The “Original” Netflix Originals

Retired detective Gus Landor is called to investigate the murder of a West Point cadet in 1830. Landor enlists the help of another cadet, Edgar Allan Poe, to gather insider information, but Poe becomes embroiled with the victim’s family, risking the investigation. Bayard’s dark and clever mystery spins an intricate (though fictional) backstory for Poe and his eventual body of gothic literature. If you missed it in theaters, watch the film adaptation starring Christian Bale and Gillian Anderson on Netflix.

Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone” Grishaverse adaptation became an immediate sensation. Another season drops on March 16, based on the second book in the trilogy. “Siege and Storm” is filled with adventure, playful new characters (including our favorite, Nikolai), and page-turning action and magic.

Westerfeld’s novel is a scathing, nuanced takedown of the price we pay for unrealistic beauty standards. Transforming into a Pretty comes at a high cost — perhaps too high for young protagonists Tally and Shay. Read the shocking (and sometimes troubling) twists and turns before they hit the screen as a Netflix original movie.

Humiliated as a teen, Ani spent years crafting the perfect, enviable life — but it’s built on a dark secret that could destroy everything. This fashionista’s “Gone Girl,” with just as much satirical observation about modern femininity and a lot more pop culture flare, inspired a Netflix Original film starring Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals, and Connie Britton.

Austen’s “Persuasion” often plays second fiddle to her other works, like “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma.” But it’s safe to say this second-chance romance about Regency spinster Anne Elliot is having a breakout moment, because there are two movie adaptations in the works at the same time. Netflix’s more modern take stars Dakota Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”).

The premise of this middle grade series is immediately compelling: Two children are taken to the titular school each year, and are taught to be either good or evil. But when Sophie and Agatha attend, they’re not assigned the expected classes, calling into question who they really are and what is the true nature of good and evil. The film adaptation is available to stream on Netflix.

This standalone from master of suspense Slaughter (yes, that is her given last name) inspired an upcoming Netflix series starring Toni Collette and Bella Heathcote. In the novel, 31-year-old Andrea finds out that her mother, Laura, is a completely different person than she led her daughter to believe. The truth comes out after the two women find themselves in a violent situation.

You’ve heard this story before: A married politician has an affair; he’s accused of rape; people wonder how it will affect his career. But Vaughan turns the standard narrative on its head in subtle ways you wouldn’t expect from an otherwise by-the-books thriller. “Anatomy of a Scandal” dissects exactly what other rape stories usually get so wrong about this heinous crime. TV writers David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies”) and Melissa James Gibson (“House of Cards”) are adapting Vaughan’s novel for Netflix.

This young adult fantasy series became the talk of the town thanks to its Netflix adaptation and #BookTok. The meteoric rise of Alina Starkov from overlooked orphan to heroic Sun Summoner has been great to witness, and Bardugo’s series is full of emotional twists, surprising turns, and relatable side characters to fall in love with.

Protagonist Alex feels alienated by his fascination with the macabre — and his hobby of writing creepy original stories. But when a witch imprisons him, his stories are his only hope for survival. Torn between intrigue and terror, Alex tells tales by night and explores the witch’s lair — well, apartment — by day. One of the more unique children’s novels, “Nightbooks” blends classic horror like “Hansel and Gretel” with themes of belonging and identity. The Netflix adaptation premiered in 2021.

Can’t get enough of Beth Harmon’s defiant charm and masterful chess-playing? “The Queen’s Gambit” show is based on the book of the same name, published decades ago and inspired by elements of author Tevis’ life: He was a Class C chess competitor himself, allowing him to describe the game with a rare beauty.

This Man Booker Prize winning novel captures the duality of India: A beautiful and plentiful country with seemingly insurmountable income inequality and corruption. The main character, Balram Halwai, is a hard-working and charming man trying to build a better life for himself. He’s also a murderer. The Netflix adaptation of “The White Tiger” was nominated for the Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Oscar.

“Gone Girl” meets “Gossip Girl” in this extremely unnerving novel about how easy it is to become prey to stalking (or, to become a stalker yourself) in our hyper-connected digital age. It’s now a hit TV series starring Penn Badgley in a role that’s essentially a grown up and much-creepier Dan Humphrey.

Myers is a staple of YA literature, and “Monster,” written at the very end of the 20th century, is already considered a classic. As the title of this award-winning and uniquely told book suggests, it deals heavily with the dehumanization faced by those going through the criminal justice system, particularly when they’re people of color. The movie adaptation (starring Jennifer Hudson, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, and Nas) premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and is now available on Netflix.

An intersectional feminist revolution is afoot at a Texas high school where the football players are considered untouchable gods and the girls are ranked based on their hotness. Quiet Vivian, the daughter of a ’90s Riot Grrl, creates an anonymous zine called Moxie to push issues of sexual harassment and double-standards in her school’s dress code to the forefront. Amy Poehler directs the Netflix movie adaptation, and also stars as Vivian’s cool mom. (Vivian is played by Hadley Robinson.)

Pinborough’s psychological thriller has been making waves since well before the divisive Netflix adaptation dropped. It involves a meet-cute that immediately goes awry when Louise discovers the man she kissed at the bar last night is her new — married — boss. From there, readers are brought into an increasingly complicated love triangle with a twist that you’d never expect.

Ten minutes a day is all it takes to find a level of calm many of us rarely experience in this day and age, as we’re always online and on-the-go. Former Buddhist monk Puddicombe provides a great introduction to the wonders of meditation. “The Headspace Guide to Meditation” was turned into an animated Netflix series.

Anyone who’s fallen for Nosrat’s charming Netflix series “Salt Fat Acid Heat,” will be delighted to discover that the source material is just as — if not more — charming. Written in Nosrat’s signature warmth and approachability (accompanied by the gorgeous, whimsical illustrations of Wendy MacNaughton), it makes cooking less of a color-by-numbers and more of a flavor adventure.

Netflix’s “Anne With an E” originated from this classic delight. Montgomery’s prose allows you to experience life through the eyes of rambunctious redhead Anne as she falls in love with Canada’s Prince Edward Island and her adoptive family, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. No other character inspires a love of life — and a flare for the dramatic — quite as much as Anne Shirley.

Unbeknownst to Dimple, who believes she’s been freed from the shackles of tradition, her parents only send her to coding bootcamp so she can meet Rishi, whom they’ve arranged for her to marry. Dimple, of course, is not totally on board with this plan. But watching Dimple and Rishi genuinely fall for each other over the summer is the sweet, sweet romance we all need. Netflix released an adaptation of the series under the title “Mismatched,” starring Prajakta Koli and Rohit Suresh Saraf.

This critically acclaimed Canadian thriller is a psychological saga for the ages. Jake’s girlfriend is thinking of leaving him (as the title suggests), but agrees to go to an awkward dinner with his parents on their farm (never a good idea, particularly in a horror novel). Netflix’s adaptation diverges from the source text, so it’s well worth a read.

Feldman writes with raw intensity in this memoir about her life as a member of a very stringent sect of Judaism. Netflix based its miniseries of the same name off of Feldman’s chilling experiences growing up as a Satmar Hasidic Jew in New York City, surrounded by modern life yet seemingly so far removed from it.

This hauntingly beautiful and original story is infused with Chinese folklore. Li Lan, whose family fortune was squandered by her father, becomes the bride of the Lim family’s dead son. And that’s just a glimpse at the ghastly turns Li Lan’s life takes as she becomes more and more connected to spirits in the afterlife. Netflix turned it into a limited series co-directed by Quek Shio-chuan and Ho Yu-hang.

As America’s first self-made female millionaire, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker carved a path for Black women to create and lead their own companies. Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles, shares how Walker, the daughter of slaves, overcame the odds to become a wealthy businesswoman, philanthropist, and activist. “Self Made” is now a Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer.

When they hear a child cry for help, a sister and brother head into a maze-like field, only to discover something very, very frightening lurks in the grass, hunting them. This is just one of many King stories to get an adaptation — and keep you up at night.

While best known for his kid’s horror series “Goosebumps,” Stine’s “Fear Street” books offer more teen-centric themes and relationships. Slasher flick meets ghost story, this saga — the inspiration for the Netflix Original movies by the same name — is endlessly spooky and entertaining.

“Age of Resistance,” the prequel to Henson’s iconic dark fantasy YA film, “The Dark Crystal,” hit screens in 2019 as a Netflix series. The Gelfling are back on a quest to save their world from darkness and the evil Skeksis. In this sequel to the original, join the adventures of Thurma, a young Fireling, and Gelfling Kensho, as they battle to save the land of Thra.

Kinky sex goes horribly wrong in “Gerald’s Game,” where the protagonist, Jessie, spends most of the story handcuffed to the bed after her husband has a heart attack. Terrors both real and imagined threaten Jessie as she struggles to free herself. Perhaps unsurprisingly, only Netflix would take a gamble at an adaptation for this one, even though the film’s director, Mike Flanagan, called the story “unfilmable,” both for its sexual content and stationary action. While a novel is a more natural medium for the events of the story, we have to admit that the movie turned out astonishingly well.

So, Netflix’s “House of Cards” is actually an adaptation of a BBC miniseries adaptation of this novel. Are you keeping up? The real original book is very 1980s and very British. How the themes play out in different times and places is fascinating to compare.

Enter the rich, anthropomorphized life of a colony of bunnies on their harrowing journey to avoid catastrophe. The Netflix animated miniseries pulled out all the stops on its voice casting, with James McAvoy as Hazel, Nicholas Hoult as Fiver, and John Boyega as Bigwig.

This is the companion book to the original film...that was then made into a Netflix series of the same name. Surely by now you’re intrigued by this satire? “Dear White People'' is clever and challenging, addressing common microaggressions and stereotypes head-on. Sections like “We Don’t Know Why Kanye West Did That” are essential laughs (and learning experiences) that anyone can appreciate.

First of all, who can resist the awesome cover of McGreevy’s gothic novel? Inspired by the likes of “Frankenstein” and “Dracula,” McGreevy adds modern twists on the “humans are the real monsters” tropes of horror. A suspected werewolf is accused of murdering a girl. While he is, in fact, a werewolf, he is not the killer, and sets out to find the real culprit in this fictional Pennsylvania town.

A shocking memoir that follows Cahalan (played by Chloë Grace Moretz in the Netflix film) through a series of seemingly inconsequential events that suddenly make her violent and psychotic. Her scattered-but-thorough account of her month of madness is frightening and engrossing.

Malerman’s chilling, apocalyptic debut has been favorably compared to the likes of Stephen King. What phenomenon could be so horrifying that one look will be your undoing? It’s no wonder the Netflix adaptation starring Sandra Bullock became such a craze.

Whether you love the Netflix adaptation of this book series or you’re simply a fan of historical fiction, Cornwell’s original “The Last Kingdom” has plenty of excitement waiting for you. It’s set in the 9th century and follows Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon boy adopted by the Danes and torn between two warring worlds.

Begin at the beginning of this wonderfully weird, impressively imaginative, sprawling series by master wordsmith Snicket, whose spellbinding prose captivates readers of all ages. The Netflix adaptation stars Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf and has three seasons. (Because three is a LUCKY number, as opposed to the unlucky 13 books…)

Breaking conventional tropes, this fan-favorite features a self-proclaimed fat character who accepts herself (even if her mother doesn’t). It’s now also a Netflix film starring Jennifer Aniston and Danielle Macdonald.

This tell-all from one of the most successful and wildest bands of all time, Mötley Crüe, inspired a 2019 Netflix adaptation starring Machine Gun Kelly, Pete Davidson (SNL), and Iwan Rheon (“Game of Thrones”). Anyone who’s ever heard a Mötley Crüe song (which is to say, everyone) knows they loved the fast and loose life, but you’ll still reel from the twists and turns and blazing crashes here.

O’Connell’s penchant for frank and funny blogging translates directly into his memoir, which was adapted for Netflix (“Special”) in 2019. “I’m Special” offers a glimpse into the experiences that define O’Connell’s life and career a gay millenial with cerebral palsy. Whether you take the author’s words as wisdom or mere entertainment, they’re relatable to young adults, young professionals, and anyone else trying to make sense of our chaotic world.