HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY'S EDITOR'S CHOICE: "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."
KEIRA MORGAN, REVIEWER,
Historical Novel Society Magazine, May 2026
Have the ancient gods abandoned Rome for good?
After a brutal career running intelligence for multiple Roman emperors, Marcus Numidianus can almost taste the pleasures of retirement to his Constantinople garden. He tackles one last task as spy chief—to escort Goth fighters begging Emperor Valens for imperial sanctuary from the encroaching Huns. But the Danube River crossing of tens of thousands of barbarian refugees disintegrates into slave-trading, starvation, and assassination by corrupt border officers. In the confusion, one of Marcus’ high-stakes hostages disappears and his best agent is seized.
Marcus searches for them across Goth-ravaged Thrace as Valens’ peace deal with his barbarian ‘recruits’ collapses due to double-dealing on both sides. Instead of a well-earned pension, Numidianus faces a debacle threatening the Valentinian dynasty and even the Empire to which the battered freedman has devoted three decades of service.
The Farewell of the Gods is the long-awaited final volume in the ground-breaking 4th century espionage series, the Embers of Empire, which has delighted fans of Bernard Cornwall, Steven Saylor, and Robert Harris.
Genre: Thriller
KEIRA MORGAN, REVIEWER,
Historical Novel Society Magazine, May 2026
Have the ancient gods abandoned Rome for good?
After a brutal career running intelligence for multiple Roman emperors, Marcus Numidianus can almost taste the pleasures of retirement to his Constantinople garden. He tackles one last task as spy chief—to escort Goth fighters begging Emperor Valens for imperial sanctuary from the encroaching Huns. But the Danube River crossing of tens of thousands of barbarian refugees disintegrates into slave-trading, starvation, and assassination by corrupt border officers. In the confusion, one of Marcus’ high-stakes hostages disappears and his best agent is seized.
Marcus searches for them across Goth-ravaged Thrace as Valens’ peace deal with his barbarian ‘recruits’ collapses due to double-dealing on both sides. Instead of a well-earned pension, Numidianus faces a debacle threatening the Valentinian dynasty and even the Empire to which the battered freedman has devoted three decades of service.
The Farewell of the Gods is the long-awaited final volume in the ground-breaking 4th century espionage series, the Embers of Empire, which has delighted fans of Bernard Cornwall, Steven Saylor, and Robert Harris.
Genre: Thriller
Used availability for Q V Hunter's The Farewell of the Gods