Thanks to cheaper CG and the rise of long, serialized TV shows from on-demand streaming services, it feels like we’re in the golden age of book adaptations. Yes, not every show will be a hit or a good adaptation (looking at you, Wheel of Time), but so many books were unfilmable til recently.
So that got me thinking—which books would make for the next hit sci-fi or fantasy show? There are so many, and obviously no one could have read them all, but of the literally thousands of novels I’ve read in my life, these seem like they could be the next big Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, or Disney+ hit.
10
The Mars Trilogy – Kim Stanley Robinson
Bantam Books
It’s a little cheeky of me to put this right at the top of the list, because various big names in entertainment have been trying to adapt this trilogy into a TV series for decades. In the 1990s, it was James Cameron who held the rights, and we were going to get a 5-hour miniseries, but that never panned out.
Then Gale Ann Hurd (a collaborator of Cameron’s) took a shot at a SyFy series that didn’t get off the ground, followed by Jonathan Hensleigh also failing to get a series for AMC going. The last news we got was that SpikeTV was working on a series based on the books headed by TV sci-fi legend J. Micheal Straczynski, but as of 2016, he’s off the project and the series is on hold.
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It’s a pity, because after watching movies like The Martian and TV series like For All Mankind I really think this epic story of how humanity takes the red planet and turns it into a second home. I can understand why only the first book might be adapted, but these days it’s normal to have series with many seasons and wide scopes. The story of the trilogy spans the centuries you’d need to terraform Mars even with imaginary technology, but I think it can be done with moder movie magic.
9
Perdido Street Station – China Miéville
Les Edwards
Fun fact—this was the first ever book I ordered online. In fact, Perdido Street Station was the first anything I ordered online, and I had to go to the bank to make a cash deposit because, as a 14-year-old (I think? I might have bought it a little later than it’s first publishing date) I did not have a credit card—or a bank account!
As for the book itself, it’s a heady mix of sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism, crime drama, and more. China Miéville’s imagination never ceases to amaze me, and in this first book of this New Crobuzon (and Bas-Lag world) books, you never know what’s going to happen next or what twist the plot will take. The city of New Crobuzon is filled with sentient species of every type you can imagine and plenty you never could. From the protagonist’s insect-headed girlfriend to eldritch nightmares just trying to make a living in the big city, I don’t think a screen adaptation would have been possible without modern CG and VFX.
8
Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert a Heinlein
James Warhola
Robert A. Heinlein is one of my favorite authors of all time, and Stranger in a Strange Land is his best book in my opinion. Very few of his books have been adapted to the screen, and the only mainstream hit is Starship Troopers, which is very different from the original novel, which isn’t satirical at all.
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While a Stranger in a Strange Land adaptation was indeed in the works, it seems that it’s on hold or that it’s been quietly shuttered, as our friends at Screen Rant reported back in 2023. It tells the story of a human man raised by Martians who comes back to our planet spreading Martian philosophy and, through this framing device, readers can reevaluate their own beliefs and prejudices.
It always amazed me that the same author who wrote Starship Troopers could also have come up with Stranger in a Strange Land. Whatever Heinlein’s real personal political views and values were, he had infinite flexibility to imagine anything from polyamorous aliens, to clan-marriage socialist lunar communes in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I’ve been waiting all my life to see this story come to life on screen, I guess I can wait a little longer. Also, this is where the word “grok” comes from.
7
Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
Del Rey
For some reason, I own three copies of Snow Crash—two books and one audiobook, but maybe that’s no surprise, because this isn’t just one of the foundational works in the Cyberpunk genre, it’s one of the most important sci-fi books ever written. Incidentally, I also had Wiliam Gibson’s Neuromancer on this list originally, but it turns out there’s an Apple TV+ series in the works, so I had to drop it.
Like all cyberpunk, Snow Crash is set in a dystopian future of cyberspace and corporate control of the lives of everyday people. However, Snow Crash is a satirical store more so than usual and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I mean, the main character is literally a samurai sword-wielding pizza delivery man named Hiro Protagonist, for goodness’ sake. If we can have series like The Boys and Peacemaker, then I think we can pull of the satire side, and shows like Altered Carbon prove that you can pull off the cyberpunk aesthetic on a TV budget.
6
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy – Peter F Hamilton
Pan Books
Peter F. Hamilton might be the very best living hard sci-fi author today, and he shows no sign of stopping. He’s known for writing epic stories spanning thousands of pages and book volumes, and my favorite has to be the Night’s Dawn Trilogy, starting with The Reality Dysfunction.
I first read these books in high school, and the story has stuck with me ever since. It’s a heady mix of far-future human cultures, scientific explanations of the supernatural, and a massive cast of colorful characters, including Al Capone of all people, as a brilliant antagonist. Yes, you read that right. Also, given how this is a very adult tale, it’s probably best if HBO Max tackles this one.
5
Dark Elf Trilogy – R.A. Salvatore
Wizards of the Coast
Given how well the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie was received, and the high-profile success of Baldur’s Gate 3, I think it’s high time we get a TV adaptation of the Dark Elf Trilogy by D&D legendary R.A. Salvatore. This is the origin story of the super-popular character Drizzt Do’Urden, who started off as a support character in the Icewind Dale stories, but became so beloved he deserved his own books.
These books are just pure fun, Drizzt is just an inherently interesting character, and also in my completely biased opinion, we need more dark elves on TV. Now, I might get my wish with the potential Forgotten Realms TV series, but it’s these books in particular that I’d like to see made into a series.
4
The Rowan – Anne McCaffrey
Penguin Books
The first book in The Tower and The Hive is a sci-fi classic and one of Anne McAffery’s best works among a stellar body of stories. Personally, my favorite book by her is The Ship Who Sang, but if we’re talking about something that could be adapted into a killer TV show, The Rowan and the rest of The Tower and the Hive series is where it’s at.
In the world of the books, humans have awakened amazing powers such as telepathy, psychokinesis, and many other psychic powers. These aren’t supernatural, but scientifically-accepted facts. Not only that, but human society as been reshaped around these “talents” since they give humanity such an overwhelming advantage. It is a story about an orphan rising to the top of society, romance, and even aliens. Now that’s some good TV!
3
Children of Time – Adrian Tchaikovsky
Orbit
This is one of the latest books on this list, having been published in 2018, but Adrian Tchaikovsky is in my opinion one of the greatest modern sci-fi authors. He’s completely up-to-date with the latest in post-human and transhuman thought, and is deeply interested in biology and the physical sciences.
Using that knowledge and imagination, he’s built a vision of the future that feels like it absolutely could happen, while also being so fantastical that you won’t know what’s coming next. This first book in the series tells the story of how super-intelligent spiders and humans encounter each other. Spiders that we made into an intelligent species by accident, but now there’s competition for one of the few habitable worlds in the universe, after the Earth is no longer livable. The only thing potentially standing in the way here is arachnaphobia, but these are those cute jumping spiders, so maybe it could work!
2
Ragged Astronauts – Bob Shaw
Baen
Imagine a world with no advanced technology and metallurgy, but there’s another planet so close that the atmospheres actually touch. What if you could build wooden spaceships with hot air balloons and travel to a whole new world? That’s the premise of the Land and Overland books by Bob Shaw.
Under threat by an alien species, the only way is to migrate to the other planet-Overland. Doing it will take a cast of brave characters, and endless resuourcefulness. Sounds like a show to me!
1
Radix—A.A. Attanasio
John Bergin (Art)
Radix is simply one of the best books I have ever read. It’s part of a longer series, but you don’t need to read more than this one volume and it’s pretty much self-contained. A.A. Attanasio is one of those writers I can’t believe doesn’t get way more attention, but I guess these stories are so fantastical, and often so complex, that translating them to the screen is a real challenge.
Nonetheless, every time I’ve read Radix I come away with some pretty intense thoughts and feelings. It’s the story of a man named Sumner Kagan, who is a bit of a disaster, a public menace, and very hedonistic. However, through a series of events and encounters, he’s gradually transformed into, well, not quite a hero, but something transcendent.
There are so many books that would be amazing as TV shows, and I would even pick different ones depending on when you asked me, but if any TV producers are looking for ideas—here you go!
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