Book Review : The Sleeper Awakes

This novel starts in 1897 when an insomniac character with a surname of Graham is about to throw himself off a cliff on the pretty North Cornish coastline near the village of Boscastle. Graham meets a water-colour painter called Isbister who persuades him to return to the village so he can get some rest. Eventually, Graham falls asleep though it’s more of a cataleptic trance. We learn that Graham has made some sound investments so that…

When Graham awakes 203 years later, in 2100, he is the owner of the world though he’s mainly pleased to have come back to consciousness. He’s located in a London of the future that is covered by a massive dome. As you might expect the world is very different, but things are not at all what they appear to be. Firstly, Graham was forced awake by a near lethal injection ordered by Ostrog, a politician who is the leader of the popular opposition to the ruling council. Secondly, no one will answer the many questions Graham has.

When asleep, Graham’s body was shown to the people and he has become a symbol of hope. The people believe when he awakes, their existence will improve, as the society is a simmering volcano of discontent and oppression. Graham is released by representatives of the people but just who is in control and how can Graham make sure that the great majority of the people obtain what they want?

The economic system Graham finds is more similar to the command economy of the 20th Century Soviet Union than the market economy of the United States.