Waiting for the Barbarians characters

Also known as the Magistrate

Appears from the start

The unnamed civil administrator of a remote frontier settlement of the Empire. Nearing retirement, he prefers routine, local accommodation, and his archaeological interests to military action. The arrival of the Third Bureau forces him to confront how much his quiet administration depends on imperial power.

Appears from the start

An officer of the Empire's Third Bureau who comes to the frontier to investigate reports of unrest among the nomadic people beyond the border. Joll wears dark glasses and treats pain as a reliable route to confession, bringing the methods of the imperial security service into the Magistrate's previously quiet settlement.

Appears from the start

An elderly man brought into the settlement with a younger relative after soldiers detain them near the frontier. He says they came to seek medicine, but Joll treats him as a source of military information about the people the Empire calls barbarians.

Also known as the Boy

Appears from the start

The old prisoner's young companion. Frightened and dependent on the adults holding him, he is questioned by Joll after the old man dies in custody.

Also known as the Girl

First appears in chapter 2

A young woman from the nomadic people beyond the frontier, left begging in the settlement after an imperial roundup. Interrogation has damaged her eyesight and injured her feet and ankles. The Magistrate takes her into his rooms, but her reserve prevents him from turning care into easy understanding.

First appears in chapter 4

A younger Third Bureau officer who assumes authority at the settlement after the Magistrate's arrest. Mandel is polished, contemptuous, and willing to use imprisonment, deprivation, and public humiliation against a man who has been declared an enemy of the Empire.