IP Picks🔎: The Anti-Social Network: Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover
âž• A romantasy with major 'Outlander' vibes
Welcome to The Optionist.
As always, thanks for reading along. Lots to cover this week, but first I’d like to preview two of this week’s picks (for paid subscribers only).
The first is a chronicle of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter; the second is a romantasy with serious Outlander vibes. Both touch on topics or genres that are very hot at the moment.
I’ve touched on a potential Musk project before, and there’s been a flood of Musk books over the last year so I took the opportunity in the write up to mull the possibilities and dangers of tackling the controversial billionaire, consider the other contenders and how it has played out in other recent scandals with competing projects in the works. It’s not just a recommendation but an overview of the state of play.
As for the romantasy pick, faithful readers of The Optionist know that I’ve been writing about this relatively new mash-up genre for a while now. Even so, I’m still trying to get my bearings on it. I was drawn to this pick because it’s grounded in the real world. That’s no small consideration. Anchoring a story in a recognizable time and place is a much easier lift than conjuring an entirely new world from scratch. Those feel like big swings with even bigger risks to me, regardless of whether or not they have passionate, built-in fan bases.
In both cases, I’d be very curious to hear what you think. Would you roll the dice on a Musk/Twitter project? And what kind of romantasies do you think would resonate the most with audiences? Will this publishing trend end up leaving its mark on Hollywood? Hit me up with your thoughts.
Now, on to this week’s picks. In addition to the aforementioned Twitter and romantasy titles, we’ve got some real hidden gems in this edition. Let’s break ‘em down . . .
The full lineup:
A business drama chronicling Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter
A Sliding Doors drama about a woman who discovers different versions of herself and the various paths these doppelgangers take
A pulpy crime thriller with heart from an Edgar-winning author
A romantasy set in 1600s England that evokes the best of Outlander
A legal procedural/family drama about the killing of a sick teenager and how that case dredges up a similar, close-to-home incident from the past
