A Day of Fire A Novel of Pompeii

Ben Kane, Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Sophie Perinot, Eliza Knight, Vicky Alvear — 2023

From six bestselling authors, including New York Times bestseller Kate Quinn, comes a vividly imagined anthology of stories following the lives of those in ancient Pompeii on the fateful day Mount Vesuvius erupts. Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain's wrath . . . and these are their stories: A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii's flourishing streets. An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire. An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished. A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue. A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls. A priestess and a prostitute seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried. Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each other's paths during Pompeii's fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity

Reviews

Amanda@groovyginger

Mar 22, 2024

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for this solid novel and my first ever audiobook experience. It really is impressive to have six authors create a cohesive narrative and story that flows well.

While I enjoyed a couple of the sections more than others, this made for an entertaining audiobook. Though I was a bit disappointed that Kate Quinn's section was one of my least favorites, as I remembered these characters from her other books and was excited to see them make their literary return. The sections dealing with Rufus the ex-legionary and about the two prostitutes, Capella and Prima, were definitely my favorites. Most of the characters were strong and compelling, and the setting was vivid.

It was almost startling how similar The Wolf Den is to this book; it would be easy to believe the author was inspired by A Day of Fire and drew parallels when writing her series about female prostitutes in Pompeii. Needless to say, if you enjoyed A Day of Fire, you will love The Wolf Den--and vice versa.

I don't think I got out as much from this book as I would have a physical copy; audiobooks seem a bit harder for me to focus on (probably because I mainly listened while driving) and there was no way to flip back and forth easily like with a print book. But I thought both narrators did an excellent job. I would recommend A Day of Fire for anyone who enjoys anthologies and who loves reading and learning about the ancient world. It really brought Pompeii and the eruption of Vesuvius to life. The world building and interconnected plots, characters and details were lush.