When the Sleeper Wakes

Every city is now a prison. Mammon grips the key in his hand. Myriads, countless myriads, toil from the cradle to the grave

One morning, Graham rises from a medical-induced slumber and finds that he has slept for 200 years. The small money he had saved has grown exponentially, and he is now the richest man on earth and deified by the public. But what kind of a world is this?

It is the year 2100 and London is unrecognisable. A twisted and oppressive slave state reveals itself, and this regime is being funded by Graham's own wealth, appropriated by the mysterious White Council. He must use his power to free the social underclass, but in doing so he risks his life.

When the Sleeper Wakes is testament to H.G. Wells' vivid, verging on predictive, imagination. This dystopian vision predates Huxley's Brave New World and Asimov's The Caves Steel by 50 years and includes technology reminiscent of the internet. A truly brilliant read from a master of speculative fiction.