You would’ve realised that many critically acclaimed hit series that you have watched are based on a book series. In most cases a book will be better than its adaptations, but some books have become even more popular with its adaptation into a series. With the recent trend of adapting bestselling novels into favourite shows, books that are being adapted into a movie or series are becoming more popular than ever. Netflix has made a name for themselves with several binge-worthy and critically acclaimed productions of series adapted from books. Here is a list of 7 books that got famous after it was adapted into a series.
Mind hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unity
Mind hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit is a 1995 true-crime book by retired FBI agent John E. Douglas and his co-author Mark Olshaker. It is about the man who pioneered the science of profiling serial killers. The book was adapted into the Netflix Original American crime thriller series created by Joe Penhall. The book describes Douglas’s “criminal-personality profiling” on serial killers and mass murderers, which he developed over decades of interviews with known killers. The book is based around two FBI agents, Holden Ford and Bill Tench along with psychologist Wendy Carr who operate the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit. They interview imprisoned serial killers to understand how they think to devise a way to profile potential killers and catch them.
The Witcher
The Witcher is a best-selling book by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s about the fortunes of Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter who swifts from one life-threatening situation to another. The book was adapted into popular American fantasy drama series that perfectly combines of Swords, Sex and Swearing. The book series revolves around the titular “Witcher”, the Geralt of Rivia. The book describes “witchers” as beast hunters who develop supernatural abilities at a young age to battle wild beasts and monsters. The book became much popular after the series became one of the most-watched films in 2019 with over 76 million viewers by the first month of release and soon became the most-in-demand TV series in the world, across all platforms.
Outlander
Outlander is a historical romance science fiction novel series written by American author Diana Gabaldon was adapted into a breath-taking drama series of the same name by Ronald D. Moore. The book is about the story of a 20th-century married British nurse Claire Randall, who in 1945 is suddenly transported back to Scotland in 1743. She finds that her life is constantly threatened in a dangerous new reality and is forced to wed the dashing Highlander warrior Jamie Fraser out of safety. Their marriage turns into a passionate love affair that transcends time and space. The show stars Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall and Sam Heughan Jamie Fraser.
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a classic work of children’s literature by Lucy Maud Montgomery in 1908 that got adopted in the Canadian series Anne with an E created by Moira Walley-Beckett. The novel is based around the adventures of an 11 year-old plucky orphan girl Anne Shirley, whose passions run deep in finding an unlikely home with a spinster Marilla Cuthbert and her soft-spoken bachelor brother Matthew. The novel is about how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town. The series Anne with an E is a thoughtful expansion of the original story that appealed to adults who grew up reading it and made the novel even more popular. The show added a surprisingly modern sensibility to Anne’s world with an anti-bullying and female empowerment message fit for children.
The Haunting Of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House is a 1959 seminal gothic horror novel by Shirley Jackson that got much popular after its adaptation into supernatural horror drama series of the same name by Mike Flanagan. The novel was the finalist for the National Book Award and is considered one of the best literary ghost stories published during the 20th century. The story of the novel is set in a mansion called the Hill House in a location that is never specified but is between many hills and switches between past and present of a fractured family, haunted by their paranormal experiences at Hill House. It revolves around Dr. John Montague, an investigator of the supernatural, Eleanor Vance, a shy young woman, Theodora, a flamboyant, bohemian artist and Luke Sanderson, the young heir to Hill House, who is host to the others. The book’s series adaptation is popular for its brilliant and masterful making.
Alias Grace
Alias Grace is Margaret Atwood’s award winning historical fiction novel that was adopted as Canadian miniseries directed by Mary Harron and written by Sarah Polley. The story set in 19th century Canada is based on the centuries-old true story in rural Ontario and fictionalized the notorious 1843 murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in Canada West. It follows the story of a Grace Marks who was a servant of the Kinnear household and is accused of murder. The story is narrated by a fictional psychiatrist, Simon Jordan, who researches the case and evaluates Grace Marks to know whether she can be pardoned due to insanity.
Other than the books in the list, there are many other successful book adaptations that most people don’t even know that are based off some pretty great books. Unfortunately, some pretty great shows that are raving about and recommended to people are based on books that most people have not read.
Also check out Female Authors And Their Books Based On True Events, October – The Social Media Hashtag Flood Month, Why The God Of Small Things Is The Best Book Ever!
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