5 Fantasy Books You Need To Read Before Their TV Adaptations Premiere

The book-to-television pipeline is very much alive. From the steamy hockey sensation Heated Rivalry to the recent heist hit Lucky, many of today’s hit TV shows wouldn’t exist without the books that became their foundations. The same is true for fantasy, a genre that has long been a goldmine for some of television’s biggest successes.

George R. R. Martin‘s world continues to come alive with House of the Dragon, while J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is still going strong. But those are far from the only fantasy stories making the jump to the small screen. From a trip through academic hell to a deadly, video game-inspired dungeon crawl, here are the fantasy books to read before their TV adaptations arrive.

‘Katabasis’ (2025)

Image via Harper Voyager

Grad school’s a living hell, and it’s even worse when the devil’s got your doctorate. Katabasis follows Alice Law, a Cambridge postgraduate who practices a dangerous form of magic. After a botched spell seemingly kills her adviser, Professor Jacob Grimes, and sends his soul to Hell, Alice sacrifices half her remaining lifespan to journey into the underworld and bring him back—all while hoping to secure the recommendation letter she desperately needs. Things only get more complicated when her academic rival, Peter Murdoch, insists on tagging along for the same reason.

Academia is one tough avenue, but it’s especially exhausting in graduate school. For those trying to make it in academia, people know all too well the validation required from senior researchers and professors that could make or break your name in an already competitive department. Katabasis, then, is a critique of these intellectual institutions. There is a glorification of giving your all to intellectual pursuits, but when the pursuit of knowledge isn’t paired with soul or ethos, that endeavor only eats you alive. As of now, Katabasis is currently in development at Amazon MGM Studios, with The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang attached as the project’s showrunner and writer.

‘The Dark Tower’ series (1982–2012)

Image via Donald M. Grant, Publisher

Often described as Stephen King‘s answer to The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower saga follows the legendary gunslinger Roland Deschain as he journeys across the magical realm of Mid-World in search of the mysterious Dark Tower, the structure said to hold the multiverse together. In this reality, time is non-linear, and it’s the reason why nations vanish without a trace. Running across eight novels, it’s arguably one of King’s most experimental works — a cornucopia of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and American Old West elements. The Dark Tower would ultimately serve as a foundation that connects other works in the Kingverse, including Salem’s Lot, Cujo, and IT.

After years of failed attempts to bring The Dark Tower to television, Mike Flanagan‘s adaptation is finally picking up steam. Earlier versions from J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and later Prime Video with The Walking Dead‘s Glen Mazzara all fell through, but Flanagan explained that the project is “moving,” that “We’ve got a lot of scripts done for it,” and that it’s now “a priority.” That’s especially exciting because The Dark Tower is the one series that truly ties everything together. Those who want to understand the world of King can read The Dark Tower series as a starting point into the author’s already intimidatingly massive writing portfolio.

‘The Atlas Six’ (2020)

Image via Tor Books

The first in the BookTok dark academia trilogy, The Atlas Six follows six exceptionally gifted magicians, handpicked by Atlas Blakely, to compete for a place in the Alexandrian Society, the world’s most prestigious secret organization. Reminiscent of The Umbrella Academy, they live together in a secluded London estate for a year, studying lost magical knowledge and the mysteries of space, time, and consciousness while proving they deserve initiation. However, the candidates soon discover a shocking truth: only five of them can join the Society, meaning one must be eliminated. While that’s happening, a rival faction called the Forum is determined to make the Society’s closely guarded knowledge available to the world.

The competitive nature of The Atlas Six turns the story into a ticking pressure cooker where everyone is trying to prove they’re the best of the best. While each magician has incredible powers, those abilities aren’t the only weapons in their arsenal. Every conversation is loaded with hidden agendas, mind games, and shifting alliances, making it hard to tell who can actually be trusted. But beneath all that rivalry is a group of people who were gifted—or maybe cursed—with extraordinary abilities, and the one thing they all crave is genuine human connection. Instead, their powers only push them further apart. On top of that, the book keeps you wondering whether the Alexandrian Society really wants to help these magicians reach their full potential or if it only sees them as tools to further its own elitist intellectual agenda.

‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ (2020)

Image via Ace Books

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Nothing screams fantasy more than Dungeon Crawler Carl, which completely revolutionizes the modern literary format in the age of video games. The self-published work follows former Coast Guard veteran Carl and Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend’s pampered cat, after Earth is destroyed by a powerful interstellar corporation. As two of the few survivors, they are forced into the World Dungeon, an eighteen-level death game akin to The Hunger Games or Squid Game, where every battle is livestreamed across the galaxy for entertainment. Along the way, the pair fight monsters, bosses, and even gods while leveling up, collecting loot, and completing quests.

There’s much to boast about with Dungeon Crawler Carl. For starters, the book series popularized LitRPG, a literary genre that incorporates traditional storytelling with video game mechanics like experience points, level progression, inventory systems, and quest logs. Even if audiences aren’t fans of video games, anyone can relate to the main character’s struggle as he is trapped in a sick system that feeds off human suffering as someone else’s entertainment. The only way to rebel is by showing compassion, which is exactly what Carl does for the other survivors he meets along the way. Set for adaptation under the guidance of Seth MacFarlane, and having amassed 14 million readers, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dungeon Crawler Carl would be a massive TV hit.

‘Fourth Wing’ (2023)

Image via Red Tower Books

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An 18-week New York Times bestseller, Fourth Wing is a must-read for fans of House of the Dragon. The story follows Violet Sorrengail, a frail 20-year-old who has spent her life training to become a scribe until her tough mother orders her to join Basgiath War College’s deadly Riders Quadrant instead. Surrounded by cadets who see her as an easy target, Violet has to rely on her wit to stay alive. Against all odds, she bonds with not one but two dragons, unlocking incredible powers. But as she discovers long-buried secrets about her kingdom, Violet must question everything she thought she knew before war changes her world forever.

In true Hunger Games fashion, Violet and the cadets of Basgiath War College are thrown into a brutal, win-or-die environment. But while she lacks physical strength, she more than makes up for it with her intelligence and quick thinking. With Prime Video officially adapting Fourth Wing into a series, produced by Michael B. Jordan‘s Outlier Society, there’s never been a better time to dive in. Jordan has already promised fans that they’re “making sure that this is going to be an exciting show that delivers on all of the things the fans want and some of the things that they won’t be expecting either.”

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Fourth Wing

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Network

Prime Video

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Showrunner

Meredith Averill

Directors

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Lisa Joy

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