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

1. Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson

This one demands to be a TV series because there's absolutely no way you could cram this doorstop into a two hour movie. Cryptonomicon falls neatly into that category of "novels everyone pretends they've read" and that's all down to not only it's astounding length but also the dense technical language which Neal Stephenson refused to dumb down. However, it's always refreshing when a book refuses to hold your hand and demands that you put the work in to unravel just what the hell is going on.

Cryptonomicon's narrative is divided between two time periods. One centres on a group of WWII codebreakers - and, yes, that includes Alan Turing - whilst the other focuses on a group of cypherpunks in the late 90s, some of whom are related to the codebreakers from during the war. This would be incredible to see on screen not just because of the absolutely insane plot and brilliantly painted characters, but also because it's a wonderful analysis of how the past informs not only the present world of technology but also the world at large.

Also... look, it's hard to understand Cryptonomicon, but that doesn't mean it's not really good, so it'd be nice if a TV show came along one day to fill in the blanks.

And now to the ones already adapted that deserved so much better...