12 Days Of Giveaways: Day One, For The Book Lovers

Ever since I picked up a copy of Ender’s Game, I’ve been waiting for a faithful adaptation that captured the subtle interactions between warfare and the human mind. This book is as powerful to me as an adult as it was when I was the same age as Ender. This book opened my eyes in a number of ways and I think its accessibility in film would help even more kids to ponder the weighty issues Orson Scott Card presents. Or maybe it’ll be James Cameron.

I think Fragment: A Novel by Warren Fahy would make into a fantastic movie. All of the imaginative out of this world creatures are screaming for a big screen adaptation. Plus the ending just leads to fantastic sequels.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It’s got the perfect combination of humor, fascinating & conflicted characters, suspense, and special effects that would make it a very entertaining film. Terry Gilliam was supposed to make this into a film about 10 years ago, but we all know what bad luck he’s had in Hollywood lately. It’s got such an interesting view of good and evil, it would definitely create a lot of buzz.

Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy. But animated in the style of the new Evangelion movies. It is hands down the best stories to happen within the Star Wars universe since the original trilogy. And having the original actors come back to voice the parts would be a bit better since so much time has passed since the original movies. I also have dreamed to see this made into a Japanese animation since I first read these books in my late teens.

The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold. This was probably the second science fiction book that I read and it and its sequels are still some of my favorites. In terms of the possibilities of movies, I think if it ever crossed the radar of a Hollywood producer, they would jump at it. Political intrigue, space battles, a crippled hyperactive 17-year old protagonist, a romantic sub-plot; the book has all of these. The sequels are already written and are equally brilliant.

The first story that always comes to my mind is Murder Mysteries by Neil Gaiman. The juxtaposition of the noir mystery with the creation of the universe, as well as the imagery of the Silver City could work as a bid budget showpiece or a small, intimate film. Either way, it’s take on the invention of love and the God’s plan for Lucifer gives a fresh take on the story of the fall, and would also allow for some interesting twists in the story along the way.

The Gunslinger by Stephen King. This could be an excellent movie, part old western, part sci-fi tale. It has one of the best characters in Roland of Giliad. The places he travels too and the people he meets, could be for an amazing and breathtaking story on film. His struggle with his mission to the tower, intertwined with the people he meets who make him realize there is more to life than just the tower. It could be something that people really hold onto, a person they feel for, but at the same time resent with all their heart because of the awful decisions he makes for the tower. Also with whole series of books, there is room to really develop Roland as a character. So much could be done with the opening line from the book, “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”

The entire Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. Film would be great, but I think it would better as a serial on HBO, like Rome or Deadwood, or on AMC, like what they’re doing with The Walking Dead. The seven Endless, Dream, Death, Delirium, Destiny, Despair, Destruction, and Desire together encompass innumerable storylines on their own, nevermind storylines about Cain and Abel, and even Mad Hattie. But even with the more fantastical characters, there are the humans caught up unawares of the Endless’s machinations and the Endless themselves trying to understand the motivations of those that are mortal.

I’d love to see a movie of /Gun, With Occasional Music/ by Jonathan Lethem. I imagine it having the postmodern tech-noir style of /Blade Runner/, but with the well-paced, accessible narrative of a good detective movie like /The Big Sleep/, /The Maltese Falcon/, or (for a more modern flavor) /LA Confidential/. Unlike a lot of other sci-fi, fantasy or horror books, /Gun, With Occasional Music/ is driven primarily by its well-written voiceover and dialog, and the story is sharply focused on a few characters and a handful of locations, so it’s feasible to adapt as a movie.

The Tripod Trilogy needs to be made into a film. The White Mountains was the first Sci-Fi book I ever read. My grandparents gave the trilogy to me for Christmas when i was around twelve. I chucked them in the, “books, gee thanks,” pile where they remained for a couple of years. There they remained, until one day in Junior High I stayed home sick from school. My Mom had a strict no TV or videogames rule when we stayed home sick so I begrudgingly turned to the pile of books. I flew through the first book that day, ignoring the TV and videogames for the next couple of days as I finished the series. I went back and re-read them a few years ago and they held up very well. I can’t believe they haven’t been adapted yet.

Now I have a twelve year old who reads and reads and reads. This would be the perfect thing for him.

My second choice would be a faithful adaptation of the golden compass. That movie was a train wreck.

Snow Crash! This is one of Neal Stephenson’s best books, and it was before they got verbose (in his case it’s not that bad, but something like Cryptonomicon or Anathem would not convert well into a movie). Stephenson imagines some amazingly cool settings and cyber-punk technologies that would make great visuals. It’s action packed, but with a thrilling plot just deep enough to stimulate the imagination while not so complex it would turn off wider audiences. Finally the characters are interesting, funny, and engage in some great dialogue. I can’t believe this hasn’t been made into a film yet!

As a side note, I really want Christopher Nolan/his brother to do an adaptation of Dune, but I suppose that will never happen. . .

Also, Snow Crash is almost more pertinent these days because of the commentary on culture and society effected by wide scale shifts in internet/media access and global economics.

And the mafia delivers pizza!!!

I’ve always thought that Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice (first of the Farseer trilogy) would be an awesome adaptation. It’s got magic, war, human-animal psychic bonds, a creaky old castle full of secret chambers, and the promise of sequels (with two more books in that story and the potential for six other related adaptations). It’s lesser known enough to take people by surprise, but very, very well-done with both character development and action. And best of all, it’s got fantasy-style zombies who are mysteriously menacing the kingdom. Take that, Walking Dead!

I would be thrilled to see a film adaptation of The Lies of Locke Lamora. Scott Lynch’s debut novel is a deliciously crass fantasy that delivers more Tarantino than Tolkien. The characters come to life within the pages, the worldbuilding is superb and the dialogue– fantasy’s proverbial achilles heel– is brilliant. Warner Brothers controls the film option, and I can only hope that the wait won’t be much longer before Locke Lamora, Gentleman Bastard, comes to life on the big screen.

Drum Roll Please:

The winner is @tryantking!

Congratulations, the book-loving elves around here liked your response. We’ll be sending you an email shortly!

Thanks for playing.