Now that we’ve come to the end of the 13 episode serialization of John Scalzi’s The Human Division, it can be told: A second season has been commissioned!
Author John Scalzi broke the news this past Tuesday, revealing that the story of the Old Man’s War universe will continue for at least one more season. The story, still in its very early stages, will be collected in a novel in a manner similar to The Human Division, which will hit shelves on May 14th, containing two extra stories set in the Old Man’s War universe.
No word yet on how precisely the episodes and chapters will be handled, but Tor Books senior editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden had this to say: “The serialization of The Human Division was very successful for us, and we’re looking forward to learning from our experience and making it even more fun for everyone the next time we do this.”
From Scalzis’ blog:
“…yes, there will be another novel that continues to explore the current events in the Old Man’s War universe. I’d been hoping for a while that I would be able to make this announcement; The Human Division and its episodes so far have been a success, and it’s been clear for some time that people would want to see more along this particular storyline. But we literally only agreed to another novel in the last couple of days (contract negotiations, folks — they’re crazy), so this is just about the earliest I could tell you about it.
So for those who hoped for/needed/were about to angrily demand more in order to find out what happens next, you’re going to get your wish. And, you know, I get my wish, too. I mean, you guys aren’t the only ones who want to find out where everything goes from here.
I can’t give you any more details at the moment because I haven’t written anything else in the universe yet (see earlier point about contract negotiations), and among other things we’re going to look at all the data from the serial run of the episodes and see what it all means for how we present the next novel. I will say that I have started thinking about particular story ideas and elements. And that I have plans. Oh my, yes.”
Rejoice! If you’ve been keeping up with the weekly episodes of The Human Division, or are just starting, check out Ron Hogan’s read-along, which features commentary from John Scalzi and editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden.