Erik Larson does it again! The Demon of Unrest is an eye-opening book about the Civil War. Growing up and never leaving the Midwest there is a lot I didn't know about slavery and that period. This book opened my eyes, I am still reeling. His style of writing is very similar to his other books. If you want an eye-opening book into the history of our nation this is must read. I can't stop talking about it.

I have read several Erik Larson books and so already knew how well researched The Demon of Unrest would be. Reading this most recent Larson book is an education. Larson includes so many details about the weeks prior to the Civil War that even those of us who know what will happen begin to wish that horrible event would somehow never occur. Larson makes it clear that any place in this book, where quotation marks occur, that these conversations are reprinted as written in original sources. There are no footnotes, as there might be in many historical texts, and thankfully Larson does not include these. Footnotes tend to interrupt the flow of a book. Larson does include a bibliography, source material, and notes, all of which are located at the end of The Demon of Unrest.

The Demon of Unrest is rich in small details, especially about Fort Sumter and how so many small events began to pile up together and lead to a civil war that will tear the country apart, break hearts, and lead to great losses. Readers begin to understand the machinations of only a few egotistical men, who will lead a country to war. As in so many other wars, the south believed the war might only last a few weeks and they would easily win. Larson relates how honorable men can find it so easy to desire a war and still be so disillusioned about the heartbreak caused by war. Hubris was not a trait well understood by those who desired war, but this is a flaw that does too often lead to war and death, as Larson makes clear in The Demon of Unrest.

Larson has created an exceptionally strong and effective rendering of how the Civil War became the victim of uncontrollable circumstances, when people ceased to understand the risk they were taking. Larson also paints a picture of Lincoln and how difficult the position he inherited from his predecessor. The Demon of Unrest is an entirely readable history that educates and enlightens readers. I definitely recommend, The Demon of Unrest. Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing me with this ARC to read and review. The comments above are my honest notes.

Erik Larson is always an easy recommendation for me. He has the ability to take a piece of history and elevate it into a narrative that is captivating and has me on edge with anticipation. I learned so much about the beginnings of the US Civil War and have fallen hard for both President Lincoln and Mary Chesnut.

I am not particularly well versed in historical authors. I feel most authors of historical non-fiction have a specific time period, group of people, or area of interest that their book tend to focus on. I am only familiar with one other history author that writes on a range of time periods, people, and topics and that is David McCullough. Where David McCullough's writing style mimics that of a textbook, Erik Larson's mimics that of a historical fiction. There is no other non-fiction author that writes history the way Larson does. The combination of firsthand historical accounts from letters, speeches, and journals, and real historical anecdotes makes his books feel like you are sitting at a dinner table being regaled with tales as if it all recently just happened.

The Demon of Unrest uses Larson's familiar story telling and drops you straight into a nation on the brink of Civil War. The descriptive style makes you feel like you are there. If you close your eyes you can truly imagine you are in a little rowboat floating across to Fort Sumter. You can smell the saltwater and the damp, musty wool uniforms; hear water lapping on the sides of the boat; feel the tilt of the boat, the chill in the air and sense your pupils dilating trying to sift through the heavy mist. You also are dropped into a community and, like a fly on the wall, are watching as things begin to unfold, tensions begin to rise, and the palpable sense of excitement and dread that people everywhere must have felt.

This is not my favorite Erik Larson book, but this will certainly make it only my list of best history books. Before I even finished it I was already recommending it and spreading anticipation of the book's release.

This was a very detailed and dense read about the life and career of Abraham Lincoln and his rise to power. It you are a civil war enthusiast, this will give you a lot of detailed information about Lincoln and the lead up to the civil war. This is not a light read but highly educational.

A very informative and interesting book, thinking of the parallels between what happened then and in recent years. This was my first book by this author. I think I may try is books via audiobooks as opposed to the print next time.

I had a hard time getting into this title, but it's picking up now! It's interesting to read quotes and opinions from the time period.

Erik Larson is described as a Master storyteller. I am not sure if that is high enough praise for Mr.s Larson's skills, surely there is something higher than Master Storyteller. If so, Erik Larson is at that level. Larson turns his sights on the events between Lincoln's election and the strat of the Civil War. I am sure most people think they know the basics of this time period. However, I think most will be astounded by how much they were unaware of. Readers will undoubtedly see hints of current events in the narrative of a time more than 150 years go. Despite Mr. Larson's ability to weave a small bit of history into a tale that engages most readers, I am not sure this is a book for every reader in a library. Some patrons will turn away from the book, feeling that the pace is not fast enough to keep their interest. However, for the vast majority of readers this will be a bestseller!

I am a huge fan of Erik Larson, particularly “The Splendid and the Vile,” “The Devil In the White City, ” “Dead Wake, “and “In The Garden of Beasts.” I always learn a LOT while enjoying the way his nonfiction reads like fiction. He’s one of my favorite authors, so I was particularly pleased to have a copy of “The Demon of Unrest” from Crown Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. (thank you, Crown Publishing and NetGalley)

The book focuses on the months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the attack on Fort Sumter by the Confederacy, which really got the Civil War underway. At that time, the country divided: Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding while President Lincoln was seemingly unable to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, and unlike today’s frequent assertions, slavery WAS the issue that caused the breakup of the Union (not “states’ rights”).

It wasn’t a straight line from the attack on Fort Sumter and the war. The whole period is a bit of mess, with “tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals.” (from publisher’s blurb). Three key figures in the book are the commander of the Fort, Major Robert Anderson (a former slave owner who was sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union), Edmund Ruffin, who promoted secessionist views, and Mary Boykin Chesnut, who saw parallels between slavery and marriage. And of course Lincoln, who spent an incredible amount of time dealing with his secretary of state, William Seward, trying desperately to avert what seemed like an inevitable war (that ended up killing 750,000 people).

Larson did an incredible amount of research, incorporating diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, and the result is a horror story that ends up being a dark warning that disaster is often not seen coming until it’s too late. Which leads me to my unease: there are just too many parallels between that time and where the country is today. I had to keep putting it down! If the coming election ends up rejecting increasingly strong beliefs in the need to end democracy, I plan to re-read it more carefully. At this time, I just couldn’t bear it. But bravo to Larson. Five stars.

Erik Larson has become one of my favorite authors because of his history books and The Demon of Unrest continues his streak of phenomenal books with this one focusing on Fort Sumter, South Carolina and the tensions that would later launch the Civil War. As a South Carolina born reader and a history teacher, Larson shows just how the tensions flared in the state and the whole country that would lead to the brother against brother fight as well as slavery and the impact it had on Carolinians and the nation as a whole.

For some reason I am constantly surprised by Erik Larson's work, and I really should not be - as with his past books, Larson once again makes a story packed with history interesting, exciting and yet easier to digest. In "The Demon of Unrest," Larson continues his use of archives and first hand accounts to weave the story. The history and cause of the Civil War is something we ALL need to understand. When South Carolina declared it would secede from the Union, the central issue WAS SLAVERY unlike what current politicians like to say. You may also be surprised to hear that President Lincoln also had a fear of not being made officially President. It is easy to compare the history of the Civil War with where we are now, except for one big difference: The South at least liked to say it was chivalrous and bound to a code. You will be hard pressed to find that in the right wing fanatics of today that are leading us down a path we should not tread. An amazing book by Larson - thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

An impeccably researched exploration of the beginnings of the Civil War. Larson particularly incorporates the personal viewpoints of more than a dozen people on both sides, using historical materials and diaries and journals.

This is not a neutral account. The view that comes across is that the South, with its lifestyle charade of being a continuation of the old chivalrous era of Sir Walter Scott, was in denial about the sustainability or morality of their slavery-based existence. And while many apologists claim still that the Civil War was not about slavery but about states' rights, Larson's careful examination of the actual documents involved makes it clear that the prime factor was the South's total reliance on slaves, their justification being that the slaves were not quite human.

The arrogance of (in particular) South Carolina is still disturbing -- their hatred of the North, their feelings of superiority, their belief in their own invincibility -- reading it now makes those views sound delusional. There was a complete disconnect with reality and they were stunned by the destruction that the war caused. They absolutely believed their cause was just and so they would be victorious.

Various political incompetencies are delved into. Buchanan and Seward are presented in a very unfavorable light. This was an infuriating book to read -- because you can't help but make a few connections to modern day hubris and look at divisions which rely on misinformation and arrogance. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Eric Larson is in rarefied air as a nonfiction writer who writes in gripping narrative form. 'The Demon of Unrest' does not disappoint as it covers the time period from when Abraham Lincoln is elected until he is sworn into office. Unbeknownst to President Buchanan, who is trying to avoid dealing with the growing secession crisis, two of his Cabinet are already aiding the South in their plans.

To tell this historical story is which many readers may only be familiar with the attack on Ft. Sumter, Larson's narrative travels between Washington City (i.e. later D.C.), Charleston, S.C., and Ft. Sumpter. He skillfully introduces us to the key people in each location. From there, he tells an enthralling historical narrative that will leave the reader unable to put down this nonfiction work.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishers for allowing me to read this arc in return for an honest review.

Full disclosure, I almost never read non fiction, but I’ve loved Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts, so was excited to give this a try.

While a novel about the Civil War, the war itself and Lincoln are both somewhat in the background. The majority of the book centers on the months leading up to the Civil War and the heightened state of tension between the northern and southern states, that comes to a head at Fort Sumter. The plot is more focused on state level politics and decisions, with a focus on Robert Andersen, the officer in charge of Fort Sumter, and the massive weight on his shoulders.

This is a dense, slow read, but also fascinating and relevant. Larson makes an introductory tie in to the Jan 6th insurrection current state of politics to Lincoln’s own electoral count. It’s a 160 year old story feels timely and relevant, and one that hasn’t been commonly told.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

The Demon of Unrest is a well-researched, highly disturbing read about the time between President Lincoln's election and the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumpter.

Questions are raised such as "Is it possible to truly foresee what is coming" and "could it have been avoided.

Told through a variety of characters that offer a wide spread lens into this tumultuous period

Larson is a master of making nonfiction compelling and as much like fiction as you can. In this book, he outlines the lead in to the Civil War and the beginning of Lincoln's tenure as our 16th president.

It was very interesting hearing about the back story of some of these major players in the Civil War and runup to it, including the Senator who had "consensual" relationships with his nieces and later his slaves; and how many of the Southerners were at the same time saying that slaves were "not human" and "built to work in the fields" but they were also afraid these slaves would attack them as they slept? Clearly the Southerners wanted to be American royalty, dressing up their slaves in livery and having them serve at parties. Interesting, considering the royalty and those concepts are major reasons we left England to start a new country.

The book does really get into the weeds, as it were, and might be most interesting to real Civil War aficionados, but there were parts that I really was interested in, mostly the gossip about the characters that were involved rather than the battles or politics of trying to keep us out of a war.

While this was not my favorite Larson book, even though I am interested in the Civil War time period in that area, I highly recommend Larson's books as an engaging way to learn about history and hear about some lesser known stories.

I received a promotional copy and am giving an honest review.

Erik Larson's The Demon of Unrest is an intriguing deep dive into the months between Abraham Lincoln's election and the attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April of 1861. Details about the actions and decisions of politicians and activists on both sides of the slavery issue were wide reaching in this book; there are names you will recognize and some you may not (unless you are a Civil War history buff). The Demon of Unrest illuminates the underlying pride and chivalry that drove decisions in the South and the mistakes made in the North in dealing with that code that dominated life in the South and in the general management of assets for military maneuvers. This is not an overview of the Civil War itself but a very focused narrative on the steps and missteps that led the United States to the Civil War and a study of the culture differences within the United States - and maybe even still today in some ways.

Using official memos, historical documents and personal diaries and letters, Erik Larson has again given us a factual, accurate look into the time and events while creating an accessible and readable history which even those who are not fans of historical books can enjoy.

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson is a gripping historical account that looks into the five months between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and the outbreak of the American Civil War. Larson skillfully examines the crisis that finally divided the nation.

He includes a wealth of historical detail from mining archives, personal diaries, plantation records , etc. Also, Larson points out the terrible mistakes, missed opportunities and sheer pettiness of egos and ambition in the shelling of Fort Sumter and the beginning of the darkest period in the history of the United States.

Because of Larson’s expertise at weaving a story , this book is an outstanding addition to Civil War era narratives.

Gripping, thoroughly researched nonfiction that read like a novel. So many parallels to today's political landscape but the author lets the reader make those connections, if they choose.

"The Demon of Unrest" is another interesting, elucidating, and easy-to-recommend work by Erik Larson. Any fan of his previous books will likely also enjoy this one, and I will not hesitate to encourage patrons of my library to check it out. The author does a good job of laying out how individual actions (or inaction) led to one of the most momentous and devastating chapters in American history. In this way, this book also serves as a warning relevant for current times. Larson's narrative style is enjoyable to read -- informative without being dull or overbearing. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.