Science Fiction You Dearly Wish Someone Would Make Into a Movie

1.) Thorns (Robert Silverberg)

"Duncan Chalk is a monstrous media mogul with a vast appetite for toher people's pain. He feeds off it and carefully nurtures it in order to feed it to the public. It is inevitable that Chalk should hone in on Minner Burris, a space traveler whose body was taken apart by alien surgeons and then put back together again... differently."




2.) Titan (John Varley)

" It begins with humankind's exploration of a massive satellite orbiting Saturn. It culminates in a shocking discovery: the satellite is a giant alien being. Her name is Gaea. Her awesome interior is mind-boggling -- because it is a mind. A mind that calls out to explorers...and transforms all who enter."




3.) CIRCUS WORLD (Barry Longyear)

"Two hundred years earlier, a circus starship is stranded on the Planet Momus. Recently discovered by the rest of the galaxy, the population of Momus -- the remaining descendants of the original circus performers -- must deal with interstellar power politics and war... and they do so in their own special way."




4.) WILD CARDS (George R. R. Martin, various)

"There is a secret history of the world — a history in which an alien virus struck the Earth in the aftermath of World War II, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Some were called Aces — those with superhuman mental and physical abilities. Others were termed Jokers — cursed with bizarre mental or physical disabilities. Some turned their talents to the service of humanity. Others used their powers for evil. Wild Cards is their story."

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"If it was priggish for an older generation of reviewers to be ashamed of what they enjoyed and to feel they had to be contemptuous of popular entertainment, it's even more priggish for a new movie generation to be so proud of what they enjoy that they use their education to try to place trash within the acceptable academic tradition." -- Pauline Kael

Deception Point by Dan Brown



It starts out as a science fiction, but with twists, things are not always as they first appear.

Oooooh! A glance at the bookshelves reminded me of one I'd somehow managed to overlook, earlier...:

Gateway (Frederik Pohl)



"When prospector Robinette Broadhead went out to Gateway on the Heechee spacecraft, he decided he would know which was the right mission to make him his fortune. Three missions later, now famous and permanently rich, Rob Broadhead has to face what happened to him and what he has become... in a journey into himself as perilous and even more horrifying than the nightmare trip through the interstellar void that he drove himself to take."

When, oh when, will they make this already?

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Anything written by Greg Egan. Moreso than any other sci-fi writer that I've read, his style of writing is characterized by speed, acceleration, aggregates, infinitives, curves, points of inflexion, asymptotes, etc. He renders what we consider to be "emotional" or "mental" as topological in nature. For starters, his short story Closer is the attempt to bring the inner and outer into a perfect equilibrium such that they are indistinguishable. Being highly abstract, I don't think cinema has the tools to adequately express a style and content of writing that is purely conceptual or deals with the the relational rather than the substantial. Just read The Infinite Assassin, another brilliant short story, to see how writing operates on a different register than film.

Nevertheless, any attempt to render his writing on the screen is remarkable since his works necessarily FORCES the adoption of great creative liberties. It will definitely be interesting to see even the attempt at making such an adaptation or to better put it, re-creation/expression.

Joe Haldemann's The Forever War, whick looks like it's been in development hell for 30+ years. I'd love an adaptation of C.S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet, too. Either would work for a miniseries adaptation as well.

Another possibility from the extensive canon of Robert Silverberg (probably my favorite SF author, overall), along with one from another notable writer, as well:


Dying Inside (Robert Silverberg)



"David Selig was born with an awesome power -- the telepathic ability to look deep into the human heart, to probe the darkest truths hidden in the secret recesses of the soul. With reckless abandon, he used his talent in the pursuit of pleasure...

"... and then, one day, his power began to die."


The Saliva Tree (Brian W. Aldiss)



"Two parts H.G. Wells with a dash of H.P. Lovecraft added for flavor, The Saliva Tree deals with a most subtle and unnerving sort of alien invasion, taking place in late nineteenth century England."

Do it, you cowards:

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Starship Troopers. Verhoven bogarting the name of that masterpiece without even reading it fully is a travesty. Heinlein deserves better.

Seeing Oppenheimer and being reminded how good of a director Nolan is, seeing him adapt The Moon is a Harsh Mistress would be a treat.

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Meanwhile:

I would love to see something from Iain M. Banks' Culture universe make it to the screen, but then again, I am ambivalent about it, because it would be easy to screw up, so I doubt it would come out well. Not many of the books are particularly screen-worthy, except maybe Consider Phlebas, which is considered one of the weaker in the bunch.

I would also like to see this made into a film:



Or perhaps this:



Which is particularly screen-worthy, but perhaps more so as a series. Then again, I have heard him referred to as the Michael Bay of sci-fi books, so perhaps this isn't a great idea, either. Great aliens here, though. Nasty!

Or how about:



Yea, I could probably go on all day!

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I see this is listed as being part of a series, on Amazon. Does Book One stand alone, as a self-contained story, or would I need Book Two as well? (I'm always up for some "nasty aliens!")

Book two is the finale, and most certainly necessary. These are both massive tomes, also. Have you read the Vinge book I listed? Also has some cool aliens, but more benevolent. Fantastic book, that. Would probably recommend it, first.

Gotcha. Both books it shall be, then. Have added the Vinge for later on, down the road. (My Amazon want list is an absolute scandal.)

Love mean, mean alien races. Back when I was a wee shaver, reading the Ringworld books for the first time, I bitterly resented the presence of the Puppeteers, as it invariably meant less bloody Kzinti face time!

Commonwealth novels (Hamilton) have the nasty, nasty aliens, while the Vinge book is partially a first contact story from the point of view of the aliens first being contacted / becoming aware of of us. Also contains some great characterizations and cool time dilation business, as well as a mystery that at one point had me turning back in the book thinking "Wait...what???"

A Deepness in the Sky is one of my favorites of all time.

Wasn't the Kzinti, kitty cat looking aliens?

Yup. But, except for Speaker-to-Animals (the main one in Ringworld), they were all savage and ultra-violent, like big, hairy Taylor Swift fans just before a concert.