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

The #1 New York Times bestselling 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 end of which, in 1861, began the Civil War.”—The New York Times

“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, especially in the first 300 pages.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Even history buffs will find much that is new here. . . . [Larson] brings a welcome novelist’s sensibility to his writing. He has an eye for telling details, quick and potent character descriptions and a relentless narrative momentum that starts at a brisk canter on Election Day in 1860 and moves to a full gallop as North and South clash over Fort Sumter and our common future.”—Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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.

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.

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.

Bad narrator

I think it must be a good book, but the narrator ruins it with his whispery, affected voice. Is he attempting to sound southern? It became more and more annoying until I stopped about 30 minutes into the book. I am returning it and will try the ebook. Very disappointed after eagerly awaiting the release of this audiobook.