Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.
Today's a freebie week over at The Broke and the Bookish - which means we get to decide what top ten we want to do. Honestly I both love these weeks (because of all the great topics people come up with) and dread them (because I am seriously not that creative). I was searching desperately for a topic, but couldn't think of one I wanted to do. Then, just this past weekend, I was reading a book and thought 'what an awesome movie this would make' and, bam!, a topic was born. (So, this is totally not original, but let a girl dream, mkay?)
Galahad Series
First book: The Comet's Curse
By Dom Testa
When the tail of the comet Bhaktul flicks through the Earth’s atmosphere, deadly particles are left in its wake. Suddenly, mankind is confronted with a virus that devastates the adult population. Only those under the age of eighteen seem to be immune. Desperate to save humanity, a renowned scientist proposes a bold plan: to create a ship that will carry a crew of 251 teenagers to a home in a distant solar system. Two years later, the Galahad and its crew—none over the age of sixteen—is launched.
Two years of training have prepared the crew for the challenges of space travel. But soon after departing Earth, they discover that a saboteur is hiding on the Galahad! Faced with escalating acts of vandalism and terrorized by threatening messages, sixteen-year-old Triana Martell and her council soon realize that the stowaway will do anything to ensure that the Galahad never reaches its destination. The teens must find a way to neutralize their enemy. For if their mission fails, it will mean the end of the human race….
Notes: It was actually the sequel to this book that made me think of this. Basically, you've got 200+ teenagers stuck aboard a ship for five years hurtling to an unexplored world. I think it has the potential to be awesome!
Tales of the Ketty Jay Series
First book: Retribution Falls
By Chris Wooding
Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes. Suddenly Frey isn't just a nuisance anymore - he's public enemy number one, with the Coalition Navy on his tail and contractors hired to take him down. But Frey knows something they don't. That freighter was rigged to blow, and Frey has been framed to take the fall. If he wants to prove it, he's going to have to catch the real culprit. He must face liars and lovers, dogfights and gunfights, Dukes and daemons. It's going to take all his criminal talents to prove he's not the criminal they think he is...
Notes: Two words: Airship Pirates. If you wouldn't love to watch this show just because of that, then I can't help you.
Parasol Protectorate Series
First book: Soulless
By Gail Carriger
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations.
First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
Notes: It's not so much that I want to see this book, exactly, turned into a show, but I'd love to see one based around the world, at least. (Or ANY of the books.)
Riyria Revelations
First book: Theft of Swords
By Michael J. Sullivan
THEY KILLED THE KING. THEY PINNED IT ON TWO MEN. THEY CHOSE POORLY.
There's no ancient evil to defeat or orphan destined for greatness, just unlikely heroes and classic adventure. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, are two enterprising rogues who end up running for their lives when they're framed for the murder of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy that goes beyond the overthrow of a tiny kingdom, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery before it's too late.
Notes: Of course this would have to be on here. I love this whole series (and the prequels) so much. But, truthfully, I think they'd make an awesome TV series.
The Emperor's Edge Series
First book: The Emperor's Edge
By Lindsay Buroker
Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.
Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin, is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead.
Notes: The world building here is huge, so a show from this series wouldn't have to be just limited to this series - if I'm explaining myself at all. (Which I'm probably not.) But there are companion books, sequels after the series finishes, prequels (mainly shorts and novellas) and other stories in the world unconnected from this series.
Discword Series
(Especially the City Watch Arc, First book: Guards, Guards)
By Terry Pratchett
Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of 'draco nobilis' ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all . . .).
Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume--The Summoning of Dragons--is missing from the Library's shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it's burned to a crisp). A rare tale, well done as only Terry Pratchett can.
Notes: I'm not 100% sure how this would work. There are so many stories and so many characters and so many interconnected books and, honestly, quite a few 'inner-series' focusing on a character or group of characters. But I'd totally watch it because it would be fun and hilarious.
The Circle of Magic Series (and sequels)
First book: Sandry's Book
By Tamora Pierce
With her gift of weaving silk thread and creating light, Sandry is brought to the Winding Circle community. There she meets Briar, a former thief who has a way with plants; Daja, an outcast gifted at metalcraft; and Tris, whose connection with the weather unsettles everyone, including herself. At Winding Circle, the four misfits are taught how to use their magic - and to trust one another. But then disaster strikes their new home. Can Sandry weave together four kinds of magical power and save herself, her friends, and the one place where they've ever been accepted?
Notes: Currently I've only gotten as far as the first quartet, but I can already tell that I would LOVE to watch a TV show that follows these four kids around and watches them grow and mature. And I totally think it could have some awesome CGI for the magic in the books.
Heirs of Ash Series
(Or, really, anything set in Eberron)
First book: Voyage of the Mourning Dawn
By Rich Wulf
A young street thief finds herself embroiled in a quest to find a powerful super-weapon thought lost during the final days of the Last War. She's never known anything but the dingy streets of her own city, but she is taken in by the crew of the airship "Mourning Dawn" and soon finds herself in strange lands filled with wonders and horrors beyond her wildest dreams.
Notes: It was a decision for me, whether to include a book that was birthed by the tabletop RPG world or not. But, I'd really like to see any of them turned into a show - if it's Eberron, even better. But I chose this series because it hit all the right notes with me with the ragtag misfits and the awesome airships.
Princess Series
First book: The Stepsister Scheme
By Jim C. Hines
You know how all those old fairy tales take you through lots of scary adventures till you finally reach that inevitable line: "And they lived happily ever after..." Guess what? It's not true. Life in never-never land isn't all sweetness and light. Cinderella - whose real name is Danielle Whiteshore (nee Danielle de Glas) - does marry Prince Armand. And (if you can ignore the pigeon incident) their wedding is a dream-come-true.
But not long after the "happily ever after," Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte, who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon. And though Talia - otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty - comes to the rescue (she's a martial arts master, and all those fairy blessings make her almost unbeatable), Charlotte gets away.
That's when Danielle discovers a number of disturbing facts: Armand has been kidnapped and taken to the realm of the Fairies; Danielle is pregnant with his child; and the Queen has her very own Secret Service that consists of Talia and Snow (White, of course). Snow is an expert at mirror magic and heavy-duty flirting.
Can three princesses track down Armand and extract both the prince and themselves from the clutches of some of fantasyland's most nefarious villains?
Notes: This book reminds me a little of the old TV series Charlie's Angels. In it this man named Charlie (who you never see) hired three policewomen that were dissatisfied that their job was basically clerical (this was from the 70's) and sent them out as a kind of vigilant-y force. Righting the wrongs and all that. Well, this book takes the basic idea, makes them fairytale princesses, sticks them in a fantasy setting and gives them a Queen for a boss. Strong women, fairytale retelling, ethnic diversity, sexual diversity, this would be awesome.
Legend of Eli Monpress
First book: The Spirit Thief
By Rachel Aaron
Eli Monpress is talented. He's charming. And he's a thief.
But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.
The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.
Like a king.
Notes: This is a pretty straight forward fantasy series, except for the treatment of spirits. And I love the way the spirits are handled (a little like yokai, if that means anything to you). I definitely think the characters could carry a TV show wonderfully and it would be so much fun.
Falling Kingdoms Series
First book: Falling Kingdoms
By Morgan Rhodes
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.
As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.
Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.
Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....
Notes: Okay, I didn't love this series when I first started it, but it's one that really grows over time. I do think that the world and the politics could translate wonderfully onto a TV show. And it would be awesome to see the characters.
The Wilderhark Tales
First book: The Swan Prince
By Danielle E. Shipley
You’ve heard the stories – of young men scaling rope-like braids to assist the tower-bound damsel; of gorgeous gowns appearing just in time for a midnight ball; of frog princes, and swan princes, and princes saved from drowning by maidens of the sea. Tales of magic. Tales of adventure. Most of all, tales of true love.
Catching her leg in a bear trap proves the least of Sula’s worries. Haunted by an enchanted monster from a past she dare not reveal, and hounded by the perilously perceptive young village doctor, Villem Deere, the headstrong girl of the woods gambles with fate by binding hers to that of Sigmund, the captivating orphan boy with mysterious nightly business of his own.
Notes: I'm not sure about a TV series, but maybe a short one. An episode or two per story - or a miniseries (megaseries?) for the books would be awesome!
And there we have it. Would you watch any of these shows? Any books you think would make awesome TV series? What's you're topic today? (Side note, I actually originally titled this 'books' instead of 'book series' then changed it when I realized all those standalones were the ones I wanted to see movies made of instead.)
Today's a freebie week over at The Broke and the Bookish - which means we get to decide what top ten we want to do. Honestly I both love these weeks (because of all the great topics people come up with) and dread them (because I am seriously not that creative). I was searching desperately for a topic, but couldn't think of one I wanted to do. Then, just this past weekend, I was reading a book and thought 'what an awesome movie this would make' and, bam!, a topic was born. (So, this is totally not original, but let a girl dream, mkay?)
First book: The Comet's Curse
By Dom Testa
When the tail of the comet Bhaktul flicks through the Earth’s atmosphere, deadly particles are left in its wake. Suddenly, mankind is confronted with a virus that devastates the adult population. Only those under the age of eighteen seem to be immune. Desperate to save humanity, a renowned scientist proposes a bold plan: to create a ship that will carry a crew of 251 teenagers to a home in a distant solar system. Two years later, the Galahad and its crew—none over the age of sixteen—is launched.
Two years of training have prepared the crew for the challenges of space travel. But soon after departing Earth, they discover that a saboteur is hiding on the Galahad! Faced with escalating acts of vandalism and terrorized by threatening messages, sixteen-year-old Triana Martell and her council soon realize that the stowaway will do anything to ensure that the Galahad never reaches its destination. The teens must find a way to neutralize their enemy. For if their mission fails, it will mean the end of the human race….
Notes: It was actually the sequel to this book that made me think of this. Basically, you've got 200+ teenagers stuck aboard a ship for five years hurtling to an unexplored world. I think it has the potential to be awesome!
First book: Retribution Falls
By Chris Wooding
Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes. Suddenly Frey isn't just a nuisance anymore - he's public enemy number one, with the Coalition Navy on his tail and contractors hired to take him down. But Frey knows something they don't. That freighter was rigged to blow, and Frey has been framed to take the fall. If he wants to prove it, he's going to have to catch the real culprit. He must face liars and lovers, dogfights and gunfights, Dukes and daemons. It's going to take all his criminal talents to prove he's not the criminal they think he is...
Notes: Two words: Airship Pirates. If you wouldn't love to watch this show just because of that, then I can't help you.
First book: Soulless
By Gail Carriger
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations.
First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
Notes: It's not so much that I want to see this book, exactly, turned into a show, but I'd love to see one based around the world, at least. (Or ANY of the books.)
First book: Theft of Swords
By Michael J. Sullivan
THEY KILLED THE KING. THEY PINNED IT ON TWO MEN. THEY CHOSE POORLY.
There's no ancient evil to defeat or orphan destined for greatness, just unlikely heroes and classic adventure. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, are two enterprising rogues who end up running for their lives when they're framed for the murder of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy that goes beyond the overthrow of a tiny kingdom, their only hope is unraveling an ancient mystery before it's too late.
Notes: Of course this would have to be on here. I love this whole series (and the prequels) so much. But, truthfully, I think they'd make an awesome TV series.
First book: The Emperor's Edge
By Lindsay Buroker
Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.
Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin, is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead.
Notes: The world building here is huge, so a show from this series wouldn't have to be just limited to this series - if I'm explaining myself at all. (Which I'm probably not.) But there are companion books, sequels after the series finishes, prequels (mainly shorts and novellas) and other stories in the world unconnected from this series.
(Especially the City Watch Arc, First book: Guards, Guards)
By Terry Pratchett
Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of 'draco nobilis' ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all . . .).
Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume--The Summoning of Dragons--is missing from the Library's shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it's burned to a crisp). A rare tale, well done as only Terry Pratchett can.
Notes: I'm not 100% sure how this would work. There are so many stories and so many characters and so many interconnected books and, honestly, quite a few 'inner-series' focusing on a character or group of characters. But I'd totally watch it because it would be fun and hilarious.
First book: Sandry's Book
By Tamora Pierce
With her gift of weaving silk thread and creating light, Sandry is brought to the Winding Circle community. There she meets Briar, a former thief who has a way with plants; Daja, an outcast gifted at metalcraft; and Tris, whose connection with the weather unsettles everyone, including herself. At Winding Circle, the four misfits are taught how to use their magic - and to trust one another. But then disaster strikes their new home. Can Sandry weave together four kinds of magical power and save herself, her friends, and the one place where they've ever been accepted?
Notes: Currently I've only gotten as far as the first quartet, but I can already tell that I would LOVE to watch a TV show that follows these four kids around and watches them grow and mature. And I totally think it could have some awesome CGI for the magic in the books.
(Or, really, anything set in Eberron)
First book: Voyage of the Mourning Dawn
By Rich Wulf
A young street thief finds herself embroiled in a quest to find a powerful super-weapon thought lost during the final days of the Last War. She's never known anything but the dingy streets of her own city, but she is taken in by the crew of the airship "Mourning Dawn" and soon finds herself in strange lands filled with wonders and horrors beyond her wildest dreams.
Notes: It was a decision for me, whether to include a book that was birthed by the tabletop RPG world or not. But, I'd really like to see any of them turned into a show - if it's Eberron, even better. But I chose this series because it hit all the right notes with me with the ragtag misfits and the awesome airships.
First book: The Stepsister Scheme
By Jim C. Hines
You know how all those old fairy tales take you through lots of scary adventures till you finally reach that inevitable line: "And they lived happily ever after..." Guess what? It's not true. Life in never-never land isn't all sweetness and light. Cinderella - whose real name is Danielle Whiteshore (nee Danielle de Glas) - does marry Prince Armand. And (if you can ignore the pigeon incident) their wedding is a dream-come-true.
But not long after the "happily ever after," Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte, who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon. And though Talia - otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty - comes to the rescue (she's a martial arts master, and all those fairy blessings make her almost unbeatable), Charlotte gets away.
That's when Danielle discovers a number of disturbing facts: Armand has been kidnapped and taken to the realm of the Fairies; Danielle is pregnant with his child; and the Queen has her very own Secret Service that consists of Talia and Snow (White, of course). Snow is an expert at mirror magic and heavy-duty flirting.
Can three princesses track down Armand and extract both the prince and themselves from the clutches of some of fantasyland's most nefarious villains?
Notes: This book reminds me a little of the old TV series Charlie's Angels. In it this man named Charlie (who you never see) hired three policewomen that were dissatisfied that their job was basically clerical (this was from the 70's) and sent them out as a kind of vigilant-y force. Righting the wrongs and all that. Well, this book takes the basic idea, makes them fairytale princesses, sticks them in a fantasy setting and gives them a Queen for a boss. Strong women, fairytale retelling, ethnic diversity, sexual diversity, this would be awesome.
First book: The Spirit Thief
By Rachel Aaron
Eli Monpress is talented. He's charming. And he's a thief.
But not just any thief. He's the greatest thief of the age - and he's also a wizard. And with the help of his partners - a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls - he's going to put his plan into effect.
The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he'll need to steal some big things. But he'll start small for now. He'll just steal something that no one will miss - at least for a while.
Like a king.
Notes: This is a pretty straight forward fantasy series, except for the treatment of spirits. And I love the way the spirits are handled (a little like yokai, if that means anything to you). I definitely think the characters could carry a TV show wonderfully and it would be so much fun.
First book: Falling Kingdoms
By Morgan Rhodes
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.
As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.
The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?
It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.
Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.
Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.
Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.
Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....
Notes: Okay, I didn't love this series when I first started it, but it's one that really grows over time. I do think that the world and the politics could translate wonderfully onto a TV show. And it would be awesome to see the characters.
First book: The Swan Prince
By Danielle E. Shipley
You’ve heard the stories – of young men scaling rope-like braids to assist the tower-bound damsel; of gorgeous gowns appearing just in time for a midnight ball; of frog princes, and swan princes, and princes saved from drowning by maidens of the sea. Tales of magic. Tales of adventure. Most of all, tales of true love.
Catching her leg in a bear trap proves the least of Sula’s worries. Haunted by an enchanted monster from a past she dare not reveal, and hounded by the perilously perceptive young village doctor, Villem Deere, the headstrong girl of the woods gambles with fate by binding hers to that of Sigmund, the captivating orphan boy with mysterious nightly business of his own.
Notes: I'm not sure about a TV series, but maybe a short one. An episode or two per story - or a miniseries (megaseries?) for the books would be awesome!
And there we have it. Would you watch any of these shows? Any books you think would make awesome TV series? What's you're topic today? (Side note, I actually originally titled this 'books' instead of 'book series' then changed it when I realized all those standalones were the ones I wanted to see movies made of instead.)
