Agentes! a great review from the historical novel society!

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Eureka! the final volume of the Embers of Empire spy saga, the farewell of the gods, won top praise as an 'editor's pick' from the historical novel society's reviewer, Keira Morgan.

 

She writes, '...the events felt immediate and intensely personal. the characters are vivid, the dilemmmas 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.'

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Here is Morgan's complete review from the Historical Novel Society's Issue 116, May 2026 

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"The Farewell of the Gods is the final volume in the 4th century Roman Empire series Embers of Empire, featuring Marcus Numidianus, now intellligence 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, (author 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.

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At the outset, Numidianus has promised his wife he will retire. Yet his most trusted agens 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." ​

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THE COMPLETE SERIES 1-12 IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON, CLICK HERE

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Books 1-6 are also available at

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Apple Books

Barnes & Noble/Nook

Kobo

Everand

Smashwords

Tolino

OverDrive

CloudLibrary

BorrowBox

Hoopla

Vivlio & Vivlio Libraries

Gardners

Fable

Bookshop.org

 

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