Pan Macmillan to publish author Christopher Paolini's next

Bestselling American author Christopher Paolini's next, which will also be his first science fiction novel, will be published by Pan Macmillan, announced the publishers on Tuesday.

The book, titled "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars", published under Macmillan's Tor imprint, will be Paolini's departure from his much loved four-book fantasy series, "Inheritance Cycle".

"This book is my love letter to the genre of science fiction. With it, I wanted to capture the sense of wonder I feel when looking at the stars... or when thinking about the future of humanity as it expands beyond Earth.

"I've been working on this story for over six years, and I can't wait for people to read it," said the 36-years-old author, who was awarded a Guinness World Record in 2011 for being the youngest author of a best-selling book series.

According to the publishers, the new book beside being an adventure on an intergalactic scale, is also a story of human strength in the face of adversity.

"During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, xenobiologist Kira Navrez finds an alien relic that thrusts her into the wonders and nightmares of first contact. Epic space battles for the fate of humanity take her to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and, in the process, transform not only her - but the entire course of history," the publishers said in a statement.

The book will be published in September 2020.