An open letter to Peter Jackson

(Yes, I am also sending this to Mr. Jackson via snail mail, at the insistence of my husband. See the footnote for that address, if you want to send a letter too.)

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 Dear Mr. Jackson,

      I could not be more excited that you own the movie rights for Temeraire. I loved your interpretation of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The Frighteners is comic gold. Nothing would be better than seeing you put those skills to work for Temeraire. I'm waiting for the last book to arrive; I haven't been so excited and saddened for a story's conclusion since Harry Potter.

     I've read that you're reluctant to start on the film because you're worried the first movie would fail and you wouldn't get to make the other books into their own films. I could argue for your star power drawing in fans, or point out that multiple movie stories are becoming more normalized with franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and your own Hobbit. But I have another idea:

     Why not a mini-series?

     Game of Thrones has left a dragon-shaped hole in the public heart. What better way to fill it with an exciting epic of war, with talking dragons that are involved right from the start? I've every confidence that Weta could handle the Draconian effects needed to make this a reality. Please consider this. The fans are ready. The world is ready.

      I hope to see my favorite Celestial on the screen one day, large or small. It's all up to you, Mr. Jackson.

Best regards,
Shayna Shaw
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Peter Jackson
Weta Digital Ltd.
P.O. Box 15208
9-11 Manuka Street
Miramar
Wellington 6022
New Zealand

Five books/book series that deserve a fandom

Five wonderful worlds that deserve the fandoms attached to  (also good!) things like Game of Thones and The Walking Dead.

5. Temeraire: His Majesty's Dragon (series) by Naomi Novik.

     A series set in the Napoleonic wars where everything is the same as ever was...EXCEPT dragons exists, they're as smart as people (mostly), can talk, and the army uses them for kick ass aerial battles.

Temeraireby sandara
This drawing is TOTALLY ACCURATE. That is the aforementioned Temeraire. Just one of a hundred different types of dragons, and dragon characters. He and his captain travel the world, learning about other cultures and how they treat dragons, all while fighting a freaking war. It's written amazingly well, and the last book is set to come out soon. Out of eight.

What do we have so far? Well, Peter Jackson is supposed to be making a mini-series about it...someday...There's also some really cool art online.

4. The Myth Adventures series, by Robert Lynn Asprin.

     This follows a young magician/thief Skeeve and his powerless (formerly powerful) demon mentor Aahz. Instead of being the chosen one or anything like that they use Aahz's knowledge and Skeeve's growing power to form an inter dimensional powerbase and near mafia. And they're the GOOD GUYS.

What do we have so far? A nice comic adaptation. Really, this needs to be an animated movie. But the comic is quite good.

3. 20th Century Ghosts, by Joe Hill.

     This is a bizarre collection of stories, that I loosely classify as horror, but that's not a wide enough spectrum.

Just a peek at what's inside: a kid turns into a giant bug, and happily goes on a rampage. Two friends growing up, but one is an inflatable boy made of plastic. The museum of silence, where last breathes are housed. Amazing, weird, horrifying, wonderful tales.

What do we have so far? It was a best seller, but no art or fans or adaptations that I can find. Joe Hill's novels are very popular (also quite good), so there's hope.

2. Small World, by Tabitha King.

A book where what has science done hits political intrigue. The short of it ( heh heh) scientist invents shrink ray and a crazy, but powerful, woman who loves dollhouses seduces him. Then this happens:

Yeah. It's a nail biter, sexy, and thrilling.

What do we have so far? NADA. ZIP. ZILCH. No fanart, no fandom, nada. And Mrs. King deserves all of it! Let's get the ball rolling people: find a copy online (it's super easy), buy it in a used bookstore, ANYTHING. Just read this kickass book.

1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: the Novelization.

     The book is from E.T.'s point of view, explains SO MUCH (like live didn't bring him back, his alien friends did, also he's a space botanist, also HIS REAL NAME). It's well written, and just different enough from the movie to be weird as hell.

What do we have so far? I could barely find a copy of the cover in Google images, but there are copies of this thing all over the place. Find one. Buy it. Read it. Discuss. Also, a sort of sequel, but it's by someone else, I haven't read it, and have no opinion.