The Second Sleep

***It is impossible to discuss this book with any level of intelligence without revealing aspects that some of you will deem spoilers. Ye have been warned. Any childish rants on my thread and ye will be cursed for all eternity. Thy spawn will also be cursed until the end of days. (Which frankly isn’t that far in the future, so as curses go, it is not as dire as it sounds.)*** <br /><br /><b>”We know that almost every person, including children, was issued with a device that enabled them to see and hear one another, however far apart in the world they might be; that these devices were small enough to see and hear one another, however far apart in the world they might be; that these devices were small enough to be carried in the palm of ones’ hand; that they gave instant access to all the knowledge and music and opinions and writings in the world; and that in due course they displaced human memory and reasoning and even normal social intercourse--an enfeebling and narcotic power that some say drove their possessors mad, to the extent that their introduction marked the beginning of the end of advanced civilization.”</b><br /><br />The end of the world rests in the palm of your hand. It is probably sitting right next to you at the moment, waiting patiently for you to stroke it and make it come to life, or maybe you are holding it right now as you read this review on the screen. We have the most amazing creation that has ever been invented on this planet resting between our ears, yet we choose to cede control from our own organically grown (they charge extra for that in vegetables and fruit) to a flat, impersonal (just to be clear, you really don’t have an intimate, personal relationship with your device, despite the amount of attention you give to it) rectangular device. <br /><br />I used to be a fan of Steve Jobs, despite his assholish tendencies. Now I’m becoming more and more convinced that the era of Homo Sapiens might be coming to an end, and it isn’t Death riding on the pale horse, but the man from Apple. <br /><br />That is where we are today, but I really need to take you 800 years in the future to meet a young priest named Christopher Fairfax, who has been dispatched to the ass end of nowhere by the Bishop to oversee the funeral arrangements of a heretical (rumored) priest. Fairfax is not happy about these circumstances. He enjoys his life at the Bishop’s court, and being sent on this errand makes him feel like he is actually being punished. He is not going by train, plane, or automobile. Those conveyances are long buried in the past, so buried that most don’t even know they ever existed. He is making this journey Middle Ages style, by horse. <br /><br />The world has “evolved” to the zenith of human capabilities, but because we have become so reliant on computers and other devices to run our lives, we are incapable of picking up the pieces when a catastrophic event happened that turns our electronic devices into expensive paperweights . <b>”Our purpose is not to propose counter-measures to avert any of these potential catastrophes...but to devise strategies for the days, weeks, months and years following such a disaster, with the aim of the earliest possible restoration of technical civilisations.”</b><br /><br />Good thought, right? If you can’t stop the speeding train from heading for the chasm, maybe you can unhook a car or two to have something to rebuild with. Something goes very, very wrong, and the age of electronics is over. Those who have curiosity about how the ancients (us) did this or that are risking being branded a heretic. Whenever there is a bobble in the universe, the church is always ready to leap into the breach, and this time they intend to keep control. No more worshiping of idolatrous devices. The plan is to keep the population as ignorant as possible so that they never question the supremacy of the church ever again. <br /><br />Books are burned by the millions. What need do thee have to even know how to read? <br /><br />Fairfax is away from the Bishop a matter of days and suddenly finds himself becoming obsessed with knowing the truth about the past. He is also struggling to resist some very present temptations that could be referred to as the same “apples” that led to Adam’s downfall. <i>”Faith that cannot withstand the truth is not a faith worth holding.”</i> The problem is, of course, that rarely can faith hold up when faced with the temptations of the flesh or real truth. Fairfax is frankly doomed or maybe finally finding liberation, depending upon what you believe to be the best path for the pursuit of happiness. <br /><br />Ignorance is bliss?<br /><br />I love time travelling forward to go backwards in history. Harris, as always, writes a fast, page turning plot that had me zipping through the book. I do find that his ending is a bit convoluted, or maybe I got distracted by the same “apples” that are so distracting to Fairfax. I actually enjoy spending time with heretics or any people who are questioning the way things are. Is this really the way things should be? What can be learned from the ancients that could make lives better without leading to another downfall of man? Can we stop the inevitable?<br /><br />Take a bite out of the apple. My head is spinning a bit here. By using that symbol for his company, was Steve Jobs revealing his true intentions? Was he opening our eyes to reality or was he barring us from ever obtaining a Garden of Eden? Will the pale horse feast upon the roasted apples in the flames of our own demise? <br /><br />If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.jeffreykeeten.com">http://www.jeffreykeeten.com</a><br />I also have a Facebook blogger page at:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten">https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten</a>

This almost succeeds. That is, almost, but not quite. As usual the writing is terrific as he captures a time and a place that seems historically familiar yet is not what it appears to be. Again, as usual, the characters are well drawn and the pace builds nicely gaining momentum as you read further. I wasn’t overly enthused about the ending which led me to think, “All of this for that?” If you are a fan of Harris’ I would recommend reading this since it’s so different from what he usually writes.

Several years ago I learnt about the so-called second sleep which was a nocturnal routine in the Middle Ages in England, probably not only there, which meant simply waking up in the middle of the night and relaxing, doing things people were unable to do during the daytime. Consequently, the title of this book intrigued me.<br />I admit that this was my second attempt to read this novel, probably the timing for the first one was bad. Fortunately, I decided to give this book another chance. The idea behind it is brilliant and Mr Harris knew how to execute it. A mystery that revolves around artefacts from a very distant future, with Chrispoher Fairfax, a young priest whose simple assignment turns into something unexpected, was definitely up my street.

Five stars for the concept and the first half of the book which was engrossing. Zero stars for the second half and the all-of-a-sudden half-baked ending.

3.5 A versatile author who has tackled everything from Pompeii to the election of the pope in Conclave. In this one he presents the reader with another unique plot, one I will not discuss as it would be deemed as ruining the read for others. I will say it is done well, is a very interesting concept and presents a moral dilemma for a young priest. The characters are varied, and a few not what they seem. <br /><br />The book was going along nicely, was thoroughly immersed in the story, wondering where it would lead and how it would end, when it went off the rails. Wish the ending wouldn't have been as melodramatic as it turned out, I was enjoying the literay flavor of the read, and the ending put to much into too short of page amount. I did though enjoy the stories originality, so there is that. Pros and cons, but still worth reading.<br /><br />ARC from Edelweiss. <br /><br /><br /><br />

This is a book where spoilers are absolutely unavoidable if you want to write any sort of review, so I’ll make the general observations upfront before getting into spoiler territory.<br><br>This book is a very different animal from most Harris books I’ve read. It’s very atmospheric and rather constrained, with most of the story being told in narration. While written in the third person, we never leave Christopher Fairfax’s head to see elements beyond his perception, and this absolutely works. The style is vaguely claustrophobic and unsettling but never drifts into actually being scary. The only issue here is that Harris has an unfortunate tendency to overuse the pronoun “he” in conversations between two male characters, leading to a certain amount of confusion. Dialogue flows naturally but doesn’t predominate.<br><br>And that’s really all that can be said before dashing into spoiler territory. It’s an odd book where the biggest twist comes before page 40.<br><br>Ready? Last chance to turn back.<br><br>Don’t say I didn’t warn you.<br><br><input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="42ce348e-e7ff-496b-847d-279ec3bbb1ed" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="42ce348e-e7ff-496b-847d-279ec3bbb1ed">The whole scenario turns upside down once we’ve gotten into the interval between his first and second sleep. Biphastic sleep is what this refers to, and it was apparently the normal way humans slept until the industrial revolution: two periods of nightly sleep bisected by a period of wakefulness. As Christopher is taking this atmospheric moment to review the contents of a dead priests’ library he notices heretical artifacts: antiquarian books, dangerous texts, plastic, some sort of paganistic sculpture, an iPhone... And that’s when you realize you’ve been had. It’s not 1468, it’s something more like 2827.<br><br>That’s right. You blew it up, damn you. Damn you all to hell!<br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1568097320i/28125486.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>It’s a pretty well unveiled reveal. The whole thing is discussed so casually that you have to do a double take and reread the last sentence carefully. The question quickly becomes whether that’s just stupid or if there’s something behind it. I’ve read the book and I’m honestly still not sure. Is it clever to hide the apocalyptic future behind a pseudomedieval cover for 40 pages? What’s the point? Just to confound reviewers and cover blurb writers who have to pretend this is all a medieval adventure?<br><br>The reason I accept it is perhaps because it <i>is</i> so mundane a reveal. We hear of some things that we didn’t see before (eyeglasses, dynamite, pocketwatches) but we’re not in a whole new world now that the revelation has been made. It still feels like the same setting. In fact, if you were paying attention you’ll have noticed oddities beforehand: a grandfather clock in the house, parakeets, 1500-year-old churches (built 32 BC?)... It helps that we only see the world in shadows until after we know.<br><br>I never lost my doubts, but the world does work within the context of the story. It’s fundamentally interesting to see priests and other Medieval personages picking through documents and digging up ruins. And to combine that with a <i>Horizon:Zero Dawn</i>-type uncovering of the past is great. They do this investigating against the will of the reborn church who holds, not unreasonably, that the apocalypse was due to mankind’s sin of pride. Electricity as heresy is a new one on me. Harris is a good enough author to make this world work too. The church is not just some dread organization of inquisitors, they’re a response to the greatest disaster of all time. The world is not an apocalyptic hell, it’s one that recovered somewhat and is regaining its feet. That makes it an interesting place to visit.<br><br>It helps that the characters are good too, from the doubtful priest to the determined widow and the budding factory owner. I enjoyed meeting these people and coming to understand their place in all this.<br><br>I do have some qualms. I do not believe for a moment that history repeats itself. Running themes do, errors remanifest, each generation has to reassert itself against the old, but that’s a long way from repeating the middle ages down to almost the last detail. The logic here is that all of modern society is built to be temporary, so we can replace it with the next big thing. Skyscrapers will collapse, glass windows will break, the Cloud will go down and take all of mankind’s vast knowledge with it. All that will be left are the old stone buildings that were made to last. Fine as far as it goes, but who will come out on top during those early struggles as civilization collapses? The Church, sure, I can see that. People need something to believe in. Latin I’ve a harder time with, but I can believe the rest. But who will the most powerful warlords be? Those who can harness whatever technology they can recover and direct it towards killing people. Expect poison gas, explosives, tanks, rockets, revolvers, to stick around. Oh, and electricity too, since they’ll need that to power their war machines. The devices they build won’t be as good as what we have, but they’d hardly be lost either. We should have a much more eclectic world than merely Middle Ages II: The Sleepening.</label><br><br>The ending also has issues. This time my lips are sealed regarding spoilers. But suffice to say that you’ll come away wondering whether it was really worth the journey. I was tempted to lower it a star it was so unsatisfying, but having already come so far accepting so much I felt like the book had already given me a good run for my money by that point.<br><br>On the whole I found this a unique and uncommon story. Once you accept the implausibilities the book really is quite compelling. The title is clever too. I still don’t know whether the big twist was worth it. If they’d been upfront about this from the start would it have ruined anything? The best I can say is that it’s not mishandled and possible to accept with minimal cognitive dissonance. I’m not completely sure what the point of the book is, except perhaps to show us how vulnerable civilizations are to complete disaster should their technological base break down, but it’s a mostly fun ride through an enjoyable world.<br><br><br>Plot: 7 (Engaging if perhaps gimmicky)<br>Characters: 6 (You won’t miss them but they’re fun to be around)</["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>

<blockquote> <i>More than thousand years had washed over England since those days a civilisation had fallen and another had been reborn, and life went on in Addicot St George as if nothing had happened.</i> </blockquote> <br /><br />The book starts with two important epigraphs. <br /><br />The first from the historian Roger Ekirch’s now (I think) well known discovery/contention that biphasic sleep (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biphasic_and_polyphasic_sleep">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biphasi...</a>) was the norm in the pre-Industrial Revolution West. <br /><br />The second is from Thomas Hardy’s “Mayor of Castlebridge” – where the Wessex soil is said to frequently reveal the bones of Roman soldiers from just before the sudden disappearance of the Empire (and its culture and civilizing effects) from Britain some 1500 years earlier.<br /><br />The book is set in 1468 - a young priest Christopher Fairfax who serves the Bishop of Exeter at his cathedral, is instructed by him to travel to a small village to Cary out a discreet burial of the village priest. <br /><br />Harris is a master of conjuring up a convincing account of past times and places – be they Republican Rome (the wonderful Cicero trilogy), early 20th Century France (An Office and a Spy) or pre-war England (Munich). So among the convincing, earthy detail of Medieval England it is surprising to catch him in apparent anachronisms: the “common parakeet”, or Fairfax observing that the local church has “stood square on this land for at least a thousand years, more likely fifteen hundred”. <br /><br />Are we in the realm of alternative history that launched his career in “Fatherland”.<br /><br />The actual explanation – which comes only a few chapters in, is far more impressive and at least as first extremely well executed. It is also hard to discuss without spoilers – not that that has prevented the mainstream papers so now would be a good time to stop the review and pick up the book instead.<br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />The book is actually Harris’s first voyage into post apocalyptical fiction – and rather cleverly it is about a society which actually is explicitly ordered around the idea of living in a post apocalyptical world.<br /><br />Sometime in 2025 our current English (and it is believed world) civilization underwent a mysterious and sudden collapse. Society took 100 or more years to really put itself back together and when it did – in a second Dark Age – just like the first the achievements of the past civilization are more seen as mysterious monuments (mainly concrete structures) and scattered artefacts. <br /><br />The move to reform some form of functioning society revolves around the Church – the stone churches that cover England offering some form of continuity and community; but a Church which identifies the fall of 2025 as being of a hubristic, Godless society which had replaced faith with science. The church marks 2025 as 666 and begins a new calendar, while also maintaining a stronghold on society with attempts to study the previous civilization and the concept of science both identified as heretical , with the English language rebuilt around the King James Bible.<br /><br />Perhaps less convincingly (and with the author too influenced by his recent “Conclave”), Latin and Catholic traditions and beliefs also return. England is only really aware of its immediate neighbours France and Scotland – both of which it is regularly at war with, other countries are known as Saxony, although perhaps more neatly there is also an Islamic Caliphate in the North of England.<br /><br />Once the clever set up of the book is revealed there is I think too much similarity between the new world and the mediaeval one. The concept of history repeating itself or of revolution in its original meaning is I think overdone and unconvincing despite the author’s acknowledgement:<br /><br /><blockquote> <i>It was as if the long recovery after the Apocalypse had stalled at the point civilization had reached two centuries before disaster struck. Why? Was it that there were certain basic patterns of human behaviour that were irreducible - the need to grow food, to live in settlements, to worship God, to bear children and to educate them - but that beyond these essentials a great leap was required to achieve the sort of world described in Morgenstern’s letter, and such a leap had not been attempted? Or it had been attempted at some point in the past, but had failed or been suppressed, and he had never heard of it? </i> </blockquote><br /><br />The actual plot of the book is an interesting one. Fairfax quickly discovers that the priest was himself dealing in heretical ideas – holding banned (and believed burnt) copies of the records of a suppressed Society of Antiquarians and obsessed with artefacts he was discovering in digs at a local landmark – the Devil’s Chair – believed to be cursed by the superstitious locals. <br /><br />The records refer to the discovery of a latter by an early 21st Century Nobel Prize winning Physicist worrying about the fragility of that society given its over-reliance on technology and vulnerability to a number of threats (climate change, nuclear event, pandemic but also catastrophic IT infrastructure failure) and seeking to group together like minded influential people to find a way to restore society after such an event.<br /><br />Together with the owner of the local dilapidated mansion (Lady Sarah Durston – who owns the Devil’s Chair, whose husband secretly collected artefacts he discovered there and who seemed to know of Morgenstern), the local mill owner Captain Hancock (a headstrong character) they decide to understand more about what the Priest was investigating before his death. Fairfax’s involvement is the least convincing – he rapidly discards in quick succession his duties, his beliefs and his vows (flirting cruelly with the Priest’s mute servant and then being himself seduced by Sarah).<br /><br />This in turn leads them to the two remaining members of the banned society – the ageing Dr Nicholas Shadwell (imprisoned for years and now branded with an H) and his secretary Oliver Quycke (who was released earlier than the other members and seems to have spoken to the Priest before his death) and the group race against time to investigate the Devil’s Chair before word gets to the authorities. <br /><br />After a careful and intriguing set up the ending of the book is rather underwhelming, shedding little light either on 21st Century or (new) 15th Century events. <br /><br />Overall an interesting book – which ultimately does not live up to its moments of excellence but is still a worthwhile read like almost all of the author’s books (the Fear Index being the exception).<br /><br />Finally and appropriately I wrote this review between my own first sleep (on a transatlantic flight) and second sleep (on arrival late in the evening in New York).

What a great twist at the end of Chapter 1. Rest of book, not so much.

<strong>Hardly worth the bother.</strong><br /><br />Poor characters. Clever plot that goes nowhere. Leaden prose that struggles at describing motivations or time and place.<br />Don’t bother.

Christopher Fairfax is a young clergyman dispatched to a remote English village to perform a funeral for Father Lacy, the former priest in this village. While there, Christopher finds that Father Lacy was interested in artifacts from a previous age; an age of iphones, legos, keys, etc. that have survived an apocalypse. In this time, man is reverted to a medieval type existence where delving too much into the past is considered heresy.<br />This speculative fiction into a future planet is quite prevalent lately and I really enjoyed this book. The ending, for me, was somewhat disappointing, but did not prevent me from giving this 5 stars for an intriguing read.