Midnight Sun (Meyer novel)

Midnight Sun is a 2020 companion novel to the 2005 book Twilight by author Stephenie Meyer. The work retells the events of Twilight from the perspective of Edward Cullen instead of that of the series' usual narrating character Bella Swan.[2] Meyer stated that Twilight was to be the only book from the series that she planned to rewrite from Edward's perspective.[3] To give them a better feel of Edward's character, Meyer allowed Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the film adaptation of Twilight, and Robert Pattinson, the actor playing Edward, to read some completed chapters of the novel while they shot the film.[4][5][6] It was released on August 4, 2020.[7][8]

Midnight Sun
Official book cover
AuthorStephenie Meyer
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesTwilight Saga
SubjectVampires
GenreYoung adult, Fantasy, Romance novel
PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
Publication date
August 4, 2020
Pages658[1]
ISBN9780316707046
Preceded byBreaking Dawn 

Pre-release history

On August 28, 2008, Meyer halted the writing of Midnight Sun in response to the leak of twelve chapters of the unfinished manuscript on the Internet. She stated, "If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely."[2] She made the twelve-chaptered draft available on her website in fairness to her readers, now that the novel has been compromised before its intended publication date.[9] Meyer also stated that she does not believe the manuscript was leaked with any malicious intent, and would not give any names.[2]

In a November 2008 interview, Meyer said that, "It's really complicated, because everyone now is in the driver's seat, where they can make judgment calls. ... I do not feel alone with the manuscript. And I cannot write when I don't feel alone."[10] She said that her goal was to go for around two years without hearing about Midnight Sun, and she thought that she would begin working on the novel again once she was sure that "everyone's forgotten about it".[10]

In 2015, following the release of Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, the first Twilight novel gender-bent, Meyer felt comfortable to pick up writing again, but as she said to a comic-con panel in 2015: "What do you think was the top story on Yahoo the next morning? Grey." She was referring to Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian which, as the subtitle says, is a retelling of the first Fifty Shades of Grey book through the eyes of Christian Grey. "It was a literal flip the table moment for me", Meyer reportedly said. The book remained on hold.[11] However, in May 2020, Meyer announced that the book would be released on August 4, 2020.[7]

Release

Critical reception

Critics panned the novel, with review aggregator Book Marks reporting one positive and two mixed reviews out of a total of nine reviews.[12] Elle Hunt at The Guardian wrote that the book was "chronically overwritten" and under-edited. She lamented the lack of new lore and how the strict adherence to scenes in the original Twilight made the book boring.[13] At The Independent, Annie Lord also noted the large overlap with Twilight, and called the writing "laughably bad," but notes that fans would enjoy gaining new insights into Edward's relationship with his sister.[14] Kirkus posited that the "glacial pace" of the book allowed for a focus on characterization, and predicted that fans would forgive, or even enjoy, its "excesses and indulgences."[15] At The Washington Post, Karin Tanabe criticized the lack of diversity in the characters, describing the Quileute characters as "stereotypical B-list characters." She also noted that the sexual tension between the two main characters was hindered by having to adhere to the original storyline.[16]

Sales

Midnight Sun sold one million copies in its first week of publication.[17]

Future

At Books-A-Million's virtual live event in August 2020, Meyer announced that she has plans for two more Twilight books.[8][18]

References
  1. "Midnight Sun brings back the creepy, sublimated, wildly unhealthy eroticism of Twilight". Vox.com.
  2. StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight series | Other Projects. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008.
  3. Entertainment Weekly interview with Stephenie Meyer: Part 2
  4. Larry Carroll (April 15, 2008). "'Twilight' Set Visit Confirms Edward And Bella's Chemistry, Offers A 'Midnight Sun' Preview". MTV. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  5. "New Twilight book: 'Fans grew up with criticism of the originals'". BBC News. May 6, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  6. León, Concepción de (August 3, 2020). "Stephenie Meyer Is Telling Edward's Story, Even if It Makes Her Anxious". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  7. Flood, Alison (May 4, 2020). "Stephenie Meyer announces new Twilight book Midnight Sun". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  8. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/13/as-midnight-sun-hits-no-1-stephenie-meyer-plans-two-more-twilight-books
  9. StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight series | Midnight Sun partial draft. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009.
  10. Karen Valby (November 5, 2008). "Stephenie Meyer Talks 'Twilight'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
  11. "Stephenie Meyer has no plans to release 'Midnight Sun' after EL James' 'Grey'". EW.com. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  12. "Book Marks reviews of Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer". Book Marks. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  13. Hunt, Elle (August 7, 2020). "Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer review – dusk falls on Twilight saga". The Guardian. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  14. Lord, Annie (August 6, 2020). "Midnight Sun review: Time's up for Twilight's twisted romance". The Independent.
  15. "Midnight Sun". Kirkus Reviews. August 4, 2020.
  16. Tanabe, Karin (August 9, 2020). "'Midnight Sun' gives 'Twilight' fans a new story to sink their teeth into — sort of". Washington Post.
  17. Perez, Lexy (August 13, 2020). "'Twilight' Companion Novel 'Midnight Sun' Sells 1M Copies in First Week of Publication". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  18. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/08/12/stephenie-meyer-twilight-midnight-sun-sells-million-copies-first-week/3343213001/
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