The Farewell of the Gods: A Novel of the Late Roman Empire (Embers of Empire)
The Farewell of the Gods is the final volume in the 4th-century Roman Empire series Embers of Empire, featuring Marcus Numidianus, now Intelligence Chief of the schola, the Empire’s elite spy network.
In a framing prologue, Hunter presents the semi-blind Numidianus at his Roman home, recounting his story to the historian Ammianus Marcellinus, Hunter’s principal source. He poses the question that drives the narrative: was the catastrophic defeat of the Roman army foretold? Numidianus believes it was and blames himself. As Intelligence Chief, it was his sacred duty to foresee disaster. Why did he fail? From that moment, the tale unfolds as both confession and investigation.
At the outset, Numidianus has promised his wife he will retire. Yet his most trusted agente arrives with an urgent plea: as his final service, he must escort an embassy of Gothic leaders across hundreds of miles to meet Emperor Valens and petition for sanctuary from the advancing Huns. Despite his wife’s fury, Numidianus accepts, and from then on, each promise he has made begins to unravel.
Hunter delivers a compelling and closely researched account of the Gothic crisis, the defeat at Adrianople under Valens, and the gradual destabilisation of the eastern Roman Empire between 376 and 378. Seen through the eyes of Numidianus and his agentes, the events feel immediate and intensely personal. The characters are vivid, the dilemmas harrowing, and the pacing swift as calamities crowd upon one another. I enjoyed it so much that I now want to begin with Book One and read the entire series.
