Brilliance: A Novel

A stylish fictionalization of the relationship between Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan that explores the cost of genius and ambition as Edison becomes entangled in Morgan's world of power, money, and corruption

Short of money, the inventor Thomas Edison is captivated by the charismatic figure of J.P. Morgan, the “world’s banker.” Accepting Morgan’s glittering offer of almost unlimited cash in return for helping him change the way the world does business, Edison sees himself descend from being the godlike inventor of electric light to being complicit in the invention of the electric chair. Ever more enmeshed in Morgan’s personal life, he becomes infatuated by a world of privilege and power, where duty and desire, faith and immorality are thrown into conflict, ultimately threatening his own spiritual and creative survival.

Witty, magical, furious, Brilliance, Anthony McCarten’s ambitious new novel, brings to life the birth of the modern era and provides an indelible portrait of the times in which we now live.