It's due June 14, so it's still several months out, but the next Long Earth book just went up for preorder.

2070-71. Nearly six decades after Step Day, a new society continues to evolve in the Long Earth. Now, a message has been received: “Join us.”

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I mentioned in my last blog post that I was curious about the status of the Long Earth series with Terry Pratchett gone. Eventually, I broke down and sent an email to Stephen Baxter's contact to ask.

From: Lithl
To: Christopher Schelling
Subject: The Long Earth Series

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I'm sure you've heard the news by now. Sir Terry Pratchett has died at the age of 66. The official cause of death was a chest infection, not the Alzheimer's with which he was diagnosed eight years ago nor assisted suicide, something he had become a strong supporter of since his diagnosis.

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Who's a fan of Terry Pratchett? I'm sure lots of people here are.

How about Stephen Baxter? Probably fewer, but he's an excellent hard-SF author.

What do these two very different writers have in common? A relatively recent book, The Long Earth. They wrote it together.

Here's a passage from chapter 42:

Lobsang sighed. "Not exactly Rivendell, then, is it, with all these trolls and elves? Tell me, Sally, are there any unicorns in the Long Earth?"

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