Pompeii (Abridged)

by Robert Harris Narrated by Michael Cumpsty

Overview

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 Empire's richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas. 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.

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 Augusta's 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 world's only superpower can't 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.

Editorial Reviews

JUN/JUL 04 - AudioFile

Author Harris steeps listeners in the color, culture, and passions of ancient Pompeii in the days just before the eruption of Vesuvius. Michael Cumpsty aptly voices this historical novel, bringing intelligence and dramatic tension to a story bursting with emotional extremes and cultural extravagance. Production values are high, clearing the way for listeners to enjoy the struggles for power and survival in a sophisticated, if self-indulgent and corrupt, era. Cumpsty delivers nuances of class, caste, and relationships in ancient times. The listener’s knowledge of the destruction to come adds palpable tension to his portrayal of this lost, but not forgotten, city. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 04 - AudioFile

Author Harris steeps listeners in the color, culture, and passions of ancient Pompeii in the days just before the eruption of Vesuvius. Michael Cumpsty aptly voices this historical novel, bringing intelligence and dramatic tension to a story bursting with emotional extremes and cultural extravagance. Production values are high, clearing the way for listeners to enjoy the struggles for power and survival in a sophisticated, if self-indulgent and corrupt, era. Cumpsty delivers nuances of class, caste, and relationships in ancient times. The listener’s knowledge of the destruction to come adds palpable tension to his portrayal of this lost, but not forgotten, city. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171904609
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	11/18/2003
Edition description:	Abridged
Sales rank:	1,156,052

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