Abandonware DOS title

The most popular based on a novel games

A lot of old games were based on a book, being it a novel or even a short story. Some novels that inspired developers to create video games are The Lords of the Rings (by J. R. R. Tolkien, Rendez Vous with Rama (by Arthur Clarke), The Mist (by Stephen King).
shadowsmordor-3

The Shadows of Mordor

DOS19883.7/5 Beam Software
gateway2_home_000

Gateway 2: Homeworld

DOS1993protected3.9/5 Legend Entertainment
return-to-ringworld-02

Return to Ringworld

DOS19943.8/5 Tsunami Media
dune-generations-06

Dune Generations

Windows XP/98/952002canceled3.8/5 Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Dune Generations was a canceled 3D MMO strategy game set in the Dune universe that was never published. Dune Generations was in development by Cryo Interactive Entertainment, but it was canceled in 2002 when the company filed for bankruptcy. As of 2002 the game was still in the alpha stage; what's left are some screenshots ...
fellowring-1

The Fellowship of the Ring

DOS19864.1/5 Beam Software
ringworld-revenge-04

Ringworld: Revenge of the Patriarch

DOS19923.8/5 Tsunami Media
rendezvousrama-1

Rendezvous with Rama

DOS19853.7/5 Telarium
arthur-excalibur-02

Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur

DOS19894/5 Infocom
megafortress-1

Megafortress

DOS1991protected4.1/5 Artech Studios
alice-wonderland-if-01

Alice in Wonderland

DOS19893.3/5
belowroot-1

Below The Root

DOS19843.7/5 Dale Disharoon, Inc.
Below the root is an atipycal early 2 dimensional adventure game based on the Zilpha Keatley Snyder novels: the Green Sky Trilogy. The player can choose one of many characters, each with different skills and embark in a quest to eliminate the distrust between two races: the Erdling and the Kindar.
20000leagues-3

20000 Leagues under the sea

DOS19883.8/5 Coktel Vision
wizard-of-oz-02

The Wizard of Oz

DOS19853.9/5 Windham Classics
callahan-crosstime-03

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

DOS19974/5 Legend Entertainment
skthemist-1

The mist

DOS19853.9/5 Angelsoft
prisonerofice-1

Prisoner of Ice

DOS1995protected4.1/5 Chaosium Inc.
teamyankee-1

Team Yankee

DOS19904.2/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
icon-ring-04

ICON: Quest for the Ring

DOS19843.6/5 Macrocom
tekwar-09

William Shatner's TekWar

DOS19954/5 Capstone
riders-of-rohan-09

J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan

DOS19974.1/5 Papyrus Design Group
hunt-for-red-october-01

The Hunt for Red October

DOSMac OS19874.1/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
zorro-3

Zorro

DOS19953.3/5 Capstone
shannara-09

Shannara

DOS1995protected4/5 Legend Entertainment
farehneith451-04

Farenheit 451

DOS19843.4/5 Telarium
4th-protocol-02

The Fourth Protocol

DOS19874/5 The Electronic Pencil Co.
touche-02

Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer

DOS19954.1/5 Clipper Software
flight-of-the-intruder-03

Flight of the Intruder

DOS19904.2/5 Rowan Software
pacificislands-1

Pacific Islands

DOS19924.3/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
cardinalkremlin-2

The Cardinal of the Kremlin

DOS19903.9/5 Capstone
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is an abandoned simulation game involving espionage, politics and govern management set in the cold war years. It was designed by Kenneth Rothschild, developed by Capstone and released by IntraCorp in 1990 for DOS and Amiga. The Cardinal of the Kremlin was based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name.