War of the Worlds sequel sets 2017 publication date
A sequel to HG Wells's The War of the Worlds is to be published in 2017 when the copyright on the original expires.
Written by Stephen Baxter, The Massacre of Mankind will see the Martians from Wells's story invading Earth once more, having learned from the mistakes they made first time around.
Gollancz will publish the sequel in hardback and eBook on 19 January 2017.
The copyright on the original, which was published in book form in 1898, lasts until 31 December 2016.
In a statement, Baxter said it was "an honour... to celebrate [Wells's] enduring imaginative legacy, more than 150 years after his birth."
The author of more than 20 novels previously penned The Time Ships, a sequel to Wells's 1895 story The Time Machine.
"Steve has a great track record of collaborating with other authors," said Marcus Gipps, commissioning editor at Gollancz.
"I've seen early material from this remarkable new project and can't wait to unleash Steve's new Martian terror upon the world."
The lucrative film rights to the novel will also certainly be hotly contested after a 2005 film, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg, earned nearly $600m at the global box office.
