Shelby Fielding February 11th, 2019 - 6:43 AM
A new Stranger Things novel is coming, and it will focus on the origin story of Jim Hopper, his life before Hawkins is primarily a mystery, but now viewers will have a chance to learn more about the beloved character. Titled Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town, the novel is set to release on June 4th and will unearth some “long-buried secrets” from Hopper’s past.
It is the second in a series of prequel novels that serve as a tie-in to the events of the Netflix-hit series and will focus on Hopper’s life as a New York City homicide detective in the late 1970s. The author of the canonical prequel novel, Adam Christopher, confirmed the news on his blog, stating: “This was a dream project and the book was a joy to write – I’m a huge fan of the show, and Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper is my favorite character. Digging into his past in NYC was a real blast, and I hope readers have as much fun reading about his bizarre 1977 adventure as I did writing it.”
Netflix also revealed that Eleven is the one who pushes Hopper into unearthing these secrets, with the pair bonding throughout her life in Hawkins.
Here's some big @StrangerThings news. The REAL (official, canonical!) story of Jim Hopper is coming to a bookstore near you. When Eleven gets curious about unanswered questions, Hopper is forced to reckon with some long-buried secrets. And, you know me. I love secrets. pic.twitter.com/CSGdkCVyaj
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) February 8, 2019
Picking up where the first Stranger Things prequel novel, Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds, left off. With that of Eleven’s backstory serving as the main story, specifically the life of her mother in the late ’60s. These tie-ins are apart of Netflix’s latest efforts to expand the Stranger Things universe, or to cash in on it. There were plans of a Telltale video game adaptation at one point or another, but the sci-fi novels seem to be in rhythm with the show’s pop-culture nostalgia far more than anything else, maintaining a sort of mystique. Stranger Things Season 3 will release on Netflix on July 4th, 2019.
