Erik Larson's newest book deals with the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln (Nov 1860) and the start of the Civil War (Apr 1861).

Abraham Lincoln ~ Charleston ~ Fort Sumter ~ Extremists ~ Slavery ~ Betrayal ~ Chaos ~ Pre-Civil War ~ Different POVs ~ Non-Fiction ~ Interesting Characters ~ Well Researched

I highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was released 30 April 2024.

The newest history from Erik Larson focuses on Fort Sumter and the lead up to the start of the Civil War.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I did find there was were lots of one page chapters, which confused me, especially because a lot of it felt like it could have been incorporated into another chapter. I also did not understand why we got full perspectives on some people like Mary Chestnut. I understand he wanted to use her source material, but I think it could have just been like a paragraph before the first time she was used as a source.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Erik Larson always tells a good story. This deep dive into the lead-up to the Civil War reads like a bit of a thriller.

Erik Larson can make history come alive and this story leading up to the Civil War looks at the very tight election that brought Abraham LIncoln to the White House, the unrest in the South as many states wanted to secede from the Union, and the states in the North wanting to keep the Union together. Slavery was certainly one of the main issues pulling the Union apart, along with states rights and plantations running their business the only way they knew. Many aspects that nearly divided and destroyed our country. Also some wisdom that we should pay attention to in today's times with a politically divided country. I appreciated the map at the beginning of the book to see where some of these historic places are and the strategies used with so much hinging on South Carolina at the time.

For me, this is still such a hard part of our country's history that is hard for me to read about. So many lives lost (750,000), but so grateful for the leaders who kept a United country!

My thanks to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for an advanced copy of this e-book.

The Demon of Unrest tells the story of Fort Sumter and the unfolding of the Civil War. It does so in Erik Larson's usual compelling manner. Well researched and full of detail as his books always seem to be, it presents its subject from a variety of viewpoints - that is perhaps its strength as well as its weakness. I, as well as presumably most readers, was already familiar with the basic story line - no suspense as to how it will end. So how make it interesting? Larson has chosen to focus not only on the major actors but also on a variety of lesser known and therefore perhaps more compelling players. For example, how many of us are familiar with Mary Chestnut? The result is that Larson is able to shed new light on an old story. In the process, he also gives it a more "human" touch than a conventional history might.

But because Larson tells the story through a larger cast of characters, I found the book at times lacked narrative clarity. It jumped around from one story to the next and then back again. I found it more difficult to follow as a result.

I have read and enjoyed several of Erik Larson's books. The Demon of Unrest, though far from my favorite, still qualifies as a good read.

Erik Larson's books always make history come alive with a gripping, action-packed narrative appropriate for a Hollywood thriller. "The Demon of Unrest" kind of succeeds in this. While the months and days leading up to the start of the Civil War that Larson writes of were certainly full of suspense and intrigue, they weren't as action-packed as the subjects of Larson's other books. But it's still well-written, and I learned a lot more about antebellum America and saw many parallels to our very divided political environment today.

The book focuses on the five months leading up to the U.S. civil war - April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865. Prior to Abraham Lincoln being elected president in November 1860, the the crisis of division was unfolding between the North and the South. Erik Larson brings to life the tense standoff at Fort Sumter, which became a pivotal milestone. The intrigue, power plays, angst, the courtesy extended by both sides, and miscommunications played out over five months - at a time when the sitting president was James Buchanan and the incoming president Abraham Lincoln didn’t take office until March of 1861, which was the process at that time. Clearly, there was an amazing amount of research that went into the making of this book. So much that at times, it felt a bit overwhelming given the incredible number of individuals, numerous details and liberal use of quotes, which detracted from enjoying the book more. Less would have definitely been more here. The book dragged until about the 61% mark. It felt like it took me forever to finish the book. I was a bit disappointed in Erik Larson’s latest, especially since I throughly enjoyed his last two books and he’s an incredible writer. However, this is still an overall okay read on a very interesting time in U.S. history. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

“Demon of Unrest” is about the months leading up to the start of the U.S. Civil War. It is the HUMAN story that features the sometimes larger-than-life personalities who allowed ego and hubris to drive their political and social machinations. Erik Larson’ narrative style makes for a riveting and sometimes revolting story. He does not pull punches when describing the lives and work of important figures in the lead up to the war.

There are many aspects of this story that I had never heard before. Larson makes the reader realize how often the true nature of significant figures is hidden or glossed over as he uses their own words, court records, and other public documents to paint a picture of the complex human interactions that ultimately led to war.

This book is great for those who enjoy learning about U.S. History, Civil War History, or Abraham Lincoln. If you are already a fan of Erik Larson as I am, do not delay in picking up “Demon of Unrest.”

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Crown Publishing, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There have been many books written about the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and about the Civil War, but this is the first title I've read that focused on the incident that, arguably, was the key event that sparked the Civil War: The attack and eventual occupation of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Lincoln had just been elected - to many people's surprise - and he saw the dispute between North and South growing. The source was a fundamental disagreement between the legality and morality of slave ownership, but he felt if he took a hard line on state rights, he'd reassure the Southern states that the Union wouldn't outlaw slavery.

Meanwhile, Major Robert Anderson was in charge of Fort Sumter, one of the strongest and most strategic American fortresses in Charleston Harbor and, once South Carolina voted to secede from the Union, a Northern stronghold. Anderson, for his part, was sympathetic to the rights of slaveowners (having owned slaves of his own at one point), but a loyal Union soldier. He held out, even as the Fort was shelled day and night from multiple Confederate locations around the harbor, even as they ran out of food and, eventually, all resources.

Would the North send ships with food, armaments, and additional soldiers or would it fear the consequences of traveling through a hostile harbor when there wasn't yet war declared? Or would the Union leave Anderson to manage as best he could in the face of overwhelming odds? Most surprisingly: Secretary of State William Seward comes across in this book as a very different character than what I'd been taught in the past.

Larson has produced another exciting and compelling read, and while it might be mistitled (I would argue "The Demon of Unrest" suggests it's about the causes of the Civil War, when it's focused on Fort Sumter) it's a very good read for anyone interested in history and its echoes in contemporary American culture.

I thought this book was well researched and I appreciate the author's effort in doing so. Something that I really love about his work is that he always spends so much time deep diving into the subject that he's writing about.

My biggest concern with the book was that I felt it was too sympathetic on the south side. I do understand that that is a personal hangout of mine and not necessarily negative criticism of the author. Growing up in the south I have first-hand experience with the long-term ramifications that the Civil War has had on our culture down here so it's not something that I take lightly. If you are open to that point of view then I would definitely urge people to give this one a go.

All the inner workings of the characters and how they related to each other and to the story were addressed consistently and it builds well to the end of the book.

I have read several Erik Larson books. I enjoy how Erik reveals little known anecdotes. The Demon of Unrest illustrates Larson’s ability to tell little known stories about his subjects. I lived most of my life in Indianapolis. I had never heard of the hotel , Bates House, where Lincoln spent the night on his way to Washington for his inauguration. He gave his first policy speech from this location. Larson displays Lincoln’s humor when the train stopped in Thorntown. Lincoln was in the middle of speaking and the train moved on before he finished. His next stop was Lebanon ten miles away. He remarked that there seemed to be a larger crowd and that the people who were listening to the speech in Thorntown came on their horses to be able to hear the rest of the speech in Lebanon. I enjoyed the bits of humor in the book to break up the seriousness of the time period. Larson has excellent background tidbits for so many of the participants leading up to the battle of Fort Sumpter. After starting this book, I decided to get the audio and follow along in the book. I am so glad I did. The narrator was excellent.

Looking for some good non-fiction? Erik Larson is always a win, and his most recent book tackles Fort Sumter and all that went on there. As always in a story like this, there are a ton of characters to keep straight, but Larson and his book team did a good job by giving the reader helpful chapter headings. A great book for the history buff.

This was an excellent and well-researched novel of events leading up to the Civil War. I learned a lot of history and found this book so interesting from start to finish. We must learn from history to prevent it from repeating but there are many parallels between then and now. This book is well worth the time it takes to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

There are two types of people who are going to eagerly seek out this book - fans of anything that Erik Larson writes, and those who want to learn more about events leading up to the attack on Fort Sumter that set off the Civil War.

Oh, who am I kidding, the vast majority of people who read this are going to do so because it's by Erik Larson. In skimming through book covers of upcoming releases months ago, I briefly saw this one and, from the cover art and enigmatic title, it never even registered with me that this was about Fort Sumter at all. But I could sure tell from the dark, moody, Larson-esque looks of it that it was destined to be another well-written, page-turning, surefire Larson bestseller, whatever it happened to be about.

As for me, I've only read one Larson book - The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, many years ago when it first came out. I remember it being quite good. But I've read a lot of books about Fort Sumter and Lincoln and the Civil War. So that might put me in the distinct minority of people who ran to get this newest book not because of the author, but because of the subject matter. Or, perhaps, because of the combination of author and subject matter.

And of course I wanted this to be good, or I wouldn't have read it. But a small part of me may have secretly wanted to act like some know-it-all, pointing out the book's flaws so I could show off how little ol' me knows better than a best-selling author. Thankfully, for many reasons, that did not come to pass. Are there more thoughtful, detailed, analytical books out there about the lead up to the attack on Fort Sumter? Sure. Are there more dramatic, suspenseful, gripping Erik Larson books out there? I suppose, based on my own limited experience. Nonetheless, I give this the highest rating because it does so well what it sets out to do, and tells the story of Fort Sumter in perhaps the most engaging way possible.

Larson’s telling of the story is distinctly character-driven, as events unfold through the eyes of major players like Presidents Buchanan, Lincoln and Davis; Secretary of State Seward and Sumter commander Robert Anderson, as well as observers like diarist and socialite Mary Chesnut, reporter William Howard Russell and Zelig-like Virginian Edmund Ruffin, who eventually becomes something of a human through line to the whole story, as he seemingly pops up everywhere, from various prewar states considering secession, to the attack on Sumter, to, later, Bull Run.

The focus on personalities over dry discussions of policies and politics keeps the book engaging and moving along. The very structure of the book does as well. The seven “parts” of the book are broken into many short chapters - one of them barely three paragraphs long - which keeps it pacey and gives the book a “can’t put it down” page-turning quality. It becomes easy to say, oh, I’ll just read one more chapter before bed, and then find yourself reading many more. Larson is a pro, after all, and clearly knows what he’s doing here.

As for historical accuracy, there’s nothing I found myself quibbling with, aside from the possibly questionable veracity of some quotes, which is something that anyone writing about this period has to contend with. Lest anyone think he’s inventing any dialogue, Larson explains at the outset that anything he puts in quotes is something that someone actually said or wrote. Yet, many of these quotes are from reminiscences published decades after the conversations they recount took place, so it might have been clunky but helpful to have the sources of the quotes incorporated into the narrative rather than tucked away in the end notes, so the reader could better judge how literally to take those quotes.

Otherwise, my only other critique is that sometimes the story moves so swiftly, that dramatic events whiz by - or maybe they weren’t actually as dramatic as Larson made them out to be in the first place, as some events are heavily foreshadowed, but when they finally arrive, they quickly occur without incident. This happens, for instance, with the Baltimore Plot, the alleged Lincoln assassination conspiracies as he traveled to his inauguration. The threat looms ever larger as the narrative progresses, only to quickly be dispensed with once Lincoln arrives in, and departs from, Baltimore. “No weapons were confiscated, no arrests made” amid “doubt(s) that a specific plot existed,” Larson summarizes before dropping it and moving on. It also happens with the potential disruption of the electoral vote count in Congress, which brings to mind violent images of January 6, 2021. When the moment arrives, though, Larson states that “concern about the count was real,” but ultimately, “the count went smoothly,” and that’s the end of that.

And evoking January 6 was no accident - Larson mentions it in the very first sentence of the book. It’s a bit of a strained comparison to try to relate events of that time to now, but I suppose it’s necessary and forgivable for a work of popular history to make those comparisons in order to help make history seem more relevant to a casual reader who might wonder why they should care about events from long ago.

The challenge of any book that aims to tell only part of the story of this era, is when to end it. If you tell a story about a certain period of Lincoln’s life, do you have to eventually relate how that life ended? If you tell about the beginning of the Civil War, do you also have to summarize how it concluded? Larson does both of these things in the epilogue, after the main narrative ends with the surrender of Fort Sumter. But then he goes on to end the book in a rather unique way, with a scene that I won’t spoil, but it’s certainly one that most readers probably wouldn’t have seen coming.

I wouldn’t say I necessarily learned anything new from this book, but then that would be missing the point. Like most of Larson’s historical narratives, it’s more about enjoying the storytelling than merely acquiring knowledge. For those who already know how it all turned out, this may not be their favorite Larson book in that it lacks a certain drama and tension and a sense that you have no idea what twists and turns are coming next. I liked it regardless. As for anyone who’s not already familiar with the events he relates, this may be the best and most readable account of the months leading up to the Civil War. I’ve read many books about Fort Sumter, but if someone were to ask me to recommend just one book to read about the subject, I’d very likely suggest they read this one.

Considering this story has been told many times by many authors over the years, the fact that Larson was able to put a new and engaging spin on it - one that may be as interesting to the expert reader as it is to the novice - is a noteworthy achievement, resulting in a book that I’d happily recommend.

One of the kings of narrative non-fiction has done it again! This book is practically un-put-down-able, as Larson weaves the (almost) impossible to believe story of a nation on the precipice of cataclysm. For me, it was impossible to not draw parallels between 1860s America and 2020s America, but the book is never heavy-handed. A worthy addition to popular histories of the Civil War - this is one that will be talked about for years to come.

Erik Larson is the best non-fiction author out there, and this book is no exception. This book is a very detailed account of the start of the Civil War, starting with Lincoln’s election and ending with the first shots of the war and the Battle of Fort Sumter. It’s told from the perspectives of the key figures of the time and does a phenomenal job of explaining the events and mindsets of said key figures that resulted in the war. My husband and I actually went to Charleston and Fort Sumter last summer, so I loved reading about the full history and having our trip and what we learned as a backdrop to reading this book.

I mean it when I say this book is detailed—it describes the lead up to the war of those 6 months sometimes by the day. It took me longer than usual to read because I couldn’t read it in big chunks (due to work and other life stuff—not because I didn’t want to read it!) so it took me a bit to remember where I was in the timeline each time. But I absolutely loved that level of detail in this book—it really painted the full picture and gave a full understanding of how the Civil War came to be, especially given that most people at that time assumed such a war would never occur. The subtitle is 100% accurate—it really is a tale of heartbreak, hubris, and heroism.

I absolutely recommend this one for history buffs, non-fiction lovers, and anyone wanting to get into non-fiction. Erik Larson writes all of his books like a compulsive novel that you can’t put down, and this one is incredible! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

5+++ stars!

And this is how it’s done!

I’ve never been a fan of most contemporary historical fiction. Why read fiction when the true story is riveting and rivals anything an author could imagine?

This book is the perfect example of narrative non-fiction at its finest.

Every word, every thought, every conversation is corroborated in the historical record, and Larson brings the characters to life for his readers. I was riveted from beginning to end, and felt I was living this time period alongside them.

Just as the author brought the events preceding WWII alive in his book, In The Garden of the Beasts, the author brings the events preceding the Civil War alive in this book.

I went into it thinking I knew the nuances and the history from the time prior to Lincoln’s election to the firing on Ft Sumter, the official beginning of the Civil War. I was wrong. My knowledge was incomplete.

What a treasure we have in Erik Larson. I can’t wait to see what he writes next.

A riveting narrative of the run up to the Civil War with the focus on the attack on Fort Sumter. Larson paints a vivid picture of both sides of the secession story by injecting personal stories that bring color and life. You feel the tension build as we careen toward war, and learn what this kick off to war meant to those of involved. A must read

Erik Larson does not miss. Another captivating look at a moment in history, this time as the north and south face insurmountable differences leading up to the Civil War. A must read for anyone.

This was a fully-detailed history of the immediate events leading up to the beginnings of the Civil War, specifically the attack on Fort Sumter that set it off.

There was clearly an immense amount of research that went into this book, so much so that the author is able to write it like a novel, telling the reader exactly what happened in an almost minute-by-minute recounting. There's incredible attention to detail, including thought processes, that comes from countless readings of memoirs and journals. It's well-written and absorbing.

I found the specific focus on the lead-up as opposed to the war itself as interesting and educational, with some of the characters often mentioned in Civil War books coming to life as the main characters here instead of passing names like in other works. We've all read tons about the Civil War, whether in non-fiction, historical fiction, or in school, ditto biographies about Lincoln. This opens up a new understanding of how people in the South viewed the situation.

Even though you know what's going to happen as you're reading, it's full of tension at some of the pivotal points, such as when an officer successfully evaded Southern sentries to move his people to Fort Sumter. It's riveting.

I took off one star, though, for two reasons. It seemed like perhaps a bit too detailed in many instances, which took away from some of the build-up. I also didn't love the opening chapter about Jan. 6. There have been many times in U.S. history, starting at the very beginning, with vicious infighting in the Washington administration between Hamilton and Jefferson, when it seemed like the gulf was too large to bridge. That's the nature of our 2-party system, and it took away from the impartiality of the book to bring modern politics into it, like it was politicizing what should be a facts-based book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy for review.