It is happening again. After 25 years, 11 months and 10 days, Twin Peaks is returning to television. In an event series composed of 18 episodes which will air on Showtime May 21 through September 3, 2017, the many mysteries which still remain from the town of Twin Peaks (and many more new mysteries as well, we’ve been told) will get the spotlight.

Every episode of the upcoming Twin Peaks’ “season 3” was co-written by original series co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and directed by David Lynch, ensuring that the story’s continuation will be exactly what the showrunners intended to deliver.

And yet, even a reportedly 400-page script which yields 18 brand new hours of television does not seem to be able to fully contain the story of what’s happening with the characters and the forest in this Pacific Northwestern town.

Last October, Mark Frost published a book entitled “, a Novel,” which further sheds light on the town’s rich inhabitants and past.

The Secret History book is *also* nearly 400 pages, and is truly a compelling read. Dale Cooper himself would probably call it a “damn fine book,” and that it is. The story told within its pages is narrated from within-the-world of the show, and details Twin Peaks’ history spanning from the late 18th Century to (what would appear to be) present day.

And while there is much inside this tome to put your hairs on end, the most chilling takeaway a reader might have from the book is that it likely contains relevant backstory which further hints at — or informs — the events of the upcoming season.

In fact, the publication of this book a full six months after filming on season 3 was completed would appear to guarantee that author Mark Frost was able to place any threads of mystery that he wanted into this book. And why wouldn’t he jump on that? It’s about as sure a thing as Lingonberry Pie at the Double R Diner on Thursdays.

So, what elements inside the Secret History of Twin Peaks book seem most likely to affect events in season 3? Here are the top five that we think are likely:

5) Laura’s ring, and its power

The ring, referred to as the Owl Cave Ring on the Twin Peaks Wiki, was an artifact introduced in the Twin Peaks companion/prequel film by David Lynch, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.” But its importance to the series and the characters within it cannot be overstated.

Both Theresa Banks and Laura Palmer were murdered while wearing it. An injured Annie travels from the spirit realm of the Black Lodge with it. And it seems to work as a protective amulet which prevents the evil spirit of BOB from possessing Laura’s body — leading to his killing of her and the setting of the entire series in motion.

Well, in The Secret History of Twin Peaks book, the origins and previous holders of the ring are revealed to be shockingly noteworthy. It is revealed that Meriwether Lewis, of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition which charted the Western United States from 1804-1806, was given the ring by the Native American tribe in the area near what would later become Twin Peaks.

He is robbed of the ring at the time of his death, and centuries later it resurfaces in the 1930s as being worn by Jack Parsons, the man who founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory which developed rocket fuel for use by America in World War II (and the applications for which include space travel.) In the 1960’s, none other than U.S. President Richard Nixon wears it in a meeting with one of the narrators of the book.

Given the ring’s storied history in all its newly expanded detail (there is also a certain green, Formica table with a circular hole cut into it shown in a Black Lodge scene in the movie which hint at its exact origins), it is safe to say that the ring will play a key role in either protecting, or transporting characters between Twin Peaks and one or more of the ethereal “Lodges,” in season 3.

4) Aliens in Twin Peaks?

Season 2 of Twin Peaks introduced paranormal activity of a different sort into the skies of Twin Peaks. Major Garland Briggs, father of Bobby Briggs (Laura Palmer’s boyfriend), is stationed in town as part of the top-secret military project codenamed “Blue Book.” Garland reveals to Cooper that his military installation monitors radio waves both in Deep Space and in the area surrounding Twin Peaks, and reveals that contact has been made, and some messages… intercepted.

Major Briggs himself disappears in front of Cooper while the two are camping in the woods, and returns days later (having been abducted) presenting with strange markings on his neck.

In fact, extraterrestrial beings are quite a large focal point in “The Secret History of Twin Peaks.” We follow the career of Douglas Milford (brother to Twin Peaks’ six-time elected mayor Dwayne Milford) as he becomes, more or less, one of the nation’s first Men in Black, traveling to places such as Roswell, New Mexico on key dates we recognize from American history.

Milford’s pursuit is proof, and the book meticulously details the shifting policies of American government through various administrations as new revelations about extraterrestrial life, and new findings are made (and subsequently covered up.)

The visions we have been shown of the Red Room, the Black Lodge, of The Giant, or of “The Man from Another Place,” may in fact be visions projected into the consciousness of the characters by telepathic, extraterrestrial beings who live underground in the vast network of caves surrounding Twin Peaks, and who have an indiscernible purpose but certainly the capabilities to be influencing daily life for every man, woman and child in the town.

This, on the whole, IS the analysis presented in Mark Frost’s book. And it is too spooky a concept to bury or ignore completely when watching this next season of the show.

3) The purchase of Packard Mill by Benjamin Horne

In what is almost a footnote in The Secret History of Twin Peaks during the telling of a larger story (the events of the bank explosion, death of Andrew Packard and Pete Martell from the season 2 finale – until now unresolved) it is revealed that Benjamin Horne (Audrey’s father) eventually succeeded in his purchasing of Packard Mill from Catherine Martell. In completing the $33 million purchase, Ben Horne’s dream project of developing the site into Ghostwood Estates seems finally nearest to completion.

Surely, over the last 25 years Ben and Jerry Horne have found the right investors (which was never their problem) and have built some of the most attractive and luxurious housing Twin Peaks has to offer. With all of this new real estate potential, we can see how the Twin Peaks of season 3 may offer a more modern and substantially different version of town.

Perhaps Twin Peaks now has a shopping center. Or, at the very least, Ghostwood Estates if it exists will certainly house some of the hundreds of brand new characters joining the show!

2) A Wider World

Building off the increased geographical scope on display in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, which contains scenes set in the Philadelphia, PA field office, and various locations around Deer Meadow, Oregon (where Theresa Banks lived), The Secret History of Twin Peaks widens the world of Twin Peaks even further.

The circle of 12 sycamore trees in Twin Peaks’ Glastonbury Grove may be one entrance to the Black Lodge… but it is revealed that there are several portals to other planes of existence across the rest of the United States.

In the back half of the book, Jack Parsons reveals to Doug Milford that he had attempted to summon a being from another realm (The “Moonchild”) while in the desert of New Mexico. Milford places this summoning attempt, which Parsons viewed as successful, as having occurred the week before the Roswell Incident. Prior to this, Parsons alongside Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard would conduct rituals in the desert near Pasadena California, in a place called the Devil’s Gate in the canyon known as Arroyo Seco.

It is clear that the forces of good and evil encountered in Twin Peaks have a far wider reach than the town itself, and it makes sense given the direction that the movie and the book have taken the story that we will have scenes and maybe entire episodes taking place outside the state of Washington. Variety, in its featured article on the show’s revival, confirms as much.

If there are, indeed, other portals to the Black Lodge in California and New Mexico, there is an opportunity for rich storytelling with entirely different types of characters who will never meet our characters (outside of dreams) and yet may all be connected.

1) The identity of Tamara Preston

This final prediction made here is perhaps the least founded in evidence, however the concept is sort of intriguing. Throughout The Secret History of Twin Peaks, the dossier being unpacked is analyzed with footnotes from somebody known as TP.

Throughout the book TP, an FBI field agent assigned by Gordon Cole to investigate all of this material, displays extraordinary patience and an aptitude for fact-checking which really lends credit to the fictional findings within the book (as far as checking dates of events, verifying certain assertions made by characters through their reports, or authenticating documents presented within.)

By the end of the book, you have a good sense what sort of character TP is, also through personal remarks that she makes sparingly within the margins, and on the final page of the book her name (previously redacted everywhere) is revealed to be Special Agent Tamara Preston. It is likely, given how well-acquainted with the case Agent Preston now is, that she will factor into the events of season 3 of Twin Peaks directly.

In fact, the cover of the Variety article shows Dale Cooper in the car with a woman, who is actually actress Laura Dern. In the back seat is showrunner David Lynch.

Laura Dern is a frequent collaborator with Lynch. The trio (Lynch, Dern and Kyle MacLachlan) first worked together on Blue Velvet in 1986. Dern has subsequently worked with Lynch on Wild at Heart and Inland Empire, and her role in season 3 of Twin Peaks remains unannounced – shrouded in mystery.

But to rate the cover of Variety, it appears safe to assume Dern’s role will be a large one. Why might she not be Agent Preston, arriving in Twin Peaks with newfound understanding as to what may really be going on, and attempting to save the day (and Dale) from certain forces of evil?

Twin Peaks returns with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 9pm/8c on Showtime.