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3 Unfilmable Fantasy Books That I Cannot Imagine Ever Being Adapted
Many great fantasy books have untapped adaptation potential, but some are difficult to imagine coming to the screen. TV shows and films often struggle to recapture the magic of fantasy stories, even when they’re relatively straightforward. The genre demands high-budget visuals and a careful attention to detail. Not all networks and streamers are willing to make those investments upfront.
Adapting more complicated fantasy narratives is a greater challenge, and there are a few that feel unfilmable, at least in their present forms. They could come to the screen with major changes, but 1:1 adaptations seem unlikely. Given how poorly most divergent adaptations are received — and how much can be lost by tweaking things — it’s probably best if these stay off the page for now.
3) The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
The Book of the New Sun blends sci-fi and fantasy, and normally, its four-volume story would be an obvious candidate for the screen. On the surface, the journey of banished torturer Severian sounds compelling regardless of the format. However, Gene Wolfe’s story is one that benefits immensely from the books’ writing choices — details that wouldn’t cross seamlessly over to TV or film. From subtle hints that would make the twists too obvious on-screen to the narration, some of the series’ greatest strengths would be lost in translation. There’s a reason so few fans of the series want to see The Book of the New Sun adapted, and Hollywood should heed that.
2) Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Tamsyn Muir’s science fantasy novel Gideon the Ninth would be a challenge to bring to the screen, with multiple aspects of the story contributing to that struggle. So much of the book’s charm comes from its main character’s inner monologue, and it’s hard to envision that translating well to TV or film. On top of that, Gideon the Ninth doesn’t offer much exposition when it comes to its world-building. Things are left intentionally vague, with Muir’s mysterious setup paying off later on. In book form, it works, but it may not appeal to a more mainstream audience. The necromancy and backdrop would also require seriously impressive visuals, and that can be a risk for any fantasy adaptation.
1) The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War isn’t totally impossible to capture on-screen, and an adaptation was even announced back in 2020 (via Deadline). Unfortunately, it would need to tone down the last third of the book significantly — and doing so would dilute the point R.F. Kuang strives to make. The fantasy novel is all about the horrors of war, and Kuang’s descriptions don’t shy away from the carnage. One chapter, in particular, leans into atrocities based on real-world history, and bringing them to the screen would be dubious even with a TV-MA or R rating. The Poppy War is a fairly bleak novel overall, and while that doesn’t disqualify it from being adapted, it does make it harder to sell to mainstream audiences. The likelihood that it would be made more digestible is a genuine concern and makes a case for leaving it be.
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