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Cadia #4
Shadow of the Eighth
A Minka Lesk Novel
As Cadia burned, one young recruit rose to prominence. Now a respected captain, Minka Lesk and her Cadian 101st are on a mission to track down the missing 8th Regiment on a nightmarish war-wracked planet.
READ IT BECAUSE
The next chapter in Minka Lesk's saga after her battles in Traitor Rock shows us both the horror and glory of the Cadian legacy in a violent galaxy.
THE STORY
The forces of Cadia struggle ever onward, desperate to avenge the destruction of their home world and prove that even in the wake of profound loss, they remain the exemplars of the Astra Militarum.
When Minka Lesk and the Cadian 101st discover a relic of the missing Cadian 8th – thought lost in the planet’s defence – they see an opportunity to right a past wrong, and follow the trail to Telken’s Rest, a world at the core of the Chaos warlord Drakul-zar’s collapsing regime.
But the Imperium are not the only force to pounce upon the carcass of Telken’s Rest, and Minka soon discovers that there are dark secrets hidden amidst the icy sprawl of hab blocks and manufactoria. As the past comes back to haunt them, the Cadian 101st face a choice – will they stand firm and do what needs to be done, or will the spectre of what they have lost lead them astray?
Written by Justin D Hill
As Cadia burned, one young recruit rose to prominence. Now a respected captain, Minka Lesk and her Cadian 101st are on a mission to track down the missing 8th Regiment on a nightmarish war-wracked planet.
READ IT BECAUSE
The next chapter in Minka Lesk's saga after her battles in Traitor Rock shows us both the horror and glory of the Cadian legacy in a violent galaxy.
THE STORY
The forces of Cadia struggle ever onward, desperate to avenge the destruction of their home world and prove that even in the wake of profound loss, they remain the exemplars of the Astra Militarum.
When Minka Lesk and the Cadian 101st discover a relic of the missing Cadian 8th – thought lost in the planet’s defence – they see an opportunity to right a past wrong, and follow the trail to Telken’s Rest, a world at the core of the Chaos warlord Drakul-zar’s collapsing regime.
But the Imperium are not the only force to pounce upon the carcass of Telken’s Rest, and Minka soon discovers that there are dark secrets hidden amidst the icy sprawl of hab blocks and manufactoria. As the past comes back to haunt them, the Cadian 101st face a choice – will they stand firm and do what needs to be done, or will the spectre of what they have lost lead them astray?
Written by Justin D Hill
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2023
About the author
Justin D. Hill
52 books79 followersJustin D. Hill is the creator of Minka Lesk and the author of the Warhammer 40,000 novels Cadia Stands, Cadian Honour, Traitor Rock, Shadow of the Eighth, Hell’s Last and Pilgrims of Fire. His other Black Library fiction ranges from the underhives of Necromunda in Terminal Overkill to the darkness of The Bookkeeper’s Skull and the battlefields of the Space Marines.
He has been part of the Warhammer hobby for most of his life. He bought his first White Dwarf at the age of ten, became a long-time Imperial Guard player, and has accumulated armies, miniatures and rather more unpainted plastic than is probably reasonable.
As Justin Hill, he is an award-winning novelist whose work has three times been nominated for the Booker Prize. In 2001, The Independent on Sunday named him one of the UK's Top Twenty Young British Writers.
Born in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, he grew up in York and studied Old English and Medieval Literature at Durham University. After graduating, he spent seven years working with Voluntary Service Overseas in rural China and Eritrea.
Much of his writing career has been devoted to stories about people caught up in the collapse of worlds, from the fall of Cadia to England on the eve of the Norman Conquest, the upheavals of modern China and the aftermath of war in Eritrea.
He travelled overland from China to Europe twice, once on the Trans-Siberian Railway and once through the Hindu Kush. His time in Eritrea ended dramatically in June 1998, when he was airlifted out through a recently bombed airport, with Ethiopian fighter jets circling overhead.
His first novel, The Drink and Dream Teahouse, won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and a Betty Trask Award, was chosen by The Washington Post as one of the top novels of 2001, and was banned in China. His second novel, Passing Under Heaven, won the Somerset Maugham Award. Ciao Asmara, his account of his years in Eritrea, was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.
His historical novels Shieldwall and Viking Fire explore the wars and upheavals that culminated in the Norman Conquest. Shieldwall was chosen by The Sunday Times as a Book of the Year, while Viking Fire, which follows the extraordinary life of Harald Hardrada, was a Times Book of the Year.
He was also selected to write Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, the novelisation of the sequel to the Oscar-winning film.
His books have been translated into seventeen languages.
He lives in the foothills of the North Yorkshire Moors, where he still paints and plays Warhammer.
He has been part of the Warhammer hobby for most of his life. He bought his first White Dwarf at the age of ten, became a long-time Imperial Guard player, and has accumulated armies, miniatures and rather more unpainted plastic than is probably reasonable.
As Justin Hill, he is an award-winning novelist whose work has three times been nominated for the Booker Prize. In 2001, The Independent on Sunday named him one of the UK's Top Twenty Young British Writers.
Born in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, he grew up in York and studied Old English and Medieval Literature at Durham University. After graduating, he spent seven years working with Voluntary Service Overseas in rural China and Eritrea.
Much of his writing career has been devoted to stories about people caught up in the collapse of worlds, from the fall of Cadia to England on the eve of the Norman Conquest, the upheavals of modern China and the aftermath of war in Eritrea.
He travelled overland from China to Europe twice, once on the Trans-Siberian Railway and once through the Hindu Kush. His time in Eritrea ended dramatically in June 1998, when he was airlifted out through a recently bombed airport, with Ethiopian fighter jets circling overhead.
His first novel, The Drink and Dream Teahouse, won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and a Betty Trask Award, was chosen by The Washington Post as one of the top novels of 2001, and was banned in China. His second novel, Passing Under Heaven, won the Somerset Maugham Award. Ciao Asmara, his account of his years in Eritrea, was shortlisted for the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.
His historical novels Shieldwall and Viking Fire explore the wars and upheavals that culminated in the Norman Conquest. Shieldwall was chosen by The Sunday Times as a Book of the Year, while Viking Fire, which follows the extraordinary life of Harald Hardrada, was a Times Book of the Year.
He was also selected to write Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, the novelisation of the sequel to the Oscar-winning film.
His books have been translated into seventeen languages.
He lives in the foothills of the North Yorkshire Moors, where he still paints and plays Warhammer.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 11, 2025
Very solid book about the Militarum. I thought it did a good job of showing both the horrors of battling against chaos and highlighting the characters personalities. Only knock on it is that at the end things go from zero to a hundred very fast, otherwise it is another great book by Justin.
December 29, 2023
Really like Hill’s style when tackling the human aspect of war in the 41st millennium.
Easy to read, interesting story. Looking forward to more from Lesk 🤞
Easy to read, interesting story. Looking forward to more from Lesk 🤞
July 6, 2024
Another solid entry in the Minka Lesk series. Here the author does a good job of spreading around the spotlight to various characters, but all tie together the central narrative. There are relatively few battle scenes, which is a nice change of pace to see the characters in a different light.
September 2, 2023
Justin D. Hill has written some awesome guard novels. This isn’t one. It’s so weird to read through this when you’ve read a lot of the authors other work, it’s just so different and… well… terrible.
The best way to describe this book is that it’s how having ADHD feels like on a bad day where nothing makes sense.
Don’t read it!
The best way to describe this book is that it’s how having ADHD feels like on a bad day where nothing makes sense.
Don’t read it!
January 27, 2025
Surprisingly bad, considering the previous Minka Lesk novels were quite decent. This one has way too many flaws to list them all, from subpar dialogue, boring action scenes, a disjointed story that makes no sense and has nothing interesting to say, with an absurd amount of coincidences and a whole patch of plotholes.
At one point I had to double check because two characters had the very same conversation a few pages apart, with one of them somehow being surprised the second the very same information was told to him, and that was the moment I realized how little effort was put into this.
Avoid this, it's abysmal even for 40k standards.
At one point I had to double check because two characters had the very same conversation a few pages apart, with one of them somehow being surprised the second the very same information was told to him, and that was the moment I realized how little effort was put into this.
Avoid this, it's abysmal even for 40k standards.
November 28, 2024
Let me tell you, there's a lot of setup, but dang, that finale was an adrenaline rush and a half.
I read the last 200 pages in two days and now I can't wait for the sequel, I'm really hoping Justin Hill continues this series!
I read the last 200 pages in two days and now I can't wait for the sequel, I'm really hoping Justin Hill continues this series!
September 14, 2023
That’s how it ended? What!? NOOO! I need more now. But seriously, typical great read by Mr. Hill. The first part of the book reintroduces you to the world of the humble Astra Militarum; you’re in the shit kid and life is sucky and you have to embrace the suck. So many personal flashbacks *shudder*. Then off we go and we’re with Captain Minka (very natural how she was promoted) and the people around her in the grimdark. It’s enthralling how I can be fully engrossed in the detail and the relationships and it’s all organically pertinent and I never feel like it’s a drag or a pet should have been edited out. When the ending came, and it’s an ending (especially for some really likeable characters ‘Cadia Stands!), I was in my morning commute Tokyo train thinking: Justin! What!??? You can’t end it like this cause I need more. But seriously, great read. You’ll eat it up. I just need more.
August 7, 2023
A good read (listen actually) I have enjoyed all of the Lesk books and short stories and if I have one caveat about this book it’s that it seemed to meander too much, personally a shorter more compact book would been preferable. Narration was yet again very good
August 11, 2025
Fantastic but Abrupt
Great story, excellent depiction of setting, battles, and compelling dialogue as always. However, there are spots throughout where events weren’t as fleshed out as others and the ending felt rushed to conclude, which is unfortunate, considering the build up of the struggle towards that climax. A lot of loose ends weren’t tied off and I can’t help but wonder “where’s the rest of it?” Still, I loved Lesk’s final trial in the end and the secret of her resolve harkening back to her very first book. I want to love this book, but too much of it is missing to leave me anything but disappointingly hungry at the end of a fancy dinner.
Great story, excellent depiction of setting, battles, and compelling dialogue as always. However, there are spots throughout where events weren’t as fleshed out as others and the ending felt rushed to conclude, which is unfortunate, considering the build up of the struggle towards that climax. A lot of loose ends weren’t tied off and I can’t help but wonder “where’s the rest of it?” Still, I loved Lesk’s final trial in the end and the secret of her resolve harkening back to her very first book. I want to love this book, but too much of it is missing to leave me anything but disappointingly hungry at the end of a fancy dinner.
May 25, 2026
Another great addition to the Minka Lesk novels
Great read, fast paced and action packed from start to finish. Moments of suspense and horror as the 101st take on the heretic. Also, an interesting thread on leadership runs throughout, having leadership thrust upon you, getting put in to do a job you don't really want (Prassan lol) and how leaders can be led astray by their wants and desires.
Great read, fast paced and action packed from start to finish. Moments of suspense and horror as the 101st take on the heretic. Also, an interesting thread on leadership runs throughout, having leadership thrust upon you, getting put in to do a job you don't really want (Prassan lol) and how leaders can be led astray by their wants and desires.
March 2, 2025
Again, an improvement over the third book provides a compelling albeit small mystery as to what's going on, and the book having less action than the previous entry meant more time was spent developing the plot. Some plot threads aren't fully developed or concluded, so hopefully, an eventual 5th book could wrap those up.
Overall 7/10, low 4 stars.
Overall 7/10, low 4 stars.
July 23, 2026
Book Review: Shadow of the Eighth by Justin D. Hill
A casual Warhammer 40,000 fan’s perspective (without reading the previous Minka Lesk novels)
As someone who enjoys Warhammer 40,000 but isn’t deeply invested in every Black Library series, I went into Shadow of the Eighth knowing very little about Minka Lesk beyond the fact that she’s a respected Cadian officer. I hadn’t read Cadia Stands, Cadian Honour, or Traitor Rock, so I was curious whether this novel could stand on its own.
The answer is…mostly yes.
Justin D. Hill writes a military science fiction story that captures what makes the Astra Militarum compelling: ordinary humans facing impossible horrors through discipline, courage, and sheer stubbornness. The premise follows Captain Minka Lesk and the Cadian 101st as they investigate clues pointing toward the fate of the legendary Cadian 8th Regiment on the ruined industrial world of Telken’s Rest. What starts as a rescue mission gradually turns into a mystery wrapped inside a brutal war against Chaos.
What I enjoyed
The biggest strength of the novel is its atmosphere.
Justin D. Hill does an excellent job making the reader feel like they’re part of a regiment slowly advancing through frozen cities, abandoned manufactorums, and ruined battlefields where danger could be waiting around every corner. Rather than feeling like nonstop action, much of the story builds tension through uncertainty.
As a casual fan, this slower pace actually worked well because it let me absorb the setting instead of constantly trying to remember dozens of factions and military units.
The Cadians also feel refreshingly human.
Unlike Space Marine novels, where genetically engineered super soldiers dominate every battlefield, this story focuses on regular soldiers who become exhausted, frightened, frustrated, and occasionally make mistakes. Their victories feel earned because they’re constantly fighting enemies that should realistically overwhelm them.
Minka herself comes across as a believable commander rather than an invincible action hero. She’s competent, determined, and clearly respected, but she spends much of the novel wrestling with difficult leadership decisions. Even without knowing her previous adventures, it wasn’t hard to understand why other characters looked to her for guidance.
The biggest hurdle for newcomers
The one area where I occasionally felt lost was the existing cast.
It’s obvious that many of the officers and soldiers have long histories together. Characters reference previous battles, shared tragedies, promotions, rivalries, and personal losses that longtime readers probably recognize immediately.
The novel provides enough context to understand what’s happening in the moment, but I often had the feeling that emotional moments would have landed much harder if I’d experienced those earlier books first.
It’s similar to starting a television series in its fourth season.
You can follow the current plot, but you know you’re missing years of character development.
Fortunately, Minka is easy enough to understand on her own that the novel never becomes incomprehensible.
Action and combat
The combat is satisfying without becoming repetitive.
Hill writes battles with a sense of tactical realism. Instead of endless explosions and heroic last stands every chapter, the firefights emphasize positioning, logistics, communication, and survival.
Chaos also feels appropriately unsettling.
Rather than simply serving as evil enemies to shoot, there’s a creeping horror element throughout much of the novel that reminds readers why Chaos is such a terrifying force in the 40K universe.
The final act delivers plenty of action, although it also felt noticeably faster than the careful buildup beforehand. I found myself wishing some of the climactic revelations had received a little more room to breathe before the story reached its conclusion. Similar observations appear in community reviews, with some readers praising the finale while others felt the ending arrived rather quickly.
World-building
Even for someone who only casually follows Warhammer lore, this book succeeds at showing why Cadia still matters after its destruction.
The surviving Cadians aren’t simply fighting another campaign.
They’re trying to preserve an identity.
That emotional core gives the story more weight than a typical military adventure.
The novel also avoids drowning newcomers in pages of lore. There are plenty of references that longtime fans will appreciate, but most terminology can be understood through context.
Things that didn’t work quite as well
The pacing can occasionally feel uneven.
The first half spends a long time building mystery and atmosphere before accelerating rapidly toward the climax.
Some conversations also feel a little stiff, with characters sometimes speaking more like soldiers delivering reports than ordinary people. While that fits the military tone, it occasionally makes emotional scenes feel less natural.
Finally, readers expecting constant large-scale warfare may find portions of the novel slower than anticipated. Much of the story focuses on investigation, leadership, and suspense before the major battles erupt.
Should new readers start here?
I think newcomers can enjoy Shadow of the Eighth, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting here.
The novel explains enough to keep you engaged, yet it’s clearly rewarding readers who’ve followed Minka Lesk’s journey from the fall of Cadia onward. If you end up liking this book—as I did—you’ll probably want to go back and read the earlier novels to appreciate the character relationships more fully. The series follows Minka’s progression from a young Whiteshield through the ranks before reaching the events of Shadow of the Eighth.
Final thoughts
Shadow of the Eighth isn’t just another “soldiers shoot monsters” Warhammer novel. It’s a thoughtful military story about leadership, legacy, duty, and what it means to carry on after losing everything.
Even as someone unfamiliar with Minka Lesk’s previous adventures, I found the novel engaging, atmospheric, and surprisingly character-driven. While some emotional moments undoubtedly resonate more for returning readers, the book still works as an enjoyable military science-fiction adventure in its own right.
Rating (as a casual 40K fan): 4 out of 5 stars.
If you’re already invested in the Astra Militarum or the story of Cadia, this is likely an even stronger experience. If you’re new to Minka Lesk, you’ll still find a solid, well-written Warhammer novel—just be prepared to occasionally feel like you’ve arrived in the middle of an ongoing campaign.
A casual Warhammer 40,000 fan’s perspective (without reading the previous Minka Lesk novels)
As someone who enjoys Warhammer 40,000 but isn’t deeply invested in every Black Library series, I went into Shadow of the Eighth knowing very little about Minka Lesk beyond the fact that she’s a respected Cadian officer. I hadn’t read Cadia Stands, Cadian Honour, or Traitor Rock, so I was curious whether this novel could stand on its own.
The answer is…mostly yes.
Justin D. Hill writes a military science fiction story that captures what makes the Astra Militarum compelling: ordinary humans facing impossible horrors through discipline, courage, and sheer stubbornness. The premise follows Captain Minka Lesk and the Cadian 101st as they investigate clues pointing toward the fate of the legendary Cadian 8th Regiment on the ruined industrial world of Telken’s Rest. What starts as a rescue mission gradually turns into a mystery wrapped inside a brutal war against Chaos.
What I enjoyed
The biggest strength of the novel is its atmosphere.
Justin D. Hill does an excellent job making the reader feel like they’re part of a regiment slowly advancing through frozen cities, abandoned manufactorums, and ruined battlefields where danger could be waiting around every corner. Rather than feeling like nonstop action, much of the story builds tension through uncertainty.
As a casual fan, this slower pace actually worked well because it let me absorb the setting instead of constantly trying to remember dozens of factions and military units.
The Cadians also feel refreshingly human.
Unlike Space Marine novels, where genetically engineered super soldiers dominate every battlefield, this story focuses on regular soldiers who become exhausted, frightened, frustrated, and occasionally make mistakes. Their victories feel earned because they’re constantly fighting enemies that should realistically overwhelm them.
Minka herself comes across as a believable commander rather than an invincible action hero. She’s competent, determined, and clearly respected, but she spends much of the novel wrestling with difficult leadership decisions. Even without knowing her previous adventures, it wasn’t hard to understand why other characters looked to her for guidance.
The biggest hurdle for newcomers
The one area where I occasionally felt lost was the existing cast.
It’s obvious that many of the officers and soldiers have long histories together. Characters reference previous battles, shared tragedies, promotions, rivalries, and personal losses that longtime readers probably recognize immediately.
The novel provides enough context to understand what’s happening in the moment, but I often had the feeling that emotional moments would have landed much harder if I’d experienced those earlier books first.
It’s similar to starting a television series in its fourth season.
You can follow the current plot, but you know you’re missing years of character development.
Fortunately, Minka is easy enough to understand on her own that the novel never becomes incomprehensible.
Action and combat
The combat is satisfying without becoming repetitive.
Hill writes battles with a sense of tactical realism. Instead of endless explosions and heroic last stands every chapter, the firefights emphasize positioning, logistics, communication, and survival.
Chaos also feels appropriately unsettling.
Rather than simply serving as evil enemies to shoot, there’s a creeping horror element throughout much of the novel that reminds readers why Chaos is such a terrifying force in the 40K universe.
The final act delivers plenty of action, although it also felt noticeably faster than the careful buildup beforehand. I found myself wishing some of the climactic revelations had received a little more room to breathe before the story reached its conclusion. Similar observations appear in community reviews, with some readers praising the finale while others felt the ending arrived rather quickly.
World-building
Even for someone who only casually follows Warhammer lore, this book succeeds at showing why Cadia still matters after its destruction.
The surviving Cadians aren’t simply fighting another campaign.
They’re trying to preserve an identity.
That emotional core gives the story more weight than a typical military adventure.
The novel also avoids drowning newcomers in pages of lore. There are plenty of references that longtime fans will appreciate, but most terminology can be understood through context.
Things that didn’t work quite as well
The pacing can occasionally feel uneven.
The first half spends a long time building mystery and atmosphere before accelerating rapidly toward the climax.
Some conversations also feel a little stiff, with characters sometimes speaking more like soldiers delivering reports than ordinary people. While that fits the military tone, it occasionally makes emotional scenes feel less natural.
Finally, readers expecting constant large-scale warfare may find portions of the novel slower than anticipated. Much of the story focuses on investigation, leadership, and suspense before the major battles erupt.
Should new readers start here?
I think newcomers can enjoy Shadow of the Eighth, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting here.
The novel explains enough to keep you engaged, yet it’s clearly rewarding readers who’ve followed Minka Lesk’s journey from the fall of Cadia onward. If you end up liking this book—as I did—you’ll probably want to go back and read the earlier novels to appreciate the character relationships more fully. The series follows Minka’s progression from a young Whiteshield through the ranks before reaching the events of Shadow of the Eighth.
Final thoughts
Shadow of the Eighth isn’t just another “soldiers shoot monsters” Warhammer novel. It’s a thoughtful military story about leadership, legacy, duty, and what it means to carry on after losing everything.
Even as someone unfamiliar with Minka Lesk’s previous adventures, I found the novel engaging, atmospheric, and surprisingly character-driven. While some emotional moments undoubtedly resonate more for returning readers, the book still works as an enjoyable military science-fiction adventure in its own right.
Rating (as a casual 40K fan): 4 out of 5 stars.
If you’re already invested in the Astra Militarum or the story of Cadia, this is likely an even stronger experience. If you’re new to Minka Lesk, you’ll still find a solid, well-written Warhammer novel—just be prepared to occasionally feel like you’ve arrived in the middle of an ongoing campaign.
May 9, 2024
Honestly, nothing about any of it made any sense.
The more you think about everything that happened in the story the more confused you get.
The dialogue between the characters also seemed very...I don't know how to put it into words, wooden and stale, like...that's not really how people tend to talk to each other.
I would say only buy this book if you really...really love your Cadians. Even then, if you really want to read a book about Cadians I would recommend Longshot by Rob Young.
The more you think about everything that happened in the story the more confused you get.
The dialogue between the characters also seemed very...I don't know how to put it into words, wooden and stale, like...that's not really how people tend to talk to each other.
I would say only buy this book if you really...really love your Cadians. Even then, if you really want to read a book about Cadians I would recommend Longshot by Rob Young.
July 27, 2024
3.5 rounded up to 4* for me the final third seemed to loose its way a bit, the build up to the final battle scene seemed a bit rushed and then didn’t end on a satisfying payoff. That said If you are a fan of this series as I am, you’ll find a lot to love, and it’s clear that things are in place for the series to continue, and I look forward to the next instalment!
April 21, 2025
I like the Minka Leak books but I found this one to be a little bit of a let down, it tried to build up this mystery but it never really paid off
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews