The Demon of Unrest

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

De: Erik Larson

Narrado por: Will Patton, Erik Larson

#1 NEW YORK TIMES 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 in this “riveting reexamination of a nation in tumult” (Los Angeles Times).

“A feast of historical insight and narrative verve . . . This is Erik Larson at his best, enlivening even a thrice-told tale into an irresistible thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal

A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

“A feast of historical insight and narrative verve . . . Larson’s great gift is his uncanny ability to spin a chronological story whose ending we already know—secession, rebellion, victory, emancipation and assassination—yet keep the narrative as crisp and suspenseful as an Anthony Horowitz suspense novel. . . . This is Erik Larson at his best, enlivening even a thrice-told tale into an irresistible thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal

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.

fort sumter

fort sumter expertly told thru fresh new sources. Well done,incredible listen. truley an excellent story

A ton of research by notable author

While listening to this book, one could tell this was meticulously researched and citations are sprinkled all throughout the book. The story was good but I think I would’ve preferred to read this rather than listen. I’ve listened to other books with the same narrator and enjoyed them but it was my least favorite aspect. I wish he’d just read the whole thing in his own voice rather than trying to do women and French accents which just fell flat for me. My husband also listened to it and really liked the narration, so perhaps it’s just me. Having said that, it doesn’t dampen my enjoyment of Erik Larson books and I’ll anxiously await the next one.

I learned so much! Excellent performance!

I presume like many, I know about battles and key figures. This book focuses on the preamble, which was much more complex in failures of leadership than I had thought.

Many key people I’d never heard of. Excerpts from diaries and letters take the listener back to understand what they were actually thinking.

Great true story & narration.

As always, Erik Larson delivers new insights and flavorful details, blending personal stories to bring world-changing events to life. The narration by Will Patton is just fantastic. He speaks as if he's a character on the scene, imbuing the story with the flavor of the era.

Fascinating insight into the beginning of the Civil War

Liked: the fact that it taught a period of history in a an informative way. Gave new insight into how the confederates convinced themselves that their position was justified. Illuminated a period of history I was unfamiliar with.
Disliked: takes a little to get into the narrative, a little confusing as far as who the players are in the beginning

Fantastic

I’ll read or listen to every single Erik Larsen book he puts out. This one was especially interesting and I listened to it in under a week. What an interesting perspective he finds and tells the tale of. Thank you sir.

Overview of the Steps to Ignition

Great account of the rapid reaction build up to what was inevitable, unfortunate but ultimately necessary for the country.

Clarifying the Start of the Civil War

Not a big Civil War history buff, I am a fan of Erik Larson and his amazing true history books. This one gave me insight into the minds, motives and personalities of people of the time, especially those of the Confederate leaders who called for secession and wanted to keep their slaves. We are often told that the Civil War was not about slavery, perhaps to deflect the reasoning and blame, but indeed, according to this book, it was.

Sadly, the war was just one step in the long journey of protecting all humans and their rights, because we know that racism against African-Americans is still present. The book makes me appreciate the heroes who understood that all humans are equal.

I also was able to draw some parallels between our present sense and sensibilities (or lack thereof by many) with regard to the upcoming election, and how a nation is so unfoundedly divided when seeing the logic of good conquering evil. As the book points out, the secessionists were very prideful and staunch on chivalry, yet they treated human beings like a subclass while all the while raping, using and abusing them for their own benefit.

Thank you, Mr. Larson, for educating me once again. And Will Patton is the perfect narrator for this lengthy chronicle.