Just FYI, I’m delaying the discussion on the first Foundation Trilogy book a week, so we’ll discuss on Feb 25 instead of the 18th.
So, over at Turtleduck Press this week, I posted about a conversation with my mother and how it’s interesting who can read stories based off of other stories, and what sort of changes authors can make before it annoys someone, and how everyone’s annoyances are different. (I, apparently, don’t like people to touch my 19th-century women-written literature, for example.) And I also talked about the ways people can change or expand on those stories, and how different people have different preferences in regards to that too.
And I got a comment asking about so of my favorite book-to-book adaptations, and instead of writing a giant comment over there, I thought I’d share with everyone over here. My brain is admittedly a little fried, so I’m also going to list some non-book adaptations that I’ve enjoyed.
Books
Redshirts by John Scalzi – This is technically a TV-to-book adaptation, I guess. It’s not Star Trek, but it’s also not not Star Trek. Redshirts is a very interesting look at the structure of fiction and what the background characters go through. It gets a little overtly meta in places, but it’s definitely worth a read.
Ironskin by Tina Connolly – Ironskin is a retelling of Jane Eyre set in a universe with a very interesting magical system and background. It is, at times, a bit obvious about its source material, but it’s worth it for the worldbuilding.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer – I haven’t gotten a chance to finish this yet, but it is essentially Cinderella. With cyborgs.
Other Media
Namesake – Namesake is a beautiful comic with an awesome and very intriguing storyline. While it kind of co-opts a number of stories (including the Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, etc.), thus far it’s really only delved into the Wizard of Oz in any great detail, and, unlike a lot of Wizard of Oz adaptations, it utilizes the events and characters in the entire series. There’s also been a bit of expansion into the Alice in Wonderland universe, and I gotta say, the Cheshire cats (yes, plural) are my very favorite.
Hook – Yes, the mid-90s movie with Robin Williams and Dennis Hoffman. For those who are unfamiliar, the movie takes place after Peter Pan has left Neverland and grown up. It may be because I was the right age at the right time, but I love this movie a lot.
Lost in Austen – This is a BBC miniseries about a modern girl who switches places with Elizabeth Bennet and manages to almost single-handedly ruin the entire narrative. This admittedly gets dangerously close to my don’t-mess-with-my-19th-century-women-written-literature issue, but it’s so brilliant in places that I have gotten around that.
Tin Man – SyFy’s version of a modern day Wizard of Oz has a nice added sibling storyline and a lot of fun almost steampunk aspects to it. Plus the cast is ace. I would listen to Alan Cummings read the phone book.
Epic Mickey – A Wii game that came out a while ago, Epic Mickey is based on the concept that everything Disney has gone horrifically wrong. There’s a shadowy Magic Kingdom and dark versions of classic songs. And it’s nice to see Disney twist its own standard fare. It’s got an interesting gameplay method as well, if such things are your cup of tea.
And then there are, of course, things like Sherlock and Sleepy Hollow and many more television shows that I am not going to list.
I can’t seem to think of any true extensions–prequels, sequels, or the same story from an alternate point of view–that I liked off the top of my head. Can you think of any, Squiders? I certainly have some on my list to read–a couple of P&P related novels about other characters, and a Sherlock Holmes story called The Seven Percent Solution.
