"Twilight" through the eyes of a vampire: how the network met the new novel by Stephenie Meyer about Edward Cullen

On Tuesday, August 4, sales of Stephenie Meyer's new book Midnight Sun, another novel from the so-called Twilight Saga, began selling in the United States.

In total, the series consists of six parts. In the first four novels, readers watched the development of events through the eyes of Bella Swan, the fifth book became an addition to the cycle with a more detailed coverage of the lives of episodic characters. In "Midnight Sun", the story of "Twilight" is told from the perspective of the vampire Edward Cullen. The author reveals the veil of secrecy over Edward's past, describes the inner state of the hero during his acquaintance with Bella and the formation of their romantic relationship.

So far, the novel is available in English in print, electronic and audio versions. The publication date of the Russian translation is unknown.

Fans of Stephenie Meyer's creativity are already sharing their first impressions of what they read. Many readers, including those from Russia, ordered the book in advance to receive it directly on the day of the start of sales.

I have already started reading the new book of Twilight #MidnightSun and I am delighted with the overwhelming nostalgia 😭💕

Fans note that they have been waiting for the book for a long time, and immediately after the purchase they started reading.

“I just finished the first chapter of Midnight Sun. Oh god, this is incredible! Thank you very much, Stephenie Meyer, for finally giving us, the Twilight fans, the book we have all been waiting for! ”, - one of the Instagram users shares her impressions.

A number of readers write that the image of the protagonist met their wildest expectations.

"I managed to read only a few chapters, but Edward is already as melancholy and overly dramatic as I could have imagined," says one of the bloggers.

Another reader emphasized that in this novel, Mayer was able to fill in the gaps that remained after reading previous books.

"At the beginning of the book, Edward seems like an arrogant jerk, but we never saw what he was like before Bella ... If you were a fan of" Twilight "and you thought that the story was incomplete and it could not just be finished, then this book will help you fill that gap, ”the user wrote in a review on Amazon.

Some fans were particularly moved by the dedication to Mayer at the beginning of the book. “When we first met, many of you were teenagers with beautiful, glowing eyes full of dreams of the future. I hope that over the years you have found what you dreamed of, and your life turned out to be even better than you hoped, ”the writer addressed the fans.

“The dedication made me cry: now I am a frustrated adult who dreams of being a teenager again,” said a Twitter user.

• © Still from the movie "Twilight" (2008)

Those who, on the whole, do not like Mayer's work, decided to get acquainted with the new novel. 

"If you are a fan of previous books, you will probably enjoy another hefty childhood-rated vampire novel in which all the characters speak like middle-aged women," said one Amazon visitor. Neither the book nor the central character left positive impressions with him.

According to the same user, "Midnight Sun" completely "destroys the image of Edward as a dark Byronic hero with a bastard character."

“It is difficult to see in him a calm, elegant predator, when he throws tantrums throughout the book and complains about everything. He is a selfish boring whiner who behaves deliberately emotionally and despises everyone around ... Oh, he is also an ardent misogynist and hates any woman who does not look like a spineless rag, ”the reader noted.

At the same time, there were also those who liked the new novel more than the previous books. One of the Amazon registered users noted that Mayer's style has changed for the better: “I liked it. The book differs from Twilight in that Stephanie learned to write. That's a good thing, because Edward's storytelling differs from Bella’s storytelling in a more mature look, as it should be. ”

He assured the audience that the final version is significantly different from the drafts that hit the network in 2008. “You can't do without haters, but believe me, now you can laugh at them. Stephanie showed the class. Hats off, Mrs. Mayer, thank you for the excellent reading, ”he concluded.

At the same time, another buyer disappointed the book so much that he expressed his willingness to return it to the store.

“Stephenie Meyer portrayed Edward as a superficial, arrogant and surprisingly immature character. In terms of the expression of his thoughts, he is more likely not like a hundred-year-old vampire, but rather like a very unhappy teenager who could well spend all the time in his room in the basement, a troll of people on the Internet, "he commented on his unsuccessful acquisition.

Network false start

In 2008, unknown persons published the first chapters of the book "Midnight Sun" on the Internet. On this occasion, Stephenie Meyer posted a statement on her website.

The writer said that she could find out exactly who leaked, since she distributed several different versions to trusted representatives. However, Meyer said she hoped the distributor did not do it out of malice.

“I would prefer my fans not to read this version of Midnight Sun. It was an unfinished draft, disordered, full of flaws and mistakes, ”she said.

The incident upset the writer and forced her to reconsider her creative plans.

“My first thought was that I simply could not continue ... When you write, a lot depends on your own state. If I sat down at Midnight Sun right now, in my current frame of mind, James would most likely win and all the Cullens would die, which would not fit well with the original story, "she admitted.

The publication was postponed indefinitely. At the same time, the writer posted the "leaked" fragments on her own website so that devoted fans who would not want to violate copyright could familiarize themselves with them.

• © Still from the movie "Twilight" (2008)

May 4, 2020 Stephenie Meyer announced that the release of "Midnight Sun" is scheduled for August 4.

“Working on this book for over 13 years was unusual. I'm not the person I was then. All my children have grown up. The back is weird at times. The world has changed. It's hard for me to even imagine how your life has changed. But the completion of work on "Midnight Sun" revived in my memory those early days of "Twilight", when I first met many of you (fans. - RT ), "the author wrote on her website.

In a video message recorded for the Good Morning America telecast, Mayer explained that she doubted whether to release the book during a pandemic. However, it invites readers to take their minds off the problems of the real world by immersing themselves in reading.

Interestingly, during the filming of the first part of the Twilight movie franchise, Stephenie Meyer showed Robert Pattinson a rough version of Midnight Sun so that he could better understand her character. Also, director Catherine Hardwicke got acquainted with some fragments.

In July, the director admitted in an interview with ET that filming a new novel could be an interesting experience. At the same time, she noted that the leading actors are engaged in other projects.