End of EL James’s trilogy from perspective of Christian Grey out in June

EL James’s trilogy of Fifty Shades books from the perspective of Christian Grey is set to conclude with the release of Freed later this year.

Freed will be published by Penguin Random House UK on June 1.

It follows previous instalment Grey and Darker, and will see Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele tie the knot and face the challenges of marriage together.

According to the publishers, “Ana’s defiant spirit continues to stir Christian’s darkest fears and tests his need for control” while “old rivalries and resentments endanger them both”.

Told from the perspective of Grey, James wrote the trilogy of parallel novels as a retelling of the events of her original Fifty Shades trilogy, with the intention of giving readers an insight into Grey’s thoughts and feelings.

She said: “I am thrilled to announce the publication date for Freed. This story has been a labour of love, one that my readers have been eagerly awaiting.

“For me, just as for Anastasia Steele, Christian is a challenging, infuriating, and endlessly fascinating character.

“Living in his head is exhausting, but I got to explore aspects of his life in Freed that we only glimpsed in the original trilogy, and to follow his emotional growth in response to Ana’s love and compassion.”

Selina Walker, publisher at Penguin Random House UK and James’s UK editor, said: “As we emerge from lockdown, what could be better than weddings, holidays and romance, Freed has all this and more.

“Erika brings so much that’s new and fresh to each of her novels, and Freed is no exception, as Christian finally faces down the demons of his past and finds enduring love with Ana. This is a total joy of a novel.”

The film adaptations of James’s steamy books, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, made more than a billion dollars at the box office.