Had never heard of this before watching so cannot compare it to the books (which I now want to read thanks to this show). And I think this show is fantastic.
Loving the range of characters without feeling any real political messaging being pushed, that's a huge bonus. The actors/writers seem to do their parts convincingly and get you interested from the start, and the sets are beautiful.
From the second an episode ends I am eagerly awaiting for the next one to air. Is this show faultless? Not at all, but compared to most the junk being pushed (santa Inc anybody) you can't ask for better. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.