I will give the author his due credit for originality and research well done, though I must admit... I HATED this book. It was such an utter disappointment. The story progressed following the warning signs of the eruption, mainly to do with their water supplies and the aqueducts, until FINALLY the explosion occurs and after reading over 200 mind-numbingly boring pages with an overly whiny and altogether annoying character (I am speaking of Marcus Attilius Primus, or Attilius the engineer) it was anticlimactic and though an obvious effort was made, poorly executed.
I think I can speak for more than myself when I say that when I see a book about Pompeii, I expect to see a lot of action, some terror, a hell of a lot of lava engulfing everything, and most of all, I want to read about POMPEII and MOUNT VESUVIUS. I don't want a lesson on aqueducts (though I can confidently say that I am well versed on how they work now) but I want to know about the city that was lost, its people, culture, the ruins, this incredible piece of history with a story surrounding the facts that we know through science and discovery. I suppose I would compare it to reading Jurassic Park, and finding out its not about Dinosaurs (though don't worry...it totally is).
This was such an original and creative idea (at least I had never heard of anything like this before) and it was dry and utterly wasted. I am actually quite proud I even finished it. Perhaps he should have written a non-fiction book about the aqueduct system and its reservoirs as it is an apparent interest (or mild obsession) of his.
Better luck next time.
P.s. I just saw they are making a TV mini series about this?! Good lord.. this is exactly why I don't have cable.
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