10 More Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy Books to Catch Up on Before Adaptations Arrive

Hollywood has long prowled bookshelves for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror material, going back even earlier than The Wizard of Oz, to name one high-profile (and surprisingly current) example. It shows no sign of stopping, with Dune ruling the box office and enough in-the-works projects to fill two previous io9 lists. Here’s even more for your pre-adaptation reading pleasure!

Newly minted Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr. is among the producers tackling this 2015 Bram Stoker Award-winning tale of possession and family secrets from Paul Tremblay, who also penned The Cabin at the End of the World, the source novel for M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin. A Head Full of Ghosts is slated to be directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, who also made Goodnight Mommy and The Lodge. Available on Amazon.

The BBC has ordered a six-part series based on this forthcoming debut novel, described as “a time travel romance, a spy thriller, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all.” It’ll be adapted by Alice Birch (Normal People, The End We Start From, Dead Ringers) and produced by A24. Available for pre-order on Amazon.

Sci-fi fans the world over hailed the news that William Gibson’s influential 1984 sci-fi masterpiece is finally, finally getting adapted. Even sweeter, it’s coming to the best streamer for sci-fi series right now: Apple TV+, from a team that includes Graham Roland (Dark Winds) and J.D. Dillard (Devotion). Ten episodes are confirmed, but a premiere date is as-yet unannounced. Available on Amazon.

By now you’ve seen the first trailer for the first part of Jon M. Chu’s musical spin on The Wizard of Oz, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as you-know-which rival witches. You could go follow the yellow brick road to L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but the more direct route is Gregory Maguire’s 1995 Wicked—already the basis for a Tony-winning musical, and part of Maguire’s ongoing series of Oz-themed novels. Available on Amazon.

Earlier this month, Working Title Television snapped up the rights to this 2024 debut novel, aiming to transform it into a TV series. It’s described as “an elegant and exhilarating literary speculative novel about an isolated town neighbored by its own past and future, and a young girl who spots two elderly visitors from across the border: the grieving parents of the boy she loves.” Available on Amazon.

Peacock is making a horror series called Teacup inspired by Robert McCammon’s 1988 novel Stinger, in which “a relentless alien bounty hunter encloses a Texas town under a dome to isolate, hunt, and kill its prey.” We’d already be all-in on that premise—the show changes the setting from Texas to Georgia—but add in that James Wan and Atomic Monster are producing, and that the cast includes Yvonna Strahovski, Kathy Baker, Scott Speedman, and more, and we’re jonesing for a premiere date. Find a used copy on Amazon.

Part of a 2023 Amazon collection of “Creature Feature” tales, this short story from best-selling horror author Grady Hendrix (My Best Friend’s Exorcism, The Final Girl Support Group) was picked up by Sony, with the author himself set to handle the screen adaptation. Here’s the premise: “Marcus grew up believing his father killed his mother—then blamed it on the boogeyman under the bed. Always leave the lights on, his father warned, or the boogeyman will get you. Marcus still heeds the superstition, especially when he invites his new girlfriend over. Is Marcus haunted by a creature or has he just inherited his father’s murderous delusions? The night will tell.” Available on Amazon.

Cold Storage author David Koepp is already an A-list screenwriter (just look at that book cover; his current gig is penning the Gareth Edwards-directed next Jurassic World film), so his novels already have a path carved to Hollywood. With a release date currently set for 2025, this adaptation of his 2019 novel about a “a highly mutative organism capable of extinction-level destruction” that gets loose (sounds scary, but it’s described as having humorous elements) was filming as of last year, and stars Liam Neeson along with Smile’s Sosie Bacon, Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell, and Stranger Things’ Joe Keery. Available on Amazon.