J.K. Rowling Reveals Title, Details of New Novel

J.K. Rowling's forthcoming book for adults now has a title: The Casual Vacancy.

Little, Brown and Company released details about the new novel Thursday and, as the Telegraph reports, the soon-to-be-published 480-page story will focus on the idyllic town of Pagford as a local election pits its inhabitants against each other. The publisher described the book as "blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising."

The new novel will end Rowling's five-year hiatus after the publication of the final book in the Harry Potter series. In announcing her new novel earlier this year, Rowling indicated that she'd like to move on from her wildly popular children's series. "Although I’ve enjoyed writing it every bit as much, my next book will be very different," Rowling said in a statement then.

The new book will be published worldwide on September 27, according to the Associated Press. It'll be available in hardcover, e-book, and audio download.

Looking at the book's details, it seems Rowling has moved on in both age group and genre with her latest literary effort. Unless the town's apparent comedy of errors is resolved when its residents must band together to fight off a menacing dragon, The Casual Vacancy appears to be fantasy free.

Although the Potter series were ostensibly children's books, Rowling has attracted an audience of adult readers to her wildly popular fantasy books, not to mention readers who grew into adulthood while reading the series. It's likely her permanent fan base will give her first adult novel a read.