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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
‘A fool’s errand –'
After visiting the wonderful Pompeii exhibition at the National Museum of Australia (March 2025), I picked up a copy of this novel. The exhibition provided a detailed view of life in Pompeii and the devastation caused after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, and I was keen to read some fiction set during the period.
The story unfolds over a few days, both before and after the eruption. The main character is Marcus Attilius Primus, the aquarius appointed by Rome to take charge of the Aqua Augusta, the aqueduct that supplies water to several towns around the Bay of Naples, including Pompeii. Attilius’s predecessor, Exomnius has disappeared as the supply of water through the aqueduct begins to fail. Attilius is unpopular with the workers as he tries to identify and solve the problem.
Attilius’s concerns increase when he is summoned by Corelia, a wealthy young woman, to investigate why the water from the aqueduct is killing her father’s prized fish. Corelia’s father, Numerius Popidius Ampliatus, was a former slave whose fortunes rose after he rebuilt Pompeii following an earthquake. The other major character is Pliny the Elder, whose fleet docked at Misenum, provides the means for Attilius and his team to travel to Pompeii.
The tension rises. The reader knows that Mount Vesuvius is about to erupt. Ampliatus wants to involve Attilius in a corrupt scheme. Marcus Attilius refuses, placing his life at risk.
And then Mount Vesuvius erupts. Who will survive?
Yes, I enjoyed this novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
After visiting the wonderful Pompeii exhibition at the National Museum of Australia (March 2025), I picked up a copy of this novel. The exhibition provided a detailed view of life in Pompeii and the devastation caused after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, and I was keen to read some fiction set during the period.
The story unfolds over a few days, both before and after the eruption. The main character is Marcus Attilius Primus, the aquarius appointed by Rome to take charge of the Aqua Augusta, the aqueduct that supplies water to several towns around the Bay of Naples, including Pompeii. Attilius’s predecessor, Exomnius has disappeared as the supply of water through the aqueduct begins to fail. Attilius is unpopular with the workers as he tries to identify and solve the problem.
Attilius’s concerns increase when he is summoned by Corelia, a wealthy young woman, to investigate why the water from the aqueduct is killing her father’s prized fish. Corelia’s father, Numerius Popidius Ampliatus, was a former slave whose fortunes rose after he rebuilt Pompeii following an earthquake. The other major character is Pliny the Elder, whose fleet docked at Misenum, provides the means for Attilius and his team to travel to Pompeii.
The tension rises. The reader knows that Mount Vesuvius is about to erupt. Ampliatus wants to involve Attilius in a corrupt scheme. Marcus Attilius refuses, placing his life at risk.
And then Mount Vesuvius erupts. Who will survive?
Yes, I enjoyed this novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was an absolutely incredible book a masterclass even by Harris’s standards. The ratcheting of the tension the scientific explanation of it all was incredibly well done and added to the suspense as it gave a sense of dramatic irony as the reader knew what was about to happen well before the characters. The choice of the different characters in the book is inspired having the main character working on the aqueduct was brilliant had allowed the character to have knowledge of the symptoms of the eruption without the understanding the eruption was about to happen additionally the choice of the rich man and the Admiral who is a scientist gave the setting a level of depth it wouldn’t otherwise have had allowed you to see how much the petty squabbles of the day affected the response to the eruption and finally the daughter of the rich man allowing for a feel good romance story to occur in the context of the disaster and give the manager of the aqueduct. A purpose in the plot was brilliantly done at the use of time days and explaining what our each chapter was at was an incredible choice that served to ratchet up the tension brilliantly and overall I would recommend this book to just about anyone, but if they have any interest in Rome or historical fiction, I would really recommend this book
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No