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Vesuvius by Night
In the late August of AD 79 the inhabitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum are going about their normal business in the late summer heat. Two of them have a room share Nonius, scrounger, thief and failed pimp works by night and sleeps by day; Larius, the fresco painter with dreams of artistic greatness, does the opposite. When just after midday the summit of Vesuvius disappears in a vast volcanic ash cloud, their lives will change forever. While one sets about looting rapidly emptying homes the other desperately tries to save his family from destruction.Lindsey Davis brings alive one the greatest catastrophes in human history in this gripping novella, poignantly evoking the struggle for life in the cities beneath the volcano.
82 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2017
104 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Lindsey Davis
79 books1,496 followersLindsey Davis, historical novelist, was born in Birmingham, England in 1949. Having taken a degree in English literature at Oxford University (Lady Margaret Hall), she became a civil servant. She left the civil service after 13 years, and when a romantic novel she had written was runner up for the 1985 Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize, she decided to become a writer, writing at first romantic serials for the UK women's magazine Woman's Realm.
Her interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she couldn't find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs, set in the same time period and published in 1989, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further nineteen Falco novels and Falco: The Official Companion have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was finally published in 1998. Rebels and Traitors, set in the period of the English Civil War, was published in September 2009. Davis has won many literary awards, and was honorary president of the Classical Association from 1997 to 1998.
Her interest in history and archaeology led to her writing a historical novel about Vespasian and his lover Antonia Caenis (The Course of Honour), for which she couldn't find a publisher. She tried again, and her first novel featuring the Roman "detective", Marcus Didius Falco, The Silver Pigs, set in the same time period and published in 1989, was the start of her runaway success as a writer of historical whodunnits. A further nineteen Falco novels and Falco: The Official Companion have followed, as well as The Course of Honour, which was finally published in 1998. Rebels and Traitors, set in the period of the English Civil War, was published in September 2009. Davis has won many literary awards, and was honorary president of the Classical Association from 1997 to 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 28, 2021
Lo que más me ha gustado es el trasfondo histórico; de hecho creo que la historia de los dos protagonistas es la excusa que tiene la autora para explicarnos lo que supuso la erupción del Vesubio.
September 4, 2021
Not a happy ending.
June 19, 2017
A much better story than you would think from the reviews here. If you were expecting comic relief as in some of the Falco mysteries, you would disappointed. This story has a depth to it and is more balanced than some of her other historical fiction. The only issue I would have is the ending is abrupt. But I enjoyed how the author described the characters, the scenery, and events.
April 12, 2018
I read this alongside Mary Beards ‘Pompei ‘. It was interesting to read both a fictional account and a factual description of the rooms and houses mentioned in the story. It’s a tribute to the writing that it is easy to link both accounts. Lindsey Davies has managed to bring to life the tragic events of that day with warmth and compassion.
August 19, 2018
So here we discover what happened to Falco's nephew Larius, the painter who left Rome for Campania. The historical detail here is fabulous. The tragedy is immense. Unfortunately, the narrative keeps us at a distance from the characters and so it's not as satisfying or emotional as you'd hope. But a compelling short read, nonetheless. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
June 5, 2025
A Heartfelt and Heartbreaking Novel
The novel begins with a vignette of Nonius's current life as a common thief and a confidence man until Vesuvius erupts. This opening sets the tone for the rest of the novel. It is a historical novel that tells the story of how the three main characters react to save themselves under the most horrific conditions.
The novel has three main storyline threads. The first thread deals with the actions of Nonius. He stays so that he can reap the benefits of this unexpected event. The second thread, the central thread of the novel, tells the story of the fresco painter Larius Lollius and his daughter, Marciana, who alternates her weeks between her mother in Herculaneum and her father in Pompeii. Amid the hellish conditions, their efforts to escape and help others escape are told. The third thread tells the story of Ollia, Lollius’s wife, and their five children. She lives in Herculaneum. She is paralyzed with fear when the eruption starts. She stays, knowing that Larius will come there to find her and the two sets of twins. She finally must try to escape. There are not any twists and turns in the storyline, just unending obstacles that must be overcome. Many of them are human-related. What caught my interest was the indomitable spirit of the human side of this story.
For a short story, the background of the main characters is excellent. I felt that I understood each of them, their history, wants, needs, and fears. The depth of Larius and Nonius’s characters is reinforced by their action during the eruption. There is a B-storyline between Larius and Marciana. She wants to follow in her father's footsteps to become a fresco painter. He has her mix the paints and help, even though in the very misogynistic Roman society, she will never become a fresco painter. This aspect was one of the primary reasons that I enjoyed reading the novel.
Generally, Lindsey Davis’s novels are very light on the trifecta of the aspects that can cause some readers to stop reading. There is one quick murder that might rate a PG-13 at worst. Foul language is light, as usual, for her novels. There is an intimate scene and other references. I would not use this as a reason not to read this short story, as they are not presented in an inappropriate manner. I found that using my e-reader allowed me to look up some volcanic terms and the geography of the region. As this is a stand-alone short story, there is no need to worry about what happened in a previous work.
I had a more enhanced response to this novel, as I have visited both Pompeii and Herculaneum. When I entered Pompeii, the road ended at the back of the Forum. Vesuvius dominates the view behind the Forum, even with much of its top missing. I have stood at the entrance to the boat sheds in Herculaneum and viewed the utter horror of the numerous skeletons within them. As such, I had a more enriched vision of the scenes than those portrayed by the author. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of the human side of this horrible tragedy. The ending is bittersweet; this is not a fairy tale. I highly recommend reading it and rate it with five stars.
The novel begins with a vignette of Nonius's current life as a common thief and a confidence man until Vesuvius erupts. This opening sets the tone for the rest of the novel. It is a historical novel that tells the story of how the three main characters react to save themselves under the most horrific conditions.
The novel has three main storyline threads. The first thread deals with the actions of Nonius. He stays so that he can reap the benefits of this unexpected event. The second thread, the central thread of the novel, tells the story of the fresco painter Larius Lollius and his daughter, Marciana, who alternates her weeks between her mother in Herculaneum and her father in Pompeii. Amid the hellish conditions, their efforts to escape and help others escape are told. The third thread tells the story of Ollia, Lollius’s wife, and their five children. She lives in Herculaneum. She is paralyzed with fear when the eruption starts. She stays, knowing that Larius will come there to find her and the two sets of twins. She finally must try to escape. There are not any twists and turns in the storyline, just unending obstacles that must be overcome. Many of them are human-related. What caught my interest was the indomitable spirit of the human side of this story.
For a short story, the background of the main characters is excellent. I felt that I understood each of them, their history, wants, needs, and fears. The depth of Larius and Nonius’s characters is reinforced by their action during the eruption. There is a B-storyline between Larius and Marciana. She wants to follow in her father's footsteps to become a fresco painter. He has her mix the paints and help, even though in the very misogynistic Roman society, she will never become a fresco painter. This aspect was one of the primary reasons that I enjoyed reading the novel.
Generally, Lindsey Davis’s novels are very light on the trifecta of the aspects that can cause some readers to stop reading. There is one quick murder that might rate a PG-13 at worst. Foul language is light, as usual, for her novels. There is an intimate scene and other references. I would not use this as a reason not to read this short story, as they are not presented in an inappropriate manner. I found that using my e-reader allowed me to look up some volcanic terms and the geography of the region. As this is a stand-alone short story, there is no need to worry about what happened in a previous work.
I had a more enhanced response to this novel, as I have visited both Pompeii and Herculaneum. When I entered Pompeii, the road ended at the back of the Forum. Vesuvius dominates the view behind the Forum, even with much of its top missing. I have stood at the entrance to the boat sheds in Herculaneum and viewed the utter horror of the numerous skeletons within them. As such, I had a more enriched vision of the scenes than those portrayed by the author. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of the human side of this horrible tragedy. The ending is bittersweet; this is not a fairy tale. I highly recommend reading it and rate it with five stars.
September 19, 2022
2022 bk 288. The tale of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The only mystery this solves is that of what happened to Marcus Didio Falco's nephew Larius - the one who wanted to be an artist. We learn that he did indeed become an artist, running his own group of mural painters in the city of Pompeii. He did marry his poetry loving sweetheart and they had five children. This is the story of their last day.
May 31, 2017
2.5 stars. 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.
March 23, 2017
So, so
Mediocre book from a good writer Enjoyable but nothing new, doesn't add to the collective imagery or idealization or reconstruction of the time
Mediocre book from a good writer Enjoyable but nothing new, doesn't add to the collective imagery or idealization or reconstruction of the time
October 30, 2019
a well written rendering about two characters, one very bad and the other an artist concerned for his family, among the drama of the vesuvius eruption that destroyed pompeii and herculanum
January 28, 2023
I finally (!!) picked this up on Audible.com and am I glad I did.
If you are a follower of the Falco series, you should know at least one of the main characters. If you aren't it won't matter. The difference, at least for me, is that I remembered that person from when he was a lot younger, more nieve, and a bit adventurous. It mattered.
I've studied what happened at Pompeii a lot in the past couple of years, but I have to admit that there was a head-slap moment when I realized that there was more than one way out of town, and it did not involve the water. [ Insert head-slap.] Yeah, it just never occurred to me. The other point is that apparently the majority of people started leaving early on. Call it a memory of the earthquake that almost destroyed the town a few years before. Archeologists have found many buildings still under repair from that earthquake.
All that being said, this was a powerful piece that resonated long after I finished listening.
This one will stay with you a bit and I think you will recall it if/when you watch any Pompeii walkthrough tours.
If you are a follower of the Falco series, you should know at least one of the main characters. If you aren't it won't matter. The difference, at least for me, is that I remembered that person from when he was a lot younger, more nieve, and a bit adventurous. It mattered.
I've studied what happened at Pompeii a lot in the past couple of years, but I have to admit that there was a head-slap moment when I realized that there was more than one way out of town, and it did not involve the water. [ Insert head-slap.] Yeah, it just never occurred to me. The other point is that apparently the majority of people started leaving early on. Call it a memory of the earthquake that almost destroyed the town a few years before. Archeologists have found many buildings still under repair from that earthquake.
All that being said, this was a powerful piece that resonated long after I finished listening.
This one will stay with you a bit and I think you will recall it if/when you watch any Pompeii walkthrough tours.
March 26, 2018
A novella really...less than 100 pages. The cataclysmic eruption is described from the point of view of two men who share a room, one using it by day the other by night. Nonius is a con man, Larius is a painter and only once refers to his "Uncle Falco," tying this to her other series. With her usual storytelling skills Lindsey Davis brings the two characters vividly to life along with their assorted family members and co-workers...people going about the business of their day until the top blows off the mountain and everyone must decide how best to try and escape. I am sure that many of the details in the story...the food in the baker's oven, the subject of the newly painted frescoes, the reconstruction work in the forum, etc were all revealed by archaeological excavations, but I would have hoped for an afterword from the author detailing some of the sources.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 25, 2022Yes, this is a gripping short story involving Larius - Falco's Fresco painting nephew. More the pity is that of all the interesting members of Falco's extended family we only have a few tit-bits about him. Still the harrowing account of Larius trying to get his daughter to some sort of safety while his wife and children are trying to do the same and ending in the famous boat shed of Herculaneum and meet their end there. Whereas Larius and daughter meet their end near Oplontis. As for the villain getting away thereby making the moral of the story that only those who are ruthless and nasty will survive. My one complaint is that there was no Post scrip about how Falco, Helena and the rest of his family reacted to the news of Laius' death in the eruption. Now that would have rounded off the story
May 3, 2020
This one is just what it says on the tin, a disaster novella. It gives a compelling account of the last days of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and is marvellously rich in historical detail (as is everything written by this author.) The eruption sequence is chilling, the terror and helplessness of the victims encapsulated in a father trying to escape Pompeii with his eight-year-old daughter while the rest of his family flee Herculaneum. The other principal character is the scumbag Nonius.
A quick and satisfying read, with some poignant moments and very well-drawn characters. However, lacking the charm of a Falco and his brood (although Larius, the painter, is his nephew) I didn’t find it anywhere near as engaging as her other works.
A quick and satisfying read, with some poignant moments and very well-drawn characters. However, lacking the charm of a Falco and his brood (although Larius, the painter, is his nephew) I didn’t find it anywhere near as engaging as her other works.
November 29, 2022
That’s not how volcanoes work, not how you describe volcanism, and really if your character is stood in a villa as it’s filling with “still hot magma”, he’s got bigger problems than how to escape, because you mean ash/pumice not magma.
I more or less managed to cope with the modern vernacular and Oder way of speaking of the characters, but the science is just wrong.
And yeah, it’s historical fiction, but if you’re writing about something as well known as the 79AD eruption, please at least either fact check your science terminology to the modern standard or pick the terms they would have used back then.
I more or less managed to cope with the modern vernacular and Oder way of speaking of the characters, but the science is just wrong.
And yeah, it’s historical fiction, but if you’re writing about something as well known as the 79AD eruption, please at least either fact check your science terminology to the modern standard or pick the terms they would have used back then.
January 23, 2024
In this short story the author, well known for her Falco series, deals with the traumatic events surrounding the eruption of Vesuvius. We follow a minor character from the novels as he tries to reach safety with one of his daughters. The outcome, unfortunately, is inevitable. This is not the case for the villain of the story who manages to escape and live a long life on the proceeds of the goods he has looted. His escape is not very credible, a weak point in the story in my opinion.
A sympathetic look at the fate of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis but nonetheless doesn't, in my opinion match the high standards of her novels.
A sympathetic look at the fate of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis but nonetheless doesn't, in my opinion match the high standards of her novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2018
Solid novella brings ancient Pompeii to life
I always enjoy Lindsay Davis' Falco mysteries, and this story is tangentially related. It is the story of two men, one an artist and one a grifter, in the last days of the doomed region. Davis' recounting of what it must have been like to be there is vivid.
I always enjoy Lindsay Davis' Falco mysteries, and this story is tangentially related. It is the story of two men, one an artist and one a grifter, in the last days of the doomed region. Davis' recounting of what it must have been like to be there is vivid.
April 10, 2019
Short story set in the world of Ancient Rome/ the world of Falco and his kin. In this case, a nephew and family. As might be predicted, it does end well, and in fact is a bit of a harrowing tale all around. Seems a well research and realistic portrayal of the eruption though, and reads - as might be expected - extremely well.
December 1, 2020
I ran out of reading material at work, opened my nook and realized I had several e-books that I had forgotten about. This quick and disturbing tale of one of Falco's nephews and his family during the eruption of Vesuvius was harrowing and sorrowful. I remember in one of the books that Falco wonders what happened to his painter nephew. Now we know.
April 7, 2018
Another look at the destruction of Pompeii
A good insight of what happened to the many characters living near Vesuvius.i didn't think it was a long book. ,but it kept hold of the reader throughout the book .
A good insight of what happened to the many characters living near Vesuvius.i didn't think it was a long book. ,but it kept hold of the reader throughout the book .
January 28, 2019
This was well written, but the characters are so unlikable. The most unlikable is the only one to survive.
This shows the really intense accuracy that the author put into it.
I just wish she had more likable characters
This shows the really intense accuracy that the author put into it.
I just wish she had more likable characters
February 14, 2019
Snappy little novella; I didn't even make the connection with Falco's nephew until it was mentioned. Rather a grim read but gives some idea of the hideousness of the eruption for the inhabitants of Herculaneum and Pompei
April 7, 2019
While the character of Larius links back to the Falco novels the main character of this novello is the volcano, Vesusius. The description of the days the leading up to the eruption and the eruption itself are very well done and are in line with historical accounts. The human characters are not drawn in great depth but they do add to the atmosphere of the cataclysmic event which overtook the area so long ago.
February 19, 2020
Horror at its best
Wow. Ms Daviea captured the horror of vesuvius in this tale of those who lived this nightmare. Well researched and enriched detail of this eruption that ..could happen agsin
Wow. Ms Daviea captured the horror of vesuvius in this tale of those who lived this nightmare. Well researched and enriched detail of this eruption that ..could happen agsin
August 23, 2021
This novella is wrenchingly difficult to read for those of us who have grown fond of Lindsey Davis’s Falco series characters. It has the ring of truth, and thus is painful to contemplate. I admire its craft and don’t ever want to read it again.
June 14, 2017
Haunting
This story brings the eruption of Vesuvius to vivid life. Giving some of the victims names & history made it incredibly sad. This will haunt me for a long time.
This story brings the eruption of Vesuvius to vivid life. Giving some of the victims names & history made it incredibly sad. This will haunt me for a long time.
September 23, 2019
A rather sad short story which humanises the AD79 tragedy.
April 20, 2021
You see all the documentaries about Pompeii but this rally makes you think about what might have happened to all the people. I rally enjoyed it
November 27, 2022
Terror unadorned
A matter of fact description of the plight of ordinary human beings caught in nature's cataclysm. A story with no happy ending and rightly so.
A matter of fact description of the plight of ordinary human beings caught in nature's cataclysm. A story with no happy ending and rightly so.
April 29, 2023
A superbly well written story of the tragedy of the Pompeii as seen through the eyes of some of the citizens, quite an emotional read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews