The Midnight Kingdom explores some of history’s most influential leaders and moments, beginning with the Roman Empire and racing through centuries of colonization, war, and genocide, examining notorious figures like Nero, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Charles Darwin, and Joseph Stalin. Sexton shines a light on the recurring clashes of progress and regression and identifies the current moment as one of historic inequality and fading trust in institutions–an echo of past crises. As authoritarianism gains momentum and twentieth-century progress is rolled back, Sexton calls for a reckoning with our history and the larger forces at play, to arrive at a better future and avoid a totalitarian catastrophe.