Ostensibly a story set in the 15th century, but you suddenly realise that in fact is set in a post-apocalyptic England when various artifacts from contemporary 20th century emerge. Cleverly written and imagined. ( )

I have read Robert Harris from the time he was a Sunday Times journalist, through Fatherland and a constant stream of excellent books

So I greatly looked forward to reading Second Sleep. It's an interesting concept, but the book is a complete let down towards the end, which was very weak and disappointing, as if RH couldn't see how to end the novel.

For me, the book was a waste of time. ( )

This is a post apocalyptic novel that does, at least initially, reminds on Miller’s A Canticle For Leibovitz”. We find man’s proclivity to repeat mistakes a the theme of both novels. Harris’ The Second Sleep has a setting that is somewhat close, even if some important plot elements and characters are expressed quite differently. Fairfax, priest and protagonist lives hundreds of years after a cataclysm which causes and exact articulation remains unknown throughout the book. The cataclysm, itself, is mythologized and becomes prioritized in a reborn Christian catechism.
Harris’ character development is not quite as complex and in depth as we are used to from his characters in Fatherland or say Conclave. Not a problem, after all The Second Sleep is Science Fiction, and as such I prioritize the idea behind it. And let me tell you, not only is the idea “fantastic” but also it does matter in a sense that it makes us look at our civilization from the perspective of history. All civilizations think they are invulnerable, act as if they were - ours being no exception. Science, rationality, historical facts, be damned. So, it is a novel, literature that, instead, must provide the emotional impetus to consider the looming dangers we are facing. Such a novel is The Second Life - and lest I forget - its damned good entertainment, too. ( )

What starts like a late medieval-set novel, reveals itself even after first few chapters to be an SF story with a twist.

We are given a dystopian view of England in far future after a cataclysmic event (after hundreds of years nobody knows what and actually when) that basically sent entire world back into middle ages. Religion is again treated as an ultimate truth, something that exist to save the humanity from the Hell created by the science in time before the Fall. Church (in this case Anglican, but story describes also similar theological societies rising all over the world - meaning all religions are on the rise, and rather tightly coupled with state and almost constant warfare) rules as the spiritual part of the state, it's moral backbone (as I said, middle ages,right). As a consequence any attempt to learn from the past (or for that case, any digression from any official religious view of world events, past, present and future), led by old, weary professor-like types is marked as heresy and people pursuing this forbidden knowledge always end up in chains, locked for life or very much up to the point where they get released broken, mentally and physically, their whole body of work destroyed.

So far, usual religion iron-fist vs science's pure seeking of truth. Right?

So when unsuspecting young priest ends up sent by his Bishop to bury the priest that was found dead in rather suspicious circumstances (again keep in mind that superstition rules in this world, at least on the surface, so finding death bodies in any place named Devil's whatever automatically means Evil Spirits are responsible, so everything is suspicious) he starts (again unwittingly) to unravel mystery around the dead priest and his parish.

What comes out is very good study of human nature. Priest, young and very much susceptible to earthly pleasures, [forbidden] love affair, nefarious Bishop, strong [in body and in will] adventurer, and broken scientists, they all become parts of the story that very slowly, in a detective-like-way that could easily be written by Agatha Christie, ends up in a climax that [at least for me] echoes the ending of the original Planet of the Apes.

I wont say anything about the end because this rather short novel is so easy to spoil. What I will say is that author perfectly explains the human nature, and what people are ready to do to achieve their goals. And if I read this book at the time when it was published (2019) I would be very much surprised (shocked is rather heavy word). But after the world-wide disaster of handling the emergency in last 3 years book rings very very true - one does not want to see what human society is willing to do in time of crisis, it is never nice and level of enlightenment of any party involved plays absolutely no role - they all see themselves as the chosen ones.

Excellent book, message of it in striking contrast with the very light, whodunit, way story is presented.

Highly recommended. ( )

Peccato Harris questa volta mi hai deluso. ( )