"Waiting for the End"
by Robert Silverberg
Form: Novelette
Year: 1998
ID: 1249
Publication history:
- 1998: Asimov's October/November 1998, Dell Magazine, 240 pp.
- 2003: Roma Eterna, Eos Hard cover book, ISBN 0380978598, 396 pp.
- 2003: Roma Eterna, Gollancz Hard cover book, ISBN 0575073535, 384 pp.
- 2003: Roma Eterna, Gollancz Trade paperback, ISBN 0575073543, 384 pp.
- 2004: Roma Eterna, Eos Mass market paperback, ISBN 0380814889, 464 pp.
Other resources:
[None on record]
Comments:
This is another story from the Roma Eterna alternate history.
Lucius Aelius Antipater is the "Master of Greek Letters to Caesar," basically a translator for the Emperor Maximilianus VI. It is a troubled time for the Empire, with the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire gaining in strength as the Western fades after a series of disastrous campaigns in the New World. A secret message from the enemy has been intercepted, and Caesar is faced with a number of equally futile choices. Quite an enjoyable read, well thought out, with a satisfying ending and engaging characters. It is worth noting that this, like The Alien Years, puts the protagonist in the position of facing an unbeatable foe, and that in neither case does the classic result in a rousing but improbable triumph.