The Stand to be made into a movie

Stephen King's The Stand is being made into a movie! You can read more {here}. But to put it simply, Warner Bros and CBS Films will be making a motion picture based on King's novel.

I think it will be really interesting how they tackle this - it has a lot of themes that will resound for the modern viewer, and I have a feeling the virus that wipes out the majority of the population will be very politicised. I have to read it again as it has been about 10 years since I've read The Stand ;D

How do you think they will go reinterpreting it?

Science Fiction: what should I read next?

Conceptual art based on War of the Worlds by HG Wells

I have been meaning for a while to get back into science fiction and dystopian tales. I haven’t really read many in the last few years. I went off to university and enforced a total book ban for those years I was studying, and on vacations I would glut on my favourite novels. When I moved to Sydney in 2007, I was able to visit a bookstore in Sydney that specialises in Speculative Fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror, urban fantasy, paranormal romance and relevant nonfiction). It meant that I concentrated in buying out my favourite authors (David Gemmell, Raymond E Fiest, Chares de Lint, Kelley Armstrong, Sherrilyn Kenyon etc) as well as exploring urban fantasy and paranormal romance in more detail. When you rely on libraries for your reading material, your reading is so much more diverse - both because their stock in speculative fiction is so limited, and because you aren't paying money to explore a new author with no personal recommendations for their novels. It means that I became so focused on urban fantasy, paranormal romance and epic fantasy, that I am out of touch with the other genres I used to love. I have no idea what has been published in the last ten years that I should read, and I know that I missed a lot of science fiction masters when I borrowed from local libraries.

Conceptual art based on Dune by Frank Herbert

When I say I am a second generation nerd, I mean it! My mum grew up watching Doctor Who, and saw Star Wars as a teen and in her early twenties. She saw Return of the Jedi when she was pregnant with me. I grew up watching Doctor Who every night at 6pm on ABC and we constantly rented the Star Wars VCRs throughout my childhood. I grew up loving ewoks and Yoda and loathing sith. I no longer know how many times I have seen each of the original Star Wars movies - it is over a hundred for each film. Of the new ones the only one I have seen more than once is Revenge of the Sith, and that is only three times. I guess you can say I am a product of my times. I grew up in the 80s and 90s watching science fiction and fantasy films, reading fantasy, mysteries, classics and science fiction. A lot of the science fiction shows I love are classics. Doctor Who, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (I love vintage science fiction films) and a lot of the books I love are the same (Dune, War of the Worlds etc). And then of course there are the bad B and C grade films I love... *sigh* I always say I am more of a fantasy fan, but science fiction still holds sway in my heart! I mean, favourite TV shows are Firefly and Dark Angel! ;D My favourite science fiction novel is definitely Dune by Frank Herbert. I did read another three books in that series, but I think as a stand alone book it was brilliant with a message that I identify with. I finally bought my own copy earlier this year, as I was reading my mother's books.

The reason for my post is that I want to bone up on my science fiction and dystopian tales. But the thing is, I want to concentrate on books that are classics of the genre. By that I do not mean old classics, but books that you recommend to everyone because they are so fucking good you just couldn't put them down. Books that you reread over and over and you know will never become dusty and covered in cobwebs on your shelves.
So far on my TBR list:

• Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
• 1984 - George Orwell
• A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

I will probably go back and read some of my favourites like Dune, The Host, War of The Worlds, Time Machine and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as well.

Can you recommend any others for me to read? What are your favourite novels or authors of science fiction and/or dystopian tales? What novels are you constantly returning to? What books are on your TBR list? I would love to hear what you think!

Dark Tower movie deal being negotiated

OMG!!! It looks like they are making a movie based on Stephen King's Dark Tower series! There has been rumours, but now there are names! I have to admit that I only read The Gunslinger so far. This is because my friend Sami owns them, and I moved to Sydney and couldn't borrow the rest. They are on my "Will Buy It One Day" list, and I guess that day will be soon... I hope they have the same awesome covers at Galaxy that she has. I remember how much I loved The Gunslinger, and also The Talisman (which is obscurely connected to The Dark Tower series), so I think I will definitely be interested about seeing the movie. Of those books in or related to The Dark Tower series, I've only read The Gunslinger and The Talisman. I guess I need to get my act together and buy the rest. Here is the article I was reading:

Source: Cinema Blend.com

It’s been rumored for years and now it’s finally happening. Deadline say Stephen King’s masterful fantasy series “The Dark Tower” is headed for theaters. As part of a deal being worked on at Universal (but not yet completed) the seven books which comprise the Dark Tower story will be condensed into three movies, in a script written by Akiva Goldsman and to be directed by Ron Howard.

The deal is also said to include a package which will result in a Dark Tower TV series, though how they’d pull that off in addition to the movies is a complete mystery. Will the three films cover only three of the books, leaving the TV series to cover the rest? Or will they combine all seven books into three films and then create a TV series which picks up where the final "Dark Tower" book leaves off? We won't know until the deal is finalized and Howard starts talking. King is reportedly working on an eigth novel which tackles a different storyline from "The Dark Tower", that could be possible fodder for the TV series as well.

What’s clear here is that, however they split it up, done properly The Dark Tower could be the next Lord of the Rings. King’s books follow a wandering Gunslinger named Roland, the last of his kind, as he wanders across dimensions and other worlds on an endless quest to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to be a nexus between worlds. The stories are massively epic in scope and cross over all sorts of different genres. It’s more than just fantasy, it’s science fiction, it’s horror, it’s gut-wrenching drama, and it’s part old-school shoot-em-up Western. The character of Roland is in theory more of a wandering knight than a cowboy, but in appearance and disposition, it’s as if Clint Eastwood wandered off the set of one his classic Wild West tales and into a Stephen King novel. This could be huge.

I say could be, because there’s one problem. His name is Ron Howard. Ron is a fine choice if you’re looking for sappy, schmaltzy Oscar-bait but it’s hard to imagine him tackling the darker, more horrific elements of The Dark Tower with any success. Earlier in his career I might have had more faith in his ability to do this. The guy who made Backdraft and Apollo 13 seemed like he might have something tense and edgy somewhere inside him. But I’m not sure I believe the director of Cinderella Man and A Beautiful Mind is capable of anything like this. I hope I’m wrong because done right, The Dark Tower could be brilliant; an epic, unforgettable Oscar winner.

At one point JJ Abrams was supposed to be developing The Dark Tower into a feature film but back in November that fell through. Now it’s about to end up in the hands of Ron Howard. We’ll let you know as soon as this is confirmed as a done deal.

What do you think? Is this something you would want to see, or are you worried they will screw up story lines, characters and all the other things we bibliophiles worry about when our beloveds are converted into a different medium?