The Demon of Unrest

A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By: Erik Larson

Narrated by: Will Patton, Erik Larson

Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War—a simmering crisis that finally tore a deeply divided nation in two.

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, People, Time, Los Angeles Times, Men’s Health, New York Post, Lit Hub, Book Riot, Screenrant

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.

Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”

At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.

Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.

©2024 Crown (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Larson, one of today’s pre-eminent nonfiction storytellers, trawls a variety of archives to explore the historically momentous months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the Battle of Fort Sumter.”—The New York Times

“Perhaps no other historian has ever rendered the struggle for Sumter in such authoritative detail as Larson does here. . . . Few historians, too, have done a better job of untangling the web of intrigues and counter-intrigues that helped provoke the eventual attack and surrender.”—The Washington Post

“It’s alarming to read about this divided country going down a similar path more than 150 years ago and, seemingly, learning nothing from it. The immediacy of the story in The Demon of Unrest—as well as on-the-ground reports from inside South Carolina's Fort Sumter, an early Union bulwark—lend the book vigor.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

Meh...

Not his best work. Anticlimactic and monotone narration. Pretty disappointing honestly. I found my mind wandering and having to rewind several chapters multiple times.

You need to read this to understand the Civil War

I can’t believe how little I learned about the essential story of the beginning of the Civil War! I’m eager for more on this story.

Outstandingly account Of the period of time before the attack on Fort Sumter in the words of diarists and records of that time.

The book is about a time and place which rarely get this much focus. It covers the days after Lincoln has been elected and the nation is threatening to split over the issue of slavery. You will learn about the upper class land owners pushing for secession and the garrison at Fort Sumter and its commander Colonel Anderson. The best part (aside from being read by Will Patton) are the words of the people and lived and wrote about the times. Mary Chestnut, in particular, was and insightful chronicler of the times and an acerbic wit as well.

I’ve read many books about the Civil War including “A Team of Rivals” and appreciate the scope of this book.

May be the best Civil War book I’ve read…

First, let me say that I am glad that the Union prevailed. I wouldn’t want to live in a world where slavery is seen as God-endorsed. That said, I’m still not certain why the Southern states were not allowed to secede. I do understand better that secession was not going to be allowed, and I have a better image of Lincoln from this book: his humor, his humanity and his moral standards. I can only imagine how the deaths of so many must have pained him. I had never before grasped the economic consequences the slave owners had to face. Thanks so much for that exposure. Money is often at the heart of conflict, even today. We noted a few years ago after visiting Mount Vernon how very dependent the Washington’s were on the slave system. The property had crops, a winery, a fish farm, etc., etc., etc. while they held human beings in bondage. Interesting that when the slaves were freed that the operation pretty much fell apart. It is also interesting to me that half of the nation looked at these dark-skinned people and saw human beings and the other half looked upon these same people and saw property. Tragic.

Excellent Book!

1st - give the book a chance to warm up. It does so quickly.

2nd - I sped up the narration a bit and it made a workd of difference. I personally like the narrator for fiction normally, but he did a good job with the content.

Vividly Told History of the Start of the Civil War

This history is a brilliant interweaving of events, contrasting values, economic and political forces and personalities that provide a vivid picture of South Carolina, the South and North, and Washington D.C. at the time of the attack on Fort Sumter to start the American Civil War.
The threatened status of the planter aristocracy in South Carolina, The Chivalry and their view that slavery was a divine institution absolutely critical to the economy and society of the South provide forces driving state secessionists and their absolute loathing of abolitionists dominating the Republican Party. The newly elected President, Abraham Lincoln, was perceived as the embodiment of future imagined abolitionist oppression.
Letters, diaries, speeches, journalist accounts and newspaper reports are sources for an exciting view of the complex people who were driving events including Robert Anderson, James Hammond, Edmund Ruffin, James Buchanan, Mary Chestnut, Abraham Lincoln and William Seward.

Will Patton delivers a masterful narration of the story and voices the colorful characters who drove history.

Larson at his best!!!

Larson is one of my favorite authors. I have read just about all of his books. Dead Wake. Isaac’s Storm. In the Garden of Beasts. Etc etc. I will say this is in his top three best books. He takes an incredible story and brings it to life. It puts you in Charleston on the eve of the Civil War with incredible people who made the history.

Sorry Erik

I couldn’t wait for this new book to come out…love Erik’s work. But this one is about as dry as burnt toast. None of his usual fun stuff and though I love Will Power, his narration makes this book that much more droll. My husband heard about 15 minutes and said as much. I’m returning this book having listened to about 1/3 of it…can’t take it.

Erik Larson’s classic multi-person approach

If you’ve read other books by Larson you’ll be familiar with it; and it flows beautifully. He weaves the situation as a whole together by telling how different characters experienced it. Excellent read! I listened to the whole thing in 4 days!

A Most Appropriate Narrator

To clarify a misconception by a previous reviewer, it should be noted that the distinguished actor and narrator, Will Patton, is not someone trying to imitate a southern accent. Mr. Patton was born in Charleston, SC, which I believe identifies him as a genuine southerner. Though I do not recollect meeting him, I recall seeing him out and about when I lived in Chapel Hill, NC many years ago. It may be fair for someone not to like his narration but it’s way off the mark to label him as a pretender of southern heritage. If interested, check out his Wikipedia page.