Book review: "Pompeii", by Robert Harris

Synopsis: Based around the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79A.D.,  the story follows Marcus, a fictional hydraulic engineer who is sent to the Bay of Naples to sort out the recent problems of the local aqueduct system after his predecessor goes missing. The signs of the imminent eruption are all there, if only they can be interpreted correctly. The threat that Marcus faces of a jealous and murderous employee and a corrupt and arrogant business man pain in significance compared to the fate that they all face from the increasingly active volcano, which is preparing to demonstrate that an act of nature can be the deadliest enemy of all...

Review: An excellent read, especially for anyone who's new to historical fiction. Gripping from the start, and with the the countdown to the inevitable (yet unknown) fate slowly ticking, you won't be able to put it down until you've finished! Harris has an enviable way of taking a historical character and bringing them to life for a 21st century reader, while still keeping them historically convincing. The characters feel tangible, yet also ancient... but most importantly, they feel real. The book is greatly assisted by the fact that there are well documented historical reports of the eruption (principally by Pliny the Elder, who features as a character in the book), and this does a great service of convincing the reader that this fictional story COULD have happened.

Furthermore, he plays the reader between the two giant chasms, the first being Marcus's mission, along with it's trials and frustrations (fixing the aqueduct, exposing corruption and avoiding assassination being his principal concerns!), and the second being the inevitable fate that we all know so well from the history books. Just as you feel comfortable being dangled of the one gorge, he'll send you hurtling towards the other, just to remind you that it's still there, looming below you with grave solemnity. The question that you find yourself asking throughout is "WHERE is Harris going to place these various characters when the fateful moment arrives???". It is a cunning tactic that he uses magnificently, and which turns a piece of history into one of the great works of historical fiction.

Score: 9/10