‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Sequel Book Is Inspired By Modern World, Margaret Atwood Says

Margaret Atwood revealed that “The Handmaid’s Tale” will get a sequel. She announced her new book, “The Testaments,” will be released in September 2019.

Set more than a decade after “The Handmaid’s Tale” ends, the story is narrated by three women in Gilead. In a short video posted on Twitter, Atwood revealed her inspiration to return to the world more than 30 years after the original was released.

“Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and it’s inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in,” Atwood wrote.

Of course, there has been renewed interest in “The Handmaid’s Tale” since the Hulu TV show premiered last year. The TV show has scooped up several Emmys, including best drama and best actress for Elisabeth Moss, over the course of two seasons and will return for a third in 2019.

While the TV show adapted the entire first novel in Season 1, Atwood remained on staff as a consulting producer as the series went beyond the text. However, it doesn’t seem like the novel will interfere with the show’s storyline. Atwood’s new story takes place 15 years after Offred’s final scene.

“The Testaments” will be published by Penguin Random House.