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Books That Should Be Made Into Movies
Cinematic stories that are just waiting for a studio to scoop them up.
Published on June 16, 2023
Red Rising
Pierce BrownEqual parts sci-fi, dystopian lit, and epic war fantasy, “Red Rising” paints a bleak picture of a futuristic, color-coded caste society. Members of the Red caste are relegated to backbreaking underground work to make the surface of Mars inhabitable for other castes. Driven by grief, rage, and a desire for justice after a shocking discovery, young protagonist Darrow infiltrates a deadly competition in which ruling caste members fight to the death for power and control. Universal Pictures abandoned a planned adaptation, and Brown has developed it into a TV series himself, but so far, there’s no confirmed plans to bring it to the screen (to our dismay).
Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West
Cormac McCarthyThis is one of the most violent books ever written and is widely considered McCarthy at his most McCarthy: Stark, stacco, yet astoundingly captivating. It’s not so much a story as it is an attempt to get as close to the core of the worst of human nature as possible. The New York Times review of the novel from 1985 notes “Grotesque descriptions are alleviated by scenes that might have come off a movie screen.” Many attempts at making a movie adaptation have been made, and all have failed. We’re waiting for HBO to enter the fray.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark HaddonThe title of this gem comes from a Sherlock Holmes quote. And it’s a fitting name for this highly acclaimed mystery. When Christopher, a 15-year-old math genius with autism, discovers his neighbor’s dog has been killed, he starts investigating the murder. The narration is inventive and subtly funny, and it opens readers’ eyes to Christopher’s rich inner-world.
Graceling
Kristin CashoreIn this high fantasy series, a teen named Katsa is a Graceling, one of the unfortunate few who are graced with special powers. Hers is a particularly accursed gift: She’s very skilled at taking other people’s lives. Katsa and her book series are — quite literally — killing it, and it would be engrossing to see her exploits and the magic come to life on screen.
Salvage the Bones: A Novel
Jesmyn WardThis National Book Award-winning novel begins as Hurricane Katrina barrels toward the rural Mississippi home of a tight-knit but troubled family. While 14-year-old Esch and her three siblings scramble to prepare their home for nature’s oncoming sledgehammer, she struggles to keep her pregnancy hidden from her widowed father. It’s a hauntingly beautiful story that’s as powerful as the storm it depicts, a storm that’s worth revisiting in modern cinema as climate change worsens.
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, Book 1)
Maggie StiefvaterStiefvater’s “The Raven Boys,” the first installment of the “The Raven Cycle,” is a heady mix of romance and paranormal activity. It includes psychic powers, a king buried along ley lines, a doomed love story, and a handful of prep school boys (one of whom claims to be dead). Despite being titled after the men in the novel, the main character is a teenage girl named Blue who’s trying to navigate her burgeoning powers and feelings. Stiefvater’s novels deserve a shot on the silver screen.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
Samantha ShannonWhy don’t we get a great new fantasy movie (or TV series) that’s lesbian? We think an adaptation of “The Priory of the Orange Tree” would be a hit. For the last millennium, the House of Berethnet has ruled over Inys. However, unless Queen Sabran produces an heir, she risks losing her queendom. Furthermore, the threat of assassination lurks closer than Sabran suspects. Fortunately, her lady-in-waiting, Ead Duryan, secretly protects her with forbidden magic.
Sabriel
Garth NixWhat could be cooler than a movie or TV series about the Abhorsen, the legendary necromancer in Nix’s “Old Kingdom” series? Sabriel and her daughter, Lirael, are trained to be the greatest, most noble necromancers. This epic fantasy has it all — a complex world, non-stop action and adventure, and a touch of romance.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Patrick NessNess’ satire of the “Chosen One” trope is the humorous, cutting commentary our Marvel movie-loving, Harry Potter-fawning culture needs. The main cast are the kids without powers who live in a society where the supernatural is commonplace. The book is a reminder that we may not have powers (super, political, or otherwise), but we’re far from powerless.
The Adventurer's Son: A Memoir
Roman DialDial raised his son to have the same sense of adventure he had, with a sobering end: At 27 years old, Cody Roman Dial couldn’t be found after he decided to hike solo in Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park. This harrowing book raises many moral questions about risk, reward, and culpability as Dial investigates what happened to his son on the trail in Costa Rica. It would make a touching documentary.
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice
Bill BrowderWritten like a gripping thriller novel, Browder’s account of exposing deep corruption in Russia and his unfailing will to fight against Putin’s regime proves that sometimes fact is far stranger than fiction. This, along with the sequel, “Freezing Order,” which further explores the crime and cover-up of Sergei Magnitskyl, would easily translate to a compelling true crime movie.
The Island of Sea Women: A Novel
Lisa SeeSee’s meticulously researched story is one of female friendship, spanning the late 1930s to 2008. It gives a fictionalized account of the little-known history of haenyeo: Female divers on the Korean island of Jeju (female friendships and diverse stories are things we would love to see more of on the big screen). Young-sook and Mi-ja, two haenyeos, have their relationship — and lives — torn apart by multiple wars, and they struggle to heal through the decades.
The Night Tiger: A Novel
Yangsze ChooSet in 1930s Malaysia, this sophomore novel from author Choo offers something for everyone: A little bit of mystery and a touch of magic as the destinies of two characters collide. There’s also the business of a dismembered finger and a man-eating, possibly mystical tiger. We love Netflix’s miniseries adaptation of Choo’s “The Ghost Bride” and would love to see similar treatment be given to “The Night Tiger.”
The School for Good Mothers: A Novel
Jessamine ChanA scathing commentary on the assumptions and stereotypes about mothers and the government powers that separate families, Chan’s dystopian drama is a page-turner. Frida Liu’s recent divorce may be the last straw, but at least she has her 18-month-old daughter — until she doesn’t. When the single mom leaves her child home alone for two hours, she’s sent to a rehabilitation facility where she must be a surrogate mother to other children in order to earn back her own. We included this as one of our best books of 2022, and we think it’d make an intense dystopian movie.
Tender Is the Flesh
Agustina BazterricaThis is another one that would make an intense film and that’s not for the faint of heart. “Tender is the Flesh” blends science fiction and horror to tell the tale of a future world where a mysterious virus has rendered all animal meat poisonous to humans. Unfortunately, humanity finds cannibalism a more appetizing option than going vegetarian.
Alanna: The First Adventure
Tamora PierceWe are quite sad that none of Pierce’s works have gotten a screen adaptation yet; for us, they are foundational feminist fantasies. Here, strong-willed Alanna won't let her fears or her gender deter her from becoming a knight. “Alanna: The First Adventure” kicks off Pierce’s “Tortall Universe,” which Lionsgate and Playground acquired the rights to adapt in November 2019, but there’s been no word on it since.
Secrets and Scrabble
Josh LanyonThe “Secrets and Scrabble” series features queer cozy mysteries set in Pirate’s Cove, Rhode Island, following the (mis)adventures of Ellery Page, whose top-notch Scrabble abilities and quirky bookstore make him the talk of the town. Each book is lighthearted fun, and we think it’d make a cute TV show on, say, USA Network (rather than HBO or Starz).