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Midnight Sun (Meyer novel)

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

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]

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, since the novel was compromised before its intended publication date.[9] Meyer also stated that she does not believe the manuscript was leaked with any malicious intent, and declined to give the names of the individuals she felt were at fault.[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. According to Book Marks, the book received "pan" reviews based on ten critic reviews with one being "positive" and three being "mixed" and six being "pan".[12] In Books in the Media, a site that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (2.29 out of 5) from the site which was based on three critic reviews.[13]

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.[14] At The Independent, Annie Lord also noted the large overlap with Twilight, and called the writing "laughably bad", but noted that fans would enjoy gaining new insights into Edward's relationship with his sister.[15] Kirkus Reviews 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".[16] 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.[17]

Sales

Midnight Sun sold one million copies in its first week of publication.[18]

Future

At Books-A-Million's virtual live event in August 2020, Meyer announced that she has plans for two more Twilight books.[8][19] In 2024, an animated adaptation of Midnight Sun was announced by Netflix.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Midnight Sun brings back the creepy, sublimated, wildly unhealthy eroticism of Twilight". Vox.com. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight series | Other Projects. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008.
  3. ^ "Entertainment Weekly interview with Stephenie Meyer: Part 2". Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
  4. ^ Larry Carroll (April 15, 2008). "'Twilight' Set Visit Confirms Edward And Bella's Chemistry, Offers A 'Midnight Sun' Preview". MTV. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  5. ^ "New Twilight book: 'Fans grew up with criticism of the originals'". BBC News. May 6, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 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. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Flood, Alison (May 4, 2020). "Stephenie Meyer announces new Twilight book Midnight Sun". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Cain, Sian (August 13, 2020). "'Twilight' Companion Novel 'Midnight Sun' Sells 1M Copies in First Week of Publication". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  9. ^ StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight series | Midnight Sun partial draft. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009.
  10. ^ a b Karen Valby (November 5, 2008). "Stephenie Meyer Talks 'Twilight'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
  11. ^ "Stephenie Meyer has no plans to release 'Midnight Sun' after EL James' 'Grey'". EW.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  12. ^ "Midnight Sun". Book Marks. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "Midnight Sun Reviews". Books in the Media. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Hunt, Elle (August 7, 2020). "Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer review – dusk falls on Twilight saga". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  15. ^ Lord, Annie (August 6, 2020). "Midnight Sun review: Time's up for Twilight's twisted romance". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "Midnight Sun". Kirkus Reviews. August 4, 2020. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  17. ^ Tanabe, Karin (August 9, 2020). "'Midnight Sun' gives 'Twilight' fans a new story to sink their teeth into — sort of". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  18. ^ Perez, Lexy (August 13, 2020). "'Twilight' Companion Novel 'Midnight Sun' Sells 1M Copies in First Week of Publication". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  19. ^ Cadden, Mary (August 12, 2020). "Stephenie Meyer says more books coming in 'Twilight' saga as 'Midnight Sun' sells 1M copies". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  20. ^ Otterson, Joe (September 4, 2024). "'Twilight' Animated Series 'Midnight Sun' Lands at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved September 5, 2024.


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