LiterariLeigh

It's been quite toasty hot out lately! I've been swimming, eating ice cream and hanging out in air conitioning to beat the heat. Now I just finished a book that spans some of the hottest days in summer, but the high temperatures are not the greatest threat. That would be Mount Vesuvius.

Robert Harris' Pompeii looks at the two days before and the two days after the famous eruption on August 24, A.D. 79. Young Marcus Attilius becomes the aquarius (engineer) of the enormous aquaduct. A smell of sulfur and quickly diminishing water supply send him on a mission to discover the source of the problem and fix it before towns are completely depleted of water in the oppressive heat. With a team of men, Attilius finds the blockage, but a climb to the top of Vesuvious points to a more imminent disaster.

As I read Pompeii, I could actually feel the heat, the dryness, and the frightening rumbles of the volcano. The historical facts of the book are highly interesting, from the good characters, to those who take advantage of the plight of others, the scientific data at the start of each chapter, and the first hand account of being in the path of falling volcanic rocks and ash. Definitely recommended as good historical fiction.