Children of Paranoia

Last updated
Children of Paranoia
Children of Paranoia.jpg
Children of Paranoia cover
AuthorTrevor Shane
LanguageEnglish
Genre thriller- speculative fiction
PublisherDutton
Publication date
September 2011
Pages371
ISBN 978-0-525-95237-4

Children of Paranoia is a speculative fiction thriller novel written by Trevor Shane and published in September 2011.

Contents

Plot

Since the age of eighteen, Joseph has been assassinating people on behalf of a cause that he believes in but doesn't fully understand. The War is ageless, hidden in the shadows, governed by a rigid set of rules, and fought by two distinct sides — one good, one evil. The only unknown is which side is which. Soldiers in the War hide in plain sight, their deeds disguised as accidents or random acts of violence amidst an unsuspecting population ignorant of the brutality that is always inches away.

Killing people is the only life Joseph has ever known, and he's one of the best at it. But when a job goes wrong and he's sent away to complete a punishingly dangerous assignment, Joseph meets a girl named Maria, and for the first time in his life his singleminded, bloody purpose fades away.

Before Maria, Joseph's only responsibility was dealing death to the anonymous targets fingered by his superiors. Now he must run from the people who have fought by his side to save what he loves most in this world.

Reception

Corey Michael Dalton reviewed Children of Paranoia for the Saturday Evening Post stated that "The way in which the characters on one side of the war demonize the characters on the other—even when they don’t really understand why—makes an astute observation about the way humans work in general" and concludes that "Shane’s work here is impressive." [1] Stephen L. Brayton reviewed Children of Paranoia for Suspense Magazine and said "This is a powerful story, one where you ask for an explanation, but after the last chapter, you wind up looking at certain aspects of life and wondering about the point of them." [2] BuzzFocus called Children of Paranoia a "disturbingly good adventure." [3]

Film adaptation

On August 1, 2013 CBS Films has acquired the film rights of the novel. [4] Screenwriter Mark Verheiden is set to adapt the film, Akiva Goldsman will produce the film for the CBC Films. [5] [6] CBS Films has set Afflicted directing team Derek Lee and Clif Prowse to direct the adaptation. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Winters Tale</i> (novel) 1983 fantasy novel by Mark Helprin

Winter's Tale is a 1983 magic realism novel by Mark Helprin. It takes place in a mythic New York City, markedly different from reality, and in an industrial Edwardian era near the turn of the 20th century. Akiva Goldsman wrote a screenplay based on the novel and directed a feature film from the script, which was released in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akiva Goldsman</span> American screenwriter, director and producer

Akiva Goldsman is an American filmmaker. He is known for making motion pictures and adaptations of popular novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avengelyne</span> Comics character

Avengelyne is a comic book character created by Rob Liefeld and Cathy Christian. Avengelyne is an angel who fights the forces of evil and often finds herself face-to-face with demons and monsters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Verheiden</span> American screenwriter

Mark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic-book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies for DreamWorks Television and the TNT network.

<i>I Am Legend</i> (film) 2007 film by Francis Lawrence

I Am Legend is a 2007 American post-apocalyptic action thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman and Mark Protosevich and starring Will Smith as US Army virologist Robert Neville. Loosely based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, the film is set in New York City after a virus, which was originally created to cure cancer, has wiped out most of mankind, leaving Neville as the last human in New York, other than nocturnal mutants. Neville is immune to the virus, and he works to develop a cure while defending himself against the hostile mutants. It is the third feature-film adaptation of Matheson's novel following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man.

Transformers is a series of science fiction action films based on the Transformers franchise Michael Bay directed the first five live action films: Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), and The Last Knight (2017), and has served as a producer for subsequent films. A sixth film Bumblebee, directed by Travis Knight, was released in 2018, while a seventh film, Rise of the Beasts, directed by Steven Caple Jr. was released in 2023.

<i>Paranormal Activity 2</i> 2010 film by Tod Williams

Paranormal Activity 2 is a 2010 American found footage supernatural horror film directed by Tod Williams and written by Michael R. Perry, Christopher Landon and Tom Pabst. The film is a prequel to the 2007 film Paranormal Activity, beginning two months before and following up with the events depicted in the original film. It was released in theaters at midnight on October 22, 2010 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Poland and Ireland. An unrated version of the film was also released.

Andrew Cosby is an American comic book creator, film producer, and screenwriter. He is the co-creator of the SyFy TV series Eureka, and the co-founder of Boom! Studios.

<i>Winters Tale</i> (film) 2014 American film

Winter's Tale is a 2014 American romantic fantasy film based on the 1983 novel Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. The film is written, produced and directed by Akiva Goldsman. It stars Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt, Eva Marie Saint, Russell Crowe and Will Smith. Winter's Tale premiered at London on February 13 and was theatrically released on February 14 in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Divergent Series is a feature film series based on the Divergent novels by the American author Veronica Roth. Distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Films, the series consists of three science fiction action films set in a dystopian society: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. They have been produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian, and Douglas Wick.

<i>Stephanie</i> (film) 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Akiva Goldsman

Stephanie is a 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Akiva Goldsman, from a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. It stars Frank Grillo, Anna Torv and Shree Crooks.

<i>The Dark Tower</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film by Nikolaj Arcel

The Dark Tower is a 2017 American neo-Western science fantasy film directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel. Based on Stephen King's novel series of the same name, the film stars Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, a gunslinger on a quest to protect the Dark Tower—a mythical structure which supports all realities—while Matthew McConaughey plays his nemesis Walter Padick, and Tom Taylor stars as Jake Chambers, a boy who becomes Roland's apprentice.

<i>The Revenant</i> (novel) Book by Michael Punke

The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge is a 2002 novel by American author Michael Punke, based on a series of events in the life of American frontiersman Hugh Glass in 1823 Missouri Territory. The word "revenant" means someone who has risen from the grave to terrorize the living.

<i>Doctor Sleep</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Mike Flanagan

Doctor Sleep is a 2019 American supernatural horror film edited, written and directed by Mike Flanagan. It is an adaptation of the 2013 novel of the same name by Stephen King and sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance, a man with psychic abilities and a drinking problem, who struggles with childhood trauma caused by the horrors at the Overlook Hotel. Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, and Cliff Curtis have supporting roles as new characters: Abra Stone and Billy Freeman team up with Dan to take down Rose the Hat and her gang of followers.

<i>Star Trek: Picard</i> American television series

Star Trek: Picard is an American science fiction television series created by Akiva Goldsman, Michael Chabon, Kirsten Beyer, and Alex Kurtzman for the streaming service CBS All Access. It is the eighth Star Trek series and was released from 2020 to 2023 as part of Kurtzman's expanded Star Trek Universe. The series focuses on retired Starfleet Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. It begins at the end of the 24th century, 20 years after the character's last appearance in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).

<i>Without Remorse</i> (film) 2021 film by Stefano Sollima

Without Remorse is a 2021 American action thriller film based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It is directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples, and stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Luke Mitchell, Jack Kesy, Brett Gelman, Lauren London, Colman Domingo and Guy Pearce. The plot follows John Kelly, a U.S. Navy SEAL who sets out on a path of revenge after his pregnant wife and unit members are killed by Russian hitmen.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is an American science fiction television series created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet for the streaming service Paramount+. It is the 11th Star Trek series and debuted in 2022 as part of Kurtzman's expanded Star Trek Universe. A spin-off from Star Trek: Discovery, it follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the starship Enterprise in the 23rd century as they explore new worlds and carry out missions throughout the galaxy during the decade before Star Trek: The Original Series.

<i>The Shining</i> (franchise) American horror franchise

The Shining is an American supernatural horror media franchise that originated from the 1977 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The novel was later adapted into a 1980 film and a 1997 television miniseries. King later wrote a 2013 sequel novel, Doctor Sleep, which was adapted to film in 2019.

<i>Firestarter</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Keith Thomas

Firestarter is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Keith Thomas, from a screenplay by Scott Teems, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, and a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Michael Greyeyes, and Gloria Reuben. It is produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman under their Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures banners, respectively, alongside BoulderLight Pictures and Night Platform.

<i>The Crowded Room</i> American drama television series

The Crowded Room is an American psychological thriller miniseries created by Akiva Goldsman and inspired by the 1981 non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes. Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, and Emmy Rossum lead a supporting cast that includes Sasha Lane, Will Chase, Lior Raz, Laila Robins, and Henry Eikenberry.

References

  1. Dalton, Corey Michael. "Children of Paranoia (a review)". Saturday Evening Post. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  2. Brayton, Stephen L. (October 2011). "Children of Paranoia (a review)". Suspense Magazine.
  3. H., Bags. "Novel Review: Children of Paranoia". Buzz Focus. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  4. "CBS Films Options 'Children Of Paranoia'". deadline.com. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  5. "CHILDREN OF PARANOIA Adaptation in Development". movies.ie. 2 August 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  6. "'Children of Paranoia' Acquired by CBS Films for Akiva Goldsman". variety.com. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  7. "'Afflicted' Helmers Prowse & Lee Reunite With CBS Films On 'Children Of Paranoia'". deadline.com. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.