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A Day of Fire: a novel of Pompeii Paperback – October 31, 2014

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,786 ratings

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 whore 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 others' path during Pompeii's fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knight Media, LLC (October 31, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 338 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0990324575
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0990324577
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.13 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.77 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,786 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
1,786 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the stories engaging and well-crafted. They describe the book as an enjoyable, captivating read with masterful writing and seamless storytelling. The characters are portrayed as rich, authentic, and etched sharply. Readers find the emotional content heartfelt and tragic, making it a moving and poignant experience. The visual style is described as immersive and beautiful.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

107 customers mention "Storytelling quality"97 positive10 negative

Customers enjoy the storytelling quality of the book. They find the stories interesting as standalone efforts, with excellent storylines that converge and diverge. The history, archaeology, and characters are seamlessly woven together, creating an immersive experience of Pompeii just before and during the eruption.

"...stunning book with such excellent and colorful writing, full of history about Pompeii, its citizens and the disaster that struck everyone there...." Read more

"...Each of them has their own personal story arc, which inevitably intersects with some of the others (being townspeople caught up in a common tragedy)..." Read more

"...For anyone who has visited Pompeii, memorable archaeological remains form the historical springboard for each part of the novel...." Read more

"...He achieves a delicate balance between drama and humour, in a story that could only be written by someone with an intimate knowledge of the life of..." Read more

92 customers mention "Readability"92 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find the writing excellent and colorful. The accounts are fresh, and the characters are believable. Readers say it's worth their time and well-done.

"...The authors all delivered greatly and the book is one of the best I read this year. I might even call it the very best book I have read this year...." Read more

"...A DAY OF FIRE is an excellent read. I recommend it without reservation!" Read more

"...The author's description of gladiatorial combat is masterful. A joy to read...." Read more

"It was very entertaining." Read more

72 customers mention "Writing quality"67 positive5 negative

Customers find the writing quality masterful and seamless. They appreciate the well-crafted stories that connect seamlessly. The descriptions are vivid, and the authors' individual writing styles are melded seamlessly. Readers find the storytelling credible and resonate with them.

"...I think I liked this one the best of them all because it ties everything up in the end and some of the other characters appear in it and what..." Read more

"...Not only does the storytelling resonate, readers in the know will find credible connections to material evidence open to view at the ruins of..." Read more

"...The stories, however, are woven together quite well. The main problem I have with this book is its lack of originality of material...." Read more

"...And by that, I mean real historical fiction, not Wikipedian historical fiction with bewilderingly 21st-century characters thrown in for good measure..." Read more

48 customers mention "Character development"45 positive3 negative

Customers find the characters rich and authentic. They appreciate the time the book gives them to emotionally connect with certain characters, unlike most short stories. The story portrays the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius vividly, with sharply etched characters that almost congeal into one another.

"...are stories written by seperate authors, all the parts and characters are connected. Characters from one part appeared in others and so on and on...." Read more

"...Against this backdrop, the characters are etched so sharply, that they almost congeal into the real-life plaster casts from the archaeological..." Read more

"...Very good character development of the prostitutes. Overall, some parts of the novel move too slowly...." Read more

"...And it has the emotional resonance of a deeply character-driven tale that invests readers in the hearts and minds of six characters...." Read more

26 customers mention "Emotional content"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book emotional and heartbreaking. They find it intense, sad, and uplifting at times. The plot explores the themes of human nature and disasters in an engaging way.

"...It simply brought me to tears. Not many stories can do that so I applaud E. Knight for being able to do that with this story...." Read more

"...There is a visceral sense, in this anthology, of drama, impending peril, and nature’s raw force...." Read more

"...The author's description of gladiatorial combat is masterful. A joy to read...." Read more

"...take the reader on a wild emotional ride, full of cliffhangers and heartbreak, pathos and humor, as the reader waits anxiously to discover the..." Read more

17 customers mention "Visual style"14 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's visual style engaging. They describe it as an immersive, beautifully crafted mosaic of short stories that creates an intimate atmosphere. The writing is described as excellent and colorful, providing a good view of what life might have been like in Pompeii.

"...Pompeii is one absolutely stunning book with such excellent and colorful writing, full of history about Pompeii, its citizens and the disaster that..." Read more

"...To my amazement, the story not only works, it is a work of art!..." Read more

"Perceptive and beautiful collection of short stories strung together like a pearl necklace, each one bringing the reader closer to a tragic and..." Read more

"...--Just a fabulous, cleverly crafted mosaic all round." Read more

9 customers mention "Author collaboration"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author collaboration. They find the storylines seamlessly connected and intertwined, making it easy to follow. The stories are well-done so as not to be confusing or overwhelming, and there are no jarring installments that detract from the overall experience.

"...The overlap of characters and stories is well done so as not to be confusing or overwhelming, but seems to speed up as the book progresses and..." Read more

"...It was cohesive. There were no jarring installments that detracted from the overall story - and there very much was an overall story...." Read more

"...They did a good job collaborating and meshing their individual writing styles as the various characters reappeared throughout the stories...." Read more

"...I'm so glad I did! I've never read such a seamlessly connected book, written by so many people...." Read more

7 customers mention "Strength"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's strength and courage. They find the characters' valiant efforts to survive impressive. The gritty and realistic portrayal of the end of a Roman city is appreciated, as well as the continuity of the storylines. Overall, customers are satisfied with the book's quality and condition.

"...She's fierce, independent and loyal. So how could I not love her?..." Read more

"...Ultimately it is a tale of love and courage, loyalty and the will to survive." Read more

"Book in good condition. I would purchase again from seller." Read more

"...consistently, incorporating characters and story lines with an admirable continuity...." Read more

The book is falling apart!
4 out of 5 stars
The book is falling apart!
I started reading this because I love historical fiction and two of my favorite writers contributed to this wonderful depiction of the day Pompeii was destroyed. You can actually feel the tremors and the fear of the citizens and the fascinating variety of main characters whose lives are forever affected. Excellent descriptions and insightful reveals of life styles and the mores of the day.HOWEVER. I had put this book on my bookshelf for a few months after receiving it from Amazon before beginning to read it and when I did, this week, pages began separating from the glue binding and falling out of the book. The cover looks new and is quality but the inside is a disaster. At least half the pages are loose or already separated. I'd love to exchange it for another copy but fear I've had it too long.Beware if you buy this; it is a terrific read IF your copy stays in book form.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2014
    Part one: The Son by Vicky Alvear Shecter

    I'm a big fan of this author and I was thrilled when I saw that the first part was her story. The Son is about a young man discovering the joys and disappointments of first loves and acceptance. I really liked this story because I soon discovered about who exactly (historically speaking) the story is about. But more than that, Vicky Alvear Shecter is a great writing and she pulled me right into the middle of Pompeii.

    Part two: The Heiress by Sophie Perinot

    Sophie Perinot is a unknown author to me but I loved her story. All the stories and characters in this book are connected but yet they're all different. I liked this story because it showed the struggles of marriage in ancient Roman times and how women didn't really have a show there. It also showed how people are not what they seem at first. Although Aemilia and Sabinus were very different, in age as well as personality, I still really liked Sabinus because he really wanted to take care of Aemilia and in the end he certainly did.

    Part three: The Soldier by Ben Kane

    Ben Kane is also a first time author to me. Just like the previous stories, I loved this one. I think it's impossible for me to hate a story about Pompeii but still, the story was great, the writing was excellent and it had a great pace. This story was a bit different from the other because it featured Rufus, an ex-soldier with debts. I really liked reading this point of view because it was more about the gladiators and the rougher side of Pompeii.

    Part four: The Senator by Kate Quinn

    This part was yet another amazing addition to the book. Definitely a favorite one of mine. Why? Because Diana (who appeared in the second story first, if I'm not mistaken) came in it, though it mainly focuses on senator, Marcus. Diana is a fantastic character because she's so different from the other women. She's fierce, independent and loyal. So how could I not love her? I liked her interactions with Marcus a lot and admire her so for not abandoning him in all the craziness. Marcus was a totally different story. Due to events happening in his lifetime he became a bit suicidal and didn't want to leave Pompeii when hell broke loose until Diana came to his rescue.

    Part five: The Mother by E. Knight

    I had expected this part to be sad because I anticipated where this story would go but I hadn't expected it to completely destroy me. It simply brought me to tears. Not many stories can do that so I applaud E. Knight for being able to do that with this story. It was beautiful in a tragic sort of way. The characters where this part focuses on were fantastic to read about, I loved them all and felt so badly for them. Heartbreaking but it was absolutely intriguing at the same time.

    Part six: The Whore by Stephanie Dray

    This part was excellent (just like the others) but I think I liked this one the best of them all because it ties everything up in the end and some of the other characters appear in it and what ultimately happens to them. This story is about Prima and Capella, two prostitues that are also sisters. They were definitely one of the more interesting characters, both very different but I thought reading both their points of view was so good. This story was also kind of sad but wonderfully told.

    Overall:
    I've always been fascinated by Pompeii but in the last year or so my fascination has grown even more so when I found out this book was happening I was so excited about it. The authors are all insanely good, though I had only read books by one of them. I heard a lot of amazing things about the others. Obviously, I wasn't wrong about it at all. The authors all delivered greatly and the book is one of the best I read this year. I might even call it the very best book I have read this year. Although these are stories written by seperate authors, all the parts and characters are connected. Characters from one part appeared in others and so on and on. I can't say enough how much I loved this. Because of this, this amazing collection of stories read as a full book. I can't express enough how much I loved this book.

    A Day of Fire: a novel of Pompeii is one absolutely stunning book with such excellent and colorful writing, full of history about Pompeii, its citizens and the disaster that struck everyone there. I completely recommend this brilliant read!
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2015
    What makes Pompeii such an interesting subject for both writers and readers is the number of unanswered questions that surround it. Did it indeed take place in August of 79AD as Pliny the Younger wrote or later that year? Who are the people – nobility, commoners or slaves whose bodies have been frozen in place by the volcanic ash at the time of their deaths? Why were they there that day and what were their stories?

    The ruins of Pompeii are a preternaturally preserved snapshot of a day in the life of ordinary folk from centuries ago – but a day unlike any other, a day that ended tragically for the inhabitants. This is the world that Pliny the Younger tries to describe in his letters about the event and the way in which it claimed his own uncle, Pliny the Elder. And this is the world that the six authors of Pompeii — A Day of Fire try to imagine as they recount the unfolding of that fateful day through the eyes of their all too human protagonists. As Vesuvius erupts and an avalanche of pumice stones and ash engulfs the town, every one of its residents is affected – some die instantaneously, others perish while trying to escape, and a lucky few miraculously survive.

    The six stories follow their respective actors – young men and women, legionaries and senators, mothers and priestesses, patricians and slaves – in an interwoven tale that shares a common time span and backdrop. Each of them has their own personal story arc, which inevitably intersects with some of the others (being townspeople caught up in a common tragedy), and each story comes face-to-face with the same violent reality. There is a visceral sense, in this anthology, of drama, impending peril, and nature’s raw force. Against this backdrop, the characters are etched so sharply, that they almost congeal into the real-life plaster casts from the archaeological excavations. It is not hard to imagine “the beggar,” “the pregnant mother,” or “the slave,” being among the characters featured in these stories.

    A review in verse is presented at our blog https://historynmystery.wordpress.com/2015/10/26/a-day-of-fire-review-in-verse/
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2024
    I read this book because Ben Kane had a part in writing it. At first, the idea of a single novel being written by six different authors seemed a reach too far, but I decided to give it a try because of Ben. To my amazement, the story not only works, it is a work of art! Structurally it is reminiscent of Thornton Wilder's BRIDGE OVER SAN LUIS REY, except DAY OF FIRE is the collaborative effort of five different authors. If a reader looks for it, I suppose stylistic differences among the sections might pop out; however, to me, the novel is seamless. The sections are tied together thematically, of course, but the same characters even appear in more than one section. For anyone who has visited Pompeii, memorable archaeological remains form the historical springboard for each part of the novel. Not only does the storytelling resonate, readers in the know will find credible connections to material evidence open to view at the ruins of Pompeii itself. Finally, the trajectory of the story is very touching--not in a cloyingly sentimental way, but in a convincingly human way. A DAY OF FIRE is an excellent read. I recommend it without reservation!

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Diane Melanson-Blake
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully historical. Well developed characters.
    Reviewed in Canada on April 26, 2024
    I hated coming to the end.
  • JPS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid and apocalyptic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2017
    This is a splendid novel – in fact a collection of six inter-related stories of six different characters by six different authors and their perspectives during the catastrophic destruction of Pompeii in AD 79. All of the stories are superb, largely because the characterisation is excellent. I do happen to have my favourites, although this is because I liked and sympathised with some characters more than with others, not because some stories are weaker than others. Some of the characters are historical. Others are fictional. In both cases, however, the authors have been extremely careful and worked hard to make them historically plausible. Unsurprisingly then, I am also going to give this book a highly deserved five stars.

    My favourite character is one of the historical ones – that of old admiral Pliny the Elder who, on learning of the disaster, set out with his ships and died when attempting to rescue the population, with the story being told by his nephew and adopted son, Pliny the Younger (“the Son”). The sober style, with plenty of suppressed emotion, with which his nephew tells the story makes all the more moving.

    One of my favourite stories, the saddest of all in my view, is “the Mother”. This is partly because it is based on some of the archaeological findings in one of the houses of Pompeii and on the remains of thirteen human bodies found in this villa in particular. It is also because the narrative shows some of the characters exhibiting “Roman behaviours” and in particularly desperately clicking on to the shreds of their dignity during their last moments. Finally, it is because it shows (and so does a couple of the other stories) why so many got trapped and failed to flee early enough, believing that it was just another earthquake that they could ride out.

    Two of my other favourite characters were the fictional Senator Norbanus and the no less fictional Diana, the eccentric scion of the Cornelii, both of which appear in several stories (and I other stories written by the author) but are mainly displayed here in “The Senator”. Another great story is Ben Kane’s “The Soldier” which focuses on a retired legionary and his maimed comrade in arms and gives a rather grim idea of what could happen to these once their service days were over. Also grim is “the Whore”, with the main characters – two sisters – illustrating “sexploitation” but also how laws could be abused and ignored unless you had a powerful protector or relations to help you.

    Perhaps the most valuable thing about this book is the rather superb and vivid image of Roman society during the Early Roman Empire that it conveys. It was a deeply unequal society where the poor suffered and were exploited and where the rich and/or powerful could - and often did - abuse their power and get away with it. A remarkable piece of collective team writing that I cannot recommend enough. A MUST read.
  • Lyanna
    4.0 out of 5 stars Muy Recomendable!
    Reviewed in Spain on August 3, 2017
    Me gusto mucho, en mi opinion, un poco corto, quiza sera porque me encantan las novelas historicas y siempre me quedo con ganas de mas. Admirable como las vidas de todos los personajes representados en el libro por diferentes autores acaban encontrandose de un modo u otro en la historia. Muy entretenido y ameno aunque tambien con un sabor agridulce por la terrible tragedia que tuvo lugar en Pompeya y se llevo tantas vidas.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just a normal day until the volcano fully awoke.
    Reviewed in Australia on January 1, 2019
    By it's very subject matter Pompeii lends itself to tales of tragedy and escape.

    The authors manage to produce a seemless work tying a cast of characters together.

    Most characters are inspired from historical and archaelogical records.
  • Francisco Padilla
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic and Incredibly Touching
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 12, 2016
    Talking about bravery, courage, human feelings, love, despair, hope and loses, would be poor and insufficient to celebrate the greatness of this novel with multiple fathers and mothers,,,,