Top Ten - Books I would love to see as a TV Show or Movie

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week, we are decreeing that this would be in a perfect world in which the adaptation would be done perfectly and not ruin our favorite books. 

And so - onto the list!

1. The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle.
I know there already is *a* movie about this, but I want a massive, live-action, epic-length feature about this think.  Or a miniseries with Game of Thrones' production values.  More unicorn and Red Bull action, please!

2. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I feel like we need more shows about women that can both kick butt and find love while making a difference in their world.

3. Joust series by Mercedes Lackey
Pseudo-Egypt land where lucky soldier can ride dragons into battle.  A young peasant boy who rises from the lowest of the low to become a major player in kingdom politics.  Romance!  Battles!  Dragons! 

4. The Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce
Nothing against Song of the Lioness, but this one has talking animals in it.  Following Daine on her adventures was one of the best experiences of my teenage years.  I want to share this bounty with so many other people.

5. Hidden Kingdom trilogy by Clare Dunkle
A criminally under-acknowledged trilogy, really. Two girls find their place in a realm ruled by the Goblin King.  For all the people who grew up with Labyrinth and wanted a more romance-filled happily ever after.  Goblins and elves and humans and all sorts of strange magic. 

6. River God by Wilbur Smith
For people who wanted HBO's series Rome to go on and on, this might actually fit the bill.  The history is somewhat sketchy (read:  nonexistent) but the setting is plausible enough.  There's plenty of violence and romance and adventure and war and whatnot to sate even the heartiest appetite for them. 

7. Hawksong and Snakecharm by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Neither of these books are especially long, but their limited pages are just packed with adventure and feelings.  The world is particularly interesting - people who can be snakes or hawks, and the never-ending war between them.  The romance between the two main characters is oddly deep and satisfying for how short the book itself is.

8. Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
There is no reason why I love this series as much as I do, but I wish I could watch it in Game of Thrones-style miniseries.  The first time I read it, I didn't love it, but partway through the series I was completely hooked and couldn't stop.  Now I want to watch it in long serial style.

 9. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueliene Carey
There is enough sex et cetera in this book (and its sequels) that even HBO might not be willing to take it on.  But it would still make a kick-ass series set in not-Renaissance France, and journeying throughout the greater European area.  All the books are dark, but the finale is exceptionally so - without ever really falling into the "life is dark, man, dark" trap that some grimdark fantasies slip into.

10.  Firebringer Trilogy or Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Anne Pierce
Okay, I can't decide between these two, so I"m making them both my number ten.  Firebringer has unicorns and griffins and dragons and it's AWESOME.  The Darkangel trilogy has vampires (sort of) and demons and possessed creatures and it's also AWESOME.  So many plots strings twisted up and then resolved!  So many feelings!  I haven't read either in a few years, but I might need to dig them out again....

 

 You know, I'm rapidly discovering that these Top Ten lists aren't really helping me get my TBR pile any smaller.  I just keep digging up older books that I've already read and now want to read again.  Curse you, good books!