In an innovative approach to the world-famous novelist Margaret Atwood and her oeuvre, this book traces the development of the transmedia universe built around Gilead, spanning over two novels, a serial, fan fiction, and social media. It offers a new perspective on ‘The Handmaid's Tale’ and – by extension – on the dynamics of world building that is difficult, if not altogether impossible, to analyze on the example of larger universes and media franchises. Each chapter offers insight into a different part of the Gilead universe, or a different point of entry, tracing character...