New ‘Fifty Shades’ book from Grey’s point of view coming this month

E.L. James has written a new novel telling the story of “Fifty Shades of Grey” from the character Christian Grey’s point of view, the author announced on social media Monday morning.

“Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian” will be released by Vintage Books, a Penguin Random House imprint, on June 18, which is also the birthday of the character, a young Seattle businessman with a taste for bondage and sadomasochistic sex. The original erotic trilogy was told from the perspective of Anastasia Steele, a college student who enters into a relationship with Grey.

James made the announcement on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Fans of the bestselling “Fifty Shades” trilogy seem excited -- James’ Facebook announcement had already garnered more than 78,000 “likes” two hours after it was posted.

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“Christian is a complex character, and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past,” said James in a press release from Penguin Random House. “Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story. It’s been a great pleasure to return to my happy place -- writing, being with Christian and Ana in their universe, and working with the fantastic team at Vintage.”

The original “Fifty Shades” trilogy, which also includes the novels “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed,” is perhaps the best known erotica series in contemporary literature. The books have sold more than 125 million copies, and have been translated into more than 50 languages.

A film adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey” was released in February and has grossed almost $570 million. A movie version of “Fifty Shades Darker” is forthcoming, featuring a screenplay written by Niall Leonard, James’ husband.

The original film’s stars, Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, will reprise their roles in the sequel. No director for the new film has been announced, although rumors have been circulating that James would like to direct the movie herself.

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