James Dashner (pictured, via) will pen a new prequel novel for The Maze Runner series.
Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, has scheduled The Fever Code for publication in 2016. According to the press release, this new story “delves into the time before the Maze, and will tell the story of how Thomas, Teresa, and the Gladers found themselves in the Maze, and how the Maze itself was created.”
Publisher Beverly Horowitz negotiated the deal with Michael Bourret, vice president of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. Executive editor Krista Marino will edit the manuscript.
20th Century Fox released the first Maze Runner adaptation last month. The second installment of the film franchise, The Scorch Trials, is currently in production and will hit the silver screen on September 18, 2015.