Long Story Short, the first in a duology of novels based on the popular Square Enix title Nier: Automata, has officially been announced for worldwide pre-order by publisher Viz Media. The book is currently available in Japan with an English version set to hit shelves on Oct. 9. Written by Jun Eishima and Nier: Automata director Yoko Taro, Long Story Short will flesh out characters and plot points from the game. Additionally, the book will also feature brand-new characters, as well as certain story elements that were not present in the original title. It has been described as both a way for experience players to learn more about Nier: Automata‘s world, as well as a good entry point for newcomers to the lore. The second book, Short Story Long (which maintains the same authors) will then be released sometime in 2019. However, rather than directly follow the events of the game, this novel will actually a collection of short stories that take place in Nier: Automata‘s universe. Like with Long Story Short, Short Story Long is already available in Japan and collects seven different original tales. Nier: Automata is currently available forĀ Xbox One, PS4, and PC.