Wolf Hall's Tudor saga to continue with sequel

A sequel to British writer Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, her blockbuster novel exploring Tudor intrigue, is on the horizon.

Bring Up the Bodies is set for release in fall 2012, publisher Henry Holt and Company announced on Monday.

The sequel will continue to delve into the complex and fascinating world of Tudor England, as seen through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, the blacksmith's son-turned-minister to King Henry VIII.

The calculating and compelling Cromwell rose from working-class roots to become a trusted adviser to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. After Wolsey's fall from grace, Cromwell stepped into his place as Henry's confidant amid the religious upheaval of England's Reformation.

Released in 2009 to rave reviews, Wolf Hall became an international bestseller that wonseveral literary awards, including the prestigiousMan Booker Prize, the U.S. National Book Critics Circle prize for fiction and the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.

Mantel, 59, had revealed at the time that a sequel was in the works.