Pompeii's Secrets

Book excerpt: Combining fictional characterisation and factual research Alan Lloyd asks who were these people who lived in Pompeii and what were their lives like in those last days before the disaster? Alan Lloyd, an acclaimed historian and novelist, breathes life into the ghosts that haunt the empty streets, quiet courtyards and silent rooms of Pompeii while stirring the imagination of everyone who has seen the well-preserved ruins of the ancient city. Through the eyes of Taras, Lloyd's imaginatively reconstructed narrator, we discover the real Pompeii, its geography, history and culture with a compelling urgency as the city's last day approaches. Alan Lloyd's brand of popular history concentrates on the details and colour that make for engrossing reading, the skilful depiction of a seminal moment in history and, above all, a readable narrative. Pompeii's Secrets is an engrossing adventure novel, as well as a fascinating historical survey.