Midnight Sun (Meyer novel) explained

Midnight Sun
Author:Stephenie Meyer
Country:United States
Language:English
Series:Twilight Saga
Subject:Vampires
Genre:Young adult, Fantasy, Romance novel
Publisher:Little, Brown and Company
Pub Date:4 August 2020
Pages:658[1]
Isbn:9780316707046
Preceded By:Breaking 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]

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." 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.[8] 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.

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."[9] 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".

In 2015, following the release of , 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 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.[10] However, in May 2020, Meyer announced that the book would be released on August 4, 2020.

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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] 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".[14] 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.[15]

Sales

Midnight Sun sold one million copies in its first week of publication.[16]

Future

At Books-A-Million's virtual live event in August 2020, Meyer announced that she has plans for two more Twilight books.[17] [18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Midnight Sun brings back the creepy, sublimated, wildly unhealthy eroticism of Twilight. Vox.com. August 6, 2020. August 7, 2020. October 17, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201017204237/https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/8/6/21356247/midnight-sun-review-stephenie-meyer-twilight-edward-cullen. live.
  2. http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight series | Other Projects
  3. Web site: Entertainment Weekly interview with Stephenie Meyer: Part 2. July 26, 2008. December 31, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181231000331/https://ew.com/ew/video/festivals?bcpid=1378342280&bclid=1683773559&bctid=1688297816. dead.
  4. News: Larry Carroll . April 15, 2008 . 'Twilight' Set Visit Confirms Edward And Bella's Chemistry, Offers A 'Midnight Sun' Preview . . August 17, 2008 . March 6, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100306223458/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1585516/20080414/story.jhtml . dead .
  5. News: 2020-05-06. New Twilight book: 'Fans grew up with criticism of the originals'. en-gb. BBC News. 2020-08-04. September 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200929061105/https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-52551384. live.
  6. News: León. Concepción de. 2020-08-03. Stephenie Meyer Is Telling Edward's Story, Even if It Makes Her Anxious. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-08-04. 0362-4331. November 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201129174414/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/books/midnight-sun-stephenie-meyer-twilight.html. live.
  7. News: Flood. Alison. May 4, 2020. Stephenie Meyer announces new Twilight book Midnight Sun. en-GB. The Guardian. May 4, 2020. 0261-3077. December 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201210110804/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/04/stephenie-meyer-twilight-sequel-midnight-sun. live.
  8. http://stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partial_draft4.pdf StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight series | Midnight Sun partial draft
  9. Karen Valby . November 5, 2008 . Stephenie Meyer Talks 'Twilight' . . November 6, 2008 . May 22, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130522190015/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20238527_3,00.html . dead .
  10. Web site: Stephenie Meyer has no plans to release 'Midnight Sun' after EL James' 'Grey'. EW.com. EN. 2020-05-04. October 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191010175907/https://ew.com/article/2015/10/09/stephenie-meyer-midnight-sun-grey/. live.
  11. Web site: Book Marks reviews of Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer. Book Marks. 10 September 2020. February 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210208101226/https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/midnight-sun-2/. live.
  12. News: Hunt . Elle . Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer review – dusk falls on Twilight saga . 26 August 2020 . The Guardian . 7 August 2020 . December 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201203023705/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/07/midnight-sun-stephenie-meyer-review-twilight . live .
  13. News: Lord . Annie . Midnight Sun review: Time's up for Twilight's twisted romance . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/midnight-sun-review-twilight-saga-stephenie-meyer-bella-edward-a9658561.html . May 14, 2022 . subscription . live . The Independent . 6 August 2020 . en.
  14. News: Midnight Sun . Kirkus Reviews . 4 August 2020 . en . August 26, 2020 . September 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200928194021/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stephenie-meyer/midnight-sun-meyer/ . live .
  15. News: Tanabe . Karin . 'Midnight Sun' gives 'Twilight' fans a new story to sink their teeth into — sort of . Washington Post . 9 August 2020 . August 10, 2020 . December 28, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201228233458/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/midnight-sun-gives-twilight-fans-a-new-story-to-sink-their-teeth-into--sort-of/2020/08/08/2dca2642-d9a2-11ea-9c3b-dfc394c03988_story.html . live .
  16. Web site: Perez. Lexy. August 13, 2020. 'Twilight' Companion Novel 'Midnight Sun' Sells 1M Copies in First Week of Publication. 2020-08-17. The Hollywood Reporter. en. February 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210202194755/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/twilight-companion-novel-midnight-sun-sells-1m-copies-first-week-publication-1307389. live.
  17. Web site: Cain. Sian. August 13, 2020. 'Twilight' Companion Novel 'Midnight Sun' Sells 1M Copies in First Week of Publication. 2021-05-12. The Guardian. en. December 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201203023703/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/13/as-midnight-sun-hits-no-1-stephenie-meyer-plans-two-more-twilight-books. live.
  18. Web site: Cadden. Mary. August 12, 2020. Stephenie Meyer says more books coming in 'Twilight' saga as 'Midnight Sun' sells 1M copies. 2021-05-12. USA Today. en. January 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210126141440/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/08/12/stephenie-meyer-twilight-midnight-sun-sells-million-copies-first-week/3343213001/. live.