The Second Sleep was a novel with a surprise. Once you knew the surprise the story took you on a mystery adventure. Lots of twists and turns and wondering about outcomes. A novel that chimes with present concerns about the state of the world. I bought this book as a treat to myself as I have enjoyed several of Robert Harris other books A read I would recommend as one which shows Mr Harris as a master storyteller

One of the bullet points written about this latest novel by Robert Harris indicates that it is unlike anything he has done before. That statement is very much true. Mr Harris always gives us a well written book, a plot second to none, and of course characters that are painted in the most mesmerizing manner with portraits of them that allow each to live for the reader. The plot is a very pleasant surprise and not what the reader expects. But assuredly the change in the novel's direction is one that will be well received and quite satisfying. Christopher Fairfax, a young priest arrives in a remote village in the hinterland of England in the year of the book 1468. He was sent there in order to hold services for the village's previous priest who had just passed away. The area around the town is overrunning with ancient artifacts such as glass, human bones, paintings and other miscellaneous memorabilia stemming from long ago. The previous priest had been an ardent collector and exhibitor of what he found. He was killed in a freak fall while moving around in one of the areas he had been working in Fairfax becomes fascinated by the collection and determines he will make an inroad into the meaning of what is freely available on the ground. He will work in the area and become amazed at what he is unearthing. His very faith is shaken to the core by the interpretation of the findings And. he is almost killed in the search and also finds time to have a romantic interlude with one of the ladies living there. The strength of.Robert Harris's book lies in what is discovered and the facts this leads to. It is only fair to say that this is certainly one of the author's best books and any more of the plot revealed would surely take away the joy of following the path Harris makes. A very well done novel and another in the series of excellent books created by Robert Harris.

Think you know Robert Harris, think again!! This is unlike anything he has written before and is completely unexpected. Historical fiction at its best and with a twist that will take you by surprise.

The Second Sleep is set in the Year of the Risen Lord 1468. A newly ordained priest is sent on a mission to Wessex to bury a village minister who has just died. The reader thinks that maybe Robert Harris has been careless when he talks about parakeets in the air and the dead minister has what appears to be an old iPhone in his room. But all soon becomes clear (not a spoiler because it is revealed very early…), We are not in 1468 as we would understand it. We are 2500 years in the future… a new calendar started in 666 – 6 centuries after our civilisation collapsed in the 2020s. A new civilisation is being built, and it is illegal to mention the old one. But why did our civilisation collapse? Robert puts us through various theories – climate change, a nuclear exchange, a super volcanic eruption, an asteroid strike, a general failure of computer technology, and a pandemic resistant to antibiotics, the most likely of which seems to be a catastrophic failure of technology. We rely on technology to such an extent that if it were to collapse – if, for example, a computer virus were to destroy the Cloud, humanity just could not cope. All knowledge would be lost and transactions could not be processed. Food could not be grown or bought – the inhabitants would flee the cities. It would be a true Apocalypse. All these things could, of course, happen – which is very much the point of the book. Robert’s theory is that all civilisations end, and that new ones eventually replace them. So, against this background, The Second Sleep is very much a medieval tale of intrigue – looking for evidence of the previous civilisation but in way entirely appropriate to the time in which it is set. Our newly ordained priest challenges the conventional wisdom of the time, and questions his own faith. He converses with ‘heretics’ in his search for the truth. And, unlike many a thriller, the ending leaves us asking as many questions as have been answered. Robert Harris is a quite extraordinary and varied writer. From his books on Roman times, through a ‘what if’ had Hitler won WW2, to a brilliant book describing the election of a new pope – there is a consistent theme of power and the impact it has on us and our leaders. The Second Sleep is a more than interesting book from a master storyteller. I recommend it as something quite different. Wessex encompassed the modern areas of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset and Wiltshire, as well as the western half of Berkshire and the eastern hilly flank of Somerset.

This book is quite different and there is a big twist. Again Robert Harris has written a book which is described in such a way that you feel as if you could step into the story. Again a good read from Robert Harris. I look forward to his next novel.