Synopses & Reviews
Ancient Rome is the setting for the superb new novel from Robert Harris, author of the number one bestsellers
Fatherland,
Enigma and
Archangel.
Where else to enjoy the last days of summer than on the beautiful Bay of Naples. All along the coast, the Roman Empires richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas. The worlds largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum and Pompeii.
Only one man is worried. The engineer Marius 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. Springs are failing for the first time in generations. His predecessor has disappeared. And now there is a crisis on the Augustas sixty-mile main line -- somewhere to the north of Pompeii, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Marius -- decent, practical, incorruptible -- promises Pliny, the famous scholar who commands the navy, that he can repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry. But as he heads out towards Vesuvius he is about to discover there are forces that even the worlds only superpower cant control.
Pompeii recreates in spellbinding detail one of the most famous natural disasters of all time. And by focusing on the characters of an engineer and a scientist, it offers an entirely original perspective on the Roman world.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Robert Harris was born in Nottingham in 1957 and grew up in the city and Leicestershire. He is a graduate of Cambridge University. Already a highly regarded non-fiction writer, in 1993 Robert Harris's debut novel
Fatherland made a huge impact — a massive bestseller accompanied with critical acclaim. All his novels have reached No.1 in the
Sunday Times Bestseller list. In addition he has worked extensively as a journalist — as a reporter on the BBC's
Newsnight and
Panorama programmes, as political editor of the
Observer and as a columnist on
The Sunday Times and the
Daily Telegraph. In 2003 he was named Columnist of the Year in the annual British Press Awards. He lives in Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby, and four children. Graham Greene, John le Carré and George Orwell are amongst his favourite authors and influences.
From the Hardcover edition.