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I am a great fan of Robert Harris’ books. Enigma is one of the best books I have read, and Archangel is a phenomenal high-paced thriller. So I eagerly picked up this latest offering from my Mt TBR and was not disappointed.
The book follows the life of the main character, Marcus Attilus, aquarius for the area surrounding Pompeii and the bay of Naples, in the two days immediately prior to, the day of, and the two days following the eruption of Vesuvius. The aquarius was in charge of the aqueduct system providing the much-needed water required to support the Roman empire, and when the Aqua Augusta, the world’s greatest aquaduct fails, Attilus has to set out on a mission to keep the water flowing.
Which all sounds very dry (no pun intended). However, set against the backdrop of the rumbling volcano, and with a wealth of larger-than-life characters that are superbly written, one soon gets sucked into the narrative. Attilus’ predecessor has gone missing, there is scandal and intrigue at the highest levels of local government, secrets are unearthed and someone wants the aquarius dead. All of which add to the fantastic plot and provide plenty of twists and turns to the text. Each chapter is prefixed with a small excerpt from a volcano text explaining in scientific detail what is happening beneath Vesiuvius which adds another extra dimension to the story.
This really is another great Harris novel and one which I would heartily recommend.
The book follows the life of the main character, Marcus Attilus, aquarius for the area surrounding Pompeii and the bay of Naples, in the two days immediately prior to, the day of, and the two days following the eruption of Vesuvius. The aquarius was in charge of the aqueduct system providing the much-needed water required to support the Roman empire, and when the Aqua Augusta, the world’s greatest aquaduct fails, Attilus has to set out on a mission to keep the water flowing.
Which all sounds very dry (no pun intended). However, set against the backdrop of the rumbling volcano, and with a wealth of larger-than-life characters that are superbly written, one soon gets sucked into the narrative. Attilus’ predecessor has gone missing, there is scandal and intrigue at the highest levels of local government, secrets are unearthed and someone wants the aquarius dead. All of which add to the fantastic plot and provide plenty of twists and turns to the text. Each chapter is prefixed with a small excerpt from a volcano text explaining in scientific detail what is happening beneath Vesiuvius which adds another extra dimension to the story.
This really is another great Harris novel and one which I would heartily recommend.