I have been a reader of this series since the beginning (and its spiritual ancestor, the Warlord Chronicles) and have loved them all. But I have to say I've been rather disappointed by the TV series. It lacks the pacing and humour of the books. This is partly the loss of the internal monologue, which makes Uhtred seem like a rather tedious man, almost as "priggish" in his own way as Alfred is in the books. I can't think of any other way to describe it: each time someone (usually Alfred) offends Uhtred's dignity, he pouts and sulks. The great battles seem to have disappeared, with very little "shield wall". And the other problem is that everything has been compressed to the point that it is purely episodic. As I write this, I have just watched the programme where the Saxons attack Lundene. Admittedly I read this a long time ago, but gone is Uhtred's plan and catching the Danes between a rock and a hard place, instead we have just a Danish trap and the capture of Aethelflaed, didn't that come later?
I read that the BBC were looking for a Game of Thrones challenger, but I think they've tried to do it on the cheap and have lost the epic sweep. I know the TV company changed lots of things in Sharpe, but it didn't seem to affect the series so badly, perhaps this was because I came to the novels later or because Sean Bean was a better actor. I have never rated him, maybe I owe him an apology.
I imagine it is too soon for you to make any public comment on the adaptation, though I would be interested to hear what you think, but I have read so many favourable reports from the critics that I thought I should offer a counter.
And, please, whatever happens, don't start to change the later novels to fit better with the TV adaptation!
Regards,
Mark