Books that would make good films

[face]

Hello everyone.

I am about to start my third year of an illustration degree course and i need to find a good book to design as if it were being made into a film.

The book cant be too long, as i dont have all the time in the world.

I am just wondering if anyone knows any good books that would make good films with good visuals, and that would be visualy exciting to concept design?

thanks.

[Kortez]

The Royal Game by Stefan Zweig. That's what I would do.

May not seem interesting to some, but I really,really,really love that book. Best book I've read. :)

[Chromo48]

The first book in Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series: "The Gunslinger." It's not very long, maybe 200 pages.

I know you're probably saying, "Steven King, what the hell, everybody knows him, not original, bla bla bla..."
But seriously, give it a look, it's not his usual stuff, it's actually a project he started in college and it's absolutely amazing, and I'm not a fan of anything else by him. I read it in a day, thats how good it was.

If that doesn't tickle your fancy, try Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" or "American Gods" although they are a bit lengthy, they both have amazing visuals and characters. Depends on how fast you can read I guess.

Or you could always do Kafka's "The Trial"

If for some reason you do one of these, it would be great to see the work you've done.

[face]

what sort of visuals would his book have if it were a film? would it have loads of special effects, or would it be more 'ordinary'.

[Chromo48]

The "Gunslinger" and "Neverwhere" would be pretty "visual effects heavy." There's some interdimensional stuff going on, strange looking people and creatures. Creatures especially in the Gunslinger.
American Gods would also have some effects, but not quit as many as the other two.

BTW: I was just kidding abou the Kafka book.

[ericpollen]

clive barker-the thief of always... a very twisted children's book written by one of the masters of horror. very strange visuals can come from this one.

but...

Zod Wallop or Resume With Monsters by William Browning Spencer would both be sick movies!

[Pencil Soldier]

I would love to see a movie based on the Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card.

[WildSpruceMoose]

Warcraft book called "Lord of the Clans" While reading I thought I was watching a movie.

[R_M]

Peter F. Hamilton's "Night Dawn Thrilogy"
I think the longest ever sci fi trilogy, would make for a very entertaining movie (all 32 hours of it)

[Fipse]

I can recommend F. Paul Wilsons "Healer". A short book - in german about 180 pages - and with everything you´d like. Aliens, heavy fighting, nightmares - many good visual stuff. It would make an excellent comic and I would draw it myself if I would have the time.

Fipse

[Duchess]

"The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon"-by Stephen King, Would make a great story, I think. It's about a spirited 9 yr old girl who gets lost in huge, neverending woods, encounters many of her fears including inner fears and relies on her walkman headset and the baseball game with "Tom Gordon", when her walkman gives out, she pretends Gordon is with her throughout her long perilous journey, Man I Love that book.
*Another would be the sequal to "The Clan of The Cave Bear" series.
And for an extraordinarily erotic tale is a book called "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty By: Anne Rice, that would definately be rated "R", Peace Out Man
:peace:

[Yiako]

"Ubik" by Phillp K. Dick.
Just imagine reality regressing in real time around you. And a moon base, spacecrafts, mind mutants... And if they were going bold and follow the hints of Dick about the character dresses... Woa, that would be MAD!

[morbidhumor]

Gotta agree with "American Gods." Tha visuals alone would be worth the price of admission. The slowly decaying wife, the death tree, the chaotic ending not to mention all the odd charactors. It could be an exeptional movie or, more likely, a thouroughly screwed over movie.

"The House of Leaves" has a great premise if you comletely abandon more than half of the book and just focus on the house. I would love to see the first 'tape footage' of "The Five and a Half Minute Hallway" actually created. All the explorations of the Great Hall and the Spiral Staircase the 'roaring' sound effect, knocking on walls, the measuring of the house (1/4 in. bigger on the inside). It has the potential to be the creepiest movie ever.

[apb]

You can try these on for size...

Peter F Hamilton's "A Second Chance at Eden", a collection of short stories that are prequel to the "Night Dawn Trilogy". (R_M: 32 hrs would be about right :)
I second "American Gods".
John Clute's "Appleseed" is nothing but visual effects.
Sean McMullen's "Miocene Arrow" has lots of beauty shots and "retro" technology.
And finally, my dream-on-it's-out-of-print-dammit category : Christopher Rowley's "Starhammer" is an epic galaxy-spanning space opera. The best one-book sci-fi story I ever read.

[jwo]

Originally posted by Chromo48
The "Gunslinger" and "Neverwhere" would be pretty "visual effects heavy." There's some interdimensional stuff going on, strange looking people and creatures. Creatures especially in the Gunslinger.
American Gods would also have some effects, but not quit as many as the other two.

BTW: I was just kidding abou the Kafka book.

gunslinger aint finished..but yea i agree.
and the neverwhere dvd comes out next week.

me: all my favorites have been turned to crap already.
but, Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials Trilogy

[bizarre]

Webster's Dictionary

Naw, just kidding. I'd say Tom Clancy's... oh wait that already is a movie... um, Stephen King's... damn.

To be honest i'm posting in this thread to get a few ideas of books to read to get some good visual ideas. I'm not into reading in my downtime (students dont like to read more than we have to)


so, uhm.... bump.

[Chromo48]

gunslinger aint finished..but yea i agree.

The Gunslinger is only the first book in the Dark Tower series.(the best one in my opinion) And I'm pretty sure the series is now done, although I'm not sure if the last book has been released yet.

[Pencil Soldier]

He always dais there woudl be seven, and the fourth definietly does not finish the seris. Mabye he weill never write them, or mabye he well relase them upon his death. All i know is, Drawing of the Three was my favorite.:D