10 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books That Should Be Graphic Novels

Some science fiction and fantasy books vividly paint images of alternate worlds so vivid, we lament their status as imaginary—existing only in our minds, and as text on a page. But there’s something that can be done to make them come to life, and I’m not talking about a page-to-screen adaptation (because we all know what an iffy proposition that is). I’m talking about turning them into comics, a viable option whether or not they’ve already received a live-action adaptation (witness the graphic novels based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and its surroundings, such as The Hedge Knight: A Graphic Novel.)
I want to see dragons and spaceships and Companions and magic in the Jazz Age, and robots and, well, dragons, on the page.

The Chronicles of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
Years ago, I saw an image on the internet of the Trump Cards featured in this series, with art by the late, great Marshall Rogers and I haven’t been to get the idea of a comic series out of my head. I have chills just thinking of how an artist would depict Corwin’s shadow walks or the pattern that he must walk to get back to Amber, not to mention the bonus of having an artist draw the Trump cards featuring all nine princes of Amber.
There’s a television adaptation in the works but as we’ve seen with Martin’s work, television and comics can exist at the same time for the same work.

Redwood and Wildfire, by Andrea Hairston
This lush novel set in the early 20th in the American south is full of magic, mystery, and the settings of the Jazz Age, and tackles prejudice from the point-of-view of Redwood, an African-American woman, and Aidan a half-Seminole, half-Irish man. The pair use hoodoo magic to attempt to bring their imaginary performance world to life, through the audience believing that it is real. It’s an extraordinary book (you should go read) and would make a terrific graphic novel.

Isaac Asimov’s Robot, series featuring Lije Bailey and Daneel Olivaw
It’s time for a fresh look at the world of Asimov’s robots, particularly his future Holmes-Watson pairing who came to care for each other in the only way each knows how. There’s the harsh and machine-like world of the Caves of Steel, then the seeming Paradise of The Naked Sun, just as a start. The movie version of I,Robot cherry-picked elements of the entire series. I want to see the originals.

A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The tale of Ged, once SparrowHawk, is a tale of redemption that has touched millions since its first publication in 1968. Yet, despite a couple of television adaptations and a comic adaptation of the first chapter, there hasn’t been a complete graphic tale of Ged’s chase of the shadow across the ocean, to a lonely isle. The comic form is perfectly suited to depicting the climatic confrontation between Ged and the Shadow.

Dune, by Frank Herbert
Do I need to justify putting this series on the list? It’s such an obvious choice that I thought I might leave off this SF classic but, shockingly, while it’s seen several live-action adaptations, there hasn’t been any comic graphic novels. That’s a shame, considering the visual storytelling inherent in this book, especially when that storytelling has been ill-served by live action.

The Lost Fleet series, by Jack Campbell
Space battles galore! Campbell’s Lost Fleet series is loosely inspired by the ancient Greek Tale of Xenophon and his Ten Thousand, who wandered the Persian Empire in order to reach home again. Dauntless, the first of the Lost Fleet books, begins with the resurrection of a legendary general (Black Jack Geary) as the entire Alliance Fleet is trapped behind enemy lines.

The Dragonriders of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey
Yes, there’s been a graphic novel adaptation already but that was 20 years ago and it’s time for a new one and, plus, have I mentioned that I really love dragons? Anyone who’s seen the Michael Whelon covers of McCaffrey’s dragon books is going to want more. I want to see the Weyrs, and the Holds, and the Craftholds of Pern come to life again, and I need that splash-page of the Weyrs of Pern fighting Thread high in the sky. There is plenty of fan art but I want to see a full tale.
I’d also like a movie or a television but, somehow, the Pern series seems continually stuck in neutral.

The Arrows trilogy, by Mercedes Lackey
The Companions are magical white horses. No, they’re not unicorns, they’re sentient beings of great power who make mistakes the way any sentient being well. They’re also not the only magical beings in this series, which also includes Gryphons and Firecats. Lackey’s world is full of myriad countries with different landscapes, numerous types of medieval courts, and many kinds of warriors who use weapons or magic or both, all of which would make great visuals (and have already in fan art).
However, I choose to start with this book because we’re introduced to the Companions at the same time as Talia, the new young Queen’s Herald who has to negotiate her new powers and her new responsibilities and yet she still somehow must find a way to fit into the rest of the court, not an easy task because she grew up a poor Holder’s daughter.

The Tripods trilogy, by John Christopher
It’s time for this classic teen dystopia tale to make a comeback as a graphic novel. Huge three-legged machines control the world and use skullcaps to control humans. Will, however, avoids being capped as he enters adulthood and is plunged into a plot to overthrow the Tripods. I want to see the ruined Earth and the cities of the Tripods come to life, especially Will and all his friends and enemies.