Buried deep in Lev Grossman’s end-of-the-year holiday newsletter is an interesting little gem for fans of The Magicians. Grossman has begun writing a third installment dealing with the magical universe of Fillory, which he has tentatively titled The Magician’s Land. He’s claiming it’s “unlike anything else” he’s written before, but at the same time “not completely new either.”

Interestingly, Grossman lists various books he’s in the middle of re-reading which seem to be influencing his outline for the next book; The Tempest, The Phantom Tollbooth, Casino Royale, and some P.G. Wodhouse. He also mentions Lord of the Rings, a series which “oddly enough I’ve never really thought of as an influence before.”

What could this title and list of influences mean for Quentin Coldwater and pals? Will someone become a magical version of James Bond, fighting off post-modern versions of the Lethargarians while at the same time dealing with Prospero-style feats of illusion? Further, if Lev is taking a look at old stuff, we highly recommend Forbidden Planet as one of the best adaptations of The Tempest out there. (Maybe the book could be called The Magician’s Land 3: Rise of the Tempest Flying Saucer is Forever.)

Though in all seriousness, it’s interesting to note that this working title has the word “Magician’s” as a singular possessive noun, whereas the first book is a plural “Magicians.” Grossman also puts forth that this will most likely be the final book that deals with these world(s), at least for the foreseeable future.

All speculation aside, we eagerly await The Magician’s Land (if that indeed remains the title) and couldn’t be more excited that Mr. Grossman is hard at work. Great news for the end of a great year.

Stubby the Rocket is the mascot of Tor.com and counts many magicians amongst its cadre of close personal friends.