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Excited about this year’s upcoming slate of film and television releases? Hollywood has drawn from an incredible list of books for this year’s lineup. Whether it’s fantasy, horror, sci-fi, or romance—here are the standouts to put on your reading list. August – December 2017 August 4, The Dark Tower Read: The Gunslinger, by Stephen King Stephen King’s self-proclaimed magnum opus, the eight-book Dark Tower series is quite an undertaking for even the most devoted readers. Combining fantasy, horror, and Westerns, the epic series tells the story of Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger who must find and stabilize the Dark Tower in order to save his own world from destruction. Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey bring Roland and The Man in Black to life in Sony Pictures’ forthcoming film adaptation. While the ambitious reader might try to tackle the series, the film is written as a sequel to the final book, though it’s said to draw on elements from The Gunslinger. Your best bet is to read King’s first installment—a short read that introduces Roland’s ongoing hunt for The Man in Black. The Gunslinger is available from Scribner. The Dark Tower will be in theatres August 4. Images: Sony Pictures, Scribner JUMP TO: September: IT, Outlander October: Blade Runner 2049, The Snowman November: Marvel's Runaways December: Star Wars: The Last Jedi GeekFeed Reading List: September 2017 September 8, IT Read: IT, by Stephen King Stephen King is nothing if not prolific. His 1986 horror masterpiece IT clocks in at a whopping 1168 pages. But if you’re determined to know the whole story of the seven children in the Losers Club, King’s tome is worth your time. Moving between 1958 and 1985, IT details the horrific battle seven children face against the evil creature that began murdering children in their hometown. The Losers Club returns to the site of the horror nearly 30 years later when children start dying again, but they’ll have to grapple with their own repressed memories, too. The forthcoming Warner Bros film focuses on the Losers Club as children, hinting at the possibility of a sequel should Part I of the story perform well in theatres. The chilling trailer promises to do the evil creature justice, as Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Pennywise is equal parts sinister and creepy. The film’s young cast includes the delightful Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), and an array of young talent who weren’t allowed to see Pennywise until their terrifying scenes together were filmed. Director Andy Muschietti has promised to hold nothing back, meaning faithful fans of King’s novel should be delighted in the horror adaptation. IT: A Novel is available from Scribner. IT (Part I) will be in theatres September 8. September 10, Outlander (Starz) Read: Voyager, by Diana Gabaldon There are few romances as tender and tumultuous as that of Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series follows the two star-crossed lovers as they leapfrog through time, in and out of one another’s lives. Combining romance, historical fiction, and fantasy, the series is unique in its combination of time travel with detailed historical accuracy. In Voyager, book three of Gabaldon’s series, Jamie Fraser awakens after the 1746 historic battle of Culloden in the Scottish Highlands, surprised to find himself alive. Claire has escaped the battle through magical stones, finding herself back in 1948 where her husband, Frank Randall awaits. Claire and Jamie must each deal with the grief of their separation, knowing Claire is due to give birth to their child soon. In season 3 of Outlander, Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan reprise their roles as the couple torn by time. This season promises stunning locations once again, as the cast sets out for the West Indies, though you’ll still see plenty of the Scottish Highlands and 20th Century England. While this season will focus on the events of Voyager, fans new to the series may want to start with Gabaldon’s initial tome, Outlander. Voyager is available from Dell. Season 3 of Outlander premiers on Starz on September 10. Images: Warner Bros.,Scribner, Starz, Dell JUMP TO: August: The Dark Tower October: Blade Runner 2049, The Snowman November: Marvel's Runaways December: Star Wars: The Last Jedi GeekFeed Reading List: October 2017 October 6, Blade Runner 2049 Read: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick With the forthcoming release of Blade Runner 2049, what better time to return to Blade Runner’s original source? Philip K. Dick’s post-apocalyptic dystopia chronicles the original tale of Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter whose mission is to “retire” renegade androids. The androids are nearly indistinguishable from humans and designed to serve them, though their intelligence causes conflict when they develop free will. The novel raises interesting questions about artificial intelligence and what it really means to be human (much like the recent Westworld). While Blade Runner was met with mixed reviews upon its release 35 years ago, Warner Bros’ forthcoming Blade Runner 2049 is considered a long-awaited sequel by fans who consider the original film a cult classic. Though plot details are thin, the trailer promises the noir, atmospheric beauty director Denis Villeneuve is known for. Harrison Ford returns as Rick Deckard, joined by Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, and Jared Leto. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is available from Del Rey. Blade Runner 2049 will be in theatres October 6. October 20, The Snowman Read: The Snowman, by Jo Nesbø If you’re not yet familiar with Norwegian detective Harry Hole, the upcoming crime thriller/horror film is the perfect excuse to indulge your inner sleuth. Nesbø’s series follows Detective Hole through a number of dark and disturbing cases, while Hole’s complicated past with alcoholism and bursts of insubordination endear him as a sort of antihero. The Snowman is Nesbø’s seventh Harry Hole novel, but the first in which Detective Hole discovers Norway has its own serial killer. Hole links together several cold cases after discovering similarities between the recent murders of several married mothers. To compound the eerie scenes, a snowman appears at each murder site. While Hole sets out to solve the clues he’s receiving from the serial killer, he finds himself becoming more entangled in the mystery and may even be linked to the killer more closely than he thought. Michael Fassbender will bring Detective Harry Hole to life in Universal Pictures’ forthcoming film. The combination of Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and cinematographer Dion Beebe (Edge of Tomorrow) promises a deeply immersive experience that brings the tension of Nesbø’s novel to the big screen. Shot in Norway, Snowman’s trailer draws on its stunning setting and builds towards momentous pacing. Fassbender is joined by Rebecca Ferguson, J.K. Simmons, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Chloë Sevigny. The Snowman: A Novel is available from Knopf. The Snowman will be in theatres October 20. Images: Warner Bros., Del Rey, Universal Pictures, Knopf JUMP TO: August: The Dark Tower September: IT, Outlander November: Marvel's Runaways December: Star Wars: The Last Jedi GeekFeed Reading List: November 2017 November 21, Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu) Read: Runaways: Pride & Joy (Vol. 1), by Brian K. Vaughan (writer) and Adrian Alphona (artist) Brian K. Vaughan’s comic creations Ex Machina, Saga, and Paper Girls have earned him comparisons to Frank Miller and Alan Moore. His Y: The Last Man series is currently in development for television with FX. With the upcoming production of Marvel’s latest television series Runaways, now is the perfect time to familiarize yourself with Vaughan’s group of teenage superheroes. In Pride & Joy, we meet the teenage sons and daughters of “the Pride,” an evil crime organization who will literally sacrifice children to achieve their ends. When the teenagers witness their parents’ crimes, they band together and runaway, vowing to find a way to stop their parents and the villains who threaten to take their place. The members of the group slowly learn about the powers they’ve inherited, and use a variety of magical objects they steal to battle their challengers. Volume one of the series collects issues one through six. Perhaps most notable about Marvel’s upcoming series is its young, diverse cast. The Runaways group is one of the few superhero bands with more females than males, and they find commonality in the various ways they’re all outcasts. A leaked trailer has since been removed by ABC, meaning post-production work is likely still ongoing. But early footage shows the group of six teenagers stumbling upon their parents’ evil-doing and hints at the teens discovering their mutant powers. Runaways: Pride & Joy is available from Marvel. The television series Runaways will be available to stream from Hulu beginning November 21. Images: Hulu, Marvel JUMP TO: August: The Dark Tower September: IT, Outlander October: Blade Runner 2049, The Snowman December: Star Wars: The Last Jedi GeekFeed Reading List: December 2017 December 15, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Read: Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, Stories from 40 Writers Though it may be the most anticipated film of the year, there are still very few details available about the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi. To help ease your wait, Lucasfilm Publishing announced a number of new novels, comic books, and children’s books at their 2017 San Diego Comic Con panel. Perhaps most notable was the forthcoming collection A Certain Point of View, “40 Stories Celebrating 40 Years of Star Wars.” From a Certain Point of View collects 40 stories from 40 authors, each one re-telling a scene from the original Star Wars film, but from the point of view of a background character. The collection includes familiar Star Wars voices like John Jackson Miller and Chuck Wendig, but also introduces new and diverse authors like Nnedi Okorafor, Renée Ahdieh, and Ken Liu. (The complete list of contributors can be seen on the cover art.) And according to StarWars.com, all contributing authors have donated their proceeds from the book to First Book, “a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need.” We have little more than teasers about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But whether it’s a behind-the-scenes reel, the opening crawl, or mere images of Kylo Ren’s TIE fighter, GeekFeed is determined to bring you the latest news as it becomes available. For now, gaze upon the beautiful new movie posters and pick up the forthcoming story collection. Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View will be available from Del Rey on October 3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be in theatres December 15. Images: Lucasfilm/Disney, Del Rey JUMP TO: August: The Dark Tower September: IT, Outlander October: Blade Runner 2049, The Snowman November: Marvel's Runaways

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