The Second Sleep by Robert Harris
At first glance, ‘The Second Sleep’ by Robert Harris might seem to be another of his historical novels. Those of you familiar with this author might wonder if this is going to be another story from the ‘What if?’ genre of historical fiction that has become increasingly popular in recent years. (His early novel ‘Fatherland,’ was set in a 1960’s Berlin where Hitler has won the war and is still alive).
In 1468, a young priest called Christopher Fairfax travels on horseback towards a village in Exmoor where he is to conduct the funeral rites of fellow priest, Father Lacey. On the whole, the surroundings, buildings, habits, clothes and speech of the people are what one would expect. The first sign that all is not what it seems is when a flock of parakeets flies overhead. Not a feature of Late Medieval England! Likewise, travellers must be aware of the threat of landslips and mudslides: there is more rain than the land can cope with. Very soon, references to ‘plastic artefacts’ being unearthed by ’heretic antiquarians’ who inquire too closely into the ancient and prohibited cult of ‘scientism,’ begin to jolt the reader from his or her complacency. There are discoveries of mysterious black screens with the ultimate sign of Original Sin – the bitten apple – engraved upon them.
I don’t want to give anymore ‘spoilers’ but suffice to say I found this a very thought-provoking book, which really, REALLY, speaks to the times in which we live.
Submitted by Corwyn
