The world of Stranger Things is set to further expand with a new Nancy Wheeler spinoff. The announcement follows the release of season 5, volume 1, on November 26, with four of the season’s eight episodes now available to stream.
Per Netflix, the new Nancy spinoff will take the form of a mystery novel called Stranger Things: One Way or Another, which releases on December 2. The retro cover design for the book, which calls it “A Nancy Wheeler Mystery,” is included below:
The cover of Stranger Things One Way or Another
Written by Caitlyn Schneiderhan, One Way or Another takes place between the events of seasons 4 and 5, following Nancy and Robin as they investigate mysterious happenings involving a fellow student in Hawkins, Indiana. The official synopsis, included below, teases Vecna’s involvement in the case and potentially some reveals about the Upside Down:
“Hawkins, Indiana, is in recovery. It’s been two months since Vecna’s earthquake tore through the town, and its residents are still reeling from the devastation. Nancy Wheeler has spent every waking minute on the hunt for Vecna, but he’s continued to elude her. How can she head to Emerson for college in the fall if Hawkins is still under the influence of the Upside Down?
“When fellow classmate Joey Taft starts acting shifty at graduation, Nancy is convinced Vecna’s found his newest victim. Joined by fellow amateur sleuth Robin Buckley, Nancy doesn’t waste any time questioning Joey. What the girls discover leads them down the path of a bigger story than The Hawkins Post could ever have assigned Nancy. Why are people around town suddenly getting sick? Why is there a strange man tailing Nancy as she investigates? And, most important, does this even have anything to do with the Upside Down?
“Together with Robin, Nancy embarks on a dangerous quest for the truth. The deeper the two dig, the further Nancy finds herself drawn into a web of intrigue that threatens to trap her in Hawkins … forever.”
Stranger Things season 4 ends with a victory for Vecna. Even though he was injured in his battle against Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), his plan to turn Hawkins into ground zero for an Upside Down incursion into the real world succeeded.
Stranger Things season 5, volume 1, picks up the story about a year-and-a-half later, with Natalia Dyer’s Nancy and Maya Hawke’s Robin playing key roles as the fight against Vecna continues. Working out of the local WSQK radio station, where Robin is now a DJ, Nancy, Steve (Joe Keery), and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) help to coordinate Hopper’s (David Harbour) “crawls” into the Upside Down to find Vecna.
Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things season 4
One Way or Another will seemingly help to bridge the gap between the events of season 4 and 5, at least for Nancy and Robin. Season 4 introduced the two characters as an effective pairing, with Nancy coming into her own as a journalist at the Hawkins High paper, The Weakly Streak. The pair investigated Chrissy’s (Grace Van Dien) death, trying to prove Eddie Munson’s (Joseph Quinn) innocence.
Not revealed in the synopsis for the new spinoff book is whether readers can expect to find any other familiar characters. Nancy’s love triangle with Jonathan and Steve, for example, has been an ongoing subplot throughout the show, meaning these characters may at least be mentioned.
Similarly, Robin’s relationship with Vickie (Amybeth McNulty) is in full swing when season 5 starts. As a story that takes place between seasons 4 and 5, it’s possible that the start of this love story will be explored to some degree in One Way or Another.
In terms of franchise expansion, the upcoming book is in addition to the Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 animated spinoff show. Series creators the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that a live-action spinoff is also in the works, though details about that remain under wraps.
With One Way or Another hitting shelves on December 2, fans of the show will have several weeks to read the book before the remainder of Stranger Things season 5 releases. The three-episode volume 2 releases on Christmas Day, with the finale arriving on New Year’s Eve.
Stranger Things (2016) Poster
Created by
Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
First Episode Air Date
July 15, 2016
Cast
Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, Jamie Campbell Bower
