired to Mexico.
I think he got the money from acting as consultant on a movie about The Dollmaker killer, who Bosch had killed before the books started. The character, although dead, is relevant in "The Concrete Blonde" when it appears he may have been innocent.
I may be completely wrong and it was another case. However, the case for which he acted as consultant does not appear in any of the books.
The movie deal that bought the hill house is NOT Bloodwork. Bloodwork is well into the series and Harry's in the house, I'm pretty sure, from the first book on.
At the same time, Connelly likes to reference the movie deals into his fictional plots, whether it's the "hill house" collaboration, Eastwood's Bloodwork or The Lincoln Lawyer movie. He also likes to bring characters back, some major and some minor, from novel to novel.
I would recommend the reader attack the books in order. That way, you see Harry's character grow and follow his changing relationships with partners, relatives, love interests and adversaries. Before it's over, Harry Bosch will be a personal, but aloof, friend.
Another tip I'd offer: read the books. Then, six months or so after each, buy the unabridged audiobook and listen in your car as you travel. That way, you get to know Harry and Michael Connelly even better. Dick Hill and Len Cariou do marvelous jobs reading the audiobooks. (Avoid abridgements!)
James Patterson cannot carry Michael Connelly's laptop, and I suspect even Patterson would admit it.
Personally, as there are now so many books covering a reasonably large time span, I really think you need to read the books in order.
I started reading them when there were only about six books and realised very quickly that they were best read in order if the ancillary characters were to kept clear. Additionally, it's probably just me, as I think the same thing about many series of books, but I think the early books were stronger.
The books are excellent - I would read them in order. They're listed in order on the author's site: http://www.michaelconnelly.com/extras/series/
He also wrote The Lincoln Lawyer and there are a series with the Mickey Haller character, too. Highly recommend them and always look forward to the next one in the series.
Hi. I watched Bosch TV and loved it, and I am picky. Titus Welliver is awesome, understated and real. The character has a lot of room to grow, and Titus has the range to make it happen.
I started the books, starting in order with The Black Echo. Harry Bosch is a very intriguing character, and the writing is quite good. I assume it will get even better as I move through the series. I ordered two more of the books off Amazon so I can breeze through.
It's unusual for genre (in this case detective fiction) to be considered good literature. This is a smart use of my time.
Jana Bess
_________________
boschwelliver.com
boschwelliver.blogspot.com
twitter.com/boschwelliver
sense8linked.com
facebook.com/sense8linked
twitter.com/sense8linked
I just started the t.v. series and I agree, Titus Welliver is great and won me over. I was ambivalent about him at first because like most people, I imagined Bosch differently from what was presented on-screen.
I envy you and the OP. I discovered Michael Connelly back in 2009 and I've never read a series of books so voraciously. You'll really appreciate the details in the books that are included in the show (one example being Bosch's favorite restaurants).
Yes, the LA authenticity is super cool. So important for a "detective" genre set there. I am amazed at how complete Harry seems in the first book. He's like Athena born from the head of Zeus, LOL!
Jana Bess
Las Vegas NV USA
sense8linked.com
twitter.com/sense8linked
facebook.com/sense8linked
boschwelliver.com
twitter.com/boschwelliver
facebook.com/boschwelliver
Los Angeles *IS* a leading character in the books, and, to a slightly lesser degree, in the series. Great writing by Connelly. You'd think he lived still in Los Angeles but he lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.
shareI ve actually enjoyed the series more then the first books (I ve only read the first few books). In the books for some reason I just cant get into Harry's character, it can become difficult at times to follow a series if you dont really like the main protagonist. The first books are also a bit old fashioned, it is a bit strange to have people do things like stopping every block or two to make a call from a phone booth.
I was genuinely surprised and impressed by this series, I like Harry a lot more on the show then in the books. I am actually enjoying this more then True Detective this season so far.
The books are excellent. I think I've read the majority of the books and they've all been superb.
The TV show in comparison is a jumbled mess, throwing in characters and sub-plots left and right randomly from in different books. I would say that the books are a lot more of concrete stories, they deal with certain aspects of the Bosch character from page first to the last one and prove to be a more polished product with the end always giving you some kind of a resolution.
If I was to rate the books and the show on the overall completeness, quality, depth, and attention to detail - I would give the books a 9/10. The show would be a 6.5/10. This is however only in comparison to the books. If you compare the show to the other shows, it will easily get an 8.5 as it still is quality stuff. It must be said however that Bosch is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I might be a little biased.
I've read/listened to almost all the books/audiobooks and I think the SHOW IS BETTER.
The books are a little cliche, a little cheesy. The book character is too much of a cliche "white knight" old school "man's man" from a woman's eyes.
The book character goes on long rants about how much he respects women and how they are just as good as the male cops, etc....but then is always doing something stupid to protect a woman, save a woman, give her a break, etc.
I dunno, that's just one example. The books are cheesy compared to the show imo.
If I were you I would just watch the show and see how long it lasts and then if it gets cancelled one day go back and read the books they didn't use.