The Last Dying Light

In the early sixth century, the Eastern Roman Empire faces war, famine and pressure along its northern frontier. Varus, a young Herulian slave in the household of the general and future emperor Justin, learns that his master intends to strengthen the empire and recover territories lost after the collapse of Roman government in the West.

After entering the Roman army, Varus serves under the rising commander Belisarius against invaders in the Balkans. His military education unfolds alongside the transfer of power from Anastasius to Justin I and the emergence of Justinian, while questions about Varus’s origins draw him more closely into the plans of the imperial court.