h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There are plenty of great films which have been made from less great books, but can anyone name a great book which has been adapted from a film?

The only example I can think of is 2001, and that doesn't really count, since film and book were written at the same time.

"Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman. Although it was a TV series, so it might not count.

Haven't read that, but it's a good suggestion. I'm assuming the book is better than the series, since the series was such a disappointment.

Maybe the movie will be better?

You didn't like it? What, praytell, was wrong with it?

It didn't seem to go anywhere, it looked cheap (being shot on video was mostly to blame here) and generally didn't engage me as I expected it to. I was left with the overwhelming feeling of 'ho hum'. It was a disappointment after it started really well.

But you've got to like Croup and Vandemar! They're so utterly relaxed in their complete lack of redeeming features. It's really quite admirable, what with all of the more recent evil people in film having a "softer side". You just can't get high quality villainy anymore.

I liked lots about it - I loved the Marquis De Carabas, for instance, but I felt the story didn't resolve in a satisfactory way, and coming from Neil Gaiman this disappointed me.

OK, maybe the ending was a bit Heinlein-esque. And if that was your problem it's not going to go away in the book. But exactly how can you end a story like that satisfactorially and not make it seem forced? The only way I can manage to finish stories is by putting in an epilogue, and even that seems forced. You tend to think "Yes, but what then? What are the details?" The only truly efficient way to end a story is to pull a Douglas Adams a la "Mostly Harmless" and blow up all the main characters. And you still tick people off.

Eeeeerrrrr... well "great" is of course a relative term. If you mean books that are universally acknowledged by society as great, then I can't think of a one, but I have enjoyed a number of movie novelisations. You might want to check out any of Vonda McIntyre's "Star Trek" novelisations, and, if you can find them, the books of "Howard the Duck" by Ellis Weiner and "The Dark Crystal" by ACH Smith. No, really, I think you'll be surprised.

Nothing is universally acknowledged. Ever.

I'm sure we'd all agree with that

I wouldn't

Why not? Name one thing that is universally acknowledged.

The fact that we need to breathe, eat, sleep and have sex should be acknowledged, maybe not universally, who knows there may be other lifeforms out there who don't need these basic human needs.......

My girlfriend just read Eraser, which was written from the film which stared Arnold Schwarzenegger. She said the book was better than the film, more depth..... I haven't read it myself, as for the movie - just your average big budget $$$ action movie.

OK, everyone breathes, and everyone eats, most people sleep (some don't, like the crazy people who say stuff like "can't sleep, clowns will eat me" or some such) but not everyone has sex. Take monks for instance.

Yes but I imagine some monks, deep down are wishing they could!

Yes, well, but that's just some of them. The rest are so incredibly repressed the thought never even occurs to them.

True! But How???

Surprisingly, the book "The Abyss" (based on a movie with a remarkably similar title) is actually very good. I was quite surprised to find that I enjoyed it. More depth, more detail - not a bad read, for those who have seen the movie and those who haven't. And the first time I had ever read a book that was 'Based on the hit movie' and come out thinking the book was better. Actually, the only time I have ever read a novelisation that was better.

Oh, not really related, but have you ever seen anyone who enjoyed the movie Dune who hadn't read the book? You watch one of the uninitiated while they watch Dune - you can see confusion spread over their face in waves. Fun.

Actually, yes. It's very amusing.