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There's a 'Handmaid's Tale' book sequel coming

7:03
Behind the scenes of 'The Handmaid's Tale' season 2 with cast, author Margaret Atwood
ABC News
ByHayley FitzPatrick
November 28, 2018, 4:51 PM

Renowned Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood is writing a sequel to her 1985 classic novel, "The Handmaid's Tale."

"THE TESTAMENTS" will take place 15 years after the final scene in the "The Handmaid’s Tale." It will be published next September by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday.

Few details are available about the novel but we do know that three female characters will serve as the narrators, according to a press release on Wednesday.

"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in," the 79-year-old author said in the release.

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Atwood also shared a clip on Twitter promoting the release.

"The Handmaid’s Tale" has become increasingly popular in recent years, selling eight million copies in English since it was published.

A Hulu miniseries on the novel was released in 2017.

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The show, which stars Elisabeth Moss and Joseph Fiennes, has been nominated for 18 Emmy Awards and won six during its first two seasons. A third season was recently confirmed.

Atwood clarified on her website that the new novel "is not connected to the television adaptation of 'The Handmaid’s Tale.'"

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