Science news and science current events, research and discoveries.
Top science news articles and science current events stories from the past week.
Science Resources
Science RSS News Feeds
Earth, Life and Space Science RSS News Feeds.
|
 |
 |
 |
| View Larger Image | Pompeii: A Novel
by Robert Harris
| | List Price: | $13.95 | | Price: | $11.16 | | You Save: | $2.79 (20%) |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 22506 | | Studio: | Random House Trade Paperbacks | | | Binding: | Paperback | | Number Of Pages: | 304 | | Publication Date: | November 08, 2005 | | Publisher: | Random House Trade Paperbacks |
| |
EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
All along the Mediterranean coast, the Roman empire’s richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas, enjoying the last days of summer. The world’s largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum, and Pompeii.
But the carefree lifestyle and gorgeous weather belie an impending cataclysm, and only one man is worried. The young engineer Marcus Attilius Primus has just taken charge of the Aqua Augusta, the enormous aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter of a million people in nine towns around the Bay of Naples. His predecessor has disappeared. Springs are failing for the first time in generations. And now there is a crisis on the Augusta’s sixty-mile main line—somewhere to the north of Pompeii, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.
Attilius—decent, practical, and incorruptible—promises Pliny, the famous scholar who commands the navy, that he can repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry. His plan is to travel to Pompeii and put together an expedition, then head out to the place where he believes the fault lies. But Pompeii proves to be a corrupt and violent town, and Attilius soon discovers that there are powerful forces at work—both natural and man-made—threatening to destroy him.
With his trademark elegance and intelligence, Robert Harris, bestselling author of Archangel and Fatherland, re-creates a world on the brink of disaster.
From the Hardcover edition. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 183 reviews)
|
Pompeii 
Robert Harris does a terrific job with this book. It's filled with suspense and fascinating historical details.
August 03, 2008 | |
Exciting, Fast Paced, Can't Put it Down Read!
This book is fabulous. I was overcome with admiration for the author...all the research he must have put in to write this book. The historical facts and descriptions are wonderful. Only one word needs to be said: Brilliant!
July 19, 2008 | |
Interesting premise to showcase Roman life in Pompeii before the eruption 
Summary:
Pompeii by Robert Harris is a historical fiction novel told from the point of view of an aquaduct civil engineer (interesting premise). He is used to bind the various elements of Life in and around Pompeii leading up to and including the eruption of Mt. Vesuveus. The political corruption, engineering mastery and social decedance of life in the late stages of the Roman Empire are hinted at but not much detail. The characters are ok not very developed but effective; the prose is tight and efficient; and the pacing is done well.
Characters: The novel is fairly short so the character development seems to have been left out to a large degree. The architypal Romans are worked into the story but mostly a plot devices vs. true characters. The main character, Attilius, seems a bit too modern for the time period. He is strong anti-Gods which is not appropriate for the times -- he comes across as a agnostic modern civil engineer. Pliny the Elder is probably the most developed of the characters in the story -- nicely done.
Plot: The plot is pretty simple; Attilius is made the new engineer in charge of the aquaduct when the old engineer dissappeared two weeks earlier. Attilius gets involved when sulphur is detected in the water. The story goes from there using the aquaduct as a way to move characters around the Bay of Naples and interconnect the political players of Pompeii with the action. The plot does not have many twists but shows how easy government can get corrupted and why big government is not good.
Prose: The prose is tight and efficient -- like the engineer. The flowery prose of Pliny is a nice addition to the somewhat stark writing style. It is a quick and fun read. The information on aquaducts was very interesting to me...especially the fact the water kept running after the eruption. You have to admire the Romans as civil engineers; unparalled in the world.
Action: The action is interesting; the stages of the volcano eruption are interesting to find out about and how they would manifest in Roman society plus a bit of the reaction to the effects. You should be expecting a huge amount of action but it obviously picks up as the eruptions gets really going.
Overall: 3 stars - 3.5 stars
Characters: 2.5 stars - 3 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Prose: 3.5 stars
Action: 2 stars
June 27, 2008 | |
A fine historical novel 
Marcus Attilius, the "aquarius" or water engineer newly assigned to care for the Aqua Augusta, tackles the job eagerly. Being placed in charge of one of the Roman Empire's great aqueducts is a key advancement in the career he loves, that has been followed by the men in his family for generations; and taking on such an important job at a dangerous time, during a puzzling and increasingly severe drought, distracts him from the grief that still haunts him three years after his young wife's death in childbirth. He's challenged by the hostility of his work crew in general, and of its foreman in particular. He's puzzled by the unexplained disappearance of his predecessor, and by a lot of other things that just don't add up. When the Augusta stops flowing, leaving town after town without that great necessity of civilized life - a copious and steady supply of fresh, clean water - Attilius sets out from his station in Misenum for Pompeii, across the Bay of Naples, to find and repair the aqueduct's break. He suspect it's got something to do with earth tremors, sulfur-contaminated water that came through to Misenum just before the Augusta failed, and maybe even something to do with his vanished predecessor. It all seems to center on the mountain overlooking the prosperous coastal city of Pompeii...a mountain called Vesuvius.
Vividly written and well researched, this fine historical novel plunges the reader into the Roman world of A.D. 79 and makes that world both understandable and real. Although there's little time and space for in-depth character development, the people depicted behave both consistently and believably; and it's fun to glimpse both Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger as actors in this drama. All in all, this is one terrific read.
June 19, 2008 | |
Not Explosive Enough!!
Pompeii, is set, as you can probably guess, in the last few days, before the destruction of that town, by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in 79 A.D. I felt, the author's attention to detail was very good, but that some of the characters were a bit one-dimensional. A lot of time was spent on the build up to the eruption, but I felt the author did not spend enough time on the actual town of Pompeii. A lot of the book is set in the surrounding towns. Overall though, not a bad read.
June 19, 2008 | |
SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| |
|
|
|
|
