Vesuvius by Night

Falco’s nephew Larius, a landscape painter in Pompeii, is caught up in the events of AD79, along with his wife, Ollia, and children. No happy ending here; Larius and his eldest daughter are caught at Oplontis, Ollia and the younger children fail to escape from Herculaneum.

This novella ties up a few loose ends from the Falco series; we meet Vitalis the fisher-boy from Shadows in Bronze (who also fails to escape), but we don’t see what happens to Aemilia Fausta who is mentioned as dying in the eruption, although her son survives.

Interesting to read, with some philosophical observations on the disaster. I suspect that many of the minor characters were taken from the bodies found at Pompeii and elsewhere and Davis wove the story around show more them. show less

Alas, a little disappointing from this usually reliable author. It adds nothing to other fictional or historical treatments of the disaster and its brevity means that we don't have much of a chance to come to know the characters. Its conclusion is slightly clumsy as well, as if Davis were determined to finish with the title. It is also hardly a spoiler to say that it's all a bit grim. One for completists, perhaps, but I found it a bit of something and nothing after enjoying Davis's full-length novels.