No There’s an ongoing debate concerning whether it’s best to read the book before you see the movie. On the one hand, spoilers are almost unavoidable if you read the source material before seeing the film. On the other hand, reading the book can give viewers an understanding of the universe and characters that can enhance your appreciation of the story. Most of the time, movies are held to a certain commercially-tolerable running time (no matter how much you love the books, no one wants a six-hour film), which means a lot of good stuff is bound to get cut out or altered
In fact, reading the book before the film has one other super-powered advantage: It allows you to form your own ideas on what the characters look and sound like, what the settings are like—what every aspect of the book is like. Then, when you see the film, you can decide which you like better. Seeing the film first often means those images and sounds get locked in, which limits the imagination that comes with reading a story for the first time.
With that in mind, here are ten upcoming film adaptations where reading the book first is an absolute must.
1. THE DARK TOWER, BY STEPHEN KING
Stephen King’s passion project took a long time for him to write. It’s a massively epic fantasy set in a dying alternate world known as Mid-World; it (and our own universe) is protected by The Dark Tower, which is slowly failing. The last Gunslinger (a sort of knightly order in that world) is on a quest to reach the Dark Tower and find a way to save his world). The books also took a long time to make it to the big screen, but finally arrive this year—with a twist: The film, starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, isn’t an adaptation, it’s a sequel .
Or, not a sequel so much as a continuation. In the novels ( spoiler alert), the hero, The Gunslinger Roland Deschain, discovers at the end that he’s been repeating this quest over and over again, more or less having the same experiences each time. At the end of the novel series, however, he changes a key detail as he goes back to begin again—which is apparently where the new film kicks off. So while it may follow the same basic framework as the novels, at least at first, the film series should offer something completely new.
Which means it’s even more important to read the novels, or you’ll not only miss out on a lot of back story and information, you also won’t be able to appreciate the twists and turns.
02. ANNIHILATION, BY JEFF VANDERMEER
VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy ( Annihilation, Authority , and Acceptance) is one of the smartest—and scariest—sci-fi stories of recent years. The film sports some incredible talent—Alex Garland adapted the book and directs, and the film stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac among others—so you know it’s going to be well done. But it’s the ideas the story sets up that should excite you—and that’s why reading the book first is essential.
The film is based solely on the first book of the trilogy, which tells the story of a four-person team entering Area X, an environmental disaster site that’s been cut off from the rest of the world. Eleven teams have entered before them—including the husband of the biologist of the group—and disappeared. Some members of those expeditions returned mysteriously, and most died within weeks of aggressive cancers. Set almost entirely in the frightening and mysterious Area X, the first book is tense and twisting as the team dies one by one until only the biologist (the narrator of the story) remains. It’s a self-contained story, ideal for a film adaptation, but there’s so much going on you’ll enjoy the movie more if you’ve read at least Annihilation first.
03. A WRINKLE IN TIME, BY MADELEINE L'ENGLE
One of the great sci-fi classics of all-time, L’engle’s book combines a smart grasp of the most complex issues in physics and other sciences and makes of them a fun romp through the universe as Meg and Charles Wallace Murry team up with a school friend, Calvin, and three immortal beings named Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which to track down the Murrys’ missing father—and battle a force of evil attacking the universe known as the Black Thing.
Put simply, there’s a reason this book has been continuously in print since 1963, spawned four sequels, and is still much-discussed. There was a film adaptation in 2003, but it was critically panned and L’engle herself wasn’t very pleased with the result, so there’s a lot of anticipation for the new version, directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and a host of other stars. Part of the fun, though, is falling in love with the universe L’engle has created and then seeing those characters come to life.
04. READY PLAYER ONE, BY ERNEST CLINE
One of the biggest sci-fi books of the last few years, this story of a fractured future in the midst of environmental and economic collapse where the most stable currency and societal structure is in a virtual world known as OASIS. Part role-playing game, part immersive experience, players use equipment like VR goggles and haptic gloves to enter this virtual world. The inventor of OASIS left instructions in his will that any one who could locate an “easter egg” he coded into the virtual reality would inherit his fortune and control over OASIS. When a teenager discovers the first of three clues to the location of the easter egg, a tense game begins.
The story is absolutely soaked in pop culture and nerdy references, with just about every single clue, challenge, and plot point a cross-reference to a book, film, or song. On top of that, the story is a twisty mystery that offers up more than one surprising development, so reading this one before the film is almost required, even if the master himself, Steven Spielberg, is directing.
Continue to 5 of 10 below.
05. MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, BY AGATHA CHRISTIE
Arguably Christie’s most famous mystery, Murder on the Orient Express remains one of the most clever and surprisingly resolutions to a murder eight decades after publication. In fact, there’s a very good chance you already know how it ends even if you’ve never read the book—the twist is that famous.
It’s also been adapted many times before. So why read a book that’s already been spoiled so thoroughly? First and foremost, to refresh your memory: Kenneth Branagh’s version, star-studded (Johnny Depp, Daisey Ridley, and Judi Dench are just a few of the names associated with the story) as it is, is rumored to have toyed a bit with the solution just to keep things interesting. If you’re going to judge whether the tweaks are improvements or not, you’ll need to have a clear sense of the original.
Second, why not? Just because you know the ending doesn’t make the journey any less enjoyable.
06. THE NIGHTINGALE, BY KRISTIN HANNAH
The powerful, emotionally potent story of two sisters resisting the Nazi occupation of France in very different ways is one of the great novels of recent years. One sister, Vianne, with a family to protect, endures poverty and terror as she is forced to billet Nazi soldiers in her home—one of whom sexually assaults her. At the same time she comes to protect Jewish children, even adopting one, Ari, who she comes to love as a son—a son she loses after the war when his American relatives claim him.
Her sister, Isabelle, becomes active in the resistance, and earns the code name Nightingale when she begins to work to rescue allied pilots who crash behind enemy lines. When she is captured, she winds up in a concentration camp, an experience she barely survives.
These stories are the stuff that incredible movies are made of—but the book offers plenty of back story that’s well worth absorbing before you see the story on the big screen next year.
07. THE HATE U GIVE, BY ANGIE THOMAS
This is the hot book of the year, a surprise debut that earned a record-setting advance at auction and sold film rights before it even published. It’s been on the bestseller lists for ages with no sign of slowing down. The film adaptation, directed by George Tillman Jr. and starring The Hunger Games’ Amandla Stenberg, is going to be one of those must-see movies.
The novel, though, is quickly becoming a must-read. With its powerful story of a young black girl, straddling her poor neighborhood and the fancy prep school she attends, who witnesses white police officers shooting her unarmed childhood friend, The Hate U Give is more than timely. It’s one of those rare books that combines artistry with smart social commentary. In other words, it’s destined to be one of those books that gets taught in schools to generations to come, so the film version is superfluous to the conversation—just read it.
08. SLEEPING GIANTS, BY SYLVAIN NEUVEL
Similarly to The Martian , this novel was self-published online after Neuvel received more than 50 rejections from literary agents and publishers. The book caught a rave review from Kirkus Reviews, and took off, getting a nice publishing contract and selling film rights to Sony.
The story kicks off when a young girl falls through a hole in the ground and discovers a giant hand—literally, the hand of a huge robot. This kicks off a worldwide effort to investigate the hand and locate the rest of the giant, leading to the big question: Will the end result be an incredible discovery leading mankind forward, or turn out to be a deadly weapon that destroys us all? Either way, you’re gonna want to be in on this when the movie is eventually released, so read it now—and get on the sequel, which just came out.
Continue to 9 of 10 below.
09. THE SNOWMAN, BY JO NESBØ
Fans of Norwegian writer Nesbø’s alcoholic detective Harry Hole were thrilled to see Michael Fassbender cast in this iconic role, and can only hope the team making this film don’t screw it up. The Snowman isn’t the first Harry Hole novel, but it’s one of the best, exemplifying Nesbø’s deep-dive approach to character, bleak view of the human condition, and unflinching look at the violence of the modern day. And Fassbender is ideal for the role.
Reading the book first might seem like inviting spoilers, but in truth you’ll get to know the character better—and character is what this series of gritty noir mysteries is all about.
10. VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS, BY PERRE CHRISTIN
This movie, starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne is based on a long-running French comic called Valérian and Laureline that published between 1967 and 2010. In other words, there is a lot of material here, and if the films of Luc Besson have taught us anything it’s that he likes to cram a lot of visuals and details into his work. In other words, if you want to have a leg up on the sprawling sci-fi universe this movie takes place in, read the source material, and thank us later.
