Character Differences Between ‘True Blood’ and the ‘Southern Vampire’ Novels

Any die-hard “True Blood” fan will tell you that there are some major difference between the “Southern Vampire” novels by Charlaine Harris and the TV series on HBO. Here is a look at some of the characters on “True Blood” that are much different in the book series.

Debbie Pelt

The weregirlfriend of Alcide is not trying to make nice with Bon Temps girl next door Sookie. In the book series, Debbie is downright scary. If the books played out on screen, pieces of Debbie Pelt would have been spattered all over the Stackhouse kitchen as Sookie reels with guilt. Personality is not the only difference between the books and the show. Debbie is described in the books as having short black hair when in the TV series she has long hair of varying shades.

Tara Thornton

On screen, Tara is angry, impatient, damaged and withdrawn. In the book series, Tara is popular, trendy and fashionable. Tara on screen and Tara in print could be two completely different characters. She is highly unrecognizable from her print counterpart. While the in print version Tara is much less battered and more cheerful, the TV version is much more realistic.

Pamela Swynford de Beaufort

Eric’s feisty second hand is vastly different on screen than in the novels. In the books, Pam is described as loving pastel pantsuits. On screen, Pam has a silver tongue dripping with sarcasm and dry humor. Pam is frequently seen in black, dressed seductively for the clientele of the vampire bar “Fangtasia.”

It is always interesting to see how Alan Ball will take Charlaine Harris’ characters from the “Southern Vampire” novels and twist them to fit into the on-screen Bon Temps. While the books and the show are similar, the show takes many creative liberties. All in all, it is hard to decide who does it better: Ball or Harris. One thing is for certain though: Bon Temps, whether in print or on screen, has many surprises left in store for us.

More from this contributor:

‘True Blood’ vs. ‘Southern Vampire’ Novels

‘True Blood’: Why the Book Series is Better than the TV Series

Music from ‘True Blood’ Episode 4.06 ‘I Wish I Was the Moon’

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