A lot of highly successful movies and TV shows are based on books. That's also the case for The Vampire Diaries. Some people believed the show copied Twilight but that's impossible since the first book of The Vampire Diaries series came out all the way back in September 1991.
Despite the fact that both the book series and the show have been around for a while, its fans continue to argue which one is better. And while it's difficult to compare two different forms of media, there's no denying that there are some things the show does better and also some areas in which the books win.
Show: The Doppelgangers
Every The Vampire Diaries fan will know that Elena and Katherine look exactly alike (except Katherine has a different hairstyle and also wears different clothes). The show goes on to explain that Elena is Katherine's doppelganger.
It's a bit of a strange concept but since so many strange things are happening in Mystic Falls, it can work. The books, on the other hand, never truly explain how is it possible that Elena and Katherine are so similar in their looks.
Books: Damon's And Stefan's Age
Stefan and Damon are much older in the books than in the show. In the show, they were born and changed into vampires in the 19th century. Their book counterparts, on the other hand, come from the Rennaissance times.
Whether the change in the show was for the best, everybody needs to judge for himself. However, the Renaissance period has a lot of draw for people while not everybody is so excited about the Civil War the show portrayed. Plus, making Stefan and Damon older would give them extra useful abilities that could come in handy when fighting other vampires and various supernatural creatures.
Show: Elena's Personality
Many The Vampire Diaries viewers weren't all that excited about Elena's personality; for example, they claimed she was hypocritical and boring. Whatever the case, the show's Elena is still a more sympathetic character than in the book series.
The book Elena is a gorgeous blonde girl who's well aware of how other people perceive her and desire her and is the queen bee of her school. She can be quite mean and arrogant, so it was probably for the best the show made Elena more civil and relatable, despite all of her character flaws.
Books: Bonnie's Transformation
Bonnie is Elena's good friend — one of her closest friends, in fact — both in the show and in the books. That's where the similarities end, though. Unlike the show's version, the book Bonnie undergoes a true character change in the books.
She starts out as a fragile girl dependent on her friends but eventually goes on to become a strong woman who would do anything for the people she loves. What's more, many fans of the show shipped Damon and Bonnie, but the books actually bring this couple much closer to reality.
Show: Katherine's Personality
No matter what the audience may think of Katherine, she's one of the most badass characters in the show. A strong instinct for survival, Katherine will do whatever it takes to ensure her continuous existence.
Even if it means playing with people and occasionally backstabbing them. In the books, Katherine isn't given that much space and she's presented by Stefan as fragile and sweet, which is a bit boring at times.
Books: More Evil Damon
Damon may have started out as an antagonist in the first season of the show but it didn't take him long to become one of the heroes. Even though he sometimes relapses (just like Stefan), he does the heroic thing more often than not. But those who liked the evil Damon of the first season could enjoy the books more.
Damon is a clear antagonist in them and he isn't afraid to manipulate people to achieve his goals. Even though he has a soft spot for Elena, it feels like he will stop at nothing which makes his character more intense.
Show: Klaus And Caroline
Klaus and Caroline were one of the pairings many fans really cheered for in the show, but alas, it never came to be, besides a few stolen moments. That's still more what the books gave to the readers, though.
The book series sees Klaus and Caroline as two completely different, separate characters. Not to mention that Caroline is much meaner in the books (she hates Elena), goes on to become a werewolf, not a vampire, and Klaus doesn't have that much space in the book series.
Books: Better Vampire Powers
One of the fun aspects of the show was discovering various powers the vampires have. But, number-wise, the books offer more in this area. In the show, the two most common powers the vampires use are compelling people and using their supernatural strength/speed.
They can do much more in the books, though: they can fly, shapeshift, change into a fog, and the list goes on.
Show: Elena's Siblings
Elena's family is also much different in the books and the show. In the books, she has a little, four-year-old sister named Margaret while in the show, her only sibling is Jeremy (well, he later turns out to be her cousin, but that's a story for another day).
While Margaret is sweet in the books, Jeremy has a more functioning storyline and plays a bigger part in the story than Margaret, so it's important to acknowledge his presence.
Books: More Stories To Read
The show has eight seasons in total to watch which is a lot of screen time. But if the fans want to spend as much time with their favorite characters as possible, they should focus on the books since there are plenty of them in the basic series, and also several follow-up spin-offs series exist.
For example, one of them focuses on Stefan's adventures in the past, and this series is much more inspired by the show since, in this version, Stefan was born in the 19th century as well, and not in the Renaissance times.