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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.
A Novel of Ancient Rome
Random House
November 2005
On Sale: November 8, 2005
Featuring: Marcus Attilius Primus; Pliny
304 pages ISBN: 0812974611 EAN: 9780812974614 Trade Size (reprint)
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Thriller | Suspense | Historical
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.
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