The Second Sleep

A novel

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: Roy McMillan

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

From the internationally best-selling author of Fatherland and the Cicero Trilogy - a chilling and dark new thriller unlike anything Robert Harris has done before.

1468. A young priest, Christopher Fairfax, arrives in a remote Exmoor village to conduct the funeral of his predecessor. The land around is strewn with ancient artifacts - coins, fragments of glass, human bones - which the old parson used to collect. Did his obsession with the past lead to his death?

Fairfax becomes determined to discover the truth. Over the course of the next six days, everything he believes - about himself, his faith, and the history of his world - will be tested to destruction.

©2019 Robert Harris (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“It should be enough that Robert Harris, in his earlier books, makes the lives of Cicero and Caesar even more fascinating, and brings to vivid life the citizens of ancient Rome and 1930’s Munich. With The Second Sleep he cracks open The Time To Come, making his new book a barnburner, leaving the reader wanting only one thing: more, please.” (Tom Hanks)   

“In the tradition of A Canticle for Leibowitz, Harris presents an extraordinary and terrifyingly plausible vision of a post-technological future, a novel that’s at once an adventure story and a meditation on truth and faith. You’ll never look at your iPhone in quite the same way again.” (Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven) 

“Ingenious.... The historical thriller hinges on an apocalyptic event and induces a shiver of dread in our present times.... When Harris is at his best - and here he is - he writes with a skill and ingenuity that few other novelists can match. In this case, the usual page-turning pleasures are joined by something else: a sense that, through his historical-futuristic setting, Harris has found a unique vantage point to comment on the present.” (William Skidelsky, The Financial Times)    

This IS different...

It’s what I would honestly expect how people would evolve a new society after the collapse of our modern one. Religion would take a firmer hold after a period of a dark age. Civility would return from this, as well as church corruption as it once did in history. Religion has always been a means to govern a people, and the church the ultimate authority over religion. With absolute power comes absolute corruption. I personally do not hold a religion nor church in my personal life after what I’ve learned from the history of church doctrine. I am a believer in God, and that’s it.
This book is well written with common sense and an understanding of human nature. I look forward to this authors next book since it seems this story will continue.

Very good story with ending that suddenly falls off a cliff.

What the heck? After all that, to end in such a fizzle was a real letdown. The story up to that point was brilliant. Ending was a train wreck. No payoff, resolution or anything. It was like Harris ran out of time and didn't have enough time left to craft a proper ending, which he could have certainly done. :-(

Really!!!!

I was enjoying this story so much until the ending. So disappointed in how it ended! Hence, the 2 stars for the story.

Too short!

Intriguing story, well-developed characters, excellent performance. My only complaint is that the book is too short. I would have happily listened to another 8 or 10 hours of what happened next.

Audible Bliss

This book is why I joined Audible in the first place. Sure, I could buy a physical copy and read it myself, but some books just beg to be LISTENED TO. This is one of them. The narrator, Roy McMillan, is just sublime- without peer. I won't talk about the story, except to say it's quite wonderful, with some nice turns and characters you'll find it hard to part company with. Happy Reading!

I love robert harris, however...

I really think Robert Harris can make almost any story compelling and this one certainly is.

however ...SPOILER ALERT!... double warning

the ending of this book is simply AWFUL! so disappointed. the entire story is essentially a huge build up which simply goes nowhere. Would get a much higher rating if not for this

Disappointing

Excellent premise, indifferently executed, with flat, disappointing ending.

The narration was very good, but not good enough to redeem the book. I doubt anything short of a complete re-write could have saved this book.

Ended too quickly with unresolved mysteries

This is a fun book with an excellent reading performance. a few of the major events seem to happen too hurriedly rapid; personality changes happening unnaturally quick . The ending was rather abrupt with some storylines unresolved, have the sense there will be a sequel.

Great story

Have become a Robert Harris fan in the last few years. Was looking forward to the release of this book and it did not disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this audiobook.

A second sleep that gently unfolds

A book that reels you into the story, where you find you must continue to the end. A story that conjures images in your mind & the picture is one worth seeing. Thank you. I valued the story. Roy was a terrific narrator as well.