Craig DiLouie's "One of Us"

Craig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction.

In hundreds of reviews, his novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.

These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film.

Here DiLouie dreamcasts an adaptation of his new novel, One of Us:

In One of Us, a disease has produced a generation of monsters who are now growing up in orphanages and must find a way to fit in—or fight for what’s theirs. It’s both a misunderstood monster story and a novel about prejudice.

As a Southern Gothic story, the characters are an ensemble and half of them are mutants, so it’s a tough cast for me. I’ll pick two.

Amy is a plague girl, but her mutation only appears under severe stress. As a result, while all the other plague children are growing up in ramshackle “Homes,” she is able to hide in plain sight. For her, I’d cast Emma Stone. She has the chops to give Amy the right range of rebelliousness against her overly protective mother, desire to fit in, romantic curiosity with her boyfriend Jake, vulnerability, and menace.

The son of a preacher who fears the plague generation, Jake is cocky and rebellious. He believes his real Christian duty is to treat the plague children as equals, which naturally gets him into all sorts of trouble in his small town. For Jake, I’d cast Dane DeHaan, who has a distinctive, earthy look and would be able to pull off the earnestness, cockiness, and sensitivity the character needs.

Visit Craig DiLouie's website.

--Marshal Zeringue