The incredible success of Game of Thrones on HBO has led to a flurry of TV and movie adaptations of some great books and graphic novels… It is indeed a good time to be alive!

It seems that cable / streaming TV is the way to go, as GoT and The Walking Dead can attest. There are other great adaptations in mainstream TV worth a look (the BBC recently adapted Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell… I thought it was terrific. Highly recommended). But more and more you see the likes of HBO, Showtime, Starz, AMC, Amazon and Netflxix producing extremely good adaptations (see Netflix’s Daredevil for one) and are constantly in th rumour mill for he next BIG thing.

There are countless rumours about new TV adaptations of some of my favourite books, but many times they just stay in development hell and you never know if you’ll actually get to see them (The Dark Tower, Sandman, Y: The Last Man, to name a few). And then they do manage to make a film out of it, and it ends up being terrible or unoriginal (Under the Dome, for instance). So, always a mixed bag, and always a sense of apprehension when someone takes your all-time favourite book and makes a mess of it on TV… And then you spend quite a lot of time telling people that they should still give the book a go!

Here are a couple of upcoming or rumoured TV shows based on books or comics which I will definitely be tuning in:

American Gods, Starz

After years in development at HBO, it seems someone finally managed to get this amazing novel in shape to make it a TV show. I couldn’t recommend Neil Gaiman’s classic more, so really hoping they do a good job with it. As far as I know, Neil Gaiman is even doing some of the writing, which is always a good sign (like win GoT). Production will begin early in 2016, and casting is ongoing. It’s still early, don’t think we’ll get to see it till 2017, but put me down as very excited for this one.

Preacher, AMC

 

Not content with the success of The Walking Dead, AMC went out to see what other comic book they could turn into a hit, and chose Preacher.

Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjoYn-0LfMg

For those unfamiliar, the story follows a Preacher, his ex-girlfriend and an Irish Vampire, as they look to track down God and get him to get back to work. The comic series is really really good, and looks like it’s getting the star treatment for TV. It’s scheduled to premier mid 2016, and looks very promising.
11-22-63, Hulu

Stephen King’s genre spinning novel involves a man who finds a way to travel back in time and seek to stop the JFK assassination. It’s an incredible book, beautifully written, and one of my top rent reads. Here’s the trailer of the miniseries…

Looks really good. It comes out early next year.

I’m sure we will get to see many other books being made into TV shows which will have us all very very excited (I heard The Name of the Wind may be getting the TV treatment soon!!). But for the time being, if the three listed above are made right, count me hooked!

Most readers of my blog (you precious few, you) will know by now that my reading is heavily influenced towards sci-fi and fantasy. In fact, a quick search on Goodreads will tell you that of the 433 books I’ve allegedly read throughout my life (that I remember), about 41.34% fall under that category. So yes… Call me a geek. I don’t care.

In any case, Amazon in their all-power, all-knowing ways, have released what they consider the top 100 sci-fi and fantasy books to read in a lifetime. A good mix between recent books and all-time classics. Some odd choices, and glaring omissions, but a good list nonetheless. Here’s the link if you’re curious:

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=br_mpk_pck-4_smr?_encoding=UTF8&node=12661600011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=1XZYQBH2ECEMXDXZERZK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2263802222&pf_rd_i=283155

So… I’ve read quite a few of them, 40% in fact! Not bad, but plenty of those books are on my reading list, so hopefully the number will increase soon. Then again, so many books, so little time.

Here is the list below, and my thoughts on many of them. The * (and bold) indicates those that I’ve read:

1. 1984, George Orwell* – a book where its symbolism transcends over actual story (which was good, but not great). When it comes to Orwell, I prefer Animal Farm!

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C Clarke – never read it… Saw the film instead

3. A Canticle of Leibowitz, Walter Miller – never heard of it

4. A Game of Thrones, George R R Martin* – the ultimate epic fantasy… At least the first three books. Books 4 and 5 have been a struggle. Let’s see how (when? If?) it ends…

5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K Le Guin – somehow, never read the Earthsea books. Should be remedied

6. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle – I know, I know, sacrilege that I never read this

7. Altered Carbon, Richard K Morgan – I’ve read other Morgan books… Clearly the wrong ones

8. American Gods, Neil Gaiman* – one of my favourite books. Can’t wait for the HBO version

9. Among Others, Jo Walton* – a sweet homage to science fiction

10. Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie – winner of every recent sci-if award… Soon to be read

11. Annihilation, Jeff Van der Meer – have heard many good things. Should give it a go

12. Assassin’s Apprentice, Robin Hobb – have read the wrong Robin Hobb books… Should really make the time to read these ones…

13. Blood Music, Greg Bear

14. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley* – ultimate dystopia

15. Childhood’s End, Arthur C Clarke

16. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell* – awesome genre-crossing novel

17. Daughter of the Blood, Anne Bishop

18. Dhalgren, Samiel R Delaney

19. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip Dick – inspiration for Blade Runner. Great movie. Should read the book

20. Doomsday Book, Connie Willis* – great time travel story

21. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey – should really give these books a go at one point

22. Dune, Frank Hebert* – Sci fi royalty. “I shall not fear”

23. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card* – such an amazing book

24. Fahrenheit 451, Rat Bradbury* – classic

25. Foreigner, CJ Cherryh

26. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley* – surprisingly endearing, Shelley’s novel is miles better than the cheesy Halloween interpretations

27. Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett* – excellent book. So damn funny

28. Graceling, Kristin Cashore – really? Well now I’m curious to read it

29. Grass, Sheri S Tepper

30. Guilty Pleasures, Laurell K Hamilton

31. HP Lovecraft Tales, HP Lovecraft – yep, never read Lovecraft

32. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, JK Rowling* – of course I’m a fan, no question

33. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, Charles Yu – on my list for a while

34. Howl’s Moving Castle, Dianna Wynne Jones

35. Hyperion, Dan Simmons  – loved his Illium novels. Should give Hyperion a go

36. I Am Legend, Richard Matheson – saw the Will Smith movie… Never read the book

37. I, Robot, Isaac Asimov – copy paste from above

38. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice – also saw the movie… And never read the book

39. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke* – probably the best book I’ve ever read

40. Kindred, Octavia Butler

41. Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey

42. Lord Fould’s Bane, Stephen Donaldson

43. Neuromancer, William Gibson – another one I should’ve read…

44. Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter

45. Old Man’s War, John Scalzi – have read other Scalzi books… Hit and miss

46. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon – started it, never finished it. Not sure why

47. Pawn of Prophecy, David Eddings

48. Period Street Station, China Mieville – have read other Mieville books, but clearly not his top

49. Ready Player One, Ernest Cline* – geek pop culture overdose… Love it

50. Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson

51. Red Rising, Pierce Brown – on my list

52. Riddle-Master, Patricia McKillip

53. Ring world, Larry Niven

54. Sabriel, Garth Nix

55. Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey* – was okay… Expected more

56. Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut* – great classic

57. Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson* – the father of cyberpunk!

58. Solaris, Stanislaw Lem

59. Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein – saw the (ridiculously over the top) movie

60. Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang

61. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein

62. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett – yes, I know, how could I not have read any Discworld novel?

63. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold

64. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper – yep, another one of those I should’ve read and never come around to it

65. The Dispossessed, Ursula K Le Guin

66. The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams – have read a few of Williams novels… Just not this one

67. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan – I recognise that this one is unforgivable… One day I’ll start the Wheel of Time… One day

68. The Forever War, Joe Haldeman

69. The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman* – among my favourite books of all time

70. The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker* – such a great book. Highly recommended

71. The Gunslinger, Stephen King* – “Long days and pleasant nights” If you haven’t read the Dark Tower books, you don’t know what you’re missing!

72. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood* – the mother of dystopian fiction?

73. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Addams* – 42!!!

74. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien* – never been that crazy about the Hobbit, to be honest

75. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins* – Battle Royale with cheese! Still, very enjoyable

76. The Last Unicorn, Peter S Beagle – another one of those books I should’ve read as a kid

77. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K Le Guin

78. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis* – oddly, I haven’t read all the Narnia books, just the ones with the kids

79. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien* – “One ring to rule them all”

80. The Magicians, Lev Grossman* – Harry Potter goes to college… And Narnia. And somehow, it really works

81. The Martian, Andy Weir* – probably the best Sci-fi I’ve read in a long time

82. The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury

83. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley

84. The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss* – fantasy as it should be written!

85. The Princess Bride, William Goldman* – “My name is Inigo Montoya”

86. The Road, Cormac McCarthy* – so bleak, and so good

87. The Rook, Daniel O’Malley* – such an awesome book, so glad to see it recognised

88. The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell

89. The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon

90. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester

91. The Sword of Shannara, Terry Brooks – nope… No Brooks books either

92. The Time Machine, HG Wells* – who doesn’t enjoy the work of Wells?

93. The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger* – Ultimiate scifi love story

94. The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson – surprised this one is included over Sanderson’s great Mistborn series. Will have to give it a go

95. The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi* – great book, glad to see it here

96. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne* – love the Verne books

97. Uglies, Scott Westerfield

98. Uprooted, Naomi Novik* – really? Am I the only one who didn’t like this book? Try Temeraire instead

99. Wool, Hugh Howey* – it was good but not sure it was worth the hype

100. World War Z, Max Brooks* – proper storytelling, great book

So, there you have it. I’m surprised by some of the choices, and shocked by somed of the omissions : no The Night Circus. What about The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August? Where’s Joe Abercrombie, or Scott Lynch? And where’s Michael Chricton? Jurassic Park, anyone? Unforgivable.

Then again, it’s going through the list that I realise how many big names in the genre I’ve skipped. Jordan, Brooks, Hobbs… They all need revisiting. It’s time to get my act together, right some wrongs, and get to reading. Alas, so many books, so little time.