8 book adaptations we want instead of more Lord of the Rings movies

7. Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse

Another work of modern epic fantasy, Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky series has great creatures, conflicting factions, magic, wonder, and a world inspired by the myth and culture of the pre-Columbian empires of Central America. The first novel, Black Sun, follows a trio of characters whose fates become intricately entwined with a solar eclipse that heralds the dawn of a new regime. It ends in brutal, bloody fashion that sets up the sequel Fevered Star.

Roanhorse’s novels follow Xiala, a foul-mouthed sailor with special magical abilities who is tasked with delivering the blind priest Serapio to a city in time for a solar eclipse which it’s believed will return to glory the downtrodden Crow Clan. Combining romance with adventure and some excellent character work, Black Sun was nominated for a slew of awards and made huge waves for the attention to detail Roanhorse paid her world and characters.

Black Sun was optioned for television by AMC back in 2021 with The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang attached to produce, but since then there hasn’t been a peep from the network about the show. We don’t know if it’s still happening, but we’d much rather see Black Sun on the screen than yet another Tolkien remix.

8. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

Alright, alright, I know what you’re thinking: “Daniel, you’ve literally lost your mind. A Malazan Book of the Fallen movie or show would never work.”

And yet…

A big mistake I think a lot of studios make is that they cling to mega-franchises, hoping to just keep on making money from well-established properties rather than taking risks on exciting new stories. That’s the whole point of this article.

Yet many of those franchises only became successful because studios took a risk. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies were a gamble at the time, as was HBO’s Game of Thrones.

And if we’re talking risk, few fantasy stories would be riskier to adapt than Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen. Over the course of 10 books (plus a few spinoffs and sequels), Erikson spins a deeply complex tale of empire, divine warfare, and fascinating characters caught in the wheels of history.

There’s no doubt that a Malazan series would be a hard sell for a studio; hell, it’s a hard sell for a lot of readers. But that’s also what has made it such an enduring work. Malazan is one of the few fantasy series out there on the same level as The Wheel of Time, The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire in terms of the breadth and scale of its story. If a studio could ever actually pull off a Malazan adaptation, it has the potential to captivate people on a grand scale.

What books or series would you like to see turned into movies or shows? There are plenty of other amazing ones out there; we don’t need to cling to well-worn properties until we’re all sick of them. Help us help you here, Hollywood!

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