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    The Last Days of Night
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    The Last Days of Night
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    The Last Days of Night
    Ebook449 pages7 hours

    The Last Days of Night

    By Graham Moore

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A thrilling novel based on actual events, about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America—from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and author of The Sherlockian

    SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING EDDIE REDMAYNE

    New York, 1888. Gas lamps still flicker in the city streets, but the miracle of electric light is in its infancy. The person who controls the means to turn night into day will make history—and a vast fortune. A young untested lawyer named Paul Cravath, fresh out of Columbia Law School, takes a case that seems impossible to win. Paul’s client, George Westinghouse, has been sued by Thomas Edison over a billion-dollar question: Who invented the light bulb and holds the right to power the country?

    The task facing Cravath is truly daunting -- win. And the stakes are immense: the winner of the case will illuminate America. In obsessive pursuit of victory, Paul crosses paths with Nikola Tesla, an eccentric, brilliant inventor who may hold the key to defeating Edison, and with Agnes Huntington, a beautiful opera singer who proves to be a flawless performer on stage and off. As Paul takes greater and greater risks, he’ll find that everyone in his path is playing their own game, and no one is quite who they seem...

    Praise for The Last Days of Night

    ‘Moore weaves a complex web. . . He conjures Gilded Age New York City so vividly, it feels like only yesterday’ Entertainment Weekly

    ‘A model of superior historical fiction . . . Graham Moore digs deep into long-forgotten facts to give us an exciting, sometimes astonishing story of two geniuses locked in a brutal battle to change the world. . .[A] brilliant journey into the past’The Washington Post

    ‘Mesmerizing, clever, and absolutely crackling…a beautifully researched, endlessly entertaining novel that will leave you buzzing’ Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl
     
    ‘Part legal thriller, part tour of a magical time – the age of wonder – and once you’ve finished it, you’ll find it hard to return to the world of now’ Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster UK
    Release dateSep 22, 2016
    ISBN9781471156694
    Unavailable
    The Last Days of Night
    Author

    Graham Moore

    Graham Moore is a New York Times bestselling novelist and Oscar-winning screenwriter. His screenplay for The Imitation Game won the Oscar in 2015. His first novel, The Sherlockian, was published in 16 countries and translated into 13 languages. Graham was born in Chicago and now lives in Los Angeles.

    Read more from Graham Moore

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    Reviews for The Last Days of Night

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    • 5/5
      The Last Days of Night is a wonderfully written novel about the battle between AC (Alternating Current advocated by George Westinghouse) and DC (Direct Current advocated by Thomas Edison) at the time in America's history when our country was moving from gas lighting to electric. There was more to this fight than the science behind it. The winner would end up with contracts to electrify the nation and with the fortune that followed those contracts.Here's a quote about the differences in the business philosophies of Edison and Westinghouse:“Westinghouse was responsible for tremendous feats of manufacturing—extremely well-built devices made by a factory of hundreds, each one supplying a part. A chain of construction. Edison, on the other hand, had built himself a factory that did not produce machines, but rather ideas.”The novel is written from the point of view of Paul Cravath, a young attorney who represented George Westinghouse. Cravath is brilliant in his own field, but has a limited knowledge of technology. His need to know provides a non-obtrusive way for Moore to describe the basics to his readers without disrupting the flow of the story.The Last Days of Night is historical fiction with characters such as Agnes Huntington, Nikola Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell in addition to the three main characters: Edison, Westinghouse, and Cravath. It's also a story of ruthless business practices, of the early days of patent law, and has a love story woven in as well. It is a hard book to put down.Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross
    • 5/5
      The Last Days of Night, Graham Moore, author, Johnathan McClain, narratorGeorge Westinghouse and Thomas Edison are both geniuses and rivals with egos that are huge. Both are driven to succeed. Both are inventors extraordinaire and both are engaged in a lawsuit with each other, suing and counter suing. Edison demands that Westinghouse stop making light bulbs because he has the patent to prove he invented them and owns all rights to them in any form. The law is on his side stating that he alone can produce them. Westinghouse is suing Edison to allow his company to produce light bulbs also. Westinghouse believes he has invented a better light bulb. Paul Cravath is a young lawyer in his mid twenties. He was lucky to land a job with a law firm and then to be hired by George Westinghouse to represent him in his fight against Edison General Electric, even though he is inexperienced and without major contacts. They were the actual qualities that appealed to Westinghouse.Nikola Tesla is a brilliant, if not disturbed, scientist and inventor. He sees the world through the pictures he fantasizes and imagines in his head and then attempts to create them in the real world. His mind is amazing, but his personality leaves a bit to be desired since he seems to be obsessive and often disengaged from the world everyone else is witnessing. Tesla invented alternating current which is eventually used by Westinghouse. Although it is safer, in an effort to prevent its use, Edison portrays it as a tool of death and uses it for an electric chair.Agnes Huntington is a talented and beautiful young woman in her mid twenties who is an ingénue who sings at the Metropolitan Opera House. She is sought after by men of influence, money and power and she uses her influence with them. Paul Cravath is completely smitten by this vixen who lives in a world way above his station in life. He does not know her secrets. Paul comes from a humble family. His father is a man of the cloth who has founded Fisk, a school for uneducated, freed slaves. Although Slavery had ended, equal rights had not yet become a reality. It would take many more years.The lawsuit between Edison General Electric and Westinghouse Electric threatens to bankrupt both men, but both are stubborn enough to throw caution to the wind. Neither will say uncle. As the author weaves this tale of historic fiction, he shines a light on Cravath, Edison, Westinghouse, Tesla and Huntington, with an intensity that brings them to life on the page. Little known facts are revealed about their interactions as General Electric is born. Their tactics, often underhanded, and their cohorts, often dishonest, though powerful, work together to create a novel that has all the makings of a great movie as well as an incredibly readable book. The fact that a there is a romantic undercurrent enhances and enchants rather than cheapens the story. When the book comes to a close, the reader feels almost as if they had met all the major characters in real life, although it is more than 120 years in the past. The fact that each character is willing to compromise their soul to gain power and success is illustrated as the story unfolds. In some ways, their behavior is admirable even as it is sometimes also reprehensible. The friendship that develops between Paul Cravath and Nikola Tesla is intricately drawn as Tesla’s personality and genius are developed from his own writings and possibly the expression of a kind of mental illness that he suffers from which causes him to behave in an odd manner, most of the time. Throw Agnes Huntington into the mix and the story blossoms not only as a court case and study of business, brilliance and madness, but also as a beautiful romance. Agnes is talented, beautiful and intelligent. Paul becomes quite smitten with her even though she may be already promised to another, even though their different backgrounds and class are antagonistic to each other.In his fictional presentation, Moore has accurately described the skullduggery that exists in the corporate and financial worlds, probably not only then, in the late 19th century, but even today, in the 21st century. Money talks and its power is enormously influential regarding deal making and relationships.In addition to the creativity of the author in crafting such a masterful novel, there is an incredibly talented narrator. Perhaps coming from the entertainment business industry, Moore was particularly able to choose someone from his own industry that read the story magically, always with the perfect accent necessary and the emotional presentation that was never over the top, never stole the show, but always perfectly enhanced every scene.
    • 4/5
      Great inventors take the stage in this historical fiction/legal thriller based on the lighting of New York City in the 1890s. The story is told by Paul Cravath, an attorney hired by George Westinghouse to take on Thomas Edison in a battle over lightbulb patents.Moes along well, tells a really interesting story that includes Nicola Tesla.
    • 4/5
      Historical novels are often tricky, and this one adds to the challenge with its cast of well-known characters like Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse. In fact, this is a fictional account of the competition between Edison and Westinghouse. It is a page turner built upon a legal case, and it sticks pretty closely to the known facts of their competition. Tesla, of course, is a bit of a wild card but an essential player. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this depiction of the days when American cities were first being wired for electrical power.
    • 4/5
      It's 1888 and the electrical power war rages between the two camps of Edison General Electric Company and Westinghouse Electric Company. Paul Cravath, a young attorney, recently graduated from Columbia Law, becomes George Westinghouse's defense attorney against Thomas Edison's 312 patent infringement law suits. Who invented the light bulb? There is much debate on that count. Much of the story centers on Cravath's defense and counter-offense of Westinghouse's right to make light bulbs, free and clear. The story is mostly told through the eyes and thoughts of Mr. Cravath. Author Graham Moore really did his homework and delivers an enjoyable and highly readable story about this auspicious time. He also provides closing notes regarding what in the story is from the actual historic record and where he deviated or compressed time for the sake of delivering a well spun yarn. Mr. Moore has created a magical world of scientific discovery and its larger than life players at the center of it all.I am grateful to author Graham Moore, publisher Random House and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free advance reader's edition of this story. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.Synopsis (from book's back cover):New York, 1888. Gas lamps still flicker in the city streets, but the miracle of electric light is in its infancy. The person who controls the means to turn night into day will make history--and a vast fortune. A young untested lawyer named Paul Cravath, fresh out of Columbia Law School, takes a case that seems impossible to win. Paul's client, George Westinghouse, has been sued by Thomas Edison over a billion-dollar question: Who invented the light bulb and holds the right to power the country? The case affords Paul entry to the heady world of high society--the glittering parties in Gramercy Park mansions, and the more insidious dealings done behind closed doors. The task facing him is beyond daunting. Edison is a wily, dangerous opponent with vast resources at his disposal--private spies, newspapers in his pocket, and the backing of J. P. Morgan himself. Yet this unknown lawyer shares with his famous adversary a compulsion to win at all costs. How will he do it?In obsessive pursuit of victory, Paul crosses paths with Nikola Tesla, an eccentric, brilliant inventor who may hold the key to defeating Edison, and with Agnes Huntington, a beautiful opera singer who proves to be a flawless performer on stage and off. As Paul takes greater and greater risks, he'll find that everyone in his path is playing their own game, and no one is quite who they seem.
    • 4/5
      Edison vs. Westinghouse - who would believe that this would provide such enjoyable and rewarding reading. I had no previous knowledge of the adversity between Edison and Westinghouse in the early days of electricity but I did have some background information about the young lawyer who would enter this formidable battle. I loved the description of the chicanery and deceptions that were employed at every level to win and the foible of underestimating one's opponents. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.
    • 3/5
      Paul Cravath, a young New York attorney, was hired by George Westinghouse to represent him in a patent dispute with Thomas Edison. At stake was not only who invented the light bulb but also who would get to control the expansion of electricity throughout the United States. The extremely eccentric Nikola Tesla worked for both Edison and Westinghouse until he had a falling out with each of them. Although (or maybe because) I was an attorney for many years, the legal wrangling did not really interest me and that part of the book sort of dragged. I was much more fascinated by the inventions. Also, while I know that the relationship between the opera singer Agnes Huntington and Cravath was real, I don't think it really added to this story.I don't know whether it was the author's intent, but this book made me want to learn more about these people. The book made me curious enough about these characters that I read up on them a little. The intelligent and imaginative group of Edison, Westinghouse, Tesla and Cravath was involved in many creations that we take for granted, including light bulbs, the X-ray, motion pictures, the electric chair, arguments against the legality of capital punishment and the creation of the modern law firm. They faced creative challenges and business reversals. These people led interesting, eventful and creative lives during a golden age for invention. As far as I can tell many of the events described in the book actually happened. However, since this is fiction, a lot of them had to be manufactured for purposes of the book and the author felt the need to create a villain. For some reason, the author decided that Edison needed to be the bad guy. Maybe, as a screenwriter, he needed to create this unnecessary drama. He also couldn't resist trying to turn the story into a thriller in the end and the last scene was decidedly cinematic. Just because Edison was competitive (and ultimately wrong about the feasibility of D/C electricity) does not make him evil. I was really put off by this characterization which seemed to somewhat disregard his notable achievements. I don't think these people really needed a fictionalized account. Reality was good enough, and so much of this book was reordered, condensed and made up that, as the author admits, nothing should be understood as verifiable fact. The bottom line for me is that I would have been happier with a non-fiction book about these people, but the book was well written and certainly good enough to pique my curiosity.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      Interesting and fast paced rendition of the battles between Westinghouse and Edison. Surprising how much is actually true.
    • 3/5
      An interesting and easy read learning aboutthe rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse and the start og General Electric. The characters were real but seemed to have little depth. Never would have bought it but as a gift it was a pleasant read.
    • 5/5
      A battle to invalidate Edison's patent for the light bulb. The debate over the safety of alternating current (AC). The birth of the modern law firm. Can an author were these events together into a compelling novel? In this case, absolutely yes. With a real life cast of larger-than-life characters led by Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla and a strong grounding in well-explicated science, this novel does just that. Throw in the struggle of the young lawyer taking on an impossible case and his alliance with a beautiful, intelligent, and seemingly unreachable singer-actress and you have a page turner of the highest quality. The background is very well drawn, recreating late 19th Century America with all its high points (Delmonico's, for one) and low points (such as class snobbery and racism). The author does take some liberties with history--compressing events, fleshing out characters whose full biographies are unclear, and putting his protagonist in places he wasn't. But there is probably more truth here than in reputed non-fiction such as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. And in a nice postscript, the author explains the liberties he has taken and his speculations.As the story unfolds, we see things through the lawyer's eyes as he discovers that his initial impressions of the geniuses with whom he is dealing are far from accurate. Edison begins as a villain, but by the end of the story he is humanized and we can appreciate the magnitude of his achievements, although they were more the work of a factory than of individual genius. George Westinghouse gets his due here as a visionary without whom the arrival of modern America would have been delayed. As for Tesla, he spends much of the book in a semi-incoherent state, but emerges as a sympathetic genius who puts pure science over any thoughts of its commercial application.I could go on--but spend no more time reading this review. Go out and read this marvelously entertaining (and dare I say educational?) book right now.
    • 5/5
      I found this book so interesting in the historical information and so fascinating in the writing that I bought it as a Christmas present for my brother-in-law, an engineer in Pittsburgh. It gives you a whole new perspective on the "Wizard of Menlo Park". An amazing and probably forgotten story of the golden age of inventing and highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      An interesting work of historical fiction about the fight between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over which of them invented the light bulb. The author described the book as ..a Gordian knot of verifiable truth, educated supposition, dramatic rendering, and total guesswork". While it's slow to get going, by the middle of the book it's an exciting and suspenseful story.
    • 2/5
      I looked forward to this book for a number of reasons. I was aware of the AC/DC war in the early days of electrifying the country, I was curious to learn more about this guy Tesla especially in light of the electric car's success, and the whole big business/turn of the century/inventor-businessmen mix sounded like the makings of a great story. But I found the story rather dull in its telling, and ditto for the characters, especially protagonist lawyer Paul Cravath. I excused the first half of the book thinking I was just getting a lot of necessary background, and soon the story would rev up. But it never happened. Even the almost romance that threaded throughout the story was boring - I can only recall one occasion when the 'lovers' smiled at each other. Perhaps there were more - but that's not my pointThere were a lot of key ingredients in abundant supply - major events in the industry's development, a proper amount of science and engineering, and a good bit of history of the times. But there was so little emotion. So the story unfolded somewhat like reading a series of newspaper articles. I got to the final 50 pages and couldn't wait for the book to be over.
    • 5/5
      Tesla, Westinghouse, and Edison are all well-known names, but until I read this novel about the lawsuits between Edison and Westinghouse, did I come to realize what a self-serving person Edison was. Told from the perspective of the young lawyer hired by Westinghouse, the characters come to life as we learn how General Electric came to be. Historical fiction writing at its best. The author has provided depth to all three famous men.
    • 4/5
      The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore is a deceptively engaging piece of historical fiction. I expected to enjoy the book because I find the main historical characters interesting but I was honestly apprehensive about whether the topic could be made into a generally compelling read. I found Moore's style to have worked very well, from the dialogue to the use of many smaller chapters to keep the story moving.As great historical personalities fall deeper into the past (or as we hurtle recklessly into the future, either way) they start to be remembered only for the dominant feature of their lives. So an inventor is remembered for creativity and ingenuity, which are generally positive characteristics, so we often think of these people in purely positive terms, yet few if any people are all positive or all negative. This work brings to light the intersection of science and capitalism in the person of Thomas Edison. A fascinating read simply as a historical legal novel yet also very interesting to see how easily money can become the determining factor even for those who start out wanting to create. This novel may well be one that rewards multiple readings with new insights into the time period as well as human nature, such as it is.Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
    • 4/5
      For a gearhead, this was historical fiction at its finest - inventions and inventors, science, legal wrangling all occurring at the turn of the 19th century in America. Mr. Moore's book was pleasure to read.
    • 5/5
      Who knew the history of electricity could be so fascinating? However, behind every "boring' scientific theory are real people and this story about Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nicola Tesla is a page turner. Edison and Westinghouse were fighting in the courts over who really invented the first light bulb and young attorney; Paul Cravath soon becomes involved. The story is told from his perspective as he becomes involved with the three inventors as well as other historical characters as Agnes Huntington, a famous singer; and JP Morgan. Short chapters led with quotes from Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc. add to the flavor of the book which is a real page-turner. Highly recommend -- electricity is only the backdrop - the machinations of these famous people makes for very entertaining and thought-provoking reading. It is well researched and historically accurate, but never boring
    • 5/5
      Historical fiction with the narrative provided by Paul Cravath, the 26 year old lawyer who represented George Westinghouse in the "current wars" against Thomas Edison. Nikola Tesla's contributions and personality quirks are also part of the narrative. The author has crafted a fascinating story which moves along quickly and and urges the reader think speculatively about human motivations. For example, at the beginning of each chapter is a quote from a contemporary icons such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and others. He also uses a device of speaking through Paul Cravath about the importance of creating a narrative from the facts. This is what Paul Cravath does as a lawyer. But is also what Graham Moore is doing through historical fiction. I especially appreciated the end notes where he explains how his story deviates from the historical record and where he has invented subthemes that no evidence supports. Early in the book he states (through Paul Cravath) that all stories are love stories, but in time men may come to regret the things that they loved. That quote made me think of Margaret Atwood's quote that "All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is." I've come to the conclusion that they are both right....this is a love story and a story about wolves. Enjoy!
    • 5/5
      Fantastic historical fiction. It had everything—intrigue & mystery, spies & conspiracies, even a bit of romance thrown in. I loved it!
    • 5/5
      Scintillating piece of writing. I had previously known of the "Current Wars" between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse from reading about the adoption of the electric chair, but as this very readable fictionalized account shows, that was merely one front in the ongoing battle over who would power the world. All of the main characters in the novel were real people, and the outline of events that Moore uses really happened, he has only used creative licence where necessary to advance the plot. The protagonist is Paul Cravath, a young lawyer fresh out of college who is approached by George Westinghouse to defend an avalanche of lawsuits over the invention of the light bulb that Edison is promulgating to send Westinghouse broke. A central figure of the drama is the eccentric Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla, whome Westinghouse sees as a way out of his legal conundrum, if he can just invent a light bulb that does not infinge Edison's patent. Rounding out the main cast is young opera star Agnes Huntington, who becomes involved with Cravath romantically, and involved in the story as confidant and protetctor of the vulnerable Tesla. All of the characters are well-developed and come to life readily, there is no black or white, everyone has their own motives, some honourable, some less so. The book positively crackles along, and actually makes the tedious-seeming business of litigation seem exciting and dramatic. A very useful postscript from the author details the real story of what eventuated and the eventual fates of the people involved. Great book, absolutely loved, hope there is more fortghcoming from this author.
    • 4/5
      Admitted I knew only the basics of Thomas Edison and the "current" war between A/C and D/C power, but this historical novel proved to be an enjoyable and compelling way to learn about it. Filled with quotes from famous inventors from both our era and the nineteenth century, this book (with its focus on court battles) changed how I think about inventions and the different approaches inventors can take. A great read and one with plenty of ability to cross genres and appeal to those interested in science and technology as well as historical fiction fans.
    • 4/5
      I thought this book was interesting and loved the recap at the end where the author told you what was true and what wasn't. I think it would make a good movie.
    • 5/5
      I recieved this book thru goodreads in exchange for a review. THE LAST DAYS OF NIGHT BY GRAHAM MOORE takes the reader on a legal thriller set in historical 1888. Thomas Edison & George Westinghouse, bitter rivals & both are suing each other over the patent for the light bulb. Stuck in the middle, an up and coming lawyer Paul Cravath . Real people, real time, and a really good legal thriller! I love history and I love mystery so this book is a double winner for me. Get caught up in the legal battle & the history that unfolds on every page!
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed learning about this time period and what was happening in regards to electricity. Although th book is historical FICTION I was able to learn about and then research this interesting topic and the people that were involved.
    • 4/5
      Young attorney Paul Cravath is chosen to defend George Westinghouse from patent infringement lawsuits about the first lightbulbs, filed by Thomas Edison, in this fast paced and entertaining historical novel. I knew nothing about the birth of the electric industry and the so-called ‘current war.’ Moore brings his characters, including Nicola Tesla, to life and keeps the reader’s interest until the very last page.
    • 4/5
      4.5 stars

      Much of this story is based on fact. I recognize many of the characters, inventions, companies, etc. The author explains the accuracy any changes made at the end of the book. It's written in a way that brings everything to life. Studying this in school never caught my attention so much. Now I would love to learn more. This is about the light bulb, but it's also about so much more. It's a drama with all the messy human nature aspects. If the subject of history interest you, and you don't mind at tweak of embellishment, definitely check out this book.
    • 4/5
      This was an interesting story about the lawsuits between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, as told from the point of view of Westinghouse's young and ambitious lawyer, Paul Cravath, also an historic figure and innovator of the modern law firm. Although I felt the story was an absorbing one with some interesting history to it, the writing seemed a bit academic at times, short on in-depth characterization and emotion that a novel needs. This felt somewhere between fiction and narrative nonfiction. The chapters were also short, and I found their titles and all the quotes that opened each chapter to be a bit distracting. This edged into four-star territory by virtue of the overall interest factor, though.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this take on 3 giants in American history: Tesla, Westinghouse, and Edison.

      Preceding each chapter was a quote from various inventors, scientists and businessmen; Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Carl Sagan among them.

      "I have not failed. I’ve just found ten thousand ways that don’t work.” Thomas Edison.

      I listened to this on audio and it was excellent. Highly recommended to anyone wanting to learn more about the current wars via an entertaining medium.
    • 4/5
      This was SO INTERESTING! Although Historical Fiction, there's a great online comparison timeline for the "re-arrangement" of some of the facts. All of the major characters were real people- and it was eye-opening! REALLY ENJOYED THIS READ.

      What a BUNCH OF JERKS hahahaha... brilliant, jerks!
    • 2/5
      This fictional retelling of the rivalry between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison reads more like a screenplay than a novel. The story hits all the right notes when it focuses on the science, but the characters seem more like caricatures than feeling, emotional people, and many readers are likely to find the extensive distortion of facts off-putting. Since the science rather than the people involved determined the outcome of this particular “feud,” the drama recounted here seems a bit more like created histrionics than a genuine conflict.Present-day quotes leading into the chapters tend to pull readers out of the historical time frame; unfortunately, the narrative ends up being more tedious than intriguing.