5 Sci-Fi Novels That Deserve Film Adaptations (& 5 That Deserve Better)

Science fiction, much like fantasy, often gets a bad rap in literary circles. A lot of folk who don't actively engage with the genre (read: pompous, uppity idiots) are quick to disregard it as silly, over the top stories for little kids - and big kids who haven't bothered growing up.

And hey, who hasn't run afoul of this prejudice in the past? Maybe, for example, you decided to take a James Joyce course at uni instead of the sci-fi course with your best mate because you wanted to look smart and have regretted it ever since... for example, a totally random example.

Sci-fi has had a bit of a rocky road in the old movie department too. Sure, you get classic adaptations like A Scanner Darkly or Stalker, but for every Blade Runner you get a dozen Dunes, and saying that is sad because, really, David Lynch adapting Dune should have been a home run. But, as you should all know by now, Dune is getting another chance at life on the silver screen, and so far it's looking pretty promising.

So here's a little list of sci-fi novels that we all deserve to see on screen one day - and a few that, for the love of god, deserve so much better than what they got.

First, let's start with the ones that deserve adaptations...

5 Sci-Fi Novels That Deserve Film Adaptations...

5. The Space Merchants - Frederick Pohl And C. M. Kornbluth

The Space Merchants is bonkers. Absolutely astoundingly off the wall brazenly unashamedly bonkers. Not only that but it is also criminally underrated and under-read amongst the general public, despite selling pretty damn well within sci-fi circles and gaining that much coveted title of 'cult classic'.

Imagine, if you will, a planet that is horribly overpopulated. Where all conventional governments have been entirely replaced by gigantic corporations who make every decision and where the most common - and most lucrative - profession is in advertising and marketing, in fact that's pretty much the only profession to be found. Imagine that, eh?! Ridiculous! That would... totally never happen.

Our protagonist Mitch works in advertising as a copywriter and at the novel's offset he lands what he thinks is an absolute killer gig...emphasis on killer. The novel is full of mystery, intrigue, backstabbing and corporate espionage. Plus it's funny as all hell. Oh, and there's also a psychotic advertising hitman.

What's not to love? The Space Merchants is a story for the ages, and one that is just so uncomfortably close to bone when you take into consideration how our world is shaping up.