I enjoyed this book alot. It seemed to have been based on alot of factual knowledge about the times and the technology of the aqueducts. The story was engaging and kept me turning the pages! I happened to have visited the ruins at Pompeii about 8 years ago, and reading this book i could visualize the town I walked, but alive with people and commerce. I recommend this to people who enjoy historical fiction.

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Fascinating historical novel. You will learn much about Roman life, engineering, and poloitics set against the eventual eruption of the Mount Vesuvius.

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Pompeii is a fictional story by Robert Harris revolving around the 4 days prior to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Attilius an aqueduct engineer from Rome was sent to replace a missing engineer Exomnius for the Aqua Augusta.
Attilius arrives and is immediately faced with a plethora of natural and manmade problems revolving around the water supply. The story evolves as Attilius tries to unravel the problems with the water and the missing Exomnius. Robert Harris has written this historic fiction well grounded in the technical information from this historic period.
So this is how I like to my facts well mixed up with murder, mayhem with an explosive ending.

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What a great story! I thought to myself it's Pompeii, I know how it turns out, but it actually had a very interesting ending. Captures the time and place so well.

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Terrifically written, and keeps you turning the pages even though it's like a detective story where you know the ending. As a geologist, I really appreciated the clues interpreted and followed by the engineer to figure out what was happening. It's one of those historical novels that makes you want to know more about the characters - which ones were fictional and which were real, and how much was real about the non-fictional ones. Also makes me want to revisit what else I ever knew about Pompeii and the volcano and the archeology. Fascinating.

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What a great read! Meticulous research leads Harris to a detailed and comprehensible recreation of the Roman civilization, not to mention an exciting and satisfying story. My highest recommendation.

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I really loved this book. So much information on the the city of Pompeii and how the water system worked and was all connected. It was amazing, one of the books I will re-read. A fabulous read.

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This is a well-written historical thriller that takes place in Pompeii. It is about a young engineer who is given the responsibility of repairing the enormous aqueduct that brings fresh water to the Bay of Naples. He attempts to organize an expedition in Pompeii where he believes the fault lies. But he finds himself surrounded by corrupt soldiers in a violent town. Marcus Attilius finds there are powerful forces at work---natural and otherwise threatening to stop him and destory his work.
Great characters and plot.

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A more appropriate title for this book would be Amazing Roman Engineering Feats: The Aqueduct. Dont get me wrong- I think what the Roman engineers accomplished by providing running water to cities along the dry Southern Italian coast was nothing short of amazing and I did enjoy the story; however the majority of the book is about the aqueducts.

Marcus Attilius, an Aquarius (aqueduct engineer) is sent from Rome to Misenum because their regions Aquarius is missing. What he finds when he gets there is a mystery surrounding his predecessors disappearance, aqueducts failing and government corruption in Pompeii. The young engineer in his haste to prove his worth promises Pliny, the ruler of the area, that he can repair the aqueducts in 48 hours and restore running water to all the cities in the region. He sets off on this task 2 days before Mt. Vesuvius erupts. Can he accomplish his goal in time?

This was a quick, easy read which brings to life Roman culture, politics and the effects of the eruption on people in Pompeii and other coastal areas.

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VERY well-written mystery, set in Pompeii just before the eruption of Vesuvius. The historical details are fascinating.

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Loved this book. Enjoyed the history & characters. Author told a very believable version of what happened the day the volcano erupted. Well written.

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I enjoyed how Robert Harris was able to weave his story around the Vesuvius eruption of 79AD. He did the necessary research of this dramatic event and made it an effortless read, I couldn't wait to turn each page. We follow engineer Marcus Attilius as he takes over the job of Aquarius, making him responsible for the large aqueduct that brings water into the nine cities around the Bay of Naples. He must find out why it's suddenly not working and is expected by the powers above to rectify the matter posthaste. Along the way, we are introduced to honest civilians, learned scholars, everyday thugs, prostitutes, a dysfunctional family, and even a blind workman. We also gain insight into the workings of the city's government.. "politics" hasn't changed much.
I've visited the Pompeii archeological site and listened to the guides. This book adds the human element and riveting descriptions. Plus,it creates a powerfully suspenseful story despite the fact we already know the ending.

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wonderful book, a fictionalized account of the last days of pompeii and well researched and factual.

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A must read if you a Roman novel about the eruption of Vesuvius.

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