Netflix’s Best Book Adaptations

Netflix%E2%80%99s+Best+Book+Adaptations

Olivia Buckel, Senior Editor-in-Chief

With a subscriber count of over 200 million, Netflix remains the powerhouse of streaming services, and for good reason. Netflix’s original series and movies are almost always at least one person’s cup of tea, especially when these series and movies are based on books. Whether if it is to see if the show “stuck” to the movie or just pure curiosity, Netflix’s book adaptations are always popular no matter the content. This article explores five of Netflix’s best book adaptations, as well as if they are scheduled for more seasons in the future.

The first recommendation is Outlander based on a series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Gabaldon is still actively publishing additional books for the historical fiction series, so avid fans of the show and books get new content consistently. Outlander revolves around a woman named Claire who worked as an English combat nurse in 1945. Claire travels back to the year 1743 and is forced to marry a Scottish warrior, while her husband still lives in 1945. Claire is then tested with being torn between her two lives, and the reviews on this show are phenomenal. Fans of both the show and the books constantly rave about how well done the show is on social media. The show started in 2014, and it still continues today.

The second recommendation is Shadow and Bone based on the Grishaverse novels written by Leigh Bardugo. This show is a fantasy series based on two different book series at once—the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. The Netflix show follows both Alina, a mapmaker with the power of light, and a trio of thieves tasked to kidnap her. The Grishaverse novels are everywhere on social media today, and the reaction to the show was amazing to watch. So much love was poured into the show, and the fans could tell. The show premiered in 2021 and season two is scheduled for next year.

The third recommendation is The Queen’s Gambit based on the novel by Walter Tevis. This novel and show follows Beth Harmon from her time in an orphanage to her fame as a teenager and young adult. She achieved this fame by playing chess, and the author of this novel actually drew inspiration from the epidemic of chess that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. The show premiered in 2020, and it has won multiple awards since for both the acting in it and the writing. Critics and fans still cite this show as one of the best.

The fourth recommendation is The Witcher based on the book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapowski. This book series has previously been adapted into video games, movies, a tabletop role-playing game, other TV shows, and even comic books. The main character in The Witcher is both a mutant and monster bounty hunter whose name is Gerald. Fans of the show reacted well to the first season, and season two wrapped their filming in 2021. If all goes well, the show will continue for at least seven seasons.

The fifth and final recommendation is Anne with an E based on the book Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The main character, Anne, is an orphan on Prince Edward Island in the late 1800s, and she tries to navigate life without parents. Anne with an E ended in 2019, but all three seasons are available on Netflix to stream. Young adults and teenagers still stream this show religiously