Eruption of good reading

Pompeii

By Robert Harris. Hutchinson.
342 pp. $32.95

Reviewer :: Pte John Wellfare

After a few weeks of structured non-fiction and a few decidedly average novels, reading a well-written, engaging story such as this is refreshing.

Pompeii is a novel littered with fascinating facts and trivialities about volcanoes and the Roman Empire.

It has an incredibly engaging narrative that keeps the book from feeling weighed down by science or history.

Based on the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in AD79, Pompeii follows Marcus Attilius Primas, the newly appointed Aquarius of the Aqua Augusta, the aqueduct that supplied fresh water to nine towns along the bay of Neapolis.

Two days before the eruption, the supply of water to Misenum ceases. Able to narrow the location of the fault in the aqueduct down to somewhere near Mt Vesuvius, Attilius sets out to fix the problem before the reservoirs dry up and thousands of people are left without water.

As the day of the eruption nears, heralded by an increasing number of unexplainable natural phenomena, Attilius gradually comes to realise that something terrible is coming.

Harris has researched extensively into both volcanoes and ancient Rome and this is obvious throughout the story, with the information presented in such a way as to add a sense of realism to the events depicted.

His ability to generate believable characters is a standout feature of Pompeii, in which Mt Vesuvius itself is a sinister, brooding presence.

There is an underlying message to this novel that Harris cleverly keeps just below the surface - this story revolves around an eruption that the world's only super power was powerless to predict or prevent, releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Three quotes that begin the novel draw all the necessary comparisons to give this story great relevance in any period. A must read.