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  • The Second Sleep

  • By: Robert Harris
  • Narrated by: Roy McMillan
  • Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (126 ratings)

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The Second Sleep

By: Robert Harris
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Chosen as a Book of the Year by The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, and Express

WHAT IF YOUR FUTURE LIES IN THE PAST?
_____________________________________
'One word: wonderful. Two words: compulsive reading. Three words: buy it tomorrow. Four words: tonight, if possible.' STEPHEN KING
'A thoroughly absorbing, page-turning narrative.' SUNDAY TIMES
'Genuinely thrilling.' DAILY TELEGRAPH
_____________________________________
Dusk is gathering
as a young priest, Christopher Fairfax, rides across a silent land.

It's a crime to be out after dark, and Fairfax knows he must arrive at his destination - a remote village in the wilds of Exmoor - before night falls and curfew is imposed.

He's lost and he's becoming anxious as he slowly picks his way across a countryside strewn with the ancient artefacts of a civilisation that seems to have ended in cataclysm.

What Fairfax cannot know is that, in the days and weeks to come, everything he believes in will be tested to destruction, as he uncovers a secret that is as dangerous as it is terrifying ...
_____________________________________
'[Harris] takes us on a thrilling ride while serving up serious food for thought.' SUNDAY EXPRESS

'A truly surprising future-history thriller. Fabulous, really.' EVENING STANDARD

'The book's real power lies in its between-the-lines warning that our embrace of the internet represents some kind of sleepwalk into oblivion. It's a provocative, tub-thumping sci-fi of which H. G. Wells might have been proud.' DAILY MAIL

'Harris' latest work intelligently warps historical fiction and tackles issues of religion, science and the apocalypse in the process. As he flexes his imagination, you will be left pondering as often as you are page-turning.' HERALD

'A brilliantly imaginative thriller' READER'S DIGEST

©2019 Robert Harris (P)2019 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Second Sleep

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining listen

Harris can always keep a story moving, accelerating from a slow start to a feverish conclusion. Compared to Harris’ best it feels like a less fully realised world. At times it felt a little thin. Without the historical quirks of say, Archangelsk, it veers close to Young Adult fiction. Nevertheless I enjoyed it and it kept me listening hours at a time.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A mystery within a mystery...

I was enjoying this historical tale when it went in a direction I was not expecting and which turned out to be thought provoking indeed. Bloody well done, and well read by Roy McMillan.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A gobsmacking tale

This audiobook was mesmerising.I dare not write a word of it’s content lest I spoil the awe I felt at it’s unfolding for others. Robert Harris, I loved it sir, Bravo! Roy McMillan, you read it magnificently. Thank you both. I recommend it wholeheartedly, I am definitely getting a hard copy.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

an extraordinary story and very thought provoking

I don't normally read science fiction but the plot is thought provoking . How will mankind in a few centuries regard our present civilisation and indeed will mankind itself still exist as we know it now. will it be more advanced or will it have reverted to ancient times after some disaster.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Ed
  • 05-01-2024

Great story

Harris is an excellent writer of so many genres. This is an interesting mix. The narrator was terrific and captured the mood exquisitely.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story

In a post apocalyptic world, descendants of survivors take an interest in the past. With believable characters and a compelling story, we begin to love the era. Great work.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Weak world building ruins the plot.

The idea is good but doesn't feel like the world the author wants to create got beyond the 'what if...' stage before he started writing. Not offensive just unsatisfactory

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Weird

Don't get me wrong, I'm a massive Robert Harris fan so I will mark this book down as an aberration to his usual high standards. The timeline issue was a major turn off for me and the story not powerful enough to overcome the confused period setting. Even the characters were so-so. The ending just left me feeling ... cold.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Slow down

The reader spoke too fast, I couldn't understand what was being said so I didn't finish it

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed with ending, a lazy piece of writing.

Narration was excellent and overall the story engaging. However the ending showed lack of thought.

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