This was such a surprising book! It tells the story of Christopher Fairfax, a parson, who is tasked with conducting the funeral service for the priest Father Lacy in a remote Exmoor village in 1468. From the first, there are little things in the narrative that suggest everything is not what it seems and the plot went in a direction I really didn't expect, making this a very original and compelling story. The characters are a little bit one dimensional at times, but at others there is a real sense of authenticity to their reactions and behaviours. The writing is lyrical and well constructed and the way in which the plot unravels keeps the interest throughout, as things get progressively more unusual as the narrative goes on. I did think that the ending was a little abrupt, but overall, this was an enjoyable and pretty unique read that I would recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction in the Bernard Cornwell vein. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A thriller with shocks, surprises and interesting themes An atmospheric thriller which opens with a priest’s death in 1468, and where little is as it seems at first sight. Father Christopher Fairfax arrives at a village in Wessex, England to bury the priest, and soon becomes interested, and mystified, by what happened to the priest and why. The villagers appear to be acting oddly, and more surprises are in store when Father Fairfax has a closer look around. A tale of the past and the future, with interesting details about village life in 1468, the power of the church that wants to keep some truths hidden, and also links to our current times. Beautifully written, this is a book that invites thought, with plenty of themes and ideas to talk about. Great for Book Clubs. It is not particularly fast moving, however I found the scenes very realistic and the mystery of what happened involving. Certainly by the end of the book I was racing to discover the secrets. The ending was not what I was expecting, but after some thinking about, it did seem exactly right. 4*s from me for this great mystery thriller, with plenty shocks, surprises and interesting themes

Robert Harris is once again ahead of the game, warning us of impending doom. This time its our dependence on IT systems which are increasingly under attack from lone wolves and, more worryingly, nation states. In Second Sleep we are 800 years from some sort of global catastrophe though we never discover what it was- probably Brexit- that has turned people against people and countries against countries propelling the world back to the dark ages. I was a little disappointed in it having read all his previous books. The personal drama at the centre of the book seemed dwarfed by the events surrounding them- and far less interesting. There was even a touch of The Archers about it in relation to village business. Once again (remember Munich?) baddies were straight out of central casting. In spite of all that I read it within a week (good for me anyway) and from the first page you were transported to a bleak post holocaust landscape. I have to admit though that the significance of the title never clicked even after reading some explanations. More importantly there is a part in the book where someone says to someone else; "you Wiltshire folk are not a patch on us Wessex men" (or words to that effect). Surely Wiltshire is in the centre of Wessex? I'm slightly worried that Harris is becoming more of an "airport" author. His style is slowly being subsumed by the plot. Anyway I'm waiting for the next one

An engaging and unusual story line, very readable but with a rather chaotic ending. Leaves the reader feeling the author did not know how to conclude the tale.

Very good idea for the story which was drew me to the book in the first place. Also have read and enjoyed many of his previous books. However, I was very disappointed with this one. It didn't draw me in beyond the first chapter, I continued reading in the hope and expectation that it would develop but it didn't. Have to say that I found it boring with a poor ending!