Pictures From the Pictureless

An exploration of beloved and/or obscure films, video games, and television shows based on books.

A writer friend of mine recently created an online lecture series for the BBC. In it, there were a large number of artistic recommendations made by the lecturer in order to help newer writers branch out and take in the many unique titles, bad, good, bland; all of the titles had something of value within that could be taken and used to fortify the strength of anyone wanting to put pen to paper for a living. (Or key to board as is the case with most writers nowadays).

Studying stories is a sure-fire way to help any writer, even a seasoned one, expand their own knowledge of the world they’re in. The thing that stuck out to me was that the recommendations came from different mediums, not just the ones that would suit one type of writer. So, with that serving as an inspiration, here are a number of films, TV shows, and video games all inspired by novels and short stories from the SFF genre. Some famous, some not so famous, but all valuable sources ready to be picked at for later use.

Just a quick warning, there won’t be any comic books/ graphic novels as their adaptations are currently at the height of popularity and quite frankly the less I see of them the better. I never thought I’d ever say that last part and yet here we are. Onto the list! *SMOKE BOMB*

I HAVE NO MOUTH, YET I MUST SCREAM

Luckily for me, I don’t need a mouth in this situation!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Ok, now that that’s out the way, we’re starting out with a video game first as it is the youngest of the mediums we’ll be looking at. “I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream” is a very out-of-left-field adventure game released for PC and Mac back in 1995. It is based on the short story of the same name by fantasy writer Harlan Ellison, who was heavily involved in the game’s production. In IHNMAIMC (Yes, I shortened the title, give me a break!) players pick 1 of 5 principal characters as they try and find a way to escape the seemingly endless levels of torment that they are subjected to by their evil overlord: a god-like artificial intelligence named AM.

SLEEPY HOLLOW

Do you like your fantasy dark and violent? Well, Tim Burton does and that’s exactly what 1999’s Sleepy Hollow is. Based on “The legend of Sleepy Hollow”, a short story by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow follows a fish-out-of-water police constable named Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) as he investigates the gruesome murders of three villages, all of whom were found decapitated. Soon, rumours begin to circulate that the deceased three were victims of the mythical Headless Horseman, who is said to be a haunting force that the townsfolk cannot deal with. So it’s up to Ichabod to shamble his way through his investigation in order to solve the mystery before more bodies turn up. The film is macabre to a comical degree and a recommendation to those seeking a weird and whacky horror experience.

THE WITCHER

Screenwriter Lauren Schmidt Hissrich teamed up with Netflix and Henry Cavill to bring Polish novelist Andrzej Sapkowski’s acclaimed series of novels to the small screen. The series follows Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a monster hunter who travels The Continent using the magical powers bestowed upon him to combat creatures of all kinds, for a fee, of course. Now, I’ve included this on the list despite its overwhelming popularity due to how much people associate Geralt of Rivia with the universally beloved video game series developed by CD Projekt Red. The games have gone on to create unique mythology of its own, while the show follows the narrative of the novel more closely and is currently coming up to its third season. Feel free to gaze respectfully at the Geralt booty below.

ARRIVAL

First contact gets a whole new meaning in this 2016 cerebral sci-fi drama directed by Denis Villeneuve. Based on the short story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, Arrival follows a group of linguists led by Dr. Louise Banks, (played in the film by Amy Addams) as they use all of their skills to try to communicate with two resident aliens whose ship recently landed on Earth. They have to act fast, however, as the US military believes in the possibility of war rather than amicable peace. The film garnered immense critical and academic acclaim and went on to receive 8 academy award nominations, with Sylvain Bellemere bagging himself an award for Best Sound Editing by the end of Oscar night.

Fun bit of trivia, the alien spacecraft in the film adaptation are shaped like orange segments so I always end up hungry whenever I watch it.

THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Well, well, well, this one is rather unfortunately relevant considering the recent decision made to overturn Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court.

Anyway, on with the list. *clears keyboard’s throat*

The Handmaid’s Tale is a science-fiction (ish) novel set in a dystopian version of the United States called in which a second civil war has taken place, leading to a complete transformation of the country as it is quickly warped into an irradiated totalitarian hellscape known as Gilead. The men are in charge and the women (if fertile), are forced to serve as “Handmaids” to their male masters, also known as “Commanders”. They are forcefully bred to deliver children for the ruling class of men that lead the oppressive regime that is in charge of Gilead. The titular handmaid is June Osborne, also known as “Offred”, a young rebellious woman who seeks to escape her confinement in Gillead and her abusive enslaver, Fred, who she is “of”, hence her patronym “Offred”. Margaret Atwood’s visionary novel was adapted by Bruce Miller and is on Hulu and Amazon and is on its fourth season. June is played to perfection by Elizabeth Moss And you should really watch it…for…reasons.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person survival horror video game developed by GSC and published by THQ for the PC. The game is a loose adaptation of Roadside Picnic, penned by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. S.T.A.L.K.E.R is set in a post-apocalyptic area simply known as “The Zone”, an irradiated area that used to be a functioning nuclear power plant before it went into meltdown, making the air toxic. Players take control of their own customised S.T.A.L.K.E.R, a wasteland survivor who is sent on a mission to assassinate a target. There’s just one small problem, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R is an amnesiac and has no idea where their target is or what they look like. All the players have to go with is a name they don’t recognise, a gun in their hand, a gas mask on their face and a horde of infected mutants on their tail. A fourth game in the series titled “Heart of Chernobyl” is set to release in 2023. This is seen as a true sequel among the S.T.A.L.K.E.R titles as the other two included were not themselves direct follow-ups to the first game. It was originally slated for 2022 but the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine caused the studio, which is located in Kyiv, to move production to Prague, Czechia.

Oh and while we’re at the politics, you can support the people of Ukraine at any of the links here.

BELLE

Belle, also known as The Dragon and the Freckled Princess is a 2021 animated musical film directed by Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda. It is an adaptation of “La Belle et la Bête” or “Beauty and The Beast” by French author Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve (Holy goose, that’s a lot of names!) I will say now that calling this film simply a “Japanese Beauty and the Beast” is like referring to William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as a “domestic melodrama”. It’s technically correct but there is so much more. The reason why I’ve chosen to list this film instead of an arguably more popular one is that this is the best film out of the versions made. I’m sorry, that’s not up for debate. Belle reigns supreme. Belle is the story of high-school Ingénue Naito Suzu, played by Nakamura Kaho and Kylie McNeill respectively. Suzu grew up dreaming of becoming a professional singer, but the trauma of her mother’s sudden death causes her to keep her melodies locked up to herself, that is until she escapes to the world of “U” a digital city populated by the avatars of billions of users. In this virtual reality, Suzu sheds her “real-world problems” and lets her voice loose as Belle; a world-famous singing superstar who has taken the virtual world by storm. All goes well until one of her shows is crashed by a monstrous-looking avatar known as “The Dragon”. Intrigued by the Beast, Belle makes it her mission to infiltrate his virtual palace and find out who is controlling The Dragon before more damage is done to “U”. Obviously with all this talk of virtual reality and avatars, Belle is a very loose adaptation of de Villeneuve’s novel but that only helps the film stand out as a fresh, unique and important piece in the long line of Beauty in the Beast adaptations.  

RECENT NEWS

THE UNRIGHTEOUS SON’S BOOK BIRTHDAY
Gabrielle Ash returns with the second book in the Circle Seven series entitled THE UNRIGHTEOUS SON was recently released on the 28th June. Cover and synopsis are posted below. A Happy Book Birthday to them! 🎂

THE UNRIGHTEOUS SON
Matilda Ashby has seen the monsters that lurk in the shadows of Manhattan—and within the walls of her family business. While creatures of myth aren’t hunting her anymore, she can’t say the same for Samson, her former bodyguard, after a photograph of the telepath in danger finds its way to her desk. Desperate to save him, Matilda dusts off her Manolos and ventures back into the supernatural world, a world she wanted nothing more than to leave behind. However, Matilda isn’t the only one searching for Samson. Necromancers, sent by Samson’s former boss, are hot on her heels, and her MBA curriculum didn’t include a course on how to kill them. So, in order to save Samson, she’ll have to trust former enemies—and her instincts—to get him back. But in a world where being human is a weakness and being kind is a liability, Matilda isn’t sure how she can succeed in saving him, especially when her brother, and the family business, needs her too.

THE FROZEN CROWN GIVEAWAY

To celebrate her birthday, author of the Warrior Witch series GRETA KELLY will be hosting a giveaway of her fantasy debut THE FROZEN CROWN on her INSTAGRAM page starting on the 9th of July (2022, obviously). As an extra bonus, subscribers to this newsletter (you) will get an extra entry! Happy Birthday, Greta! 🎂

THE FROZEN CROWN
Askia became heir to the Frozen Crown of Seravesh because of her devotion to her people. But her realm is facing a threat she cannot defeat by sheer will alone. The mad emperor of the Roven Empire has unleashed a horde of invading soldiers to enslave her lands. For months, her warriors have waged a valiant, stealth battle, yet they cannot stop the enemy’s advancement. Running out of time, she sets sail for sun-drenched Vishir, the neighboring land to the south, to seek help from its ruler, Emperor Armaan. A young woman raised in army camps, Askia is ill-equipped to navigate Vishir’s labyrinthine political games. Her every move sinks her deeper into court intrigues which bewilder and repel her, leaving her vulnerable not only to enemies gathering at Vishir's gates, but to those behind the palace walls. And in this glittering court, where secrets are worth more than gold, Askia fears that one false step will expose her true nature. For Askia is a witch gifted with magical abilities—knowledge that could destroy not only her life but her people. As her adversaries draw closer, Askia is forced to make an impossible choice—and no matter what she decides, it may not be enough to prevent Seravesh’s fall. 

KATHERINE + JOHNNY = MARRIAGE
And last but certainly not least, we want to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to LODESTONE Author Katherine Forrister and her now-fiance Johnny on the news of their ENGAGEMENT! It’s funny that we should be talking about frozen crowns because egagement rings are famous for their ice!

…That’s the last pun, I swear. Congrats again to you all! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

That’s all for now. See you next time!

:~)