NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "A world of invention and skulduggery, populated by the likes of Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla."--Erik Larson "A model of superior historical fiction . . . an exciting, sometimes astonishing story."-- The Washington Post From Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian , comes a thrilling novel--based on actual events--about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify ...
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "A world of invention and skulduggery, populated by the likes of Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla."--Erik Larson "A model of superior historical fiction . . . an exciting, sometimes astonishing story."-- The Washington Post From Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian , comes a thrilling novel--based on actual events--about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America. 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. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "A satisfying romp . . . Takes place against a backdrop rich with period detail . . . Works wonderfully as an entertainment . . . As it charges forward, the novel leaves no dot unconnected." --Noah Hawley, The New York Times Book Review
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Seller's Description:
Very good in very good dust jacket. 11 CDs. Audience: General/trade. Great listening entertainment! Unabridged audiobook; ex-library; CDs come in protective case.
It is an amazing feat for an author to turn a 'dry as bone' patent fight into high drama. However, that is just what Graham Moore did in this novel. My only complaint is that is fiction; at every plot twist, I found my wondering if it really happened. Some of the factual actions of the characters sounded like fiction. At the end of the book, the author explained where he'd made changes. Perhaps the best compliment I can share about this book is that it is so engrossing that I spent considerable time reading reference books and searching the Internet for verification of incidents and characters.
This is the billion dollar fight between business/investor titans George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison over who invented the light bulb. Part of this conflict was the issue of alternate current (AC) vs. direct current (DC) -- that these giants were working on at the same time. I found the real star of the show to be Nicoli Tesla, a Serbian genius. He worked for each of the major inventors at differing times, but he was a troubled man with great creative powers. Like Paul Cravath, the narrator in the story, I wondered why he didn't get scurvy from his constant diet of saltine crackers and water.
Of all the major characters, I was sure that Paul Cravath was fiction. However, he really was a 26-year-old man who grew during this story to be able to match wits with these major business leaders -- and win. 4.5 stars
