Super Short Summary

In Waiting for the Barbarians, the Magistrate of a distant frontier outpost of the Empire grapples with the increasing brutality of Colonel Joll, who arrives to quell supposed barbarian threats. As Joll's methods become more violent, the Magistrate befriends a maimed prisoner girl and eventually distances himself from the Empire's oppressive regime by returning her to her people, leading to his own downfall. Contains references to war, sexual assault, and torture.