4 Book to TV Adaptations You Can Stream Right Now
It's nearly summer and you're going to need some quality TV to get you through those hazy nights trying to cool off by the AC. Something to binge when it's raining outside your trailer on your long awaited camping trip and you need something to distract you from the fact that you aren't out by the campfire. Some of the best TV shows were adapted from well-loved books and below are some of my favourite adaptations. Be warned: you cannot have the same expectations for the show as you do the book, leave those expectations at the door please and enjoy what's to come.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin - Game of Thrones
Obviously, this is at the top of my list. But I will admit that this is the one time I watched the show before reading the book. I just couldn't wait. After binging the two seasons that were already out, I began reading the first book in the series and tried to catch up before the third season began to air. ("Air" not "stream" this was the good ol' days before I had anything but my parents' satellite dish and had to mute a lot of scenes while watching it in their basement.)
One throne, seven kingdoms and four main warring families. Countless betrayals, shocking twists, dragons, ice zombies and cliff hangers at every turn. Everything you could want in a TV show and more. Even for those not into fantasy, you can't help but get drawn into this story. You will loathe some characters more than you will think possible and fear for the lives of your favourites every single minute.
If you have any patience, read the series first. You won't be disappointed and the TV show will still shock you even if you know what will happen.
Streamable on Crave right now with the HBO+Movie add-on. Make sure you start it when you have a lot of free time to spare.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
I JUST DISCOVERED THIS STORY THIS YEAR! Trying to figure out the actor that plays Crowley in Supernatural, I came across a whole different demon by the very same name and he's played by David Tennant! Good Omens is a book beloved by many. Stated in the forward of the novel: "They (Pratchett and Gaiman) certainly didn't know they were going to write the most repaired book in the world." It's a story about the apocalypse, but not a dark, depressing sort of story, instead, a story that brings you to tears with laughter.
An Angel and a Demon partner up to stop the end of the world by trying to locate the missing anti-christ (an eleven-year-old boy named Adam). Obviously, nothing goes as smoothly as all that. It has just started streaming on Amazon Prime Video. I haven't finished it yet so I can't really rate the show but so far it's definitely living up to my expectations.
The 100 by Kass Morgan
I read the books in the moments in between classes, I got them for free with some gift card and powered through them on my E-Reader. It was an ok story, something that was interesting enough to hold my attention but not quite enough for me to feel any connection to it. And then it became a TV Show. For the longest time, I put off watching it thinking they just turned it into some teenage space version of Lost. But in my last semester, all my friends had finished and moved onto other cities. I got bored and, needing some "mindless" television, began to watch. Unsurprisingly, I got hooked. The actors in this show were surprisingly incredible and don't get nearly enough credit in my opinion. One of the rare cases where the show is better than the books!
A colony living in space, centuries from our present day, are running out of oxygen but they don't know if Earth has recovered from the nuclear wars. What better way to find out then send down 100 teenage delinquents to test it out? You already know there's going to be some Lord of the Flies kind of crap about to happen just from the synopsis! So. Good. It is reminiscent of Lost (mainly because of Henry Ian Cusick) but it stands on its own and you will definitely binge it in a short amount of time.
Streaming on Netflix with new episodes added weekly!
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
This is one of the only shows that even compares to the level of intensity that Game of Thrones brought us. This one I did manage to have patience with! As soon as I heard about this new show about a time-traveller and Scottish Highlanders, I was into it! I found the books ASAP, powered through the first three by Christmas, and got caught up to the show over my winter break. Ever since then I've kept at least 1.5 full books ahead of the show (just in case of spoilers).
A 1945 nurse from World War II falls through some standing stones to the year 1743, right on the cusp of the Jacobite rebellion. For her safety, she is forced to marry a very young and handsome Scottish Highlander. This story takes them through wars and rebellions, the settlement of the New World and then a revolution! SERIOUSLY WHY HAVEN'T YOU STARTED WATCHING IT YET?? It's gruesome and honest and exciting and bloody. The Frasers will steal you heart, and all of your free time!
You can watch the first few seasons on Netflix and keep up with it while it airs on STARZ through the Crave add-on. (I usually just pre-order it through AppleTV so I can watch it ASAP and own it FOREVERRRRRRRR).
That's all I have for right now, these are definitely enough to keep you busy at least for the next month or two in between vacations and camping trips! Let me know if you watch them, have watched them, loved them, or even hated them!
-Taylor-Paige