Image courtesy of the European Pressphoto Agency

That's right, people, J.K. Rowling's first "adult" novel has been picked up by the BBC to be turned into a miniseries to be aired in 2014.

When The Casual Vacancy was announced earlier this year, it was clear to Harry Potter fans and Muggles what Rowling was attempting to do: break away from the cult phenomenon and be "taken seriously" by the rest of the literary world.  But the realm of science fiction and fantasy is fraught with such attempts, and like so many others who have tried before (Leonard Nimoy springs to mind) would tell her, it's an extremely difficult undertaking.

When the book was actually released during late September, reception was as is to be expected.  No one could remove themselves from the Potter-verse far enough to read it frankly, and many people were disturbed by her shift from imaginative fantasy to harsh, sometimes disgusting realism.  The book was trampled by comparisons to Harry Potter and relegated to the parallel universe where overshadowed books are doomed to dwell forever alongside George Orwell's Down And Out In Paris And London and Joseph Heller's Something Happened.

However, despite the fact that The Casual Vacancy was met with skepticism and was manhandled by critics, the novel has still become a bestseller (probably due to interest from curious Harry Potter fans), and the BBC seems to think that its gritty drama will fit nicely alongside its other programs.  Rowling herself also said, "I always felt, if it were adapted, this novel was best suited to television, and I think the BBC is the perfect home." 

Rowling plans to work closely with the BBC and with her agent, Neil Blair, who is producing the series through his own independent production company.

Also, I fully intend to read this book ASAP, so anyone who would like to follow along with me, you can purchase the book here.  Happy reading!