Quintin Jardine's blog

Every time I do a gig, the TV question comes up, one way or another. There’s a widespread assumption among readers that authors are keen to be snapped up for telly, 1) for the screen-time money, and 2) for the extra book sales it will generate. Yes, for a while I was that masked author, until I had first hand experience of the impact that a screen-writer can have on the characters that you created and hold dear to your heart.

I was reminded of this when I watched the Sky adaptation of Robert Wilson’s first two ‘Falcón‘ novels, under that title. My thoughts went straight to the Skinner script that was handed to me a few years back, and prompted me to buy and read the adapted works in their original form, to see how different the stories are. Currently, I am half way through the last of the quartet. They are gobsmackingly good. If you have seen the TV version and want to grasp the true meaning of the word ‘superficial’, my advice is to follow my example and read the works in their original form. If you haven’t seen the TV adaptation, don’t bother, just buy the books.