Review for MIDNIGHT SUN by Stephenie Meyer

Midnight Sun (partial draft)

by Stephenie Meyer

(posted on her website in draft form)

Placement in Pile:

Reaching new heights

Summary (from her website):

Midnight Sun: Edward's Version of Twilight

August 28, 2008

As some of you may have heard, my partial draft of Midnight Sun was illegally posted on the Internet and has since been virally distributed without my knowledge or permission or the knowledge or permission of my publisher. I have a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that left my possession and each was unique. Due to little changes I made to the manuscript at different times, I can tell when each left my possession and to whom it was given. The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no comment beyond that as I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution. I did not want my readers to experience Midnight Sun before it was completed, edited and published. I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being. As the author of the Twilight Saga, I control the copyright and it is up to the owner of the copyright to decide when the books should be made public; this is the same for musicians and filmmakers. Just because someone buys a book or movie or song, or gets a download off the Internet, doesn't mean that they own the right to reproduce and distribute it. Unfortunately, with the Internet, it is easy for people to obtain and share items that do not legally belong to them. No matter how this is done, it is still dishonest. This has been a very upsetting experience for me, but I hope it will at least leave my fans with a better understanding of copyright and the importance of artistic control. So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn't like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything. 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. I'd rather my fans not read this version of Midnight Sun. It was only an incomplete draft; the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I comment on this violation without driving more people to look for the illegal posting? It has taken me a while to decide how and if I could respond. But to end the confusion, I've decided to make the draft available here (at the end of this post). This way, my readers don't have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest. I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward's head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That's what inspired me to write it in the first place. I do want to take a moment and thank the wonderful fans who have been so supportive of me over the past three years. I cannot begin to tell you how much each of you means to me. I only hope this note will stop all the confusion and online speculation so that the Twilight universe can once again become the happy escape it used to be. After this incredibly busy year, I am now focusing on spending more time with my family and working on some other writing projects. —Stephenie This material is copyrighted by Stephenie Meyer. Any retranscription or reproduction is illegal. [This information is available on Stephenie Meyer's original website ]

Review:

This was a very interesting read for me. Stephenie wasn't kidding when she said Edward overthinks EVERYTHING. He really, really does. It gets old sometimes actually. ;-) It was fun to read Twilight from his perspective for sure, and even more interesting to see Bella through his eyes. I finally see why he likes her! Because from her point of view, she has nothing to offer him. Less than nothing. But Edward sees her differently (beyond just the overwhelming desire for the scent of her blood). I was pleasantly surprised to read that maybe she has more redeeming qualities than she ever admitted to or thought she had. Because honestly, she is not my favorite protagonist.

Anyway, it will also give you even more respect and understanding for what Edward went through (with regards to how she smells, to put it lightly). Also, it gives you some key insights into things the reader isn't aware of when reading Twilight. It was fun to find out some more details and fill in some of the gaps. (Like what all of his facial expressions mean, and his comments and everything that we have to guess at in Twilight) It was a fun read, I definitely recommend it for any Twilight fans - and Edward fans in particular.

I hope that she will finish the book someday, it's not like all of her crazy fans won't buy it anyway! But I understand also how betrayed she would feel to have something like that happen. It's a tough situation. But I'd really like to see that meadow scene from his perspective... (which, be warned, is where it ends. Right before the meadow scene. Ugh.)

Has anyone else read it? What did you think?