Television adaptation: ‘The Family’ by Jeff Sharlet

Jeff Sharlet is an American journalist, author and contributing editor for Harper’s, Virginia Quarterly Review and Rolling Stone. His work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Esquire and The Washington Post and he has written the books “The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power” “C Street” and “Sweet Heaven When I Die.” “The Family” investigates the political power of The Family or The Fellowship, a secretive fundamentalist Christian association led by Douglas Coe. It was developed into a documentary web television miniseries that premiered on Netflix on August 9.

According to Amazon, in “The Family,” the group insists that they are just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics, but congressmen of both parties describe them as the most influential religious organization in Washington. They say they are not Christians, but simply believers. Behind the scenes at every National Prayer Breakfast since 1953 has been the Family, an elite network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful. Their goal is “Jesus plus nothing.” Their method is backroom diplomacy. “The Family” is the startling story of how their faith, part free-market fundamentalism, part imperial ambition, has come to be interwoven with the affairs of nations around the world.

Movie adaptation: ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’ by Maria Semple

bernadettemovie — The movie adaptation of Maria Semple’s best selling novel opens in theaters this Friday August 16. Photo: google

Maria Semple is an American novelist and screenwriter best known for the novels “This One Is Mine,” “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” and “Today Will Be Different.” Her television credits include Beverly Hills, 90210, Mad About You, Saturday Night Live, Arrested Development, Suddenly Susan and Ellen. “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” spent a year on The New York Times’ bestseller list, won the American Library Association’s Alex Award and was shortlisted for Women’s Prize for Fiction. It centers around an agoraphobic architect, mother and wife who is struggling to adjust to life in Seattle and goes missing just before a family trip to Antarctica. The movie adaptation starring Cate Blanchette will be in theaters starting this Friday August 16.

In “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” everyone has their thoughts about Bernadette Fox. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she is a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she is a disgrace; to design mavens, she is a revolutionary architect; and to 15-year-old Bee, she is her best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette vanishes. It all began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette is so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents and secret correspondence.

Television adaptation: ‘NOS4A2’ by Joe Hill

nos4a2 Joe Hill is an American author and comic book writer whose work includes the novels “Heart-Shaped Box,” “Horns,” “NOS4A2” and “The Fireman.” He has also written the short story collections “20th Century Ghosts” and “Strange Weather” as well as the comic book series Locke & Key, the latter which won the British Fantasy Awards in 2009 and 2012 and an Eisner Award in 2012. NOS4A2 focuses on a woman trying to save her son from a vicious, supernatural killer who has set his eyes on him. The television adaptation, consisting of ten episodes, will air on AMC starting on Sunday June 2 and stars Zachary Quinto as Charlie Manx and Ashleigh Cummings as Vic McQueen.

“NOS4A2” follows Victoria “Vic” McQueen, a young working-class artist who has a secret gift for finding things, like a misplace bracelet, a missing photograph or answers to unanswerable questions. She also discovers that she has a supernatural ability to track the seemingly immortal Charlie Manx. Manx feeds off the souls of children, then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland, a twisted Christmas Village of Manx’s imagination where everyday is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. He drives a 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the vanity plate NOS4A2 which allows him to slip out of the everyday world and into the terrifying Christmasland. When Vic was young, she was the only girl to escape Manx’s evil grasp and now all grown up, she just wants to forget. But Manx has never forgotten Vic and now she must defeat Manx and rescue his victims, one being her own son, without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself.

Television adaptation: ‘Good Omens’ by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, audio theater and films. He is best known for the comic book series The Sandman and the novels “Stardust,” “American Gods,” “Coraline” and “The Graveyard Book.” He collaborated with English author Terry Pratchett for the 1990 World Fantasy Award-nominated novel “Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.” The book is a comedy about the birth of the son of Satan, the coming of the end of times and the attempts by the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley to sabotage it, having grown accustomed to their comfortable surroundings in England. It was adapted into a six-part series and will be released on Friday May 31 on Amazon Prime and stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

“Good Omens” is about the coming of the End Times; the Apocalypse is near and Final Judgement will soon descend upon humans. Aziraphale was the guardian of the Eastern Gate of Eden and Crowley was the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the apple and respectively, the representatives of Heaven and Hell on Earth. They have become good friends and have decided to work together and keep an eye on the Antichrist. He is destined to be the son of a prominent American diplomat stationed in Britain and their plan is to make sure he grows up unable to decide between Good and Evil, therefore postponing the end of the world.

Television adaptation: Deadly Class by Rick Remender

deadlyclass Rick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist and is best known for his work on Image Comics such as Deadly Class, Fear Agent, Black Science as well as Marvel Comics’ Uncanny X-Force. Deadly Class is an action genre graphic novel which follows students enrolled at King’s Dominion Atelier of the Deadly Arts, a secret high school in San Francisco as they train to become the next generation of top assassins for crime families across the globe. The television adaptation will premiere on Syfy on Wednesday January 16 and stars Benedict Wong, Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Luke Tennie, Liam James and Michel Duval.

Deadly Class begins with the story of teenage orphan Marcus Lopez Arguello as he transitions from living on the streets to being enrolled into a school of assassins. The academy is run by Master Lin and is composed of children of mob bosses and mass murderers who are learning the same trade as their parents. It then continues to follow the stories of the individuals enrolled in the academy and many of their eventual downfalls. Volumes in the series include Reagan Youth, Kids of the Black Hole, Snake Pit, Die for Me, Carousel, This Is Not the End, Love Like Blood and Never Go Back.

Television adaptation: ‘The Passage’ by Justin Cronin

Justin Cronin is an American author who has written five novels: ‘Mary and O’Neil,’ ‘The Summer Guest’ and the vampire trilogy consisting of ‘The Passage,’ ‘The Twelve’ and ‘City of Mirrors.’ He has won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, the Stephen Crane Prize and a Whiting Award. ‘The Passage’ is the story of Amy who was abandoned by her mother at age six and is now being pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. The television adaption will premiere on Fox on Monday January 14 and stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Brad Wolgast and Saniyya Sidney as Amy Bellafonte.

‘The Passage’ focuses on Project Noah, a secret medical facility where scientists are experimenting with a dangerous virus that at best is a cure-all for all diseases and at worst has the potential to wipe out humanity. When Amy Bellafonte is chosen as a test subject, Federal Agent Brad Wolgast has to bring her in to Project Noah but instead bonds with her as a surrogate father and vows to protect her at any cost. Their journey will force them to confront Project Noah’s lead scientist, Major Nichole Skyes and the hardened ex-CIA operative in charge of operations Clark Richards, whom Brad trained. It also brings them face-to-face with a dangerous new race of beings within the walls of Project Noah.

Television adaptation: ‘A Discovery of Witches’ by Deborah Harkness

discoveryofwitches Deborah Harkness is an American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast best known as a historian and the author of the All Souls Trilogy. The series consists of The New York Times’ best-selling novel ‘A Discovery of Witches’ and the sequels ‘Shadow of Night’ and ‘The Book of Life.’ The story centers around Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches. It was adapted into a television series by Sky One, a British network, and will premiere on Sundance Now on Thursday January 17. Cast includes Matthew Goode, Alex Kingston and Teresa Palmer.

In ‘A Discovery of Witches,’ Diana Bishop discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Despite a long-held mistrust between witches and vampires they form an alliance and set out to protect the book and solve the mysteries hidden within while dodging threats from the creature world.

Television adaptation: ‘Sharp Objects’ by Gillian Flynn

sharpobjectsbook — The series Sharp Objects, based on Gillian Flynn’s book, premieres on HBO on Sunday July 8.

Gillian Flynn is an American mystery author and former television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has written three novels including “Sharp Objects,” “Dark Places” and “Gone Girl.” “Gone Girl” became an instant bestseller and was adapted into a movie starring Ben Affleck. Her debut novel, “Sharp Objects,” follows a newspaper journalist who must return to her hometown to report on a series of brutal murders. It has been adapted into a limited series on HBO starring Amy Adams. It premieres on Sunday July 8.

According to Amazon, in “Sharp Objects” Camille Preaker is an emotionally troubled reporter who is fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital. She now faces a troubling new assignment which involves returning to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. It has been years since she has spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or the half-sister she barely knows who is a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Once she is settled in, she finds herself identifying with the young victims and is haunted by her own demons. If she wants to get to the bottom of the story and survive being back home, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past.

Television adaptation: ‘Dietland’ by Sarai Walker

dietlandpic — The television adaptation of ‘Dietland’ premieres on AMC on Monday June 4, 2018.

Sarai Walker is a magazine writer whose articles have appeared in national publications including Seventeen and Mademoiselle. ‘Dietland,’ her first novel, explores the beauty industry and society’s obsession with weight loss. It has been adapted into a television series by Marti Noxon and is set to premiere on AMC on Monday June 4 with back to back episodes. Joy Nash stars as Plum Kettle and Julianna Margulies as Kitty Montgomery.

‘Dietland’ centers around Plum Kettle, who tries her best not to be noticed because to be noticed is to be judged. She works at a popular teen girls’ magazine answering fan mail and is looking forward to having weight loss surgery because she believes it will improve her life. When a mysterious woman starts following her, she becomes involved with an underground community of women who live life on their own terms. She agrees to a series of challenges that force her to deal with her past, her doubts and the real cost of becoming ‘beautiful.’ In the meantime, a dangerous guerrilla group called ‘Jennifer’ begins to carry out increasingly violent acts of vigilante justice against those who mistreat women and Plum soon finds herself at the center of a sinister plot.

Television adaptation: ‘Instinct’ by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

instincttv James Patterson is the best-selling author of thrillers, children’s books, non-fiction books and romance novels as well as many stand-alone novels. He is best known for the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club and Middle School series. As a generous supporter of universities, teachers, colleges, independent bookstores, school libraries and college students, he has donated millions of dollars in grants and scholarships to encourage Americans of all ages to read more books. Some of his books have been adapted to movies and television, including ‘Along Came a Spider,’ ‘Kiss the Girls’ and ‘Zoo.’ The most recent is ‘Instinct,’ previously published as ‘Murder Games’ and co-written with Howard Roughan. It has been adapted into the television series Instinct for CBS starring Alan Cumming and premiered on March 11.

According to Amazon, ‘Instinct’ centers around Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a renowned bestselling Ivy League expert on criminal behavior who has written the book on the subject. When a copy turns up at a gruesome crime scene along with a threatening message from the killer, he is recruited by Elizabeth Needham, the headstrong and brilliant NYPD Detective in charge of the case. She needs his help to investigate a souvenir left at the crime scene which turns out to be a playing card. When another card turns out at the next murder scene, Dylan suspects that the cards are not a signature but a hint pointing at the next target. To stop him, Dylan must get inside the mind of a criminal and convince him to lay down his cards before it is too late.

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