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I thought for my first discussion video on this channel we should talk about something
fandom-related, because I'm a huge fangirl.
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According to Wikipedia, which we all know is a completely reliable source,
the definition of a tie-in product is "an authorized product
based on the property a company is releasing, such as a movie, video game, tv
series, board game, literary property, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. When we're talking
specifically about tie-in books,
some examples include:
novelizations of films,
tv shows, mini-series, video games, graphic novels, sometimes even other books.
Original novels and short stories set in the universes of films,
mini series, tv shows, video games, graphic novels, et cetera.
Rebranding existing books with photos of the movie or tv show, usually on the
cover.
"Making Of" or Behind the Scenes books.
These can also include companion guides for films or tv shows.
However today I just want to talk about the first two examples,
because those are the ones that tend to cause me the most pain.
As a fangirl, I really
like tie-in novels...
in theory.
I like the idea of that
there are authorized novelizations of tv shows I really like or
comic books I really like. I like the idea of expanding the universes
into different
formats.
There's a lot you can do in novels story-wise that you can't necessarily always
do in film
or video games or tv shows for a variety of reasons,
including budget or time limitations.
So what I hear there are tie-in novels for shows I really enjoy, like Doctor Who or
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I'm almost always tempted to read them.
I may not want to buy them but I'm at least tempted to read them.
So I like tie-in novels in theory
but I don't always like them in actuality.
First off, you've got a lot that are just awful,
that are written by people who
are not familiar with the series, they were just commissioned to write this,
probably only given bare-bone
outline about what the series
is about.
There's also a lot that are written by people who were heavily involved in the original
media, such as the original film or tv show,
but don't know how to write novels and probably shouldn't be writing a novel,
because novels are paced very differently than a tv episode is paced
or a film is paced.
For example, while I absolutely adore Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, I could tell while reading it
that it was based on a script for a television mini series.
The way Neil Gaiman switches perspective, the way he switches between scenes, it
has a very cinematic,
televised feel to it, but I forgive it because it is a novelization of a
mini series I really love.
And it's written by Neil Gaiman, who I also really like. I also feel like a lot of times tie-in
novels misrepresent the characters they're supposed to be representing.
Or some times, the authors of a certain tie-in novel will get
certain characters right but they don't really understand the motivations
or character traits of other characters.
I have trouble looking past the flaws and inconsistencies that
happen in those.
And yet
I still want to read them.
There's something about them that I feel like I have to know, even if they're not
considered canon, which a lot of tie-in novels are not considered canon. Let me ask you,
what do you think about tie-in novels? Do you read them, and if you read them, do
you buy them or borrow them?
Because I know some people will read them, but only borrow them from the library
or only borrow them from friends.
If you have any recommendations of tie-in novels that you thought were just
excellent, I highly
encourage you to
write a comment below or post a response video, so I can actually find out about
these tie-in novels.
So yeah, we've all
survived my first discussion video. Cheers!
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