11 books you need to read in 2017 before their TV adaptations air

Because the book is almost always better...

The Radio Times

By Sarah Doran

28 December 2016

Book to TV adaptations were plentiful in 2016 and as a new year begins we can expect to see those "soon to be TV series" shelves in our bookshops filling up fast.

Here are the books you need to read before they hit the small screen...

1. The Cormoran Strike series - Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)

The Musketeers and War and Peace star Tom Burke will play the Afghanistan war veteran turned private detective in a series of three BBC “event dramas” based on JK Rowling’s novels, which were written under the pen name Robert Galbraith.

First up is The Cuckoo’s Calling (consisting of three hour-long episodes), which will be followed by two-parters The Silkworm and Career Of Evil. Holliday Grainger stars as Strike's sidekick, Robin Ellacott.

2. Apple Tree Yard - Louise Doughty

A huge hit in 2013, Louise Doughty's psychological thriller is heading to the BBC with British favourites Emily Watson and Ben Chaplin at the heart of the tale.

Married with two grown-up children, Yvonne Carmichael (Watson) lives a contented, conventional suburban life. But her world spirals into chaos, when a chance encounter leads to an impulsive and passionate affair with a charismatic stranger (Chaplin).

Despite all her careful plans to keep her home life and career safe and separate from her affair, fantasy and reality soon begin to overlap and everything she values is put at risk, as a life-changing act of violence leads to a Crown Court trial.

3. American Gods - Neil Gaiman

There was much excitement when Neil Gaiman's American Gods FINALLY got the green light from the US home of Outlander, Starz.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the novel, here's RadioTimes.com's resident Gaiman expert's summary: It follows an ex-con called Shadow Moon who’s roped into a plot by down-on-his-luck Norse god Odin to band together other fading deities from a variety of cultures to take on the “new gods” of America.

These include gods of computers, media, conspiracy (as personified by some men in dark suits) and intangible gods of the stock market who would rather let market forces take out their enemies than deal with them directly. The old gods are generally no longer believed in by Americans, so their power has faded – but with Shadow’s help, they might have a chance to rake back some of their dignity and prestige.

Ricky Whittle - of Hollyoaks fame - leads an all-star cast, featuring Ian McShane, Emily Browning, Crispin Glover, Kristin Chenoweth and Gillian Anderson.

And with the series finally set to air in 2017 it's the perfect excuse to pick up a copy of the book and get to grips with another of Gaiman's glorious fantasy worlds.

4. Bobby Moore: By The Person Who Knew Him Best - Tina Moore

Michelle Keegan and Lorne MacFadyen play football's first golden couple in ITV's Tina and Bobby, a new drama based on Tina Moore's memoir about her time with her late ex-husband.

The drama will tell the tale of teenage secretary Tina Dean, who married her childhood sweetheart for love, only to be thrust into the limelight when the promising footballer lead England to victory in the 1966 World Cup.

From his battle with illness to the rise and fall of his football career, the drama follows Bobby and Tina through the highs and lows of their extraordinary life together.

5. Tennison - Lynda LaPlante

What was DCI Jane Tennison like before she became the woman we grew to respect in Prime Suspect? That's the question ITV is hoping to answer with new prequel series Prime Suspect 1973, a 1970s crime drama that explains exactly how Helen Mirren's iconic character came to be on the police force.

The unenviable task of channelling her falls to Doctor Thorne star Stefanie Martini, who'll star alongside Sam Reid, Blake Harrison, Alun Armstrong and Ruth Sheen in the six part drama.

And while we've heard it doesn't tell the exact same tale as the TV series, your best bet for helpful hints about what the new series might offer has to be Lynda La Plante's latest novel, Tennison. Who better to tell the tale than the woman who gave us the Met's most formidable DCI?

6.SS-GB - Len Deighton

What would have happened if Germany won the Battle of Britain? That's the question Len Deighton ponders in his thriller set in Nazi-occupied London.

Douglas Archer (Sam Riley) is a Scotland Yard detective who can't decide whether to co-operate with the SS or join the resistance. That's soon the least of his worries though, when he finds himself embroiled in a sinister underworld while investigating what appears to be a simple black-market murder.

And he's not the only one falling into a tangled Man In The High Castle style web. American journalist Barbara Baga (Kate Bosworth) finds herself linked to the same case.

7. The Black Moon & The Four Swans - Winston Graham

The third series of BBC's Poldark adaptation brings Aidan Turner, Eleanor Tomlinson and co back to our screens in 2017 and this time all the drama will be based on Winston Graham's fifth and sixth Poldark novels.

Best get reading 'em so...

8. The Worst Witch - Jill Murphy

As Mildred Hubble returns to TV screens via CBBC, why not relive her magical mishaps in the original form? Or at least encourage the kids to do so!

9. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon

As Outlander returns for a third series, we'll catch up with Jamie and Claire in rather different surroundings. She's back in Boston, he's recovering from the Battle of Culloden, and the producers of the TV series are promising they're going to take their leading duo on a whole new adventure.

The events of series three will be based on Gabaldon's third Outlander novel but you'd best keep an open mind as the producers have promised they'll be deviating from the source text.

10. A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket

Written by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym of Lemony Snicket (who is also a peripheral character in the plot), A Series of Unfortunate Events charts the trials and tribulations of orphaned children Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, who are forced to move in with a nasty relative called Count Olaf (played by Neil Patrick Harris) after their parents' death.

Upon finding out that he wants to steal their fortune the children escape, moving from one hapless or no-good guardian to another. Meanwhile, Olaf is snapping at their heels, donning a series of disguises, murdering and causing chaos in his pursuit of the Baudelaires.

You've got until January 13th 2017 to read through at least the first four novels, which the first series will be based on.

11. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

With 2016 drawing to a close and no cast yet announced it's looking rather likely that the BBC's adaptation of His Dark Materials could take a while to make it to our TV screens but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Because that means you'll have plenty of time to sit down and read Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass before they're adapted for the screen again.

And who could say no to an excuse to read about the wonderful Lyra, her daemon Pantalaimon, and their magical journeys through worlds to discover the secrets of dust and take on the might of the Magisterium.

Let's just forget 'The Golden Compass' EVER happened, shall we