At long last, Stephanie Meyer's retelling of Twilight from Edward's point of view, Midnight Sun, will finally be released this summer. First released in 2005, Twilight told the story of Bella Swan, a teenage girl who finds herself falling in love with the mysterious vampire Edward Cullen. Three more books followed, with the final installment, Breaking Dawn, arriving in 2008. That same year, Twilight was adapted into a feature film starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Twilight proved to be an incredible success and ignited a cultural phenomenon. With Breaking Dawn split into two films, the entire Twilight Saga grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide and helped usher in a new era of young adult paranormal romances.
Meyer once intended to release Midnight Sun as a companion piece to Twilight, but following a leak that put the first twelve chapters online, she stepped away from the project. Instead, Meyer penned and released Life and Death in 2015 in honor of Twilight's tenth anniversary. Life and Death took the original story and flipped the genders, thus telling the story of human Beau and vampire Edythe. Fans who had been hoping for Midnight Sun were disappointed by this change and have continued to campaign for Midnight Sun's release.
Now their years of waiting have finally paid off, as Midnight Sun will make its way out into the world this year. Currently slated for release on August 4, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has already made the novel available for pre-order and has released the official description, which is as follows:
When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella’s side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward’s version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.
This unforgettable tale as told through Edward’s eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting beautiful, mysterious Bella is both the most intriguing and unnerving event he has experienced in his long life as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward’s past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he let himself fall in love with Bella when he knows that he is endangering her life?
In Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer transports us back to a world that has captivated millions of readers and, drawing on the classic myth of Hades and Persephone, brings us an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love.
For over a decade, readers have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Midnight Sun. Open this book and see why it was worth the wait!
2020 looks to be the year of revived young adult book series, as Suzanne Collins is releasing a prequel to her Hunger Games series, titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. While Collins' novel already has a film adaptation in development, it's unclear if Midnight Sun will get the same treatment. Considering the success of the original Twilight films, it likely isn't out of the question. However, it definitely won't star Stewart, Pattinson, and the rest of the original cast, which might diminish interest in any proposed adaptation.
Perhaps ironically, Midnight Sun arrives after E.L. James, author of the Fifty Shades of Grey series, released a retelling of the first novel from her male lead's perspective. Fifty Shades of Grey, of course, began as Twilight fan fiction, and this is just the latest similarity between the two series. However, Meyer likely would've been the first to release her retelling had the first chapters not been leaked. That was certainly a devastating setback, but now Twilight fans will finally get the chance to read the novel they've long been waiting for.