We feel the hype as we creep ever closer to the April 26 premiere date for The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. Aside from boasting an impressive cast of actors (including Mad Men and Top of the Lake‘s Elisabeth Moss), there’s a lot about the dystopian society, originally created by Margaret Atwood back in 1985, that feels eerily akin to some of the issues currently swirling around at the forefront of political debate. It’ll be interesting to see just what the reactions are to the series once it premieres; meanwhile, there’s still plenty of time for audiences to familiarize themselves with the source material.

Thanks to Audible, you can now pick up a new Special Edition of The Handmaid’s Tale to get caught up to speed on the story of Offred, brought to life in this audiobook version by none other than Claire Danes. (Suddenly our heads are spinning with crossover potential.) Aside from the impressive voice acting alone, this audio update also contains new scenes that actually extend the story beyond the original last line of the novel.

According to Atwood, expanding on her text made complete sense considering the origins of the story: “The roots of my original book are in audio — Offred’s story was recorded, not written, and even the ‘Historical Notes’ are a voice –  so I was excited to extend the story with additional material meant specifically to be heard. The time is right for this Audible edition, with a stellar performance by Claire Danes and a “continuation” of sorts  that can’t be found anywhere else. The Handmaid’s Tale is alive, it seems — and like all living things, it grows and multiplies!”

You can listen to a sample of the new Special Edition audiobook here, and if you also need a crash course on everything we’ve learned about the fast-approaching small-screen adaptation, we’ve compiled it all into a helpful guide for you. As they say in Gilead, “Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.”

Image: Penguin

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