Vesuvius Takes Us to Pompeii and To A Tense Partnership Between a Thief and A Believer

The volcano isn’t the only resident preparing to erupt.

A story that foretells an iconic disaster that the Western world won’t forget? And it is gay with a reference to gods and the supernatural? We get a winning combo, if a sobering one when we get to know characters who are doomed in the city of Pompeii regardless of their allegiances.

I was interested in Vesuvius because of the historical approach to a queer relationship. We’ve been told too many times that queer people didn’t exist by certain parties, something that many LGBTQ+ know now as homophobic and transphobic propaganda. That and I feel that this is the time to read more books by LGBTQ+ authors. The timing couldn’t have been better, as I was looking for books similar to Percy Jackson that maintained the connections to mythology.

Vesuvius by Cass Biehn

A thief named Felix comes across good (or bad) luck when stealing a helmet along with plenty of wine. In the temple of Isis, attendant Loren has dreamed of Felix as a city-destroying ghost. When the two meet, Loren’s first response is to toss a bowl at Felix, fearing his dreams may have come to life. They may have, as the helmet supposedly belonged to Mercury, the…