An extremely good Target novelization. It grants us greater access into the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and a great new TARDIS scene at the beginning with 10 and Donna. I also appreciated the hint at the end that the Tenth Doctor continued to watch over Caelicius and his family, and influenced things so life would go their way. A neat idea.

Overall it was an okay read for me. Not the best prose but more than worth it for the final couple of chapters which were an incredibly emotional read. The description of the destruction of Pompeii had me totally wrapped up in the tragedy of it all and fully taken in by the writing.

A solid adaptation of a good story, and one that left me wanting to learn more about the history of Pompeii.