I LOVE Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi action movie Children of Men. I’ve watched maybe six times and every time, the ending always almost brings me to tears. So when I learned it was adapted from P.D. James’ book of the same name, it was a no-brainer deciding what my next book would be.
After finishing the book, it wasn’t difficult to reach to the conclusion that I enjoyed the movie better.
While James’ book gives a more in-depth look at how human infertility and humanity’s slow death march towards extinction affects the sexual dynamic between men and women and almost demented ways humans try to cope with a world without children or a race of dead men walking, I feel the book dedicates WAY too much time describing the failing of human civilization and the Regrets and guilt of Theo Faron. It’s not even until after 2/3 through the book where it feels like the plot and story are properly paced and stuff of consequence actually begin to happen.
The film’s adaptation by, comparison, feels consistent in its pacing and the world building and woe-is-mes of Theo feel more compact a take up less of the audience’s time.
What books do you feel were worse than its film adaptation and why?
I read the two Endymion books when I was 14 or 15 and at the time it completely went over my head how weird and creepy Aenea’s sexualization was. It was only when I read the series a second time in my late 20s that it hit me. She was twelve. Raul (the POV protagonist) was in his mid 30s.
That said, the journey down the river story structure, the church intrigue, and the character of Father Captain De Soya really made the books work for me.
Still, I can’t blame anyone for getting turned off by the ‘magic girl’ angle or the weird pseudopedophilia.