There seems to be a near-infinite amount of fantasy stories out there, ranging from sweeping sword-and-sorcery tales to urban fantasy to stories that lean more into the horror and paranormal elements of the genre. There truly is no shortage of novels to read or series to pick up and get lost in, especially those that would make incredible movies or film series. And now that Brandon Sanderson’s beloved series is finally getting to book-to-film treatment, we all have fantasy movies on the brain.
To make the transition from a great book to a great film has some requirements, though. Is there enough description on the page to translate well to the screen? Are the characters rich and complex enough to be portrayed well, with people either rooting for or against them? Can the magic system, or the alternate universe, be brought to life through cinema, or is it better left to our imaginations? All of the books below meet that criteria and more, making them perfect for an on-screen adaptation.
7) Babel by RF Kuang
Babel genuinely deserves every word of praise it’s received since its initial debut in 2022. The story, one of imperialism and finding one’s place in the world, centers around a young man named Robin Swift, who was orphaned by cholera in Canton. Robin is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell, where he begins to train in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, also known as Babel. The purpose of Babel? Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars, which is what has made Britain the world power that it is. But when Britain wages war against China, Robin finds himself caught between two worlds, asking himself the most important question: “Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?”
The world of Babel is academic, dark, and labyrinthine, making it perfect for an on-screen adaptation that explores the myriad themes contained within the story.
6) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Another historical fantasy just begging to be made into a movie is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. The story is set in Barcelona, Spain, in 1945 as the city slowly heals from the wounds left behind by war. Daniel, the son of an antiquarian book dealer, mourns his mother’s death deeply, and in an attempt to soothe his pain, his father takes him to The Cemetery of Books, encouraging him to find a title that touches him. Daniel then finds solace in a mysterious book titled The Shadow of the Wind by a man named Julian Carax. However, he makes a shocking discovery when he begins his search for the author’s other works: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. And it appears that Daniel may actually have the last of Carax’s books. This innocent question soon spirals into a dark quest, pulling back the curtain on the city’s deepest secrets to tell a story of murder, madness, and doomed love.
There’s something incredibly noir about Shadow of the Wind, and the book itself plays out like a film on the page. It’s dark, twisting, and full of metaphor—perfect for the big screen if crafted by someone who truly understands and appreciates the story within.
5) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Pull back the curtain of the mysterious circus that appears one night and vanishes the next, and you’ll find a heated, violent rivalry taking place between two of its magicians, Celia and Marco. Proteges of even more powerful magicians, the two are locked in a game that they have little understanding of, and they inevitably fall for one another and into a relationship that can only be considered twisted as it spins out over the course of years against the lush backdrop of the circus. It’s a book that feels as if it were written to one day become a film, and with all the magic, tension, and lush description, the story of Celia and Marco being used as the ultimate weapons would surely play out beautifully on screen.
4) The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black
The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black is a dark, urban fantasy YA series, and since its debut in 2002, there has genuinely been nothing else like it in either film or literature. The series kicks off with Tithe, a novel that centers on a young woman named Kaye Fierch, who, after a violent attack at her mother’s concert in Philadelphia, is taken to live with her grandmother in the suburbs. Once there, Kaye begins searching for the imaginary friends of her childhood, but life as she knows it changes entirely when she saves Roiben, a faerie knight of the Unseelie Court, and learns that she is, in fact, a changeling who replaced her mother’s real child shortly after her birth. The series is surprisingly dark for the YA genre, filled with glitter and grit that would go on to define its readers’ style choices for decades to come. And these aren’t your typical fae either (sorry, ACOTAR fans); they’re much closer to their mythological counterparts—dark and violent and downright terrifying at times. In the right hands, The Modern Faerie Tales could go on to become a downright singular trilogy of films.
While it’s long been rumored that Holly Black’s newer series, The Folk of the Air, which takes place in the same universe as The Modern Faerie Tales, will be made into a television series, nothing has come of that, and it’s languished since 2017. And really, if anyone deserves the movie treatment, it’s Kaye, Roiben, Corny, and the dizzying, twisted world first brought to life in Tithe.
3) Crier’s War by Nina Varela
Half sci-fi, half fantasy, entirely epic. Crier’s War is one of those books that had no business being so captivating. And while the idea of attempting to understand the timeline of events that led to the story’s start feels impossible, it unfolds seamlessly, creating a world that feels fully fleshed out and lived in. After the War of Kinds tore apart the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, took over their owners’ estates in a violent rebellion, claiming power and reducing the human race to little more than slaves. Ayla, a human servant rising the ranks at the House of the Sovereign in an attempt to get her revenge, is tasked with the duty of killing the Sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier. Crier, however, is not what Ayla expected, even as she prepares to inherit her father’s rule over the land. But now Crier finds herself betrothed to Scyre Kinok, an Automae with a thousand terrifying secrets that will surely only lead to the burning of the world.
The world that Nina Varela created in Crier’s War is richly detailed, perfectly weaving sci-fi and fantasy together into a seamless story that brings loss, grief, and revenge to the forefront. It truly has everything: enemies-to-lovers, court politics, betrayal, and the ultimate question of what it means to be human.
2) Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
The first book in a sprawling YA series by Brandon Mull, Fablehaven has the potential to sweep other titles like Harry Potter or even Percy Jackson. The story follows Kendra and her younger brother, Seth, as they visit their grandparents while their parents are away. When they arrive, they encounter Dale, the groundskeeper, and Lena, the housekeeper, and discover that their grandmother is “mysteriously” missing. But what they don’t know is that their grandparents’ home, known as Fablehaven, is actually a secret preserve for magical creatures. After passing a series of tests set by her grandfather, the final one a message that simply says, “Drink the milk,” Kendra and Seth oblige and find their eyes opened to a whole new world full of the magical beings of Fablehaven.
Watching Kendra and Seth face the challenges set before them would no doubt spark an entire series of films. The Fablehaven series is whimsical, with five books’ worth of stories that grow as its key audience ages, making it a perfect, enduring series that could easily play out on the big screen.
1) The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Set in the Parijatdvipan Empire, The Jasmine Throne centers on two women who lead very different lives. Imprisoned by her brother, Malini lives isolated in the Hirana, an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters —but after a massacre to steal its magic, now lies in ruin. Happy to live an anonymous life after surviving the massacre, Priya is a maidservant, content with her lot as long as no one discovers her dangerous secret. But when Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, the two become irrevocably entwined as they attempt to change their fates—and that of the empire.
The Jasmine Throne is wickedly lush, rooted in Indian lore and mythology, and the world-building is nothing short of a masterclass as it explores a culture that is not often in the limelight, as well as women defined as monstrous—either for their powers, or for their minds. And with two sequel novels, fans would be set for at least a trilogy of movies should The Jasmine Throne get the film treatment it deserves.
Which of the books on this list would you most like to see made into a movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.