Television adaptation: ‘The Never Game’ by Jeffery Deaver

The first season of Tracker is based on ‘The Never Game.’ Photo: Amazon

I always look forward to new shows, especially ones based on books. The first season of the new CBS series Tracker starring Justin Hartley is based on “The Never Game.” It premiered on February 11 and after having seen the first episode, I look forward to more of this exciting new action series.

Jeffery Deaver is an international number-one bestselling author. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world and are sold in 150 countries and translated into over twenty-five languages. The author of over forty novels, three collections of short stories and a nonfiction law book, and a lyricist of a country-western album, he’s received or been shortlisted for dozens of awards. His book “A Maiden’s Grave” was made into an HBO movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and his novel “The Bone Collector” was a feature release from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Lifetime aired an adaptation of his “The Devil’s Teardrop.” (Wikipedia, 2024)

“The Never Game” – The son of a survivalist family, Colter Shaw is an expert tracker. Now he makes a living as a “reward seeker,” traveling the country to help police solve crimes and locate missing persons for private citizens. “You’ve been abandoned. Escape if you can. Or die with dignity.” Hired by the father of a young woman who has gone missing in Silicon Valley, Shaw’s search takes him into the dark heart of America’s cutthroat billion-dollar video-game industry. When another person goes missing, Shaw must ask: Is a madman bringing a twisted video game to life? Encountering eccentric designers, trigger-happy gamers, and ruthless tech titans, Shaw soon learns that he isn’t the only one on the hunt: someone is on his trail and closing fast. (Amazon, 2024)

Television adaptation: ‘Behind Her Eyes’ by Sarah Pinborough

The television adaptation of ‘Behind Her Eyes’ will behind streaming on Netflix on February 17, 2021. Photo: amazon

Sarah Pinborough is the award-winning, The New York Times and internationally bestselling author of “Behind Her Eyes” and “13 Minutes.” She has written YA and adult thriller, fantasy, and cross-genre novels and her works have been translated into numerous languages. She is best known for “Behind Her Eyes,” a thriller about a singer mother who gets caught up in the middle of a twisted circumstance that makes her question the sinister conspiracy behand a stranger’s marital relationship. It was adapted into a British psychological television series of the same name and will stream on Netflix beginning Wednesday, February 17, 2021. It stars Simona Brown, Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman, and Robert Aramayo. (amazon, 2021)

In “Behind Her Eyes,” Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she is thrilled she finally connected with someone. When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar who says the kiss was a terrible mistake, but who still cannot keep his eyes off Louise. And then Louise bumps into Adele, who is new to town and in need of a friend. But she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife. But then why is David so controlling? And why is Adele so scared of him? As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong. But Louise cannot guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets. Sarah Pinborough has written a novel that takes the modern-day love triangle and not only turns it on its head, but completely reinvents it in a way that will leave readers reeling.

Television adaptation: ‘Tales From the Loop’ by Simon Stålenhag

Simon Stålenhag is a Swedish artist, musician and designer specializing in retro-futuristic digital images focused on nostalgic Swedish countryside alternate history environments. Most of Stålenhag’s artwork was initially only available online but was later released for sale as prints. Since then, it has been turned into two narrative art books, “Tales From the Loop” in 2014 and “Things From the Flood” in 2016. Both focus on the construction of a supermassive particle accelerator called the Loop. The settings of his artwork have formed the basis for the Amazon television drama series Tales From the Loop. All eight episodes of the first season were released simultaneously April 3 on Amazon Prime Video.

Tales From the Loop science fiction drama television series based on Simon Stålenhag’s art book. It explores the mind bending adventures of the people who live above the Loop, a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe. The machine is now making possible what was once considered science fiction. It stars Rebecca Hall as Loretta, Tyler Barnhardt as Danny Jansson and Daniel Zohlgadri as Jakob.

I have not read the book, but after watching the first two episodes, it is understandable why Amazon calls it “perfect for fans of E.T. and Stranger Things.” The series is set in the 80s and has that nostalgic look and feel that has recently become popular. With science fiction themes like time traveling, body swapping and robots, it appeals to fans of The Twilight Zone who appreciate mind-bending stories.

According to Amazon, “Tales From the Loop” is the first narrative artbook from acclaimed author and artist Simon Stålenhag about a fictionalized suburban town in the 1980s inhabited by fantastic machines and strange, imaginative beasts. In 1954, the Swedish government ordered the construction of the world’s largest particle accelerator. The facility was complete in 1969, located deep below the pastoral countryside of Mälaröarna. The local population called this marvel of technology The Loop. These are its strange tales. From the same author who wrote the imaginative artbook The Electric State, this “haunting,” (The Verge) “sophisticated sci-fi” (The Nerdist) follows the bizarre stories from otherworldly creatures and is a page-turner readers will not be able to put down.

Television adaptation: ‘The Outsider’ by Stephen King

Stephen King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and many of them have been adapted into feature films, miniseries, television shows and comic books. He is best known for classic novels like “Carrie,” “It,” “The Green Mile” and the Dark Tower series and most recently “The Outsider,” “Sleeping Beauties,” co-written with his son Owen King, and the Bill Hodges trilogy: “Mr. Mercedes,” “Finders Keepers” and “End of Watch.” “The Outsider” follows a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. But when an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in. It has been adapted into a 10 part limited series that will premiere on HBO on Sunday January 12 at 9p.m. Cast includes Ben Mendelsohn, Cynthia Erivo, Jason Bateman and Bill Camp.

According to Amazon, “The Outsider” the story centers around an eleven-year old boy’s murder. When his violated corpse is found in a town park, eyewitnesses and fingerprint evidence points to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. His name is Terry Maitland, and he is a Little League coach, an English teacher, husband and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a very quick and public arrest even though he has an alibi. Anderson and the district attorney add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and eyewitnesses and assume they have an ironclad case. Typical of King, this is not the ending, for as the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, the story kicks into high gear and brings along strong tension and unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he really?

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: ‘Einstein: His Life and Universe’ by Walter Isaacson

einsteinlife — The television adaptation of Walter Isaacson’s ‘Einstein: His Life and Universe’ premieres on Tuesday April 25, 2017. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Walter Isaacson is a writer, journalist, the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, the chairman and CEO of CNN and Managing Editor of Time. As an author, he has written biographies of Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Henry Kissinger. His best-selling biography of Albert Einstein, “Einstein: His Life and Universe” has been adapted into a ten-episode series for National Geographic making it the network’s first scripted series. It premieres on Tuesday April 25 and is executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and stars Johnny Flynn as a young Einstein, Emily Watson as his second wife and Geoffrey Rush as the older Einstein. This series takes viewers beyond the academic life of Einstein and focuses on his struggles to be a good husband and father and a man of principle during an era of global unrest.

According to Amazon, in “Einstein: His Life and Universe,” the author writes about how Einstein’s scientific imagination was born out of his rebellious personality. It is the story of how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk and struggling father became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos. His success was the product of his constant questioning of conventional wisdom and an appreciation of the mundane. His work led him to embrace a lifestyle based on respect for free minds, free spirits and free individuals.

Television adaptation: ‘The White Princess’ by Philippa Gregory

Philippa Gregory is an English historical novelist best known for her novel “The Other Boleyn Girl” which won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Her first novel “Wideacre” became an instant bestseller and gave way to her first trilogy, The Wideacre Trilogy. Since then she has written stand-alone novels, short stories, children’s books and non-fiction books. Her other series of novels include Earthly Joys, The Tudor Court Series and The Cousins’ War Series. “The White Princess” is part of The Cousins’ War Series, now known as The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels and has been adapted into a television miniseries for Starz that will premiere on Sunday April 16. It is a sequel to The White Queen, the BBC produced miniseries that adapted the novels “The White Queen,” “The Red Queen” and “The Kingmaker’s Daughter.”

According to Amazon, The White Princess” is the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville and later the wife of Henry VII and mother of Henry VIII. After Henry Tudor kills the man she loves and becomes the new king of England, she must marry him to end the long running War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and guarantee the safety of her family. But Henry knows that she is still in love with his dead enemy and that her mother and half of England remain loyal to her brother, the missing heir. His greatest fear is that somewhere the rightful prince is waiting to claim his throne. When a young man who would be king invades England, Elizabeth must choose between the husband she has grown to love and the young man who claims to be her long-lost brother.

Television adaptation: “The Son” by Philipp Meyer

Philipp Meyer is an American writer known for writing short stories and the novels “American Rust” and “The Son.” His short stories have been published in McSweeney’s Quarterly, The Iowa Review and Esquire UK and “The Son” has been adapted into a television series. It will premiere on AMC on Sunday April 7 and will star Pierce Brosnan as Eli McCullough, Henry Garrett as Pete McCullough, Zach McClarnon as Toshaway and Paola Nuñez as María García.

According to Amazon, “The Son” is a family saga of land, blood and power and follows a Texas family from the Comanche raids of the 1800s to the oil booms of the 20^th century. The main character is Eli McCullough who at the age of twelve is taken as captive after a marauding band of Comanche storms his Texas home and kill his mother and sister. During the years that he is kept captive he adapts to life with the Comanche by learning their ways and their language and after taking on a new name he eventually accepts his place as the chief’s adoptive son. Even though he fights alongside them he is conflicted by his sense of loyalty and vengeance. When the Comanche are annihilated by disease, starvation and westward expansion he finds himself in a world where he does not feel like he belongs. His story as an adult tells of his ruthlessness and his drive to power despite his status as an outsider. The McCullough family becomes one of the richest in Texas fueled by ranching and oil.

Television adaptation: Midnight Texas Trilogy

midnightcrossroad — The television adaptation of The Midnight Texas Trilogy will premiere on NBC on July 25. Photo: amazon.

Fans of True Blood might recognized the name Charlaine Harris as the author of “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” which was later adapted into the highly popular HBO series. She is The New York Times’ best-selling author of mysteries that includes several series of books with the most recent being The Midnight Texas Trilogy. The series includes “Midnight Crossroad,” “Day Shift” and “Night Shift.” It has been adapted into a television series and will premiere on NBC on July 25, 2017 and will star François Arnaud as Manfred Bernardo, Dylan Bruce as Bobo Winthrop and Parisa Fitz-Henley as Fiji Cavanaugh.

According to Amazon, Midnight, Texas is a small quiet town where most of its inhabitants have chosen to live there because it is one of the best places to hide. Being normal is strange and only outsiders fit in. “Midnight Crossroad” is the first book in the series and introduces the characters. In this small town it citizens are stranger than usual. Bobo Winthrop is the proprietor of the local pawn shop and knows something about everyone because everyone has secrets. The new tenant in the pawn shop’s basement only comes out after dark and Fiji Cavanaugh claims to be a witch. When Bobo’s girlfriend Aubrey disappears, people start to ask too many questions and that leaves everyone concerned that their own pasts will be exposed along with Aubrey’s.

SA Examiner

Your Insider Source For Entertainment And Business Headlines

Tag: Television adaptation