Product Description

A cold October night, 1854. In a dark passageway, an innocent
man is stabbed to death.

So begins the extraordinary story of Edward Glyver, book lover, scholar and
murderer. As a young boy, Glyver always believed he was destined for
greatness. This seems the stuff of dreams, until a chance discovery
convinces Glyver that he was right: greatness does await him, along with
immense wealth and influence. And he will stop at nothing to win back a
prize that he now knows is rightfully his.

Glyver's path leads him from the depths of Victorian London, with its foggy
streets, brothels and opium dens, to Evenwood, one of England's most
enchanting country houses. His is a story of betrayal and treachery, of
death and delusion, of ruthless obsession and ambition. And at every turn,
driving Glyver irresistibly onwards, is his deadly rival: the poet-criminal
Phoebus Rainsford Daunt.

Thirty years in the writing, THE MEANING OF NIGHT is a stunning
achievement. Full of drama and passion, it is an enthralling novel that
will captivate readers right up to its final thrilling revelation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #96897 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-07
• Binding: Hardcover
• 608 pages

Amazon.co.uk

Early Buzz From Amazon.co.uk Top Reviewers

We queried our top 100 reviewers and asked them to read The Meaning of Night and share their thoughts. We've included these early reviews below in the order they were received. For the sake of space, we've only included a brief excerpt of each reviewer's response, but each review is available for reading in its entirety by clicking the "Read the review" link. Enjoy!
John Chippindale: "After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn's for an oyster supper . . ."
If the opening sentence of this book does not demand the attention of the reader, I don't know what will. If you never pick up another book, you must read this one." Read John Chippindale's review

Budge Burgess: "With 600 pages of narrative, Latin chapter headings, literary and scholarly allusions, compendious footnotes, and the conceit that this is, indeed, a Victorian testament bequeathed to posterity by its hero and consequently written in an approximation of mid-19th century style, this is a weighty tome, and one which suffers from its art." Read Budge Burgess's review

David Bryson: " It takes skill to recreate the atmosphere convincingly in the 21st century, and Michael Cox, biographer and editor of the great ghost-story writer M R James, seems to me never to hit a wrong note." Read David Bryson's review

Kona: "This is an exciting read, full of period details and charm. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction." Read Kona's review

Russell Clarke: "Goes against the flow of the usual revenge motif in culture and art and is all the more poignant and compulsive for it. A highly recommended read." Read Russell Clarke's review

Andrew Butterfield: "I'm not usually a fan of this genre, and didn't expect too much of The Meaning of Night, but I must confess I was drawn into the story and helped along by the easy yet literary writing style."Read Andrew Butterfield's review

N. C. Samaniego: "The story itself is ingenious, building hopes of a satisfactory outcome, and the unexpected final twist prepares for a dramatic showdown." Read N. C. Samaniego's review

Bruce Loveitt: "If you love the 19th century....the times and the literature of the period....you will love this book. It is both exciting and touching, appealing to both the intellect and the heart. A winner." Read Bruce Loveitt's review

Peter Kenney: "The story is marked by clever twists and the writing is excellent. I recommend this book without reservation to any reader who likes a fascinating tale packed with intrigue, romance and robust characters." Read Peter Kenney's review

Samantha Banwell: "Although not a fan of this book, I cannot help but admire its descriptive detail of Victorian England." Read Samantha Banwell's review

M. J Leonard: "Meticulously researched, forbiddingly atmospheric and also remarkably secretive, Cox writes with a sharp eye for period detail. The novel is a strange and heady brew of social convention, the desolation of a lonely, half-mad man and the restrictions of a society who continually refuses to acknowledge him.!" Read M.J. Leonard's review

Amanda Richards: "This is a big book, a huge book, a massive tome - it is one of those books that would cause grievous bodily harm if dropped upon the unsuspecting foot. But don't let that deter you - from the first confession to the final gripping chapter you'll find yourself a tad reluctant to place your bookmark between the pages, even when the midnight hour has ticked away and a new work day is approaching in mere hours." Read Amanda Richard's review

Anders P. Jensen: "The occationally odd names of people and places may seem a bit too cute at first (Phoebus Rainsford Daunt?!), and I haven't read all of the `editor's notes', but Cox is easily forgiven, because he can write." Read Anders P. Jensen's review

A. Skudder: "Nearly everything I would like to say about this book would involve giving away something, and a great deal of the enjoyment of the story is in experiencing the sudden changes of direction without warning, right the way up to the very brave ending. If you want to know what that ending is and why it is so brave you will have to read it yourself, but you are unlikely to regret it." Read A. Skudder's review

Daniel Jolley: "If you harbor the slightest appreciation for the unparalleled power and beauty of the written word, you will want to immerse yourself in the pages of The Meaning of Night." Read Daniel Jolley's review

Themis-Athena: "It reportedly took a tragedy in Michael Cox's life to transform an unfinished manuscript begun thirty years earlier into a novel finally and deservedly now making its way into print. I very much hope it won't take another tragedy (or another thirty years) for his next book to be published." Read Themis-Athena's review

The Fragrant Wookiee: "An intriguing novel which will completely immerse you in its twisting subtleties and which you will be very glad you decided to give a try. I know I was.." Read the Fragrant Wookiee's review

Publishing News
`Murray will present its biggest marketing and publicity campaign for what it calls "the most extraordinary novel of 2006"'

Sunday Telegraph
`Impressively fluent first novel'

Customer Reviews

A very good read
You can trust this book. it will give you many hours of pleasure. And it will keep you guessing... a wonderful sketch of a man obsessed by revenge and determined to kill the one who stole his life. The story of a man who slowly understands both who he is and what he can and will do to regain what he considers his.Very atmospheric as well, you feel you are with him in this world so subtly recreated that you totally believe in it.

Engrossing read
I loved this novel and consider it one of the best I have read this year. The writing is vivid and atmospheric, and I found it difficult to put the book down. Once drawn into the narrative, you want to read on to find out the next twists and turns. The writer is a biographer of M R James and it is easy to see how M R James's writing style influenced that of Michael Cox.

The Meaning of Night would make a perfect BBC adaptation, similar to The Moonstone or The Woman in White as it reeks of atmosphere and intrigue. Perfect!

The Meaning of Night: A Confession
This is quite simply one of the finest novels of all time and one of the best of recent years. What makes this novel so absolutely superb is the extremely skillful way in which Cox narrates the novel through the eyes of the perpetrator in way that gives it an uplifting as opposed to morbid sense. You find yourself completely drawn into the story and it keeps you holding on until the very last page