Best of
Adaptations

2015

The Art of Mad Max: Fury Road


Abbie Bernstein - 2015
    Haunted by his turbulent past, the wandering Road Warrior becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. Seeking escape from the tyranny of Immortan Joe, what follows is a high-octane Road War - and a chance for redemption. The Art of Mad Max: Fury Road is the official companion to the highly anticipated movie.

The Art of Inside Out


Pete Docter - 2015
    Featuring concept art—including sketches, collages, color scripts, and much more—and opening with a foreword by actress Amy Poehler and introduction by the film's writer and director Pete Docter, this is the ultimate behind-the-scenes experience of the making of this landmark film.

High School for the Recently Departed


C.L. Gaber - 2015
    One minute she was living her teenage life in suburban Chicago...and the next minute, she was in a strange place and in a brand new school with absolutely no homework, no rules, and no consequences. Walker Callaghan, 17, is dead. She doesn't go to heaven or hell. She lands at The Academy, a middle realm where teenagers have one thing in common: They were the morning announcement at their high schools because they died young. These high school kids are now caught in a strange “in-between” zone where life hasn’t changed very much. In fact, this special teen limbo looks a lot like life in a quaint Michigan town complete with jocks, popular girls and cliques. "There are even cheerleaders in death," Walker observes. It's not a coincidence that the music teacher is a guy named Kurt who "used to have this band." The drama teacher, Heath, is crush worthy because back in his life, he starred in some superhero movie. Principal King explains the rules -- there are none. Why? You can't die twice. There is no homework. No tests. No SATS. You're just there to learn because the human brain isn't fully formed until you're 24. By the way, you can't get hurt physically, so race your Harley off that hillside. But falling in love is the most dangerous thing you can do ...because no one knows how long you'll stay in this realm or what's next. "Losing someone you love would be like dying twice," Walker says. * * * * * * Walker Callaghan has just arrived at the Academy after a tragic car accident. “Is this heaven or is this high school?” she asks. She finds out her new life is a bit of both as she falls in love with tat-covered, bad boy Daniel Reid who is about to break the only sacred rule of this place. He's looking for a portal to return back to the living realm. He needs just one hour to retrieve his younger brother who strangely never arrived at The Academy. Bobby is an Earth Bound Spirit, stuck at a plane crash site that took both of their lives as their rich father piloted his private jet nose-first into a cornfield on Christmas Eve. Walker loves Daniel and risks it all to go with him. Have they learned enough to outsmart dangerous forces while transporting a young child with them? Can their love survive the fragmented evil parts of themselves that are now hunting them down as they try to find a way back to the middle? At the Academy, you learn the lessons of an after-lifetime.

Breaking Bad: The Official Book


David Thomson - 2015
    This one-of-a-kind book—the ultimate official guide to the show—covers the evolution of Breaking Bad from the pilot to the final episode and beyond. Adapted and expanded from Breaking Bad Alchemy, the interactive e-book for the iPad, it highlights the unique elements that made the series so magnetic. The book is filled with insider secrets about the making of the show and the meanings behind its iconography, as well a complete Breaking Bad timeline; in-depth looks at the series’ groundbreaking cinematography, music, and special effects; exclusive interviews with creator Vince Gilligan; and new text from noted film critic David Thomson. Bad fans will enjoy the book's updated design, more than 100 new images, and perceptive captions. Renowned critic David Thomson reveals an extensive interview with Vince Gilligan just for this edition, and provides an insightful introduction—arguing that Breaking Bad is not only a great show, but one of the most significant works of fiction in the new century. In addition to exploring how this epic series came to be, Thomson sets Breaking Bad in the context of both crime literature and long-form television.

Girls Who Choose God: Stories of Strong Women from the Book of Mormon


McArthur Krishna - 2015
    Come to better know and love Sariah, the heroic daughters from the land Zeniff, Nephi's wife, the maidservant spy, and other women from the Book of Mormon who chose God with all their might. These faith-filled women defended their families, protected their husbands, and risked their lives for others—providing powerful role models for us all.With stunning illustrations, ten compelling narratives, and thought-provoking family discussion questions, this volume will give you a new perspective on the Book of Mormon. Reading and reflecting on these brave women's stories, girls and boys will learn that they too can be strong and choose God.

The Greatest Cases of Sherlock Holmes


Arthur Conan Doyle - 2015
    Sherlock Holmes, scourge of criminals everywhere, whether they be lurking in London's foggy backstreets or plotting behind the walls of an idyllic country mansion, and his faithful colleague Dr Watson solve these breathtaking and perplexing mysteries. In The Greatest Cases of Sherlock Holmes we encounter some of his most famous and devilishly difficult problems

Mary Ellen Mark: Tiny, Streetwise Revisited


Mary Ellen Mark - 2015
    Critically acclaimed, Streetwise introduced us to individuals who were not easily forgotten, including "Tiny" (Erin Blackwell)--a 13-year-old prostitute with dreams of a horse farm, diamonds and furs, and a baby of her own. Since meeting Tiny 30 years ago, Mark has continued to photograph her, creating what has become one of Mark's most significant and long-term projects. Now 43, Tiny has ten children and her life has unfolded in unexpected ways, which together speak to issues of poverty, class, race and addiction. This significantly expanded iteration of the classic monograph presents the iconic work of the first edition along with Mark's moving and intimate body of work on Tiny, most of which is previously unpublished. Texts and captions are drawn from conversations between Tiny and Mary Ellen Mark as well as Mark's husband, the filmmaker Martin Bell, who made the landmark film, Streetwise. Tiny, Streetwise Revisited provides a powerful education about one of the more complex sides of American life, as well as insight into the unique relationship sustained between artist and subject for over 30 years.Mary Ellen Mark (1940-2015) was a legendary American photographer known for her photojournalism and portraiture. Her work has been widely published and is included in public collections around the world. In 2014, Mark received the George Eastman House Lifetime Achievement in Photography Award.

Lucy Negro, Redux


Caroline Randall Williams - 2015
    Williams unearths Lucy by working her own mojo of intelligent vengeance and a dual aesthetic of inquiry and minimal, tour de force exegesis. Travel with Williams through the sublime racial moments of famous sonnets to a cultural critique of the work of Mr. Whiteness Him Bad Bard Self, William Shakespeare. Lucy as radical muse. Lucy as newly-freed verse news. Move over Othello, no more easy getting' ovah, Lucy Negro aka Black Luce has, double-brilliantly and double inventively, fully arrived on fire!Thomas Sayers Ellis, Co-Founder--Dark Room Collective, Author, Skin, Inc.

Goosebumps: Movie Novel


R.L. Stine - 2015
    Jack Black stars as author R. L. Stine. * With exclusive introduction from the REAL R. L. Stine! Plus eight pages of color pictures from the movie. * Zach, 16, has just moved from NYC to a creepy small town. He soon realizes his new neighbor, Hannah (also 16), is in danger. When he tries to rescue her, he accidentally unleashes the monsters created and brought to life by her writer father, R.L. Stine. Now it's up to Zach, Hannah, and Stine to get the monsters back in their books where they belong. Can they stop the monsters... for good?

The Little Prince: The Art of the Movie


Ramin Zahed - 2015
    Now, Kung Fu Panda director Mark Osborne has brought the first-ever animated feature film adaptation of the children’s classic to screen, with voice talent that includes Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams and Benicio del Toro. This fresh take on a legendary tale blends intricate stop-motion animation with carefully crafted CGI to bring a whole new story to life – that of a little girl forced to grow up too fast in a world that has its priorities backwards. That is, until she meets the Aviator from Saint-Exupéry's story and is drawn into the rich, vibrant world of the Little Prince.   Packed with never-before-seen designs and plenty of behind-the-scenes secrets, The Art of The Little Prince captures the breathtaking magic of the movie. With hundreds of stunning images, this book gives fans an all-access pass to The Little Prince – see how the visuals develop from page to screen, enjoy fascinating insights into the creative process and watch an incredible story unfold through its production art.

FCBD 2015 Street Fighter: Super Combo Special


Matt MoylanEspen Grundetjern - 2015
    A self-contained story, perfect for newcomers to the Street Fighter universe, or longtime fans!

Cheese in the Trap, Season 2-9


Soon Kki - 2015
    Perfect. Seol feels like her life took a turn for the worse since Jung came into her life... but is he intentionally turning her life upside down?

Locus Amoenus


Victoria N. Alexander - 2015
    Unfortunately, their outrageously obese neighbors, who prefer the starchy products of industrial agriculture, reject their elitist ways (recycling, eating healthy, reading).Hamlet, who is now eighteen, is beginning to suspect that something is rotten in the United States of America, when health, happiness, and freedom are traded for cheap Walmart goods, Paxil, endless war, standard curriculum, and environmental degradation. He becomes very depressed when, on the very day of the 8th anniversary of his father's death, his mother marries a horrid, boring bureaucrat named Claudius.Things get even more depressing for Hamlet when he learns from Horatio, a conspiracy theorist, that Claudius is a fraud. The deceptions, spying, and corruption will ultimately lead, as in Shakespeare's play, to tragedy.Pronounced: "low cus a mean us"Advanced praise for Locus Amoenus from the back coverA satirical examination of how we live in the 21st century, in the United Estates of America, with less civilization and more discontents than hitherto. Amidst nostalgic reflections on our past, Alexander notices current absurdities and contradictions in our appetites and critique of consumerism, and despite the tragedy, we have the consolation of her humor. I haven't laughed this well while reading in a long time. -Josip Novakovich, author of Shopping for a Better Country Brilliantly combining Shakespeare's knowing personal-political masterpiece, Hamlet, with post-911 ruminations of an edifying diversity of characters inhabiting Amenia in rural New York, novelist Victoria N. Alexander manages to do the three things that Nabokov says a good novelist must do: tell a story, inform, and enchant. Locus Amœnus, a short, sweet, sui generis blend of contemporary adult fiction and geopolitical drama, reminds us that something may be rotten in more than Denmark. -Dorion Sagan, author of The Cosmic Apprentice This brilliant, searing political novel deserves to be read by all of those interested in the current and future state of the United States of America. Darkly comic, wry and witty, Locus Amœnus is a genuine pastoral, a critique of the bloating and corruption of American life that draws on Hamlet for its dissection of politics, relationships, and love in post-9/11 America. From Swift to Shakespeare, the literary antecedents for Locus Amœnus are wide and varied, but the novel that emerges is wholly original and haunting in its graphic depiction of contemporary American mores and failures. I can't recommend Victoria N. Alexander's new novel enough. -Oona Frawley, author of Flight A tale of dark political corruption, betrayal and a through the looking-glass world where you can believe six impossible things before breakfast, Locus Amœnus is also a fiercely funny romp by a talented writer. -Charles Holdefer, author of The Contractor Alexander's Locus Amœnus is a biting, witty, and ultimately touching window on modern American life. She evokes the wit and depth of the best of Kingsolver and high satire and earnest social exploration of Pynchon or Delillo. Her experiences bridging the worlds of rural and urban northeastern America provide those of us with experience of both a welcomed bit of nostalgia, longing, familiarity, and a sense of loss. This story is to be savored, and hopefully re-read in certain existential moods. -David Koepsell, author of Reboot World