Hiiii everyone! Today I have a guest post from Caroline, a blogger from Culture Coverage who writes about culture and entertainment in the digital age!
She has stopped by today to share 5 fantasy novels that she thinks would make excellent movies. So without further ado, here we go!
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Image courtesy of Gabriela Pinto under CC BY 2.0
Fantasy has been woven into our stories since the earliest myths and legends were first told. It has continued to follow us through time. Think of One Thousand and One Nights with its tales of jinn, talking serpents, mermaids and underwater civilizations. Or the dragons, witches and giants in Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene. Modern times are no different. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter series are just two examples of popular fantasy stories today’s readers love.
The reason for fantasy’s popularity lies in its ability to provide escapism. Fantasy novels transport us to different worlds with strange new creatures. Some even reveal secrets and magic that might exist in our own world. Fantasy novels remove us from the mundane and ordinary.
Throughout the history of film, movies have drawn plots from fantasy novels, as is the case with The Hobbit. Now even TV series are based on fantasy novels, such as Game of Thrones. While Hollywood has made some wonderful book-to-movie adaptations, there are many more fantasy novels that would make amazing movies or series. The following are five of my favorite.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
In Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard’s debut novel, two nations are divided by the color of their blood, either red or silver. The Silvers are the privileged elite gifted with formidable supernatural abilities while the Reds are the commoners forced to serve them.
Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl, feels trapped and hopeless. But when Mare starts working in the Silver Palace she learns that despite being a Red, she has a lethal power too. The Silvers fear Mare will use her ability to disrupt the balance of power that suits them so well. They attempt to keep control of her by claiming she is a long-lost Silver princess.
As a Silver princess, Mare becomes engaged to a Silver prince. Nevertheless, Mare helps a militant resistance movement, the Red Guard, who are trying to overthrow the Silver regime. With its chilling atmosphere and suspenseful plot twists, Red Queen would make for a riveting movie.
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
The Colour of Magic is the first book in English author Terry Pratchett’s Discworld comic fantasy series. Classic authors such as Charles Dickens, H.P. Lovecraft and J.R.R. Tolkien, inspired the Discworld books, but they usually have a strong element of comedic parody or satire. All the books are set in the fictional Discworld, which is filled with fantastical creatures such as witches, wizards and trolls.
The Colour of Magic introduces us to Rincewind, an inept, cowardly wizard. Reluctantly, Rincewind becomes a tour guide for a traveler named Twoflower. They are accompanied by Twoflower’s suitcase, The Luggage. The Luggage is a multi-legged, semi-sentient, magical chest with an incredibly vicious streak and a penchant for murder.
Unbeknownst to Rincewind and Twoflower, their trip is being controlled by the Gods, who are using them as pawns in a board game. This constantly lands them in dangerous situations. Rincewind’s incompetence, the Gods’ competiveness and The Luggage’s homicidal tendencies combine to create an absolutely hilarious tale that would make a brilliant movie.
While there have been a few made-for-TV movie adaptations of a few of Pratchett’s novels, none of them have managed to capture his humor without being hammy. If you’d like to see how these adaptations compare to the books, you can access some on Netflix, but only if you’re a U.S. or U.K. subscriber. If you’re not a U.S. or U.K. subscriber, you can use this Netflix guide by Secure Thoughts to watch them.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo’s first Ketterdam duology novel, Six of Crows, is set in Ketterdam. Inspired by Amsterdam, Ketterdam is a busy center for international trade. In Ketterdam, anything can be bought for the right price. Kaz Brekker, a criminal genius, is often the one who provides the goods.
Kaz is asked to carry out a dangerous heist that has the potential to make him richer than he can imagine, but he can’t do it alone. He enlists the help of a spy called the Wraith, a vengeful convict, a thief with a talent for escaping, a sharpshooter who can’t turn down a wager, a runaway from a rich family and a Heartrender who uses magic to survive in the slums. What Kaz and his strange team don’t realize is they might have to save the world from total annihilation. This fast-paced, action-packed novel could be adapted into an enthralling movie.
Tithe: A Modern Faery Tale by Holly Black
Holly Black’s first full-length novel, Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, is the first title in the Modern Tale of Faerie trilogy. Sixteen-year-old Kaye Fierch lives the life of a modern nomad by touring America with her mother, Ellen Fierch, and her rock band. Ellen’s boyfriend tries to stab her after being enchanted by Nephamael, a knight of the Unseelie Court. In an effort to protect her, Ellen takes Kaye to her grandparents’ house in New Jersey.
Despite Ellen’s attempt to protect her daughter, Kaye soon lands in the midst of an ancient feud between two faerie kingdoms that want to use an unwilling Kaye as a pawn to gain the upper hand in their power struggle. Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale has a complex plot that is filled with action and drama, so it would work perfectly as a book-to-movie adaptation.
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Sabriel is the first novel in The Old Kingdom or Abhorsen, a fantasy series written by Australian author Garth Nix. The novel is set in two fictional countries, Ancelstierre to the south and the Old Kingdom to the north. Ancelstierre is quite similar to 20th century England, but the Old Kingdom is a more mystical land where Free Magic and Charter Magic both exist.
The story follows Sabriel, who has grown up in Ancelstierre, far from the powerful magic and rising Dead of the Old Kingdom. Just as she is about to finish school, she discovers her father, the Abhorsen charged with keeping the Dead from returning, is missing. Now Sabriel must venture into the Old Kingdom to find her father. She is accompanied by Mogget, a powerful spirit in the form of a rather disdainful cat, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage. Sabriel is a beautifully written, captivating adventure filled with excitement and humor. A movie adaptation of this enchanting book is long overdue.
These are some of my favorite fantasy novels I think would make amazing movies. Which of your favorite fantasy novels do you think would make wonderful movies? Let me know in the comments.
About the author
Caroline is an entertainment and technology blogger who enjoys reading and watching movies. Fantasy is one of her favorite genres, and she hopes more fantasy novels will be made into great movies soon.
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Caroline! Thank you so much for showing interest in my blog and writing such an amazing guest post!
I've read 3 of the 5 books that Caroline thinks would make amazing movies. I will definitely not disagree on Red Queen or Six of Crows, which are both books that I loved so much! It's been too long since I read Tithe for me to formulate an opinion on it. I will be checking out The Colour of Magic after this, it sounds great!
Let us know in the comments which fantasy novels you think would make great movies!
