Adapted Work

The Time Machine is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895 and later directly adapted into at least two theatrical film of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction in all media. Considered by many to be one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written, this 38,000 word novella is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that...

The War of the Worlds (1898), by H. G. Wells, is an early science fiction novel (or novella) which describes an invasion of England by aliens from Mars. It is one of the best-known depictions of an alien invasion of Earth. As the story begins, the unnamed narrator (essentially a fictionalised version of Wells) has been invited to an observatory in Ottershaw by a "noted astronomer" named Ogilvy. There he witnesses an explosion on the surface of the planet Mars, one of a series of such events...

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds was a 1978 concept album by Jeff Wayne and others, retelling the story of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. The War of the Worlds stars Richard Burton as the narrator-protagonist, Justin Hayward (of The Moody Blues), Phil Lynott, Julie Covington, David Essex and Chris Thompson. "Forever Autumn", "The Eve of the War", "Thunder Child", and "The Spirit of Man" are the most recognised individual songs on the album. "Forever Autumn" was a...

The Shining (1977) is a horror novel by American author Stephen King. The title was inspired by the John Lennon song "Instant Karma!", which contained the line "We all shine on…" King had originally wanted to call the book "The Shiner," but changed it when he realized that "shiner" was derogatory slang for blacks. It was King's third published novel, and first hardback bestseller, and the success of the book firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre. A film based upon...

Pet Sematary (1983) is a horror novel by Stephen King. Louis Creed, a doctor from Chicago, is appointed director of the University of Maine's campus health service. He moves to a large house near the small town of Ludlow with his wife Rachel, their two young children, Ellie and Gage, and Ellie's cat, Winston Churchill (Church for short). From the moment they arrive, the family runs into misfortune: Ellie hurts her knee after falling off of a tire swing, and Gage is stung by a bee. Fortunately...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982) is a novella by Stephen King, originally published in Different Seasons. The novella was adapted for the screen in the film The Shawshank Redemption. The story of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption begins in 1948 when Andy Dufrene arrives at Shawshank prison. In contrast to most other convicts, Dufrene is not a hardened criminal but a soft-spoken young banker, convicted of killing his wife and her lover. His crime bears many similarities to the...

Carrie (1974) is Stephen King's first published novel. King has commented that he finds the work to be "raw" and "with a surprising power to hurt and horrify". It is one of the most frequently banned books in U.S. schools and the film version was banned in Finland. Much of the book is written in epistolary structure in the form of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, letters, excerpts from books, etc. Brian De Palma created a film version in 1976. The book uses fictional documents, such as...

The Taming of the Shrew comedy by William Shakespeare. It was one of his earlier plays, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1594. The play begins with a framing device in which a drunkard is deceived into thinking he is a nobleman who then watches the "play" itself, which depicts a nobleman, Petruchio, who marries an outspoken, intelligent, and bad-tempered shrew named Katherine. Petruchio manipulates and "tames" her until she is obedient to his will. The main subplot features the...

Romeo and Juliet is an early tragedy by William Shakespeare about two teenage "star-cross'd lovers" whose "untimely deaths" ultimately unite their feud households. The play has been highly praised by literary critics for its language and dramatic effect. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Its influence is still seen today, with the two main characters being widely represented as archetypal...

Othello, The Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603. The work revolves around four central characters: Othello, his wife Desdemona, his lieutenant Cassio, and his trusted advisor Iago. Attesting to its enduring popularity, the play appeared in 7 editions between 1622 and 1705. Because of its varied themes racism, love, jealousy and betrayal it remains relevant to the present day and is often performed in professional and community...

Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. It is frequently performed at both amateur and professional levels, and has been adapted for opera, film, books, stage and screen. Often regarded as archetypal, the play tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. For the plot Shakespeare drew loosely on the historical account of King Macbeth of Scotland by Raphael...

Fever Pitch (sometimes titled in the United States as Fever Pitch: A Fan's Life) is the title of a 1992 autobiographical book by British author Nick Hornby. The book is the basis for two films of the same name: a British film was released in 1997, and an American remake in 2005. Fever Pitch was first published in 1992, and was Hornby's second book. It tells the story of the author's relationship with football and with Arsenal Football Club in particular. It consists of a large number of short...

The Mysterious Island is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1874. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a sequel to Verne's famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and In Search of the Castaways, though thematically it is vastly different from those books. The book tells the adventures of five Americans on an uncharted island in the South Pacific. The story begins in the American Civil War, during the siege of...

Ramona, a novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson (1884), is the story of a part-Scottish and part-Native American orphan girl growing up and getting married in Southern California, suffering racial discrimination and hardship. Originally serial in the Christian Union on a weekly basis, the novel became immensely popular. Overall, it has had more than 300 printings, been made into three film version, and has been performed as an outdoor play annually since 1923. The impact the novel had on the...