Tag: Alex Stewart

Warhammer 40,000: The Emperor’s Finest by Sandy Mitchell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer1 Comment

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 7 December 2010)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Seven

Length: 10 hours and 14 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Dive once again into the crazy adventures of the Warhammer 40,000 universe’s most undeserving hero, with the awesome Ciaphas Cain novel, The Emperor’s Finest by Sandy Mitchell.

I was recently in the mood for something familiar and fun to enjoy during a gap in my audiobook listening schedule, and the first thing that came to mind was another entry in the highly entertaining and addictive Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell (a pseudonym of author Alex Stewart).  One of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series, the Ciaphas Cain books chronicle the adventures of the dashing and doubtful hero of the Imperium of Man, Commissar Ciaphas Cain, a man who sensibly seeks to avoid the many, many terrifying dangers of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, but who constantly finds himself dragged into the deadliest of situations, often because of his vastly inflated legend.  I have had a wonderful time making my way through the series, with books like For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory, Duty Calls and Cain’s Last Stand, proving to be extremely compelling and highly entertaining.  As such, I knew well in advance of reading The Emperor’s Finest that I was going to have a brilliant time with it, and Mitchell did not disappoint.  The seventh entry in this outstanding series, The Emperor’s Finest, had an outrageous and fantastic plot behind it that throws you into the action right away.

A dangerous and terrible foe stalks several human worlds in the galaxy, and only one man is unlucky enough to face it: Commissar Ciaphas Cain.  Despite being relatively early in his illustrious career, Cain has already gained a reputation for heroics and bravery, a combination that conspires to get the Commissar into far more trouble than he wants.  However, one of his most dangerous adventures occurs when he is surrounded by the finest warriors humanity has to defend them.

Rescued from an exploding Necron ship, Cain finds himself in the care of Space Marines of the Reclaimers chapter and soon becomes their Imperial Guard liaison as part of a new campaign.  Assigned to supress a civil war on the important agricultural world of Viridia, the Reclaimers are keen to engage the enemy, and Cain finds himself reluctantly dragged in their wake, forced to once again play the rousing hero and bring the loyalists of Viridia into line.  However, as the Reclaimers begin their bloody work, it soon becomes apparent that the traitors of Viridia are far more deadly than expected, when a nefarious genestealer cult is revealed at the heart of the warring factions.

As the Space Marines engage the genestealers, the defenders of Viridia determine that they must have snuck into the system when a massive, drifting space hulk briefly appeared.  Determined to eradicate the source of this unholy threat to the Imperium, the Reclaimers lead an ambitious expedition into the warp to track down the space hulk and obtain its secrets, and Cain is naturally required to follow along.  With murderous genestealers and ravaging orks in front of him, and the far more terrifying threat of an ambitious husband-seeking noblewoman at his back, Cain and his trusty aide, Jurgen, are flung once again into the fray and must find a way to extricate themselves from the new dangers all around them.  But if anyone can survive the oncoming terrors of the space hulk, it’s the soon to be legend of the Imperium.

Sandy Mitchell continues to delightfully show just how ridiculous and entertaining the Warhammer 40,000 universe can be with this outstanding entry in his Ciaphas Cain series.  Featuring an intense plot loaded with some fantastic characters, The Emperor’s Finest takes Cain on a grand adventure filled with action, questionable heroics, and boundless fun.

As with the rest of the books in the Ciaphas Cain series, The Emperor’s Finest features a brilliant and highly entertaining story loaded with funny coincidences, complex characters and highly dangerous situations.  Following on from the immediate aftermath of the Ciaphas Cain short story, Echoes of the Tomb, the initial story sees Cain once again thrust into danger, this time supporting the Reclaimers’ attempts to wipe out a genestealer-led revolution on the planet of Viridia.  This first part of The Emperor’s Finest is a somewhat typical Ciaphas Cain narrative, with the reluctant Cain dragged into a dangerous situation thanks to his own inflated reputation.  This ensures a ton of excellent action and over-the-top scenarios, as Cain jumps from danger to danger, with many of his decisions to avoid trouble resulting in him finding an even worse scenario.  Mitchell enhances this fun by also forcing Cain to contend with supporting character, Mira DuPanya, whose entertaining exploits, foppish nature, aristocratic arrogance, and determination to stick with Cain leads to some great moments, including an unlikely romantic subplot with the protagonist.

While this was a great introduction, the plot focus of The Emperor’s Finest changes about a third of the way through into a space adventure, when the Reclaimers set out to find and cleanse the space hulk that initially corrupted Viridia, and Cain is dragged along.  This allows for some excellent space adventures, especially when Cain and the Space Marines burst out into ork space, resulting in a great boarding action sequence.  Mitchell really leans into some fun interpersonal clashes between the book’s three main characters here, especially as Cain and the always dependable Jurgen find themselves at their wits end with Mira, who continues to be a real highlight of the plot.  All this leads to the excellent final third of The Emperor’s Finest, which sees Cain and Jurgen trapped alone aboard the space hulk, facing off against genestealers and orks.  A frenetic and fast-paced extended sequence, the space hulk scenes feature some of the book’s best action, and it was fun to see Cain and Jurgen working as an effective team to achieve Cain’s goal of not dying.  Mitchell plunks in some really awesome, fast-paced sequences here, and the reader is left hanging on until the end as they wait to see how Cain escapes this time.  Everything wraps up with some final fun moments, with Cain once again coming out on top through happy accident, and I was thoroughly entertained with how the self-contained storylines around Mira came to an end.

Unsurprisingly, Mitchell continued to utilise the same writing style that made the rest of the Ciaphas Cain series so entertaining, with the main narrative primarily told in a journal format, written by an older Cain.  Filled with self-deprecating humour and his own narrow insights into events, the novel paints a rather compelling and frank picture of events, which Mitchell ensures is loaded with action, adventure, and a certain level of ridiculousness.  This main narration is cleverly interspersed with entertaining footnotes, commentary and in-universe texts provided by the account’s editor, Inquisitor Amberly Vail, which ensures that the story becomes even more cynical and humorous, abet with some excellent additional insights into the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  I personally found The Emperor’s Finest to be one of the funnier Ciaphas Cian novels, and I chuckled my way through several scenes, especially those where Cain’s greatest threat proves to be an ambitious and heavily armed love interest.  I really love Mitchell’s great writing style for these books, which are honestly some of the more light-hearted entries in the larger Warhammer 40,000 canon, and I felt that it helped to turn the already awesome action story of The Emperor’s Finest into a truly entertaining narrative.  While the overall general adventure narrative is relatively basic, especially after some of the preceding books that had a little more depth, this was still a great read, and those in the mood for comedy, action and amusing characters in the always grim dark Warhammer 40,000 universe are going to have fun with this seventh Ciaphas Cain book.

As with the rest of the series, The Emperor’s Finest works extremely well as a standalone novel, with no prior knowledge of the rest of the Ciaphas Cain series needed to enjoy this cool narrative.  Indeed, as The Emperor’s Finest is set relatively early in the character’s personal chronology, only a couple of the previous books are referenced or mentioned, although the short story, Echoes of the Tomb, set directly before the events of this novel, is discussed a few times.  As such, The Emperor’s Children could potentially be used as a good entry point into the larger series, especially as you get some great comedic moments and interactions in this book.  While The Emperor’s Finest does suffer from some repetition issues due to Mitchell reusing some phrases, descriptions and broad story arcs, I feel that there were enough unique elements in this book to make it stand out from the rest of the series.  This includes the inclusion of Space Marines characters for the first time in a Ciaphas Cain book, as well as the inclusion of some fun new supporting figures who add a lot of humour to the plot.  As such, I felt that The Emperor’s Finest was an outstanding addition to the overall series, and one that will appeal to both new readers and established fans of the series.

An always amazing highlight of the Ciaphas Cain novels are the great characters, and The Emperor’s Finest is an excellent example of this, featuring a fun cast of outrageous figures.  This includes protagonist and main point-of-view character, Commissar Ciaphas Cain, who is a particularly complex figure in the Warhammer 40,000 canon.  Always described by the protagonist himself as a coward and a false hero, Cain spends most of the book trying to come up with ways to avoid combat and survive the inevitable danger his reputation and own bad lack force him to participate in.  Written in a very cynical and self-deprecating manner, Mitchell always tries to emulate classic figures like Flashman or Blackadder with his depictions of Cain.  However, despite Cain’s own constant assurances that he is no hero, he often proves to be quite a skilled fighter and leader, routinely defeating the enemy through clever strategies or natural talents, and you soon figure out that the character is actually a good Commissar, even if he doesn’t believe it.  As such, Cain is a brilliantly contrary character, and it always fun to see him in action, especially in these earlier adventures where even he isn’t sure whether he’s brave or a hero.  Throw in the protagonist’s usual witty humour, sarcastic comments and overall cynical nature, which throws some entertaining shade on the entire Warhammer 40,000 universe, and Cain is a brilliant and surprisingly likeable central character that is so much fun to follow.

Aside from Cain, The Emperor’s Finest features some excellent supporting characters, including some recurring figures from the main series.  This includes Cain’s faithful aide Jurgen, a seemingly gormless and thoroughly unsanitary soldier, who is also an effective and lethal sidekick and in many ways is the true hero of the series.  While some elements of his nature are hidden due to this book being set early in the series’ timeline, Jurgen still has several moments to shine in The Emperor’s Finest, and I love how well he plays off Cian.  Another great recurring figure is Inquisitor Amberly Vail, who serves the essential role as the overarching narrator of the book as well as the person behind the footnotes.  Despite not physically appearing as a character in The Emperor’s Finest, Vail’s impact on the overarching book is undeniable, and I love hearing her commentary on Cain’s exploits while also calling out all his lies and mistakes.  Mitchell also features several stoic Space Marine characters, whose surly presence adds some interesting colour to proceedings, and whose apparently inability to see through Cain is quite amusing.

While Jurgen and Vail are great in their roles as always, I think that new character Mira DuPanya honestly stole the show in The Emperor’s Finest.  The spoiled daughter of Viridia’s governor, Mira is shown to be an early thorn in Cain’s side as she decides to accompany him into battle with her troops, despite being unqualified to lead anyone.  The early conflict between the two quickly turns into an unconventional romance, which Cain humorously regrets the entire way through, especially when Mira’s true intentions are revealed.  Mitchell honestly did a masterful job of portraying Mira in the most spoiled and foppish light, and for once Cain isn’t the most selfish character in the plot.  The hilarious interactions that occur between Mira and several of the recurring cast is often comedic gold, and I felt that this character’s presence alone helped to make The Emperor’s Finest one of the funnier books in the series.  An overall amazing cast of characters that I couldn’t get enough of.

I almost don’t need to say it at this point, but I of course checked out The Emperor’s Finest on audiobook, which frankly is the very best way to enjoy a Ciaphas Cain/Warhammer 40,000 novel.  Once again featuring an impressive cast of entertaining narrators, The Emperor’s Finest had a brisk run time of just over 10 hours, which I honestly flew through because I was having such a fun time with this audiobook.  The multiple narrators really help to capture the entertaining and crazy nature of the narrative, with Stephen Perring doing his usual exceptional job leading the narration.  His voice work in the main story, as told from Cain’s perspective, is very entertaining, and I love the extremely fitting voices that once again accompany the recurring protagonists of Cain and Jurgen, with Jurgen’s sticky tones being particularly fun.  Thanks to its compelling cast, Perring also had some additional interesting voices to feature in The Emperor’s Children, including a group of Space Marines, who Perring gives an appropriately intimidating and booming voice. However, Perring’s most entertaining, if ridiculous voice, belonged to Cain’s new love interest, Mira, upon whom Perring bestows a very grating and overly aristocratic voice, that really fits the spoiled princess persona the character had.  I honestly chuckled my way through some of the outrageous dialogue between the two, especially with Perring’s tones making them even more ridiculous.

In addition to Perring, the voice cast of The Emperor’s Finest also features the returning Penelope Rawlins, as well as additional narrators Andrew James Spooner and Helen McAlphine.  Rawlins once again does an amazing job voicing Inquisitor Vail’s notes on Cain’s account of this mission, and I loved the sarcastic yet informative tone that Rawlins has long attributed to this compelling figure.  Rawlins’s inclusions work perfectly alongside the main narration of Perring, and the way that her subtle and comedic comments are inserted into the flow of the story in this format is always extremely fun.  Throw in some excellent work from Spooner and McAlphine, who bring the contextual articles, interviews and exerts from in-universe texts to life in an amusing and striking fashion, and The Emperor’s Finest once again features some outstanding narration that really enhances Mitchell’s already awesome story.  I have so much love for how the Ciaphas Cain novels come across on audiobook, and The Emperor’s Finest once again shows why this is the very best way to enjoy this series.

Seven books in and the always fun Ciaphas Cain series remains one of the best Warhammer 40,000 series.  Sandy Mitchell did an outstanding job continuing the series with The Emperor’s Finest, which provides even more great action, fantastic comedy, and amazing character interactions.  An excellent and captivating read from start to finish, The Emperor’s Finest comes highly recommended, and I can’t wait to dive even further into the series when I get a chance.

Amazon

Warhammer 40,000: Cain’s Last Stand by Sandy Mitchell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer4 Comments

Cain's Last Stand Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 January 2008)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Six

Length: 10 hours and 30 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

I’ve been on a real roll with the amazing Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell (a pseudonym of Alex Stewart) lately, which is easily one of the funniest Warhammer 40,000 series out there.  Amazing books like For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory and Duty Calls have all proved to be highly entertaining, and I like the author’s take on a less heroic figure in the martyr-filled grimdark Warhammer 40,000 universe.  As such, when in need of a particularly fun read, I made the very easy choice to power through another entry in this classic series last week with the sixth book, Cain’s Last Stand.  This was an unsurprisingly awesome book, and I loved the intriguing story that emerged.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain, legendary hero of the Imperium and self-professed fraudulent coward, has done the near impossible and survived decades of brutal service in the Imperial Guard.  Now effectively retired from active duty, Cain has returned to the planet of Perlia, which he helped save from an ork invasion early in his career, and now spends his time teaching Commissar cadets at the planet’s Schola Progenium.  However, the battle is never truly over for Cain, and soon dark forces begin to descend once again.

Half a galaxy away, Abaddon the Despoiler has launched his 13th Black Crusade, determined to invade the Imperium of Man.  While most of the fighting occurs around the fortress world of Cadia, a splinter fleet has broken off and is heading deep into the Imperium, defeating several forces sent to stop it.  When it becomes apparent that this fleet is heading directly for Perlia, Cain is once again forced into action, especially as he knows exactly what they are coming for.

An ancient alien device of devastating power lies hidden on Perlia, one capable of reshaping reality itself, and Cain is one of the few people who knows it’s there.  With no means of escape available and the fate of the galaxy in the balance, Cain is forced to lead the defence of Perlia against the oncoming Chaos tide.  With only a ramshackle army of local soldiers, militia and students from the Schola under his command, the defence of the planet looks grim, especially when faced with a charismatic Chaos lord and his fanatically loyal soldiers.  Worse, a far greater evil has its eyes on Perlia, one that Cain fears above all else.  Can the legendary hero of the Imperium pull out one last impossible victory before he rides off into the sunset, or has Cain finally met his match at the site of his greatest triumph?

Mitchell continues to bring joy to the dark Warhammer 40,000 universe with this epic sixth entry, which I had so much fun with.  Cain’s Last Stand was an excellent read, and I loved the cool and elaborate story that emerged.

I think Cain’s Last Stand might be one of my favourite stories that Mitchell has so far used for the Ciaphas Cain series, especially because it differs from the standard narrative patterns of the series, while also cleverly tying together some intriguing ongoing storylines.  Set further into the future than any of the previous books, you get to see a nearly retired Cain in action, as the series finally ties itself into the events of the 13th Black Crusade (the original version of it, not the darker recent retcon).  I liked how Mitchell takes the reader back to the setting of the fourth book, Death or Glory, and the initial scenes of Cain as a reluctant but capable teacher, were very fun.  The switch from Tyranids to Chaos as the main threat is handled extremely well, and I liked the continued niggle that even worse enemies are lurking around.  The subsequent reveal that the reason behind the invasion is due to the ancient artefact first hinted at in Death or Glory and then expanded on in Duty Calls was great, and Mitchell does an excellent job of tying the various ongoing storylines together.

The second half of Cain’s Last Stand proves to be a very fun planetary invasion arc, especially as Cain works to rally an unusual array of defenders, including untrained militia, under strength garrison forces, and his own students.  The forces of Chaos prove to be excellent foes for this story, and I liked the much more insidious nature of the threat that emerged, especially as there was a slow build to the reveal.  After plenty of action, clever ploys, some touching tragedy, and so much misdirection from the protagonist, the story eventually heads to the inevitable last stand, which cleverly mirrors a similar event from Death or Glory.  Mitchell does a great job of building up anticipation for this event, and it doesn’t disappoint as there are some excellent action sequences and fun revelations that occurred.  I particularly enjoyed the big bluff that leads to the death of a certain enemy, especially as it was a classic Cain antic.  The final reveal about the actual big bad of the story was well handled, and it leaves this storyline open for the future, which I am very excited for.  An overall excellent addition to the series that builds on the prior novels while offering existing fans something new to enjoy.

Mitchell continues to utilise the fantastic writing style that has made the other Ciaphas Cain books so much fun, and I love how it cleverly enhances the narrative of Cain’s Last Stand.  As always, the cool journal format, equipped with entertaining footnotes and in-universe texts from Inquisitor Amberley Vail, ensures that you get a frank and cynical look at events in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and I love the inherent humour that results.  The various action scenes are exciting and fast-paced, and the constant commentary of complaints and annoyance that emerges from the protagonist are very entertaining.  This action and compelling humour are well offset by some of the darker elements of the plot, including some genuinely tragic moments, and you get thrown around the emotional ringer as a result.  This mixture of elements helped to create a much more impactful and complex read, and I appreciated some occasional seriousness to go with the impressive humour.

As with most books in the Ciaphas Cain series, Cain’s Last Stand can be read as a standalone read, especially as the author does a good job of rehashing relevant events from the prior novels.  However, for the full experience, especially when it comes to some fascinating storylines, reading the last two books would be good, and I really enjoyed how the author kept bringing the story back to these prior adventures.  While there was once again some repetition between books as Mitchell reutilises his favourite lines, I felt that the more original story and important connections to previous books ensured that Cain’s Last Stand stood out and got away from some of these minor issues.  An excellently written book that will appeal to both new readers and established fans of the series.

As always, I must give a callout to the outstanding characters featured in Cain’s Last Stand.  This of course includes Commissar Ciaphas Cain, the main protagonist and narrator, whose harrowing adventures we continue to follow.  I’ve talked a lot about the exciting dichotomy of Cain throughout my previous reviews, especially as he can be considered both a hero and a coward, and I loved seeing that occur again in Cain’s Last Stand.  Cain continues to be both a self-serving cad and a peerless commander, and it always fun to see himself plot to survive while discounting his own accomplishments.  His adventures in this book are particularly fun, and the inclusion of the protagonist as a teacher trying to get his methodology of command to Commissar cadets was a great choice from Mitchell and plays nicely on some of his offhand comments in previous books.  This, as well as the return to a planet important to his mythos, ensures that Cain has a lot to think about in Cain’s Last Stand, and I really enjoyed the way his past adventures keep coming back to haunt him.  This was a powerful adventure for Cain, and I always enjoy seeing the protagonist debate his own legacy whilst doing his trademark daring deeds.

The supporting cast for Cain’s Last Stand was also very good, and it provided an interesting mixed of established characters, returning figures, and raft of great new comrades.  This includes Inquisitor Amberley Vail, whose role as the overarching narrator of the book, as well as the person behind the footnotes, ensures that her fun influence is felt the entire way through.  Cain’s faithful bagman, Jurgen, was also a welcome inclusion, and his loyal service and fun interactions with Cain were as great as always.  Jurgen once again showed why he is the true MVP of the Ciaphas Cain series, and you have to love the entertaining contrast between his Baldrick-esque appearance and his impressive abilities.  Other great characters include a favourite character from Death or Glory, an interesting array of fellow teachers from Cain’s Schola Progenium, and other unique comrades for the protagonist.  I particularly enjoyed the class of Commissar cadets who are being instructed by Cain, and it was fun to see the range of different personalities they had.  Throw in a smarmy Chaos warlord whose charisma and influence outweighed his abilities and stature, and you had a great cast for Cain’s Last Stand, and I had a lot of fun seeing Cain interact with them.

I once again had an outstanding time with the audiobook format of this book, and frankly there is no better way to enjoy a Ciaphas Cain novel.  Thanks to the epic and well-cast multiple narrators, readers get an amazing experience when they listen to Cain’s Last Stand, especially as it helps to really capture the crazy nature of the plot.  The main narrators are Stephen Perring and Penelope Rawlins, who voice Cain’s perspective and Inquisitor Vail’s notes respectfully.  Perring once again does an incredible job voicing the main cast of the story, especially Cain and Jurgen, while Rawlins has a lot of fun including her character’s informative, if often sarcastic, comments throughout the plot.  These two main narrators complement each other extremely well, and I always have an awesome time listening to them.  The audiobook also features the talents of additional narrators Richard Reed, John Banks and Phillipe Bosher, each of whom voice fun in-universe texts and pieces of propaganda to liven up the main plot and provide some amusing context for the main story.  I have so much love for how these narrators bring the story together and this proved to be another impressive audiobook to listen to, especially as its great style really fit the fantastic story Mitchell came up with.  With a run time of 10 hours and 30 minutes, this is a very easy audiobook to get through quickly, and I managed to finish it off in no time at all.

Cain’s Last Stand was another amazing entry in the Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell, and I have so much love for this entertaining and fun Warhammer 40,000 series.  This sixth book was a particularly impressive entry in the series, and I loved the complex story that emerged, especially as it brings together several previous adventures from Mitchell’s outstanding protagonist.  A clever, exciting and overall funny book that I could not get enough of, Cain’s Last Stand comes highly recommended and I look forward to continuing this series in the future.

Amazon

Throwback Thursday – For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer15 Comments

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 23 December 2003)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book One

Length: 8 hours and 57 minutes

My Rating: 4.75

Amazon

I’ve already put up one Throwback Thursday post today, for the cool Warhammer 40,000 novel, Kingsblade by Andy Clark, but the fun doesn’t end there as I am also going back to 2003 and reviewing the hilarious and deviously clever novel, For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell, which is easily one of the funniest Warhammer books I have ever read.

Anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to my recent review habits would probably have noticed that I am quickly and doggedly powering through a ton of the top books in the Warhammer 40,000 range of fiction.  Not only did I recently finish off the epic Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett (featuring Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), but I have also checked out several cool standalone novels, including Grim Repast by Marc Collins, Deus Encarmine by James Swallow and Sepulturum by Nick Kyme.  All these books are exceedingly impressive examples of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that featured their own unique elements, such as galaxy spanning conspiracies, intense horror elements, or a futurist homage to classic, gritty cop stories.  However, the one thing that they all tended to lack was a substantial and notable sense of comedy.  That is where my next entry comes in as I have finally had a chance to explore the first book in the iconic Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell (a pseudonym for author Alex Stewart), For the Emperor, which had me laughing like crazy.

In the millennia when the forces of humanity fought to maintain the Imperium of Man, many heroes have risen from amongst the ranks of the Imperial Guard, gloriously leading mankind’s armies against the traitors, the heretics and the xenos.  Of these, few are spoken of with as much reverence and respect as the famed Commissar Ciaphas Cain, a living legend of duty, honour and courage.  Known throughout the Imperium for his daring exploits that have seen him survive the harshest of battlefields and continually lead his forces to victory, Commissar Cain is considered by many to be one of the greatest heroes of the age.

However, everything everyone knows about Cain is a lie.  In reality, he is a conniving coward who only seeks to avoid the horrors of the battlefield by any means necessary, in order to survive and make it to retirement.  Blessed with remarkable survival instincts, Cain has managed to stay alive against impossible odds many times, which has led many to believe he is a true hero capable of anything.  However, Cain’s ill-earned fame and reputation is a double-edged sword, as he is constantly chosen to journey to the worst battlefields in the Imperium, where his bad luck ensures he is in the thick of the fighting.

His latest mission sees him assigned to a newly formed Imperial Guard regiment suffering from horrific infighting and a lack of discipline.  Determined to install unity and respect amongst his new regiment, primarily so they don’t shoot him in the back, Cain is confident that he has found a relatively safe assignment.  However, his bad luck once again sees him in the thick of it, as his regiment is transferred to the backwater planet Gravalax, where a delicate situation is unfolding.  The inhabitants of Gravalax are attempting to defect to the alien Tau, who come with a message of peace and the Greater Good.  Not wishing to face the Tau and their superior technology, Cain works hard to avoid an upcoming war and ensure diplomacy will prevail.

However, after the Tau ambassador is assassinated and tensions are enflamed across the planet, Cain begins to suspect that there is more in play than he previously expected.  A shadowy conspiracy is hoping to start a war between the Tau and Imperium on Gravalax, and Cain is right in the middle of their plot.  To survive and avoid yet another war, Cain needs to work with a beautiful inquisitor to find out who is behind the attempted carnage before it is too late.  But his investigation reveals a far more dangerous enemy than expected, one that is determined to destroy all before it, starting with the terrified Cain.

Wow, oh wow, now that was a pretty damn fun book.  I had heard many times before how awesome and entertaining the Ciaphas Cain books were, and For the Emperor really did not disappoint.  Featuring a compelling story loaded with clever, dark humour, For the Emperor is a very easy book to fall in love with, and I ended up coming away really impressed with Sandy Mitchell’s amazing writing and comedic ability.

For the Emperor’s narrative itself is pretty interesting as it follows Cain through one of his most notable adventures.  Told in a chronicle perspective from Cain’s own memoirs (which may or may not be the most reliable source of information), you get to see the true Commissar Cain as he finds himself thrust into another adventure.  After a quick and very intriguing introduction, with notes from Cain’s associate, Inquisitor Amberly Vail, the story initially details Cain’s attempt to unify and control the Valhallan 296th-301st composite Imperial Guard regiment (eventually the Valhallan 597th).  These initial chapters showcase many aspects of the compelling protagonist, his deep cunning and determination to avoid damage, while also taking the time to introduce several of the major supporting characters.  The story changes after a few chapters as Cain and his new regiment arrive on Gravalax, where Cain must contend with the Tau, who are influencing parts of the local population.  Unlike most Warhammer 40,000 novels, the story doesn’t revolve around a war between the Imperial Guard and the Tau; indeed the focus on the plot is avoiding the conflict as two rival races attempt to find a diplomatic solution.  Unfortunately, some hidden force is attempting to start a war between the Tau and the humans, and Cain soon finds himself trying to maintain the peace, primarily for his own benefit.  After several intriguing and entertaining side missions, the plot eventually sees Cain and the new Inquisitor Vail lead a small, expendable force into the lair of their true enemy.  While I won’t go into detail about who they face, it results in a series of gruesome and deadly battles, where Cain’s survival skills are really put to the test.  Mitchell features a ton of action, intrigue, and odd-couple team-ups for this final major sequence, and you are really drawn into the intense storytelling, with even Cain’s sense of humour failing to cut through the brutal nature of the conflict.  Everything ends on a compelling, if slightly dark note, and you come away from the story pretty damn satisfied and ready for another intriguing adventure from this hilarious protagonist.

I really liked the fun way Mitchell wrote For the Emperor, as everything is set out to enhance the inherent comedy of the book.  While there is a ton of impressive action, adventure and intrigue, at their core all the Ciaphas Cain books are very light-hearted and add a more humorous spin to the grim Warhammer universe.  Indeed, I was getting some major Blackadder vibes from For the Emperor, as much of the plot sees the supposedly noble protagonist attempting to weasel his way out of actually getting into a fight.  Pretty much every interaction or thought in this book had me chuckling in some way, and I appreciated some of the clever jokes or references that Mitchell scattered throughout.  I also deeply enjoyed the cool chronicle format of the story, as Cain’s antics are made even funnier when you see it from his eyes.  At the same time, Mitchell includes a ton of extra notes and excerpts from other in-universe texts that not only provide intriguing context, but also add to the humour, especially as the intentionally over-the-top opinions and bad writing highlights just how crazy other members of the Warhammer 40,000 universe are.  There are also a series of notes, footnotes and quotes from supporting character Inquisitor Vail sprinkled throughout the plot to provide some additional insights, often in a humorous way.  I always deeply enjoy the use of a good footnote in fiction, especially due to my love of Terry Pratchett’s novels, and I felt that Mitchell utilised them perfectly throughout For the Emperor.  Not only do they provide additional information, but Vail’s footnotes often directly contradict Cain’s opinions and descriptions of events, and ensure a much more complex and complete overall story.

While the focus is often on the humour, Mitchell also does write a pretty compelling military thriller as the main story, which ties well into the wider Warhammer universe.  The focus on the intense conspiracy and the outbreaks of rebellion and war fit into the more humorous feel of the book extremely well, and you get quite an impressive story as a result.  There are also some rather dark moments scattered throughout the novel as well, and they provide a rather interesting contrast to the more comedic elements.  Having the character deal with some heavy moments, like being forced to kill an innocent man, provides some great balance to the story, and despite the lighter tone, you are always reminded just how grim the overlying universe truly is.

I deeply enjoyed Mitchell’s unique take on the Warhammer universe that was featured in For the Emperor, especially thanks to who is telling the story.  Most of the Warhammer 40,000 books you experience either follow a bold warrior or a common soldier, many of whom see the universe through lens of duty or ignorance.  However, the Ciaphas Cain books provide a much more down-to-earth view as the cynical Cain sees events as they truly are and he knows deep down just how deadly the universe and his own comrades are.  I really liked this alternate view of the franchise from a protagonist and it, and the inherent humour of the story, help to make this book really stand out from some other novels.  At the same time, Mitchell adds in some compelling and fascinating insights to the Tau, and other factions to the story, which really help to expand out the universe and ensure that there is plenty there for all Warhammer readers.  The examination of a more diplomatic route from the usually xenophobic Imperium of Man was also pretty damn fascinating, and it really helps to showcase how pragmatic some of Mitchell’s characters are.  This lighter tone, as well as the fun references to some other classic Warhammer 40,000 novels, ensures that all fans of the franchise are going to have an amazing time with this book, and I personally found it to be a welcome change of pace between a few heavier Warhammer novels I have recently read.  For the Emperor would also serve as a pretty good entry point into the Warhammer 40,000 universe, especially as you get a good idea of how crazy everything is, while also getting to have a laugh at it.  As such, this is an extremely good Warhammer novel, and I now fully understand why the Ciaphas Cain books are so beloved by the fandom.

I can’t mention For the Emperor without discussing the awesome and extremely entertaining collection of characters that Mitchell successfully introduces here.  For the Emperor features a substantial and compelling cast, each of whom brings something special to the story and helps to either enhance the humour or the more serious aspects of the book in their own special way.

The most important of these characters is of course Commissar Ciaphas Cain, through whose memoirs we see most of the plot unfold.  A legendary hero of the Imperium, Cain is one of the more unique figures in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, mainly because he doesn’t deserve his inflated reputation.  While he acts the great hero and everyone is in awe of his reputation, in reality he is a craven figure who is actively trying to avoid the universe’s various wars and stay alive.  Thanks to his narration throughout the book, you see him constantly manipulating the situation to his advantage.  Literally every single action he takes is done to benefit him and him alone, with an appropriate explanation or excuse to keep people from getting suspicious.  Even his more heroic actions in the book (stopping a riot, defending the Tau ambassadors, visiting the enemy stronghold) are only done because they serve him in some way or when he can’t get out of doing it without dying or losing his ill-gained fame.  I absolutely loved this unique character feature, as not only is it hilarious to see how he manages to weasel out or manipulate situations but it ensures that he is the complete opposite of the usual gruff and ultra-serious Commissar characters that are such a big part of franchise (Gaunt and Yarrick, for example).

While it would be easy to dislike such a selfish character, you really grow to enjoy Cain and his hilarious and cynical viewpoint of the universe, which is the source of much of the book’s comedy.  It also helps that nearly every one of his actions backfires on him in some way, as his attempts to stay out of the fighting usually see him put into an even worse situation.  His intriguing narration through his journals (which have been seized and classified for political reasons), adds to the comedic and emotional impact of the story, especially as you get to see him weigh his actions with the benefit of hindsight (although he is usually unrepentant).  Of course, Cain is also the textbook definition of an unreliable narrator, and you have to wonder at the truth of his words sometimes.  I did like how Mitchell tried to show that despite his desire to avoid combat, Cain is actually a pretty capable warrior and commander, and that he wouldn’t be as effective a leader if he weren’t trying to keep up his lies.  There are also some flashes of humanity and deeper emotions scattered throughout the book, and you can see that there is a good person in there somewhere, even if it is buried far beneath his instincts for self-preservation.  Honestly, Cain might be my most favourite Warhammer character since Kal Jerico, and I had such a fun time seeing his antics in For the Emperor.

Aside from Cain, I really need to highlight Inquisitor Amberly Vail, who finds herself investigating the same conspiracy Cain gets wrapped up in.  Vail is a very fun character in this book as she not only presents the fictional version of For the Emperor to the reader, but she has a big role in the actual plot.  Vail serves as Cain’s love interest, but she also is the only person in the book who sees right through Cain and knows what he truly is.  Watching her manipulate the seasoned conman is quite cathartic, and the two make an effective and interesting team throughout the book.  However, I felt that Vail’s best contribution to the novel comes in the form of her notes and footnotes throughout the account, especially as they constantly call out Cain for his actions and keep his narration mostly honest by filling in some crucial gaps.  It as also very fun to see the various different versions of Vail that appear throughout the book, as you see both how she presents herself to the reader, and the slightly altered version of her that Cain sees.  This really makes her stand out as a central character in this series and her funny notes and corrections deeply enhanced the already entertaining plot.

Another major character I need to mention is Cain’s aide-de-camp, Jurgen, the Baldrick to Cain’s Blackadder.  A stooped, smelly and scruffy being, Mitchell has made Jurgen as Baldrick-like as possible (including a scene in which he comes up with a cunning plan), and I loved every damn second of it.  Firmly believing that Cain truly is the hero he claims to be, Jurgen faithfully serves Cain, and it is a lot of fun to see the two play off each other, especially as Jurgen is honestly the most honest and likeable character in the entire book.  The rest of the cast, which include schemers, professional soldiers, and various Tau, also have their moments, and I really liked how they were portrayed in the book.  However, they all share one particularly defining feature: they all believe Cain is a hero and are led around by his manipulations.  Watching these generally smart people fall for Cain’s lies is a great part of the book’s plot, and I had so much fun seeing them act the fool in this one specific way.  Overall, though, For the Emperor has some outstanding characters to it, and it will be fun to see how they are utilised in the other Ciaphas Cain books.

Like most Warhammer novels I have the pleasure of enjoying, I chose to listen to For the Emperor’s audiobook format, which I maintain is one of the best ways to enjoy Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  All the best narrative and stylistic elements of For the Emperor comes through at an even higher quality when you listen to them, and you really find yourself getting drawn into the complex story while also laughing at the fun characters.  I felt that the production value behind For the Emperor was particularly impressive, as the audiobook features three separate narrators in experienced voice actors Stephen Perring, Penelope Rawlins and Emma Gregory.  Perring, who I enjoyed last year in the audiobook for Engines of Empire by R. S. Ford, serves as the primary narrator for most of the book as he voices all the characters and action in the chapters of For the Emperor told from Cain’s perspective.  Perring is an extremely awesome narrator and the range of epic voices he creates for the main cast are very impressive and really capture their personalities and unique physical characteristics.  I loved the cynical, tired and falsely noble voice that Perring utilises for the main character of Cain, and you have to mention the slimy and fun voicework for the character of Jurgen as it makes him sound even more like Baldrick.  Perring also narrates a couple of the in-text extracts (those written by a male author), and he ensures that they sound even more pompous and filled with misinformation, than you would get from a simple reading.

While Perring is the main narrator, the other two featured actors have amazing performances in For the Emperor’s audiobook which really add to the overall production.  Penelope Rawlins voices the character of Inquisitor Vail during the parts of the novel she writes, mainly her notes on the events going on and the various footnotes featured throughout the plot.  Rawlins’s take on Vail is slightly different to that of Perring, and you get a stronger sense of her intelligence and power through Rawlins voice, which I felt helps to emphasise that Cain’s perspective might not be the most reliable.  The change in narrator also ensures that the various notes from Vail really pop out in comparison to the main story so you always know when Vail is speaking to correct Cain’s memory of events.  The way that the footnotes are read out exactly where they fall in the text also works extremely well, and it ensures that Cain’s misinformation never gets a chance to sit properly.  The final voice actor, Emma Gregory, also provides a few interesting sections to the audiobook, particularly as she narrates one of the recurring in-universe texts that is quoted, written by an older version of one of the supporting characters (Guardswoman Sulla, who gets promoted to a general in the future). Gregory captures the pride and arrogance of Sulla, as well as her devotion to Cain, perfectly, and I felt that this additional performance was a great part of the production.  All this incredible voice work, as well as the amazing story that it brings to life, ensures that For the Emperor’s audiobook is particularly awesome and really worth listening to.  With a runtime of just under 9 hours, this is a really easy audiobook to get through, and I powered through it in only a couple of days, mainly because of how much fun I was having, and I cannot recommend this format enough.

Look, I think it is clear to see that I loved For the Emperor and had a fantastic time reading this awesome book.  Sandy Mitchell did something pretty special with this first entry in the epic Ciaphas Cain series, and I am now a massive fan of this series and the titular character.  Loaded with so much clever humour, fantastic Warhammer elements, and a strong and surprisingly intense narrative, For the Emperor is pretty much perfect, and there is so much for people to enjoy.  As a result, this book is particularly highly recommended, and I fully intend to get more Ciaphas Cain fun and manipulations in the future.

Amazon