Larson has the propensity to drag me in and not let me go until I’ve turned the last page. Unfortunately, that was not the case with this one. I thought perhaps it was because I had been reading too much fiction and it was hard for my brain to slow down and focus on the events of the book — the attack on Fort Sumter and the lead up to the Civil War. But, alas. I had a hard time paying attention and parts to me felt somewhat disjointed or even unnecessary.

However, Larson is a master researcher, bringing historical figures back to life. There were definitely parts that certainly grabbed my attention, especially those featuring Major Anderson who would not yield until the absolute occasion called for it.

I’m not even sure advancements in social media or technology could have made the situation any better; miscommunication and misinformation abound just as it still does today. No one felt that the tension between the north and south would result in something to cataclysmic!

If you’re a Civil War buff, and particularly an Erik Larson fan, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one. It’s chock full of first person accounts from prominent figures involved the most tumultuous time of American history and showcases the clear line drawn in the sand between the North and South.

Erik Larson is, by far, one of the best writers of historic nonfiction today. He has a way of taking minute details, personal accounts, and theories and combining them into a captivating, informational, and entertaining read. The Demon of Unrest is a brilliant account of the events leading to the Civil War. I appreciated his dedication to factual accounts and written records to create an adventure-like record of these events. I've never been too interested in learning about this point in history because it always felt too dry while learning about it, but this book certainly caught my attention early and I found it great overall.

Erik Larson is such a great researcher and author! I love historical nonfiction, and learning about Lincoln is intriguing. History lovers will enjoy this book.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I feel smarter after reading The Demon of Unrest! This book is filled with historical details I wouldn't have otherwise known. We start with Abraham Lincoln getting elected as President and his journey to the White House. His election sparks tension between states that support slavery and those that don't. The sides clash, leading to the Civil War. I appreciated learning exactly how the the war started and the people involved. There were however so many details and so many people that I couldn't retain everything. I'm sure I missed important facts. Likely, this is one of those books I need to read more than once to get the full impact.
#Americanhistory
#Civilwar
#Nonfiction

The Demon of Unrest was another excellent Erik Larson read! I love his ability to drop into the history and feel as if I were there. Even though lengthy, Larson's writing was propulsive.

The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson – Detailed account of the beginning of the Civil War from personal narratives and historical records


Erik Larson is one of my favorite non-fiction writers and I was excited at the opportunity to read his newest book, The Demon of Unrest - A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War.

The Demon of Unrest is different than other books by Erik Larson. The book starts at the time of Abraham Lincoln’s election and inauguration, and the start of the secession of the southern states, led by South Carolina. We see the Buchanan Administrations indifference, weakness and failures that left the US military serving in southern states vulnerable to attack. Lincoln was walking into a tinderbox and a Nation divided. Southern proslavery extremists were fomenting secession and if necessary, war so they could maintain their standard of living and wealth built on the backs of enslaved human beings.

Erik Larson did a tremendous amount of research and tells the story of what happened from many different viewpoints. He compiled the personal narratives from diaries and wove them together with many historical records to document this time in history.

I was most compelled by Fort Sumter’s commander, Major Robert Anderson, and President Abraham Lincoln. There were so many details that it kind of overwhelmed the personal side of the story and what the people went through and endured.

The Demon of Unrest is a long book and it took me over two months to read. I was about 20 percent in to the book and I almost called it quits. I was disgusted by the moral depravity of James Henry Hammond that was shared in too much detail. I would like to have had that summed up without going into the gross details of this vile man. If I had it to do over again, I would have skipped that section. Since I respect Larson’s writing, I decided to give another try. I am glad I finished the book. I found it hard to comprehend and relate to the southerner’s mindset, tolerance, and approval of slavery.

My favorite chapter was the epilog that summed up the how the war ended and impacted the various people whose stories were included in this historical book. I would like to have had several charts or overviews on the timeline and the people from both the north and south, with their titles and a brief description. It would have helped me as I was reading through this historical narrative.

Erik Larson started off the book talking about January 6th and related it to the Civil War. Other than a reflection of a Nation divided, I did not see the comparison. It was a bit off-putting.

If you love history, especially US history or the Civil War, or are an Erik Larson fan, I recommend this book.

I would like to thank Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

4 true stars
“How on earth did South Carolina, a primitive, scantily populated state in economic decline, become the fulcrum for America’s greatest tragedy?” In The Demon of Unrest, narrative non-fiction writer Erik Larson sets out to answer this question with an extensively researched, well-organized, highly-readable book.

I like the way Larson occasionally lets his sense of humor slide in on serious subjects. “The Confederate commissioners had come north expecting to be treated as the envoys of a grand new republic, the Confederate States of America, and here was Secretary of State Seward, via Campbell, treating them as if they were house servants demanding a day off.” Another entry, “’Breakfasted with John Manning who made better jokes than usual.’”

Larson does an outstanding job of weaving first-person narratives (often from diaries) together. I appreciated that he includes women’s stories in a historical setting where too often women’s perspectives had been deemed non-worthy or relegated to the distant sidelines.

As always, with his books, I learned new information. He puts in lots of details, but the story never bogs down. Larson includes an extensive bibliography for scholars and those more interested in the Civil War than I am. His long collection of notes includes stories “that for various reasons did not fit into the main narrative but, like little birds in a nest, seemed to cry out to be told.”

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I grabbed this book because of my interest in the history of Fort Sumter after visiting the fort on a trip to South Carolina a few years back. I wish this book was as fascinating as the tour of the fort itself. I really had to slog through this one as I found it to be a rather dry and boring. I gave up after 200 pages or so.

This is the first Erik Larson book I’ve read (shocking, I know) but I’ve really liked it! It look ,e quite a while to get through it, but it was totally worth it. Larson provides so much detail and so many vignettes about such a pivotal moment in US history that I didn’t know all that much about. This “story” is so much more interesting than the 30,000 foot view we got in any history class or discussion.

Not quite as easy of a narrative read as some of Larson's past works. If you haven't read him before, then I think you might need a distinct interest in history already to pick this one up, whereas I found that I could recommend some of his older works to folks without any specific real interest in the content. I quite enjoyed this "play by play" of such a short period of time. For fans of his works already this is easy to recommend.

Erik Larson is one of our leading writers of non-fiction. In "The Demon of Unrest" his focus is on South Carolina and the tensions, politics, characters, power players that put the south on collision course with the federal government. He give us the Buchanan administration in unflattering light. The rabid secessionists of South Carolina and beyond, eager to go their own way, those who cling to the belief that slaveholders were necessary to the South's (romanticized) way of life, and the lack of a realistic view of the South by those in the North--and of the North by Southerners.

By concentrating on South Carolina, Charleston, and Fort Sumter specifically, Larson enables the reader to explore more fully the lead up to the Civil War, and the tough choices made by those inside the Fort, and by Abraham Lincoln. I found myself frequently thinking "I didn't know that!", though much has been written about the Civil War.

Once again, Larsen thoroughly researches, and presents his information in a novel-like book, gripping, informative, entertaining.

The Demon of Unrest dive’s into the turbulent five month period between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the surrender of Fort Sumter on April 14, 1865. Larson combined research from many sources, sharing the perspectives of men and women who experienced the events firsthand and left behind journals that are now in our national archives.

The events surrounding Fort Sumter are fascinating to read through, especially as southern hospitality and gentlemanly behavior are upheld, despite rising tensions.

Hello, unfortunately despite an earlier request I was approved for this book right before publication date, so I waited until my actual hard copy arrived to read and think about it after a long read. Sorry I'm usually not late. Anyway, here it is

My initial thoughts are mixed on The Demon of Unrest

I love the source material Larson uses, although...

1) It seems like a questionable choice to bleep out historical terms because of modern day sensibilities. You know people are going to just look it up if they don't know the word already (presuming they are here to learn). Are we here to be accurate and teach or just to soften everything down for current readers, which is exactly what I don't think a broadly reaching historical platform should be doing.

2) I personally don't like how much Larson's own views come through although I respect that he picked a tone and stuck with it throughout. I mean obviously we don't need to show the confederates any grace in modern day society but I have mixed feelings about how much critical thinking space he left open for readers (some).

3) After the infamous introduction where he compares Sumter to Jan 6th, it's a bit obvious that he wrote the entire book through that lens once he started putting it together. Yes we have rabble rousers and division today but I don't think the book is going to hold up well

4) it is nearly 600 pages long and extremely fussy and nitpicky with some details (and repetitive at times). I do wonder if Larson could have pared out, for example, Mary Chestnut's entire contribution about the Carolina social scene (because who cares who she had dinner with). People can read her diary if they really want, instead of quoting so much from it. She could have been...reduced.

5) I'm not sure how I feel about the organization. It seems like so many dates and different narratives are throwing some readers off. I'm indifferent but can see where the comments are coming from. Larson usually strives to write a narrative more than a historical document so the fixation on dates and such got me where it didn't in his prior books.

6) Frankly in 600 pages, some of it is just a lot more interesting than other parts. Where Harper's Ferry is largely considered to be the ignition point, Larson overlooked that for the most part and hyper focused on many small details related to other events, meetings, speeches, ideas, people, etc

7) Will Patton after switching to audio was the only way I possibly could have finished this book

8) All that said, I don't think it's bad that a book focused on the precluding political, social, and cultural scene instead of the war itself. Is this the narrative we need in 2024? Probably, since there aren't many people willing to read dry facts today and the ideas are more important than who fought whom where. It fits in with Larson's prior efforts

Long story short: lots of good content but needed to be whacked down another 100-150 pages and I had trouble with how focused Larson's lens is. That all said, Larson writes narratives not historical documents and I'm never sure how much his prior books contain this because I'm not as familiar with the history itself. I love how much he loves research but what did he turn it into? As I said, mixed feelings

I personally did not really enjoy this book. It felt like it dragged on and there was a lot of information that made it feel like it excessive. Erik Larson typically is a good author but I just felt like this one was not the best. It had some neat information that I did not know but it took me awhile to get through it.

As a 32-year-old native South Carolinian, I felt especially attached to this book. Having spent my entire life living less than 2 hours from Charleston, and Fort Sumter, I have never taken the time to fully appreciate or understand the importance of it historically. This book filled in the gap of the story and has created in me a desire to visit and better understand the story behind Fort Sumter.

Most of this story centers around Fort Sumter (or, Sumpter, as Lincoln so incorrectly referred to it throughout his life) and the impact it had on starting the Civil War. The story told by Larson spans the years leading up to the Civil War, starting in the final year of Buchanan’s presidency and spanning through the surrender of Fort Sumter and first shots fired in the Civil War. It includes key moments throughout that multi-year span, like Lincoln’s election, the first Secession Conference, and the eventual surrender of Fort Sumter.
Larson’s story is perhaps one of the most well-researched and immersive non-fiction stories I have read in many years. A fact evidenced alone by the length of his Bibliography and Sources list at the conclusion of the book. The historical context and integration of so many historical figures into the story help to paint the perfect picture of the attitudes and thoughts behind slavery, secession, the Confederacy and the Union. His ability to weave together so many sources to create such a powerful narrative is impressive, but I would expect nothing less from the wonderful Erik Larson.

I rarely provide 5 stars, but strongly believe this book deserves all 5 of them. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a new nonfiction read.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Erik Larson, the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy of this book for me to enjoy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of a slog to get through and I didn't feel like I learned anything particularly new by reading it. Very dull.

Erik Larson is my favorite nonfiction writer. He has this amazing ability to write moments from history that are like reading a fast paced thriller. I devoured his previous books - Devil in the White City being my favorite. This, however, was a slog for me. It took me 2 months to finish and put me in an epic reading slump. I kept having to put it down. The subject matter was very interesting and there were some “characters” that were fascinating (Lincoln (obviously), Anderson, Ruffin, even a bit of Mary Chestnut 😂)- but I found there was no real narrative pulling everything together. It read more like a textbook to me than a novel - which is FINE, but not what I expected from Erik Larson. I will say the last 20% or so it picked up a bit and I especially loved the Epilogue and Coda. Also, the opening bit about January 6 turned me off. I am not a proponent of that day by any means, but equating it to the events preceding a bloody Civil War felt icky. Anyway, I will still look forward to reading more from Larson - his books are always tackle an interesting niche of a popular subject matter and they are meticulously researched. Immense thanks to @netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy - even though I couldn’t finish it in time for pub day!

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.
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. 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. This is the fourth of Larson's books that I have read. I am always interested in the topics he pursues, and this one is no exception. Being a history major and Southerner, I have often read about the firing on Ft. Sumter that started the Civil War, but I have never read about this time, the characters involved, and the sacrifices that were made. The author gives so much detail, that I had to take it slowly, hence the 3 month span between the requesting of the book and this review as, not only does the author include an amazing amount of detail in his writing showing his extensive research, most of his books run around 500 pages not including the additional notes and bibliography. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read this outstanding book.

I’ve enjoyed Erik Larson’s other books, and I enjoyed this one too. He skillfully makes long-past events seem fresh to readers and shows how these events were not set in stone. The Demon of Unrest is no different, but it takes on additional meaning with Larson’s brief mention of January 6th in the introduction– the bloodiest period in our nation’s history is the result of numerous large and small actions from both private citizens and government officials.

Erik Larson posses that rare talent of writing an historical narrative that reads like a novel, but is drawn from extensive historical research. Addressing the communication, mis-communication, and the psychology and personalities of the various politicians and statesmen, he has constructed a “play by play” narrative of events leading up to the bombing and surrender of Fort Sumter.
Highly recommended for those with an interest in Civil War history.