by Kate Quinn
First published 2023
Mount Vesuvius towers over the bustling Roman resort town of Pompeii, where citizens go about their daily lives unaware of approaching catastrophe. A young boy wanders the lively streets while an heiress prepares reluctantly for her wedding. A former soldier places everything on a gladiator match that will never reach its conclusion. A disabled senator awaits his end until a spirited girl on horseback arrives to save him. A pregnant woman must make a terrible decision as volcanic ash begins to fall. A priestess and a prostitute both search for salvation as their world crumbles around them. These six lives intersect as Vesuvius explodes in fire and destruction, sealing the fate of everyone in the city. The stories weave together patricians and slaves, fighters and leaders, showing how ordinary people face extraordinary terror. Some will find escape routes through the chaos and flames. Others will remain buried beneath the ash forever, their final moments preserved in stone.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, ancient
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: ensemble-cast, interconnected-stories
Setting: Pompeii, Rome
Period: Ancient
352 pages · ebook · William Morrow & Company
Content warnings: death, violence