Vesuvius

Gr 9 Up–A queer historical romance set just prior to the destruction of Pompeii. Loren, a temple attendant to the goddess Isis with ambitions in politics, knows Felix even before the young man hides in the temple with a stolen relic. Felix, 16, features in the apocalyptic nightmares Loren has been refusing to consider might be prophetic dreams of mass destruction. Felix steals the Helmet of Mercury and finds himself immune to its powers, which burn everyone who touches it. He teams up with Loren to find out why and to uncover the connection between the helmet and Loren’s dreams. As earthquakes shake the city at more frequent intervals, the boys know they’re running out of time. Much like any story involving the Titanic, knowing Pompeii’s ending won’t stop readers from investing in Loren and Felix’s romance and hoping desperately for a way out of the city. Biehn’s writing is blunt and abrupt, but despite the fact the heroes meet in chapter one, the story unfolds rather slowly as multiple plotlines fight for dominance in the opening chapters. Nevertheless, their short sentences move readers quickly through a richly described Roman city and invest them in the world, though the climax of the plot steals some of Vesuvius’s titular impact. Loren is gay, Felix is bisexual, and there is additional racial and ethnic diversity mentioned as they explore the city.