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Ciaphas Cain #4
Hinter Feindlichen Linien
Yet again, reluctant hero Commissar Cain is catapulted into glory in the fourth story of this tremendously popular series. Escaping from a disastrous space battle, the commissar and his malodorous sidekick Jurgen crash-land behind enemy lines. The only way out is to round up what few troops they can find, and fight their way back to the safety of the Imperial lines. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of barbaric alien orks stand in their way!
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2006
109 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Sandy Mitchell
103 books421 followersSandy Mitchell is a pseudonym of Alex Stewart, who has been a full-time writer since the mid nineteen eighties. The majority of his work as Sandy has been tie-in fiction for Games Workshop's Warhammer fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 science fiction lines. The exceptions have been a novelisation of episodes from the high tech thriller series Bugs, for which he also worked as a scriptwriter under his own name, some Warhammer roleplaying game material, and a scattering of short stories and magazine articles.
His hobbies include the martial arts of Aikido and Iaido, miniature wargaming, role-playing games, and pottering about on the family allotment.
He lives in the North Essex village of Earls Colne, with his wife Judith and daughter Hester.
His hobbies include the martial arts of Aikido and Iaido, miniature wargaming, role-playing games, and pottering about on the family allotment.
He lives in the North Essex village of Earls Colne, with his wife Judith and daughter Hester.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
February 4, 2011
Ciaphas Cain (the strange spelling must be intentional as it is consistent throughout the series) is essentially Harry Flashman in another universe. Oh, he doesn’t despoil vulnerable women with the ease of cultivated depravity of George MacDonald Frasier’s heretofore inimitable antihero, but his propensity for ending up with disproportionate glory when only attempting to save his own skin is, indeed, Harry Flashman in the 41st millennium. Perhaps, I’ll someday discover that there is a relationship between the two fictional characters, but the time between the colonial era in our world and the dysfunctional nature of the dark Games Workshop future would make such a connection considerably more tenuous than the Green Hornet’s relationship with the Lone Ranger (yes, the characters are supposed to be related).
As with Flashman, I think half of the charm is the fact that this glorious “hero” can’t resist sharing how all the praise and approbation heretofore showered upon him were misinterpretations of acts of cowardice and self-interest. Even more than with Flashman, however, is the ironic casting of Ciaphas Cain as a Commissar, roughly equivalent to those party officials in the Soviet Army (during Stalin’s regime) who touted the party line and attenuated the lives of those who didn’t. Cain knows the right words to say, but it is safe to say that his loyalty is tied strictly to self-preservation. Yet, within that effort at self-preservation and promotions of self-interest, great strides are made in spite of (if not because of) Cain’s presence.
Sandy Mitchell, aka Alex Stewart, doesn’t paint Cain with quite as much vile larceny as we see in the earlier character, but the similarities are definitely there. Further, Cain has a much more interesting supporting cast than Flashman’s. Although Harry Flashman does have his share of “guest stars” from the cast of history, Cain has a much more entertaining cast. In my opinion, the most interesting are his “editor” (and censor), a beautiful blonde Inquisitor named Amberley, and his aide/adjutant(?), a foul-smelling Valhallan named Jurgen. Of course, there are certain female supporting characters such as female officers and a certain female tech-priest that spice up the stories in more ways than one. The sexual encounters are more implied than explicit (Amberley’s bowdlerizing?), but one doesn’t have to question Cain’s libido at all.
As an inquisitor, Amberley is much more instigator than amanuensis as she drags Cain right into the heart of trouble in several of the books. She is close enough to Cain to be aware of his self-interest, but allows the legend to increase (even adding to it herself) because it is good for morale. And, she’s an amazing fighter in her own right. To add to the pleasure, Mitchell uses the character of Amberley to spice up the narrative with interesting (and often amusing) footnotes much like those to be read in Goldman’s The Princess Bride or The Silent Gondoliers.
Jurgen is interesting as the loyal, efficient, and heroic sidekick who continually saves the life of his companion, but never gets any credit. Imagine the Lone Ranger’s Tonto as a more effective killing machine or more consistent with the Native American warriors of his era and you’ll get the picture. Jurgen not only has Cain’s back, but lives in the shadow of Cain’s legend. Except for his olfactory detraction, he’s the kind of right-hand man that any leader would be grateful to have. Plus, he’s very useful to providing reality checks so that we don’t have to believe that Cain is thinking of every contingency himself. Cain often overlooks important matters and Jurgen (as well as some of the other supporting characters) provide warnings and admonitions in a credible and realistic fashion.
In Death or Glory, as in many Cain stories, the plot is simple. In trying to avoid trouble, Cain is thrust into the midst of it. In this case, he finds himself behind enemy lines. The enemies in this book are orks and one scene was particularly memorable for a riff on Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, “Bugs, Mr. Rico, zillions of them.” I believe the exact phrase was “Orks, hundreds of them” and I appreciated the reference. In order to get back to friendly-controlled areas, Cain has to pass through enemy-held territory and, somehow, get through the lines. Starting with the dynamic duo of Cain and Jurgen, the task is insurmountable. Yet, in the course of his efforts, Cain is able to aggregate a small, albeit largely untrained, army. The circumstances in which he is able to confront the greenskins are delightful and innovative.
A couple of months ago, I said I’d probably never read another Warhammer 40K novel. Upon the urging of my friends, I tried this one and I’m glad I did. While reading Death or Glory was more of a guilty pleasure than literary fete, it was a pleasure indeed. And no, it won’t be the last “Cain” novel I’ll read.
As with Flashman, I think half of the charm is the fact that this glorious “hero” can’t resist sharing how all the praise and approbation heretofore showered upon him were misinterpretations of acts of cowardice and self-interest. Even more than with Flashman, however, is the ironic casting of Ciaphas Cain as a Commissar, roughly equivalent to those party officials in the Soviet Army (during Stalin’s regime) who touted the party line and attenuated the lives of those who didn’t. Cain knows the right words to say, but it is safe to say that his loyalty is tied strictly to self-preservation. Yet, within that effort at self-preservation and promotions of self-interest, great strides are made in spite of (if not because of) Cain’s presence.
Sandy Mitchell, aka Alex Stewart, doesn’t paint Cain with quite as much vile larceny as we see in the earlier character, but the similarities are definitely there. Further, Cain has a much more interesting supporting cast than Flashman’s. Although Harry Flashman does have his share of “guest stars” from the cast of history, Cain has a much more entertaining cast. In my opinion, the most interesting are his “editor” (and censor), a beautiful blonde Inquisitor named Amberley, and his aide/adjutant(?), a foul-smelling Valhallan named Jurgen. Of course, there are certain female supporting characters such as female officers and a certain female tech-priest that spice up the stories in more ways than one. The sexual encounters are more implied than explicit (Amberley’s bowdlerizing?), but one doesn’t have to question Cain’s libido at all.
As an inquisitor, Amberley is much more instigator than amanuensis as she drags Cain right into the heart of trouble in several of the books. She is close enough to Cain to be aware of his self-interest, but allows the legend to increase (even adding to it herself) because it is good for morale. And, she’s an amazing fighter in her own right. To add to the pleasure, Mitchell uses the character of Amberley to spice up the narrative with interesting (and often amusing) footnotes much like those to be read in Goldman’s The Princess Bride or The Silent Gondoliers.
Jurgen is interesting as the loyal, efficient, and heroic sidekick who continually saves the life of his companion, but never gets any credit. Imagine the Lone Ranger’s Tonto as a more effective killing machine or more consistent with the Native American warriors of his era and you’ll get the picture. Jurgen not only has Cain’s back, but lives in the shadow of Cain’s legend. Except for his olfactory detraction, he’s the kind of right-hand man that any leader would be grateful to have. Plus, he’s very useful to providing reality checks so that we don’t have to believe that Cain is thinking of every contingency himself. Cain often overlooks important matters and Jurgen (as well as some of the other supporting characters) provide warnings and admonitions in a credible and realistic fashion.
In Death or Glory, as in many Cain stories, the plot is simple. In trying to avoid trouble, Cain is thrust into the midst of it. In this case, he finds himself behind enemy lines. The enemies in this book are orks and one scene was particularly memorable for a riff on Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, “Bugs, Mr. Rico, zillions of them.” I believe the exact phrase was “Orks, hundreds of them” and I appreciated the reference. In order to get back to friendly-controlled areas, Cain has to pass through enemy-held territory and, somehow, get through the lines. Starting with the dynamic duo of Cain and Jurgen, the task is insurmountable. Yet, in the course of his efforts, Cain is able to aggregate a small, albeit largely untrained, army. The circumstances in which he is able to confront the greenskins are delightful and innovative.
A couple of months ago, I said I’d probably never read another Warhammer 40K novel. Upon the urging of my friends, I tried this one and I’m glad I did. While reading Death or Glory was more of a guilty pleasure than literary fete, it was a pleasure indeed. And no, it won’t be the last “Cain” novel I’ll read.
June 8, 2021
This is probably my favourite Cain novel yet.
Unlike the previous entries in the series, Cain is not with the Valhallan 597th (this is set some period of time before the events of said books). In this offering he is attached to a Valhallan Armoured division whom he becomes detached from due to the unfortunate events of a space battle.
With the bad luck of being entirely bereft of the Imperial Guard support he was expecting, and the even more rotten luck of being alone, but for his aide Jurgen, amidst a planet teeming with orks, Cain is forced to try and make it through insurmountable odds to as close to safety as he possibly can.
This is the sort of dynamic that works incredibly well and delivers a (in my case at least) appreciated break in the regular structure. It's also the kind of dynamic that would get old if repeated.
Despite the drastic break in structure, it still very much felt like a Cain novel and, like the others in the series, is just such easy reading (or in my case listening). I do find that some of the characters are a bit simple or some times feel shoe-horned in because they are needed rather than they naturally would have been there, but the overall product is just one of those things that I can't help but love and find it very hard to detract from. The character simplicity could also be attributed to Cain's self-centred writing style. When you are writing solely about you, the people around you, people you only know for a short time, are hardly going to have much depth, after all.
My main gripe would be that in this, and in Caves of Ice, orks are treated like we are seeing them for the first time and it got a bit 'being taught to suck eggs' as far as explaining the Valhallan's hatred of orks goes.
Other than that, though, absolutely top notch and I have already nabbed the next book in the series. Easily my favourite series in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Unlike the previous entries in the series, Cain is not with the Valhallan 597th (this is set some period of time before the events of said books). In this offering he is attached to a Valhallan Armoured division whom he becomes detached from due to the unfortunate events of a space battle.
With the bad luck of being entirely bereft of the Imperial Guard support he was expecting, and the even more rotten luck of being alone, but for his aide Jurgen, amidst a planet teeming with orks, Cain is forced to try and make it through insurmountable odds to as close to safety as he possibly can.
This is the sort of dynamic that works incredibly well and delivers a (in my case at least) appreciated break in the regular structure. It's also the kind of dynamic that would get old if repeated.
Despite the drastic break in structure, it still very much felt like a Cain novel and, like the others in the series, is just such easy reading (or in my case listening). I do find that some of the characters are a bit simple or some times feel shoe-horned in because they are needed rather than they naturally would have been there, but the overall product is just one of those things that I can't help but love and find it very hard to detract from. The character simplicity could also be attributed to Cain's self-centred writing style. When you are writing solely about you, the people around you, people you only know for a short time, are hardly going to have much depth, after all.
My main gripe would be that in this, and in Caves of Ice, orks are treated like we are seeing them for the first time and it got a bit 'being taught to suck eggs' as far as explaining the Valhallan's hatred of orks goes.
Other than that, though, absolutely top notch and I have already nabbed the next book in the series. Easily my favourite series in the Warhammer 40k universe.
December 12, 2021
I always liked the short stories better than the full novels, but this one wasn't half bad.
March 13, 2023
This is a fun Ciaphas Cain novel that hits all the notes that make the first three novels fun. Cain thinks he is stumbling his way through a military campaign but instead comports himself admirably and heroically; he doesn't realize how qualified a leader and commissar he is, chalking up his success to mere luck. For the Warhammer 40k fan, this gives the Orks a lot of fun stage time (they are the main enemy--deadly, brutal, plentiful, stupid). There are some memorable characters, e.g. the Enginseer Felicia (I hope she returns in future novels). There overall plot orbits Cain trying to gather and organize a group of down-and-put dispersed PDF survivors in Ork-held territory into an effective fighting force. It's fun to watch the rag tag group become ever more deadly, able to shape the larger campaign on the planet Perlia. Without spoiling anything: the final battle is epic.
December 21, 2013
Probably the best Ciaphas Cain exploitation story so far. this time he is truly Cain the hero, even though he trying to act all wimpy.
a few annoyances:
1) i am getting tired of his repeated anecdotes about Jurgen's body odour. I think he mentioned it 50 times in each book.
2) he also have this habit of saying something like this (also 50 times): "if i knew what's waiting for me later, i would probably search for the nearest hole, and hide in there indefinitely".. and in most cases, the thing/event he afraid of was not really scary at all, plus he will ended up handling it gracefully.
3) Amberley also have this habit of repeating things.
a few annoyances:
1) i am getting tired of his repeated anecdotes about Jurgen's body odour. I think he mentioned it 50 times in each book.
2) he also have this habit of saying something like this (also 50 times): "if i knew what's waiting for me later, i would probably search for the nearest hole, and hide in there indefinitely".. and in most cases, the thing/event he afraid of was not really scary at all, plus he will ended up handling it gracefully.
3) Amberley also have this habit of repeating things.
May 12, 2020
Cain bashing Orks again is always good fun, especially when it's just he and Jurgen travelling together on a sun-baked planet with very little to do but walk towards certain doom...the Ork lines they are currently stranded behind.
November 9, 2024
Another great chapter in the Cain series, possibly the best although I'm still undecided on that.
All in all this story feels like a stripped down version of the stories which came before it. Stripped down doesn't equate to hollow or lackluster however. This story feels like Mitchell looked at all the tools in Cain's arsenal, all the contacts and the supporting cast and went "but what if he didn't have any of that". This is Cain's "James Bond without Q's gadgets" story; he's behind enemy lines here and all he has to go on is his wits (and Jurgen, naturally) and having a (supposedly) cowardly character finding himself with nowhere to run really highlights his positive characteristics. This is Cain in all his glory; he may state he wants to avoid all the danger yet chapter after chapter shows him throwing himself (or perhaps being thrown?) into situations which seem almost absurd.
Despite the cut back nature of the story, and the fact it's considered a prequel to the previous books all the usual tropes are here; Cain finding himself in absurd situations, Jurgen's unflappability, an enemy nipping at the heels, helpful troopers who look to Cain as a beacon of hope. It's everything you want from a Cain novel and more.
All in all this story feels like a stripped down version of the stories which came before it. Stripped down doesn't equate to hollow or lackluster however. This story feels like Mitchell looked at all the tools in Cain's arsenal, all the contacts and the supporting cast and went "but what if he didn't have any of that". This is Cain's "James Bond without Q's gadgets" story; he's behind enemy lines here and all he has to go on is his wits (and Jurgen, naturally) and having a (supposedly) cowardly character finding himself with nowhere to run really highlights his positive characteristics. This is Cain in all his glory; he may state he wants to avoid all the danger yet chapter after chapter shows him throwing himself (or perhaps being thrown?) into situations which seem almost absurd.
Despite the cut back nature of the story, and the fact it's considered a prequel to the previous books all the usual tropes are here; Cain finding himself in absurd situations, Jurgen's unflappability, an enemy nipping at the heels, helpful troopers who look to Cain as a beacon of hope. It's everything you want from a Cain novel and more.
Read
September 14, 2018Ciaphas Cain is up to his old tricks, and by and large they're good tricks that we don't mind seeing repeatedly. He's still getting into trouble on accident and making himself an ever-greater hero by getting out of it, even if he insists he's not truly a hero. He's still having his story framed and annotated by inquisitor Amberley Vail, who is a good deal funnier than you'd expect an inquisitor to be. He's still showing us that there's some good in the 40k universe, and that it doesn't always take itself too seriously.
My only quibble is that in this book we spent a decent amount of time building up some side characters, and giving them a brief story arc, only to have them die without much further remark. I know that it's the 40k universe and horrible death is just something that happens every day after lunch, but in this case it feels like setup without execution.
My only quibble is that in this book we spent a decent amount of time building up some side characters, and giving them a brief story arc, only to have them die without much further remark. I know that it's the 40k universe and horrible death is just something that happens every day after lunch, but in this case it feels like setup without execution.
September 25, 2024
Lots of action with orks so if your a fan of them you should enjoy this one.
April 21, 2022
Reading this a decade ago and being my favourite one in the series at the time this was a must have as an audiobook and I definitely wasn't disappointed!
Right from the start to the end this has one of the best narratives of the series with a great mix of adventure, action and character building. Side characters especially are interesting and unique, made even better by the brilliant voice acting. As before the first person narration of this series works brilliantly as an audio book too.
This is easily the best book in the series and in my top 5 for Warhammer novels generally. Highly recommended for any newcomers to the series and Warhammer 40k novels in general too.
Right from the start to the end this has one of the best narratives of the series with a great mix of adventure, action and character building. Side characters especially are interesting and unique, made even better by the brilliant voice acting. As before the first person narration of this series works brilliantly as an audio book too.
This is easily the best book in the series and in my top 5 for Warhammer novels generally. Highly recommended for any newcomers to the series and Warhammer 40k novels in general too.
June 16, 2023
One of the better installments in this series.
January 19, 2023
4. It’s the most fun book since the first one in the series.
June 21, 2023
Simple and fun.
June 15, 2024
I finished my fourth Ciaphas Cain novel. And ... I still don't like this series at all.
I had initially bought the first Omnibus because the premise sounded so promising: in a universe filled to the brim with super soldiers willing to sacrifice their lives virtually any second there's a commisar who's apparently a bit of a coward and selfish and tries to save his ass more than do his duty. That sounded refreshing and fun.
However, I have two big issues with the series. The first one is simply technical.
The author is repeating patterns over and over and over again. Literally cut any (of the first four) Ciaphas Cain novels into 20 page chunks. They'd be structurally identical and also full of repeated patterns.
Example: Virtually every time Jurgen is mentioned in the story (of any entry in the series) there's a remark about his bad body odor. I get that it's a running joke but if you were to write a book would you repeat the same joke 20 to 40 times in a 350 page book? Or would you maybe make that joke 4 times, or 6 times, or something like that? I read the first three books as paperback and this fourth novel was an audio book edition so I can't easily count it myself. But anyone with an ebook: Go ahead, search for Jurgen or odor, or stink, or smell and count the occurrences.
Another example: Cain says something like "If I knew what kind of consequences that action would lead to, I'd have run away/hidden myself" with tiny variations in the wording something like a dozen times. How does the author, or the editor for that matter, not notice the sheer repetitiveness?
The other issue I have is that Cain is by no matter a coward or a selfish person. Yes, he would rather not die but whenever it's necessary to be courageous he absolutely is. At least to me that takes the whole premise away. He's very much a brave commisar, just doesn't have a death wish.
But enough about the series. This book here is okayish. I'd rate it 3 out of 5 stars if the repetitive nature didn't unnerve me as much as it did. As it is, I can only rate it 2 out of 5 stars.
I had initially bought the first Omnibus because the premise sounded so promising: in a universe filled to the brim with super soldiers willing to sacrifice their lives virtually any second there's a commisar who's apparently a bit of a coward and selfish and tries to save his ass more than do his duty. That sounded refreshing and fun.
However, I have two big issues with the series. The first one is simply technical.
The author is repeating patterns over and over and over again. Literally cut any (of the first four) Ciaphas Cain novels into 20 page chunks. They'd be structurally identical and also full of repeated patterns.
Example: Virtually every time Jurgen is mentioned in the story (of any entry in the series) there's a remark about his bad body odor. I get that it's a running joke but if you were to write a book would you repeat the same joke 20 to 40 times in a 350 page book? Or would you maybe make that joke 4 times, or 6 times, or something like that? I read the first three books as paperback and this fourth novel was an audio book edition so I can't easily count it myself. But anyone with an ebook: Go ahead, search for Jurgen or odor, or stink, or smell and count the occurrences.
Another example: Cain says something like "If I knew what kind of consequences that action would lead to, I'd have run away/hidden myself" with tiny variations in the wording something like a dozen times. How does the author, or the editor for that matter, not notice the sheer repetitiveness?
The other issue I have is that Cain is by no matter a coward or a selfish person. Yes, he would rather not die but whenever it's necessary to be courageous he absolutely is. At least to me that takes the whole premise away. He's very much a brave commisar, just doesn't have a death wish.
But enough about the series. This book here is okayish. I'd rate it 3 out of 5 stars if the repetitive nature didn't unnerve me as much as it did. As it is, I can only rate it 2 out of 5 stars.
October 18, 2021
A fun read in the often not-so-fun Warhammer:40K universe.
If I have but one comment (complaint?), is that the portentous "foreshadowy" statements do get to be a bit tiresome after a while. Yes, these stories are written in a first-person memoir style, so some "hindsight is 20/20"-style comments are natural. But sometimes the foreshadowed /cliff-hanger snippets feel like they need to be then followed up by a classic 1940's orchestrational "dun dun DUUUN!" to emphasize the "something is going to happen, stay tuned!" angle.
If I have but one comment (complaint?), is that the portentous "foreshadowy" statements do get to be a bit tiresome after a while. Yes, these stories are written in a first-person memoir style, so some "hindsight is 20/20"-style comments are natural. But sometimes the foreshadowed /cliff-hanger snippets feel like they need to be then followed up by a classic 1940's orchestrational "dun dun DUUUN!" to emphasize the "something is going to happen, stay tuned!" angle.
November 23, 2024
Synopsis
Set during the early years of Cain’s service as a commissar. Before taking charge of the 597th Valhallan Regiment, Commissar Cain was assigned to the Valhallan Artillery Regiment, surreptitiously placed at the rear of any army formation pointed towards the enemy and moral danger. Something which he secretly was grateful for. And thanks to the never tiring support of his loyal and hard working aide, the phlegmatic Jurgen, Cain is able to delegate most paperwork, sit back and relax.
That is, until the troop transport ship he was on board fell victim to psychic warp shenanigans, perpetuated by the ork weirdboyz, en route to their engagement of the green menace at the next contested imperial planet.
Cain, surviving the encounter by a hair’s breadth, managed to board an escape shuttle, accompanied only by the steadfast Jurgen, and ended up crash-landed on the planet, far behind enemy lines.
Realizing the gravity of his predicament, and with little hope for reinforcement of support, Cain and Jurgen make the most of their ordeal; traversing the entire length of the desert landscape, under the hope of rejoining with the Imperial line of defenders. Between them, the entire ork invasion force has beset the planet. An insurmountable odds for most men; but this is the legendary hero Caiphas Cain we’re talking about.
With his characteristic charm, personability, some bullshitting, and a monumental amount of dumb luck, the good Commissar somehow finds himself as the leader of a ragtag group of survivors, liberated from ork camps, and disparate bands of imperial forces, all of whom congregate under his banner, mounting a formidable front against the ork invaders.
In the very end, his resistance force manages to effectively blunt the brunt of the ork forces, while Cain himself, in a now common example of his luck turning from extremely good to extremely bad, ends up facing off against the Ork warboss in single combat. He comes out of it victorious, thus unwittingly adding another page to the growing legend of the Hero Caiphas Cain, liberator.
Thoughts
Out of the stories featuring the good Commissar that I’ve read so far, ‘Death or Glory’ has to be the one which I found the most entertaining. Also, one which I found to be the spiritual successor of the engaging and mirthful first book ‘For the Emperor’.
Perhaps it is the whole desert survival theme which dominates the first two acts of the story, or the usual guile with which Cain unintentionally ends up creating an army of meat shields to help his survival and boost his legend in the war against the orks.
The first half of the book, which sees Cain & Jurgen all alone behind enemy lines, with limited food and ammunition, most definitely puts into perspective the trust and camaraderie which the two have developed. Especially Cain, who regularly sees others as disposable shields for his own safety, actually values the loyalty and resourcefulness of his aide, partly because of just how many times the malodorous veteran has saved his skin.
Or perhaps Cain knows, subconsciously, with how things usually go down for him, when things get nasty and their backs are against the wall, he can trust on the taciturn trooper to have his back; against orks, tyranids, chaos or anything else that the universe has to offer. That dynamic, and the reciprocal professional courtesy they have for each other, helps soften Cain’s more self-serving, manipulative tendencies.
Another point of note is how, during the entire campaign, we as readers are privy to how the aide was always present by the commissar’s side and contributed significantly to their eventual outcome. Yet, when the propaganda pieces come out, it is the hero Cain who, ‘single handedly’ brought about the staggering Imperial victory. Which is something that made me chuckle.
Fortunately, this time around, we don’t get the repeated troupe of hostile enemy 1 followed by a surprise enemy 2 gate crashing Cain’s mission; it’s Orks all the way. Although there are some tangential side quests, with allusions to the warp, and an unresolved thread, which it is heavily implied will be followed through in subsequent iterations.
Also, thank god there is no mission where Cain takes a small squad underground; which at this point is as constant in these books as Jurgen; and frankly was something which was getting repetitive.
The battle scenes, of which there are many, are unique and inventive. They increase in intensity and carnage, the more forces Cain manages to gather. Starting from well placed two man ambushes by the duo, to co-ordinated search, rescue and destroy operations of ork encampments, all culminating with Cain obliterating a dam and dumping the entire colossal deluge onto an incoming ork invasion force ranging in the thousands. Imagine the final battle in LOTR, with the earthquake neatly obliterating Sauron's entire forces in one fell swoop. Now, instead of an earthquake, imagine a freaking tidal wave drowning the entire army; you’ll get the idea.
So, all in all, a well entertaining entry into the growing chronicles of Commissar Cain. Looking forward to the future installments.
Set during the early years of Cain’s service as a commissar. Before taking charge of the 597th Valhallan Regiment, Commissar Cain was assigned to the Valhallan Artillery Regiment, surreptitiously placed at the rear of any army formation pointed towards the enemy and moral danger. Something which he secretly was grateful for. And thanks to the never tiring support of his loyal and hard working aide, the phlegmatic Jurgen, Cain is able to delegate most paperwork, sit back and relax.
That is, until the troop transport ship he was on board fell victim to psychic warp shenanigans, perpetuated by the ork weirdboyz, en route to their engagement of the green menace at the next contested imperial planet.
Cain, surviving the encounter by a hair’s breadth, managed to board an escape shuttle, accompanied only by the steadfast Jurgen, and ended up crash-landed on the planet, far behind enemy lines.
Realizing the gravity of his predicament, and with little hope for reinforcement of support, Cain and Jurgen make the most of their ordeal; traversing the entire length of the desert landscape, under the hope of rejoining with the Imperial line of defenders. Between them, the entire ork invasion force has beset the planet. An insurmountable odds for most men; but this is the legendary hero Caiphas Cain we’re talking about.
With his characteristic charm, personability, some bullshitting, and a monumental amount of dumb luck, the good Commissar somehow finds himself as the leader of a ragtag group of survivors, liberated from ork camps, and disparate bands of imperial forces, all of whom congregate under his banner, mounting a formidable front against the ork invaders.
In the very end, his resistance force manages to effectively blunt the brunt of the ork forces, while Cain himself, in a now common example of his luck turning from extremely good to extremely bad, ends up facing off against the Ork warboss in single combat. He comes out of it victorious, thus unwittingly adding another page to the growing legend of the Hero Caiphas Cain, liberator.
Thoughts
Out of the stories featuring the good Commissar that I’ve read so far, ‘Death or Glory’ has to be the one which I found the most entertaining. Also, one which I found to be the spiritual successor of the engaging and mirthful first book ‘For the Emperor’.
Perhaps it is the whole desert survival theme which dominates the first two acts of the story, or the usual guile with which Cain unintentionally ends up creating an army of meat shields to help his survival and boost his legend in the war against the orks.
The first half of the book, which sees Cain & Jurgen all alone behind enemy lines, with limited food and ammunition, most definitely puts into perspective the trust and camaraderie which the two have developed. Especially Cain, who regularly sees others as disposable shields for his own safety, actually values the loyalty and resourcefulness of his aide, partly because of just how many times the malodorous veteran has saved his skin.
Or perhaps Cain knows, subconsciously, with how things usually go down for him, when things get nasty and their backs are against the wall, he can trust on the taciturn trooper to have his back; against orks, tyranids, chaos or anything else that the universe has to offer. That dynamic, and the reciprocal professional courtesy they have for each other, helps soften Cain’s more self-serving, manipulative tendencies.
Another point of note is how, during the entire campaign, we as readers are privy to how the aide was always present by the commissar’s side and contributed significantly to their eventual outcome. Yet, when the propaganda pieces come out, it is the hero Cain who, ‘single handedly’ brought about the staggering Imperial victory. Which is something that made me chuckle.
Fortunately, this time around, we don’t get the repeated troupe of hostile enemy 1 followed by a surprise enemy 2 gate crashing Cain’s mission; it’s Orks all the way. Although there are some tangential side quests, with allusions to the warp, and an unresolved thread, which it is heavily implied will be followed through in subsequent iterations.
Also, thank god there is no mission where Cain takes a small squad underground; which at this point is as constant in these books as Jurgen; and frankly was something which was getting repetitive.
The battle scenes, of which there are many, are unique and inventive. They increase in intensity and carnage, the more forces Cain manages to gather. Starting from well placed two man ambushes by the duo, to co-ordinated search, rescue and destroy operations of ork encampments, all culminating with Cain obliterating a dam and dumping the entire colossal deluge onto an incoming ork invasion force ranging in the thousands. Imagine the final battle in LOTR, with the earthquake neatly obliterating Sauron's entire forces in one fell swoop. Now, instead of an earthquake, imagine a freaking tidal wave drowning the entire army; you’ll get the idea.
So, all in all, a well entertaining entry into the growing chronicles of Commissar Cain. Looking forward to the future installments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2009
Good humor and fun, but its starting to get old with these random adventures. About time for a epic trilogy i say.
May 13, 2017
Commissar Ciaphas Cain's adventures continue! This time we return to the beginning of his career, when he is still assigned to the 12th Valhallan Field Artillery. With the last few cushy years of the assignment on Keffia coming to an end, Cain and his unit are reassigned to Perlia, a world which has been deadlocked between the Imperium and a huge Ork invasion force for some months. Cain and his forces are part of a reinforcing army, but the Orks, aware that they are on their way, have laid a trap in the Warp. With Cain's ship heavily damaged, he and his constant companion Jurgen bail out in an escape pod and crash-land thousands of miles behind enemy lines, with hundreds of thousands of Orks lying between them and salvation. Cain, reluctantly, has to find his way through the Ork lines back to safety, only to find himself saddled with a band of gung-ho rebels and a train of civilian refugees...
Death or Glory is the fourth Ciaphas Cain novel and author Sandy Mitchell decides to shake things up a little by rewinding to his early days when he wasn't as well-known with such a formidable reputation. On the one hand it's sad not to see the familiar faces of the Valhallan 597th knocking around, but on the other Mitchell's decision to shake things up pays off handsomely, as Death or Glory is the best book in the sequence to date.
The structure is a sort-of demented black humour version of Erikson's Chain of Dogs, as a terrified Cain tries desperately to avoid confronting the enemy and hopes to be able to sneak past them. Instead he ends up escorting hundreds of civilians and isolated Planetary Defence Forces from behind enemy lines through several major battles towards safety. Along the way he meets a bunch of colourful characters and forges his later reputation, as Cain's actions inspire the demoralised defenders elsewhere to great deeds. As usual Cain is self-deprecating and makes claims of cowardice, but Mitchell seems to finally get a handle on the dissonance between Cain's self-professed cowardice and lack of acumen with the self-evident skills the character displays, by citing Cain's arrogance and his love of having an amazing reputation which he cannot risk being besmirched, possibly even at the cost of his own life. This realisation allows Cain to shake off the Flashman-in-space tag and begin developing more satisfyingly as a character in his own right.
Death or Glory is also the funniest book in the series so far. We learn that after Cain is reported KIA, the resulting bureaucratic controversy to get him undeclared dead takes so long to sort out that eventually a standing order is given that Cain is never to be reported KIA until he's been missing for several years (this order is not rescinded even when Cain apparently does die of extreme old age, meaning he's still on the active duty roster years after being buried with full military honours in front of the Imperium's most senior military personnel). Elsewhere we learn that a scholarly work on the Orks has the frankly brilliant title Waaagh! and Peace ("Waaagh!" being the traditional Ork battlecry in the WH40K universe), whilst the Orks have an apparently religious belief that any vehicle painted red or given red strips will go faster than anything else (solidifying the characterisation of the Orks as demented Essex lads and Cockney wide-boys). One of the members of Cain's convoy is a vet based on a character from the All Creatures Great and Small novels and TV series. And so on.
Weaknesses? Only a few niggles. Whilst it's great the book doesn't outstay it's welcome, at 250 pages (in the omnibus) it does feel a little short for its epic scope. A few more episodes of Cain's journey (which he admits he skips over) wouldn't have gone amiss. It also would have been interesting to see Cain reunited with his unit at the end given his CO's constant doubts over Cain's abilities, but alas we are denied this potentially amusing scene.
Death or Glory (****½) is ridiculously entertaining fun, written with verve and wit. Not high literature, but terrifically engaging and sure to leave a smile on your face. The novel is available now in the UK and USA as part of the Defender of the Imperium omnibus.
Death or Glory is the fourth Ciaphas Cain novel and author Sandy Mitchell decides to shake things up a little by rewinding to his early days when he wasn't as well-known with such a formidable reputation. On the one hand it's sad not to see the familiar faces of the Valhallan 597th knocking around, but on the other Mitchell's decision to shake things up pays off handsomely, as Death or Glory is the best book in the sequence to date.
The structure is a sort-of demented black humour version of Erikson's Chain of Dogs, as a terrified Cain tries desperately to avoid confronting the enemy and hopes to be able to sneak past them. Instead he ends up escorting hundreds of civilians and isolated Planetary Defence Forces from behind enemy lines through several major battles towards safety. Along the way he meets a bunch of colourful characters and forges his later reputation, as Cain's actions inspire the demoralised defenders elsewhere to great deeds. As usual Cain is self-deprecating and makes claims of cowardice, but Mitchell seems to finally get a handle on the dissonance between Cain's self-professed cowardice and lack of acumen with the self-evident skills the character displays, by citing Cain's arrogance and his love of having an amazing reputation which he cannot risk being besmirched, possibly even at the cost of his own life. This realisation allows Cain to shake off the Flashman-in-space tag and begin developing more satisfyingly as a character in his own right.
Death or Glory is also the funniest book in the series so far. We learn that after Cain is reported KIA, the resulting bureaucratic controversy to get him undeclared dead takes so long to sort out that eventually a standing order is given that Cain is never to be reported KIA until he's been missing for several years (this order is not rescinded even when Cain apparently does die of extreme old age, meaning he's still on the active duty roster years after being buried with full military honours in front of the Imperium's most senior military personnel). Elsewhere we learn that a scholarly work on the Orks has the frankly brilliant title Waaagh! and Peace ("Waaagh!" being the traditional Ork battlecry in the WH40K universe), whilst the Orks have an apparently religious belief that any vehicle painted red or given red strips will go faster than anything else (solidifying the characterisation of the Orks as demented Essex lads and Cockney wide-boys). One of the members of Cain's convoy is a vet based on a character from the All Creatures Great and Small novels and TV series. And so on.
Weaknesses? Only a few niggles. Whilst it's great the book doesn't outstay it's welcome, at 250 pages (in the omnibus) it does feel a little short for its epic scope. A few more episodes of Cain's journey (which he admits he skips over) wouldn't have gone amiss. It also would have been interesting to see Cain reunited with his unit at the end given his CO's constant doubts over Cain's abilities, but alas we are denied this potentially amusing scene.
Death or Glory (****½) is ridiculously entertaining fun, written with verve and wit. Not high literature, but terrifically engaging and sure to leave a smile on your face. The novel is available now in the UK and USA as part of the Defender of the Imperium omnibus.
May 14, 2024
Rating of 4.75.
After recently getting through awesome Warhammer 40,000 novels like Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, I was in the mood for even more fantastic fiction, so I decided to check out the always reliable Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell with Death or Glory.
Relatively young Commissar Ciaphas Cain is not yet the hero of the Imperium he is fated to become, although he has already started to gain a reputation he doesn’t believe he deserves. After stopping a genestealer infestation, Cain and the artillery unit he is attached to are ordered to the planet of Perlia, which has fallen under siege by the orks. Happy to spend the next war far behind the lines with the artillery, Cain is unprepared for the dangers to come.
Upon arriving in the Perlia system, the ship Cain is travelling aboard comes under ork attack and Cain has no choice but to rapidly disembark in an escape pod. Trapped with his aid, Jurgen, Cain’s pod is shot down before they can be rescued, which results in them crashlanding on Perlia. Hoping to find sanctuary after a harrowing adventure in space, Cain is horrified to discover that they have crashed into the wrong side of the planet and are currently stuck well behind enemy lines.
Knowing that the only way to survive the ork hordes is to rejoin the main Imperial army, Cain has no choice but to embark on a dangerous road trip across the continent. However, with thousands of brutish orks in the way, Cain will need help to survive. Pulling together an unlikely army of scattered troops and desperate civilians, Cain heads off into the desert, hoping to find his salvation. Their resulting journey will pit them against the full ork army and help turn Cain into a legend known throughout the galaxy.
Death or Glory was another exceedingly fun and deeply captivating entry in the Ciaphas Cain series that once again places Mitchell’s complex protagonist in all manner of trouble. Action-packed, clever, and filled with excellent humour, Death or Glory was an outstanding read that I could not get enough of.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/05/14/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
After recently getting through awesome Warhammer 40,000 novels like Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, I was in the mood for even more fantastic fiction, so I decided to check out the always reliable Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell with Death or Glory.
Relatively young Commissar Ciaphas Cain is not yet the hero of the Imperium he is fated to become, although he has already started to gain a reputation he doesn’t believe he deserves. After stopping a genestealer infestation, Cain and the artillery unit he is attached to are ordered to the planet of Perlia, which has fallen under siege by the orks. Happy to spend the next war far behind the lines with the artillery, Cain is unprepared for the dangers to come.
Upon arriving in the Perlia system, the ship Cain is travelling aboard comes under ork attack and Cain has no choice but to rapidly disembark in an escape pod. Trapped with his aid, Jurgen, Cain’s pod is shot down before they can be rescued, which results in them crashlanding on Perlia. Hoping to find sanctuary after a harrowing adventure in space, Cain is horrified to discover that they have crashed into the wrong side of the planet and are currently stuck well behind enemy lines.
Knowing that the only way to survive the ork hordes is to rejoin the main Imperial army, Cain has no choice but to embark on a dangerous road trip across the continent. However, with thousands of brutish orks in the way, Cain will need help to survive. Pulling together an unlikely army of scattered troops and desperate civilians, Cain heads off into the desert, hoping to find his salvation. Their resulting journey will pit them against the full ork army and help turn Cain into a legend known throughout the galaxy.
Death or Glory was another exceedingly fun and deeply captivating entry in the Ciaphas Cain series that once again places Mitchell’s complex protagonist in all manner of trouble. Action-packed, clever, and filled with excellent humour, Death or Glory was an outstanding read that I could not get enough of.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/05/14/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
January 20, 2024
Et bien, on est pas sorti de l'auberge avec Ciaphas Cain car après avoir vérifié, il y a au total 9 tomes ... Je ne m'attendais pas à autant de tomes concernant ce personnage, donc j'en suis encore loin d'en avoir fini la saga.
Dans cette série, Ciaphas Cain arrive près d'une nouvelle planète et s'occupe de ses affaires. A un moment, ils sont comme obligés de sortir du Warp, dépassant largement le point de rassemblement avec quelques autres vaisseaux et apparemment, certains orks seraient des psykers. Du coup, Cain et Jurgen partent dans une capsule de sauvetage car le vaisseau est pris à part dans une bataille et ça part mal. Ils atterrissent sur la planète et malheureusement, les orks sont aussi présents ! Bref, arrivés sur la planète, ils doivent se débrouiller car ils n'ont quasi pas de rations, un manque de munitions et les communications ne passent pas.
Au fur et à mesure qu'ils arrivent à se débrouiller et à progresser, le commissaire tente d'éviter tous les soucis mais voilà qu'une communication passe mais ce sont des soldats impériaux déjà présents sur la planète et qui tentent de survivre et de se cacher des orks. Cain, toujours accompagné de Jurgen, va les rejoindre en évitant un maximum les orks et plus on avance dans l'histoire, plus Cain rassemble des hommes, des munitions et des vivres, découvrant des caches d'armes et de provisions que les soldats de l'Armée Impériale avait préparé. Leur but dans tout cela ? Survivre et tenter de rejoindre les forces impériales qui sont sur un autre continent.
L'histoire est vraiment intéressante, cela change des trois premiers tomes car ici, nous n'avons pas les autres personnages habituels avec le régiment de Valhalla donc ça fait du bien de voir du changement. L'action est bien menée et j'avoue qu'il n'y a pas trop ni trop peu de pages. Il y a simplement juste assez au niveau des pages. Encore une fois, les lauriers vont revenir à Ciaphas Cain et on verra encore bien où ça va l'emmener.
Dans cette série, Ciaphas Cain arrive près d'une nouvelle planète et s'occupe de ses affaires. A un moment, ils sont comme obligés de sortir du Warp, dépassant largement le point de rassemblement avec quelques autres vaisseaux et apparemment, certains orks seraient des psykers. Du coup, Cain et Jurgen partent dans une capsule de sauvetage car le vaisseau est pris à part dans une bataille et ça part mal. Ils atterrissent sur la planète et malheureusement, les orks sont aussi présents ! Bref, arrivés sur la planète, ils doivent se débrouiller car ils n'ont quasi pas de rations, un manque de munitions et les communications ne passent pas.
Au fur et à mesure qu'ils arrivent à se débrouiller et à progresser, le commissaire tente d'éviter tous les soucis mais voilà qu'une communication passe mais ce sont des soldats impériaux déjà présents sur la planète et qui tentent de survivre et de se cacher des orks. Cain, toujours accompagné de Jurgen, va les rejoindre en évitant un maximum les orks et plus on avance dans l'histoire, plus Cain rassemble des hommes, des munitions et des vivres, découvrant des caches d'armes et de provisions que les soldats de l'Armée Impériale avait préparé. Leur but dans tout cela ? Survivre et tenter de rejoindre les forces impériales qui sont sur un autre continent.
L'histoire est vraiment intéressante, cela change des trois premiers tomes car ici, nous n'avons pas les autres personnages habituels avec le régiment de Valhalla donc ça fait du bien de voir du changement. L'action est bien menée et j'avoue qu'il n'y a pas trop ni trop peu de pages. Il y a simplement juste assez au niveau des pages. Encore une fois, les lauriers vont revenir à Ciaphas Cain et on verra encore bien où ça va l'emmener.
October 25, 2024
Well, after three novels following Ciaphas Cain's adventures later in his career, when he already has a reputation as a Hero of the Imperium, Cain's memoirs turn back to an early incident in his "service" to the Emperor. While assigned to an artillery regiment, a series of unlikely events leads to him and his faithful and exceptionally competent (if malodorous) aide Jurgen being stranded behind enemy lines on a world being overrun by an Ork "Waaagghh!!!" (as Cain's editor notes, a Waaagghh!!! (sic) "is a combination of a migration and a destructive rampage" which occurs whenever a warboss of sufficient influence (and going by Orkish standards, this basically means sufficient size and brutality) emerges, able to unite and direct Ork tribes into a cohesive force (rather than their usual petty squabbling fractiousness)) with pretty much no resources and no hope of rescue. However, through a combination of dumb luck, resourcefulness, and tactically-prudent cowardice Cain ends up turning the whole invasion on its head. This is another fun romp, not quite as funny as The Traitor's Hand, but with much more action, so 6 of one, half-a-dozen of the other. Honestly, the biggest problem I had with this book is that young inexperienced Cain doesn't read much different than more mature Cain (admittedly, both are being written by much much older Cain in the context of his private memoirs, so I suppose that could explain it, but it seems odd that despite the harrowing experiences intervening between this and the previous books, he seems much the same personality-wise). Even so, that's a pretty minor gripe, and even while I dropped it to 4 of 5 stars, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 17, 2022
For me, this is probably one of the weakest of the Ciaphas Cain novels, though that might be because a lot of the main cast are absent, given although this is the fourth book in the series, the events in it take place chronologically before the story of the first book, For The Emperor... This book serves as something of a prequel, showing how Cain got his reputation as the hero who saves the day, as well as setting up some important threads that reappear in the following books...
'Ciaphas Cain is back, and back up to his neck in it once more. En route to the planet Perlia to assist the local garrison in battling an Ork Waaagh!, when their transport ship is shot down, Cain and his ever faithful, if malodorous aide Jurgen crashland hundreds of miles behind enemy lines. With dozens of kilometres between him and a good number of Imperial soldiers to keep his scrawny hide safe, Cain and Jurgen, accompanied by a ragtag group of survivors, must cut across Ork-occupied territory if they want to survive... "
While I missed the familiar faces of the Valhallan 597th in this book, that's not to say it's an unpleasant story. Cain and Jurgen's journey across occupied Perlia is a nail-biting one and there are some moments that will make your jaw drop, plus some of the supporting characters (particularly the irrepressible Felicia Tayber) are good accompaniment in the absence of Kasteen, Broklaw, Sulla, Magot, Grifen and company... Like I say, Death or Glory isn't one of my favourite books in the series, but that doesn't make it a bad book...
'Ciaphas Cain is back, and back up to his neck in it once more. En route to the planet Perlia to assist the local garrison in battling an Ork Waaagh!, when their transport ship is shot down, Cain and his ever faithful, if malodorous aide Jurgen crashland hundreds of miles behind enemy lines. With dozens of kilometres between him and a good number of Imperial soldiers to keep his scrawny hide safe, Cain and Jurgen, accompanied by a ragtag group of survivors, must cut across Ork-occupied territory if they want to survive... "
While I missed the familiar faces of the Valhallan 597th in this book, that's not to say it's an unpleasant story. Cain and Jurgen's journey across occupied Perlia is a nail-biting one and there are some moments that will make your jaw drop, plus some of the supporting characters (particularly the irrepressible Felicia Tayber) are good accompaniment in the absence of Kasteen, Broklaw, Sulla, Magot, Grifen and company... Like I say, Death or Glory isn't one of my favourite books in the series, but that doesn't make it a bad book...
December 28, 2025
Soooo... yeah. I actually forgot I finished reading this book, and when I realized I should review it on here, I realized I remembered nothing about what happened. So, after reading a synopsis, and having that refresh my memory, I remember what happened now.
Honestly, if that didn't tell you my thoughts on this book, then I don't know what will.
This one was kind of a snooze for me. The narrators are good, as always, and add a nice level to the reading of this book. Nothing wrong with them, sole reason this book gets 3 stars as opposed to 2.
The overall story, however?
It's kind of a snooze. I mean, I get what Mitchell was doing, as it is distinctly different than her usual Cain stories, and it is always good to spice things up for the readers. Keep them interested, keep the stories fresh, etc. And maybe it's because I honestly don't care about orks, or because of the whole 'trapped behind enemy lines' bit of it, but overall the story just didn't do anything for me.
There is plenty of action, and once I refreshed my memory I was able to remember some of those at least. The engiseer sister sticks out as a nice character who is skilled at what she does in the 40k universe without becoming a pure cogboy. But all in all, those brief moments and that one character are the only things that stand out to me.
So yeah, at this point you are invested in the series, so me saying buy or don't buy this book is kinda meaningless. But, that said, it wasn't a bad book, just really not my cup of tea. You may really like it...
Honestly, if that didn't tell you my thoughts on this book, then I don't know what will.
This one was kind of a snooze for me. The narrators are good, as always, and add a nice level to the reading of this book. Nothing wrong with them, sole reason this book gets 3 stars as opposed to 2.
The overall story, however?
It's kind of a snooze. I mean, I get what Mitchell was doing, as it is distinctly different than her usual Cain stories, and it is always good to spice things up for the readers. Keep them interested, keep the stories fresh, etc. And maybe it's because I honestly don't care about orks, or because of the whole 'trapped behind enemy lines' bit of it, but overall the story just didn't do anything for me.
There is plenty of action, and once I refreshed my memory I was able to remember some of those at least. The engiseer sister sticks out as a nice character who is skilled at what she does in the 40k universe without becoming a pure cogboy. But all in all, those brief moments and that one character are the only things that stand out to me.
So yeah, at this point you are invested in the series, so me saying buy or don't buy this book is kinda meaningless. But, that said, it wasn't a bad book, just really not my cup of tea. You may really like it...
February 18, 2020
Another wonderful story following the ever amusing Ciaphas Cain. Although at the beginning of the book I was missing the members of the 597th, there were plenty of interesting new characters to make up for it. It was also interesting to see Cain and Jurgen surviving on their own for a while. It was fun to see Cain much earlier in his career before he has all the experience that he does in the earlier books. You get to see him training with his chainsword which was nice. This was his first ever encounter with orks, which you see him vastly underestimating at the start of the book. It also shows him beginning to build up his reputation as the locals brand him as a hero and his accidental allowing the rest of the galaxy to see how incredible he is and sets him up as the well known figure you see in the earlier books.
In general I really like the writing style, the humour is great but, although I like the joke, I think the phrase "If he'd know x he never would have done y" was a bit overused in this book.
Overall this was another great book from Mitchell and I look forward to the next one.
In general I really like the writing style, the humour is great but, although I like the joke, I think the phrase "If he'd know x he never would have done y" was a bit overused in this book.
Overall this was another great book from Mitchell and I look forward to the next one.
June 19, 2023
Suprisingly good, all things considered.
I've always liked ciaphas cain, but many of the running jokes have become stale (Yes, i know Jurgen stinks, you can really stop saying that 20 times per novel now)
This however, is a prequel, meaning we are looking at a much less experienced Ciaphas here. Crashlanding on a planet besieged by orks, Cain and a rowdy band of have to fight their way through enemy lines and back to imperium-controlled territory. For the first half of the book, the group of irregulars has to fight through a desert, with supplies eternally dwindling, and that actually got me pretty tense waiting to see how it turned out. So that's definitely the best part of the book.
The second half is a bit weaker, more of the usual "Cain accidentally does heroic thing while trying to escape" that we've seen numerous times by now, so nothing new here.
All around, the best Cain-Novel i have read so far.
I've always liked ciaphas cain, but many of the running jokes have become stale (Yes, i know Jurgen stinks, you can really stop saying that 20 times per novel now)
This however, is a prequel, meaning we are looking at a much less experienced Ciaphas here. Crashlanding on a planet besieged by orks, Cain and a rowdy band of have to fight their way through enemy lines and back to imperium-controlled territory. For the first half of the book, the group of irregulars has to fight through a desert, with supplies eternally dwindling, and that actually got me pretty tense waiting to see how it turned out. So that's definitely the best part of the book.
The second half is a bit weaker, more of the usual "Cain accidentally does heroic thing while trying to escape" that we've seen numerous times by now, so nothing new here.
All around, the best Cain-Novel i have read so far.
October 14, 2020
After the previous novel (the Traitor's Hand) this is a good return to form, looking to an older 'adventure' as such for Ciaphas Cain. I missed having the 597th in this story, but outside of that, this was a very good ride, showing the snowballing of events that can happen. In some ways I think the plot could have been done just as well for a typical hero story, but with Cain it becomes a more humorous version of such a story. Some good new side characters introduced here, that I would like to see again, such as the Tybers. Even outside that, it did a good job, potentially better than prior stories, at letting you get to know and love new characters, to see a number of them unfortunately fall, which did pack a bit of a punch. All round a great read.
September 27, 2023
I was super excited, because at first I really was digging this book, and I thought, okay, the trick to enjoying Cain books is to read them in internal chronological order. But ... about a quarter of the way through, it just fell apart for me. The problem is Cain (er, Mitchell, I guess) describes things in such an annoying way that I get reallllly bored when there isn't either conversation or action going on. And in this book, fairly quickly Ciaphas & Jurgen get separated from everyone else and it's just description as far as the eye can see. Also, the baddies this time are orks, so even the action didn't interest me (I find the orks incredibly dull).
Eventually I realized I was skipping so much, I should just give in & admit I didn't care for the book.
Eventually I realized I was skipping so much, I should just give in & admit I didn't care for the book.
November 25, 2025
Honestly, I might just not have gotten this one. So far, this has been the only Cain book that has thoroughly disappointed me. I only chuckled a couple of times, and I found the prose long, boring, and altogether all too formulaic for it to do it for me.
I think taking Cain out of his usual squadron was a brave idea, but his usual side characters were replaced by blander, less fun characters that definitely did not give him enough to bounce usual witty internal monologues off of.
The only really remarkable moment from this book comes from the penultimate chapter, where
I think taking Cain out of his usual squadron was a brave idea, but his usual side characters were replaced by blander, less fun characters that definitely did not give him enough to bounce usual witty internal monologues off of.
The only really remarkable moment from this book comes from the penultimate chapter, where
August 7, 2024
Zuerst dachte ich, dass ich langsam genug von der Reihe bekommen. Denn, ehrlich gesagt, die Handlung ist eigentlich immer dieselbe. Das ganze ist für mich sowas wie literarisches Fast Food, macht Spass und ist schnell verputzt, aber irgendwann ist es dann wohl auch gut so.
Aber nachdem Felicia aufgetaucht ist, war ich wieder voll mit dabei. Sie ist auch der Grund für den vierten Extrastern. Ich hoffe, sie wird in späteren Büchern wieder auftauchen. Von mir aus könnte sie auch eine eigene Spin-Off-Reihe bekommen.
Auf jeden Fall habe ich den nächsten Band nun doch wieder auf meine Hörbuchliste gesetzt.
Aber nachdem Felicia aufgetaucht ist, war ich wieder voll mit dabei. Sie ist auch der Grund für den vierten Extrastern. Ich hoffe, sie wird in späteren Büchern wieder auftauchen. Von mir aus könnte sie auch eine eigene Spin-Off-Reihe bekommen.
Auf jeden Fall habe ich den nächsten Band nun doch wieder auf meine Hörbuchliste gesetzt.
June 16, 2018
Caiphas Cain and Jurgen accidentally land behind Ork likes and with a growing band of survivors make their way back to friendly lines. This inadvertently builds Cain’s legend. Certain narrative features are now embedded in this series such as chapter introductions and character ticks. Unlike previous installments, the action is more intense and rousing and the humor is suitably black. The word ‘attenuate’ seems to be used quite a lot.
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