I wouldn't characterise anything they did in the show a "screw up"; these are all valid creative decisions and the inevitable result of adapting ≈530-600ish page novels into 6-13 40min episode seasons.
It simply wouldn't have been practical for the show to use Bull for the 'Abaddon's Gate', and it's not like they just dropped Drummer into his role; they effectively split him up between Drummer and Ashford. Book Ashford is practically a non-entity, with a vastly different (and far less interesting) characterization.
If anything the show's take is a vast improvement since rather than having yet another Earther taking charge of Belters for their own good, you instead get two Belters at odds as to what's the right course forwards. Both in practical terms for the immediate situation, and philosophically for The Belt as a whole. Much better set up, much better execution, much better resolution.
Indeed having watched the show first then going back to read the books, it really feels as if the books are more of an earlier draft of the same story than anything else. Which shouldn't be surprising given how involved the original writers were, and how willing the show runner was to both be faithful to what worked, and ruthless to what didn't. It's easily one of the best genre literary adaptations I've ever seen.
It simply wouldn't have been practical for the show to use Bull for the 'Abaddon's Gate', and it's not like they just dropped Drummer into his role; they effectively split him up between Drummer and Ashford. Book Ashford is practically a non-entity, with a vastly different (and far less interesting) characterization.
If anything the show's take is a vast improvement since rather than having yet another Earther taking charge of Belters for their own good, you instead get two Belters at odds as to what's the right course forwards. Both in practical terms for the immediate situation, and philosophically for The Belt as a whole. Much better set up, much better execution, much better resolution.
Indeed having watched the show first then going back to read the books, it really feels as if the books are more of an earlier draft of the same story than anything else. Which shouldn't be surprising given how involved the original writers were, and how willing the show runner was to both be faithful to what worked, and ruthless to what didn't. It's easily one of the best genre literary adaptations I've ever seen.
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