Dexter may have been inspired by Jeff Lindsay's book series, but the books and the show diverge on quite a few points. As a matter of fact, beyond the first book titled Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the two have such stark differences that they each take on their own, separate lives.
In a rare occurrence for media adapted from books, the majority of the franchise's fans actually tend to favor the television show. Fans have taken to Reddit to express their preference for the show, and they cite some solid reasons for their opinions.
Killing Off Doakes
While talking through some key differences between the books and the movies, Redditor Tesatire says, "I don't like the position of Doakes in the book, I much prefer just offing him instead of the way that they handled it in the books..."
"Offing" Doakes is exactly how the show handles his character when Lila sets fire to the cabin in which Doakes is trapped. In the books, however, he lives on after being partially dismembered by Dr. Danco. Dexter's willingness to kill off main characters is something that beginners need to know before starting the series.
Rooting For Dexter
In the books, Dexter is a significantly darker human being. His mind is intensely twisted and he lacks remorse to a degree that Michael C. Hall's television portrayal could not match. This makes the television version of the character a lot easier to stomach and definitely easier to root for.
Redditor one of the ways that Dexter has changed going into New Blood.
LaGuerta's Crush
In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, LaGuerta has pretty intense crush on Dexter. The same can be said for the first few episodes of the television series, but her lust for the killer seems to die down as the first season progresses.
Redditor NameForMy notes that they are happy with this change, writing about how "the show caught on, the writers diverged more from the books and decided to drop that aspect of the story, which I'm glad they did. It was unnecessary." Dropping the crush gives the writers room to develop LaGuerta as an individual and avoid taking attention away from Dexter's separate endeavors.
Well-Written Women
Some fans criticize Jeff Lindsay for the way that he writes women. However, Redditor no_othername cites this as a reason that they prefer the television series, implying that at least "Rita can speak in a complete sentence."
The show differs significantly in the writing of the characters that are women, and as this Redditor draws attention to, women are actually given the opportunity to express themselves. They are also given some very interesting character arcs that give them room to develop independently too.
Dexter's Brother
About Dexter's biological brother Brian, Redditor crummy_water_tower says they "didn't like how they were almost twins in the book. I preferred the way the show portrayed them interacting and not realizing."
In the series, Brian initially goes undetected as Dexter's brother, until the season 1 finale when Dexter kills Brian for being a serial killer. It is clear that fans prefer this build-up that comes with the reveal that the two are siblings as the writers carefully dropped hints and clues rather than them instantly acknowledging it in the book. This is also one of the elements of Dexter that keeps getting better over time.
The Characters Are A Lot More Likable
One Redditor critiques the characters in the book as opposed to the series, saying, "I hated all the characters, even the ones I love in the series."
The likability of the characters in the show probably comes from the fact that viewers get to see them as more multidimensional people. The books are written in Dexter's point of view, meaning that the ing characters have less of a chance to convey their best traits to the audience.
Deb's Character Is A Lot Better
Some fans have found that Debra Morgan, Dexter's adopted sister, is more well-developed in the television series than she is in the books. Her death is even referenced in Dexter: New Blood's finale.
To speak to this point, Redditor BlazenLumenaze says of the book series, "Deb finds out Dex is a serial killer in the first book. In the second and third, she is perfectly okay with it without any explanation as to how she got there." Deb spends much of the series in the dark about Dexter's actions. However, once she does find out, the viewers then get to see her get an interesting character arc where she questions her morality and attempts to get him to cut the killing.
There Are A Lot More Complex Storylines
When it comes to Jeff Lindsay's writing style, his prose takes a more simplistic approach to narrating the story. This is an issue for some audiences, who prefer the show's composite nature.
Redditor StolenAphrodite prefers the show for this reason, writing, "The books were incredibly fast reads, with very over-simple language...[however] the show adds a lot of good complexity to the story, in my opinion." This is a valid point, as the show's complexity is part of what makes the plots so dynamic.
Dexter's A Lot More Intelligent In The Books
As Redditor JaxJaguar1999 notes, "Dexter in the books wasn’t exactly the intellectual genius we’re used to in the series." Viewers seem to prefer the show's intelligent portrayal of Dexter as opposed to the books.
Redditor lifelessraptor agrees with this point, saying of Dexter's approach to murder, "He's not a brilliant killer, he's just a safe killer." The television version of Dexter is certainly more astute, which makes him a more compelling character to keep up with than his book self.
The Dark enger Gets More Exploration
The third book in the series introduces a demonic entity that Dexter refers to as his "dark enger." This supernatural element is where the books lost a good amount of readers.
While fans like Redditor Plazmuh "hated the third book" because "the idea behind the dark enger was just absurd," some defend its inclusion. Redditor OGWhiz says, "What people are reading as supernatural is just Dexter using metaphor to explain what he’s feeling." Regardless, keeping the dark enger out of the series seems to have been the best bet.