Warhammer 40,000: Death or Glory by Sandy Mitchell

On May 14, 2024May 14, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer8 Comments

Death or Glory Cover 2

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 28 February 2006)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Four

Length: 8 hours and 50 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

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.

The Ciaphas Cain books are an outstanding and highly entertaining Warhammer 40,000 series that shows the grimdark universe in a whole new light. Written by talented author Sandy Mitchell (a pseudonym of Alex Stewart), the Ciaphas Cain books follow an unlikely hero, Commissar Ciaphas Cain. Despite being a Commissar, officers who are supposed to be embodiments of duty, discipline and bravery, Cain is a highly practical and fearful man who wants to stay alive in the deadly Warhammer 40,000 universe. However, his attempts to stay out of the fight usually result in him getting thrust into even more danger which he needs to survive using his trademark cunning and manipulation tactics. His various adventures have also turned him into a legendary hero throughout the Imperium of Man, something that results in even more trouble for unlucky Commissar.

The Ciaphas Cain books are always a lot of fun to read, especially as Mitchell takes a comedic take to the Warhammer universe. Loaded with unlikely coincidences, clever humour and over-the-top characters, the first three Ciaphas Cain novels, For the Emperor, Caves of Ice and The Traitor’s Hand, have been extremely awesome and this is easily one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series. As such, when I needed something particularly entertaining to listen to, I chose the fourth book in the series, 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.

I really enjoyed the awesome story that Mitchell came up with for Death and Glory, particularly because it was a somewhat fresh take on the usual narrative. Rather than following Cain as he works with his regiment to stop a hidden threat, Death or Glory shows Cain alone (except for Jurgen) and behind enemy lines on an ork controlled world. Acting as a prequel to the previous novels in the series, you see the slightly younger Cain attempt to find his way back to safety, only to encounter multiple groups of refugees and scattered soldiers who turn to him for leadership. The resulting story turns into a hilarious combination of Mad Max, Laurence of Arabia, and Kelly’s Heroes, as Cain leads his band, many of whom are crewing crude ork vehicles, across the ork controlled territories, including a vast desert. There are several amazing battle scenes that see the humans fight back against the orks in desperate situations, often won thanks in part to Cain’s tactical insight and his unlikely manoeuvres designed to keep him alive. This is a non-stop story, and you get really drawn into the constant travel, fighting and attempts at survival that emerge. The orks prove to be great antagonists for the story, especially as Mitchell provides them as a mostly serious enemy. While they are slightly underpowered in the face of the unbeatable Cain, and you do see the inherently sillier side of them, Mitchell also makes sure to showcase their prowess and brutality, which keeps the stakes high and the story even more captivating. Ending on a final battle where Cain showcases his unlikely heroism by pure chance, Death or Glory had me hooked with its story the entire way through, and I loved the fantastic scenario that Mitchell came up with.

I have mentioned in previous reviews of the Ciaphas Cain series that Mitchell has an outstanding style that really enhance the story and bring out the innate humour within. This is once again the case for Death or Glory, as the story is primarily told in the chronicle form from Cain’s perspective. These unvarnished insights into Cain’s mind paint a vivid and fun picture of the events he was involved in, and you get some interesting insights into his actual motivations. This fun story is further enhanced by the fact the memoirs have been modified by Cain’s associate, Inquisitor Vail, as she adds in a variety of notes, additional information, in-universe historical texts and footnotes. Not only are these delightful additions informative and serve as a great way to quickly insert details of the larger war into the plot, but they are also quite funny due to the author’s sarcastic tone. I love some of the entertaining jokes that emerge in the footnotes, especially as it allows the author to quickly reference certain ridiculous elements of life in the Warhammer universe, many of which are parodies of classic British activities. These additional notes really change the tone of the entire book, and I love how it allows Mitchell to turn Death and Glory into something far more than a typical war story.

While there is a definite focus on humour in Death or Glory, there is still a ton of action and intense adventure here, as Mitchell draws inspiration from classic desert war movies. The carnage of the orks is bleak, the battles are hard, and the situation is desperate as Cain and his comrades navigate the desert. These darker elements play off the humour of Death and Glory extremely well, and I loved the complex narrative that emerged. I enjoyed how Mitchell kept up the same excellent level of humour and compelling story elements that the previous entries were known for, and there was a strong effort to keep it consistent with the previous books. You do notice that Mitchell utilises a bit of repetition in his books, with similar lines and descriptions used again and again. While this is not too noticeable if you take a break in between books, it is very apparent for chain readers. Still, this is a minor issue that Mitchell does a good job of dispelling in Death or Glory with the more unique storyline.

Like most of the entries in this series, Death or Glory can be read as a standalone novel with no real pre-knowledge of the previous books needed to enjoy it. Indeed, Death or Glory is set earlier than the other Ciaphas Cain books, so this is a good entry point to the larger series. There are a few references to the other Ciaphas Cain books, which established fans will enjoy, and Mitchell also provides clever hints at future events Cain will have to encounter. Death or Glory also serves as a very fun introduction to the ork faction, especially as our protagonist has never encountered them before. This allows the reader to get a fresh outside perspective on these alien characters, while also including details that hardcore Warhammer fans will appreciate. As such, Death or Glory proves to be an awesome addition to the series that will appeal to fans of all levels and could easily spark a new reader to fall in love with Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

A recurring highlight of this series is the fantastic characters who populate the narrative, particularly main protagonist Ciaphas Cain. Cain is a particularly complex Warhammer 40,000 character, mainly because he is both a renowned hero and a self-serving coward who only wants to avoid a fight. Portrayed as a fun combination of Blackadder and Flashman, Cain is shown to be purely selfish, with his every move calculated to keep himself alive. However, through accident or something else, his plans often backfire, forcing him into over-the-top dangerous situations that ensure others see him as an amazing hero. This is on full display in Death or Glory as Cain pulls together a band of survivors that gets far larger and more chaotic the further they get along. Despite his plan being designed to get himself to safety, many see him as a heroic revolutionary leader, which he is forced to maintain to keep his band of protectors loyal to him. It is quite fun to see everyone misinterpret his decisions, and several fictional historical texts showcase the process of overexaggerating his deeds in hilarious detail. However, despite all his protestations to the reader about being a coward, you once again see that there is far more to Cain than he lets on. Rather than being a terrible person, he is just a sensible and tactically aware figure in a universe where the actions of unachievably brave heroes are constantly lauded. This has led Cain to completely underestimate his own self-worth, even though he is routinely shown to be an impressive fighter, clever tactician, and caring leader. I love this complex look at Cain, especially as his self-deprecating account ensures he is even more likeable, despite his selfish habits, and you really get drawn in to his crazy adventures.

Aside from Cain, several other figures were impressive in Death or Glory. The most prominent, at least from impact on the book, is Cain’s associate Inquisitor Vail. Despite not actually appearing as a character in the main adventure, Vail’s presence is strongly felt as she is the one editing and presenting Cain’s fictional memoirs. As such, you are constantly gifted with Vail’s overlying narration and notes, especially as she provides greater context to the story and translates some of Cain’s wilder claims. Thanks to her sarcasm, as well as her personal insights into Cain’s actual character, Vail provides a fantastic alternate viewpoint of events, and it is always fun to see her call out Cain for his lies and terrible writing style. The other major character you must talk about is Cain’s aid and reliable bodyguard, Jurgen. The Baldrick to Cain’s Blackadder, Jurgen is generally shown to be an unhygienic, smelly, and slightly dim companion who is utterly loyal to Cain. However, despite this appearance, Jurgen proves to be an interesting and likeable figure, and he forms an excellent partnership with Cain. His skills are well on display in Death or Glory, mainly due to his intimate knowledge about orks, and he once again showed himself to be an unappreciated part of Cain’s ultimate victory. Throw in a band of intriguing survivors who flock around Cain, including several capable soldiers, a somewhat insane Tech-priest and determined troop of civilians, and Death and Glory had some great characters you can’t help but root for.

I have mentioned multiple times in the past that the best way to enjoy a Warhammer 40,000 novel is in its audiobook format. Nowhere is that truer than the Ciaphas Cain books, which make excellent use of multiple narrators to expertly adapt the fantastically funny content of the novels. Death or Glory is an outstanding example of this, as the brilliant production and excellent narrators produced something that I powered through very shortly, even with its nearly nine-hour long runtime. The intense action, compelling story and outstanding humour is all amazingly highlighted in this format, and I especially loved the four amazing narrators who were brought in to voice the characters. This includes returning favourites Stephen Perring and Penelope Rawlins, who fulfill their respective roles perfectly. Perring is probably the most prominent narrator of the bunch as he voices all the chapters told from Cain’s perspective. Perring is an awesome narrator as he perfectly captures the chaotic characters featured within the book, especially Cain and Jurgen. His portrayal of Cain is probably the best, as he expertly showcases the protagonist’s exterior boldness, as well as his interior fear and deep humanity. Jurgen of course also comes out very well, and I love how Perring captures Jurgen’s unique persona and unquestionable loyalty to Cain.

While Perring voices the main chapters, Penelope Rawlins is just as important as she voices Inquisitor Vail, who writes the prelude, chapter introductions, additional material and footnotes that are scattered throughout the book, providing editorial notes and material to make the story more organised. Rawlins’ voice is seamlessly worked into the main plot multiple times throughout the course of the audiobook, and I like how well her inclusions work with Perring’s main narration, especially as Rawlins perfectly captures both Vail’s sarcasm and the clear admiration she has for Cain. This audiobook would not be as entertaining or clever as it is without these clever insertions by Rawlins, and she adds just as much to the production as Perring does. In addition, Death and Glory brings two new narrators to the series with Joe Jameson and Richard Reed, who voice in-universe historical texts and autobiographies included to provide additional context to Cain’s ramblings. I was very happy to hear from both familiar narrators, as Jameson lent his voice to the Necromunda novel Fire Made Flesh by Denny Flowers, as well as the Legacy of the Mercenary King series by Nick Martell (The Kingdom of Liars, The Two-Faced Queen and The Voyage of the Forgotten), while Reed narrated The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath, The Twice-Dead King series by Nate Crowley (Ruin and Reign) and Grim Repast by Marc Collins. I really liked Jameson and Reed’s performances as a result, although both were a little underutilised thanks to the constraints of the narrative. Still, these four narrators provided some exceptional voice work, and I had an amazing time listening to them throughout the course of this audiobook. As such, Death and Glory comes very highly recommended in its audiobook format, and there is no better way to enjoy this book.

Sandy Mitchell continues to write one of the most entertaining Warhammer 40,000 series out there with this fourth entry in the epic Ciaphas Cain series. An outstanding and hilarious novel that I absolutely powered through, I cannot recommend Death or Glory enough, and you will fall in love with this brilliant book.

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Warhammer 40,000: The Traitor’s Hand by Sandy Mitchell

On April 17, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer10 Comments

The Traitor's Hand Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 January 2005)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Three

Length: 9 hours and 6 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

After updating my list about my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels last week, I was keen for more action from this awesome franchise, so I decided to quickly listen to the entertaining and fun novel, The Traitor’s Hand by Sandy Mitchell.

One of the things that I like most about the Warhammer 40,000 franchise is the sheer range of different stories and genres that can be found within it. For example, one of the most popular series is a particularly funny and amusing series that focuses on a Blackadder-esque Imperial Commissar as he finds himself involved in all manner of over-the-top heroics. This series is the Ciaphas Cain books, which follows the titular protagonist who has accidently become regarded as a great hero of the Imperium of Man, despite most of his actions being more for self-preservation. The first two books in this series, For the Emperor and Caves of Ice, were extremely fun reads, and I have been meaning to check out the next book in the series for a while. As such, when I had my recent Warhammer 40,000 craving, the third Ciaphas Cain book, The Traitor’s Hand, was an easy choice.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain, hero of the Imperium or unrepentant coward? Constantly forced into the direst of circumstances despite doing everything in his power to avoid them, Cain has built up a reputation he considers entirely undeserved, especially as being known as a hero always seems to get him into trouble. His latest assignment will test him like none other, especially when he is forced to go up against the great archenemy of the Imperium, the forces of Chaos.

With a Chaos fleet approaching the tidally locked planet of Adumbria, Cain and the soldiers of the Valhallan 597^th are rapidly redeployed towards the planet to aid in its defence. Despite wishing to stay off the frontlines, Cain’s experience and uncanny ability to find trouble forces him to join in the hunt for a Chaos cult hidden throughout the planet that has awakened in advance of the coming fleet. However, the more he digs, the more he discovers that there is something far more sinister going on within the planet than anyone realises.

As the invading enemy arrives on the planet, it soon becomes apparent that two rival bands of Chaos worshippers are attacking Adumbria with very different goals in mind. Leading the fight against the enemy, Cain needs to work out just what their objectives are before the world is destroyed in the Chaos crossfire. However, with deadly enemy forces all around and a rival commissar determined to undermine him, can even the terminally lucky Cain stop them, especially when an old nightmare returns seeking revenge against him.

The Traitor’s Hand was an extremely awesome book from Mitchell that I had so much fun getting through. Containing the outstanding blend of action, humour and intriguing characters that the Ciaphas Cain series is known for, The Traitor’s Hand was pretty damn epic, and I managed to power through it in about a day of intense listening.

This third Ciaphas Cain novel had a great story behind it that I had a wonderful time listening to. While it does follow some similar story conventions to the previous books in the series, in that Cain and the Valhallan 597^th arrive on a planet to face one foe, only for Cain to inadvertently discover another threat hidden under the surface, I think Mitchell did a good job distinguishing this book from the previous entries. The introduction of a rival Commissar and alternating bands of Chaos worshippers makes for a great central storyline, and you get really involved in the battle for the planet and the attempts to discover a hidden Slaaneshi cult who are performing dark rituals. The entire story evolves in a familiar manner, with Cain’s attempts to avoid a fight leading him into darker situations each time, while his keen insights allow him to determine where the true threat to the planet is located. The big final sequence for The Traitor’s Hand was pretty damn awesome, as Cain leads a small force into a massive battle royale between warring Chaos warbands while also facing a dangerous foe from his past. While the big bad’s identity was overly foreshadowed, their inclusion was very intense and lead to a gripping conclusion. I do wonder if this repetitive story structure is going to be sustainable for the series in the future, but I really got stuck into this entertaining and exciting narrative and powered through it so damn quickly.

I absolutely loved the fun style of the Ciaphas Cain books which Mitchell once again uses to tell a fantastic story. Primarily told from the first-person chronicle perspective as Cain recounts his many adventures, you get to see his insights into events that occur. While on the surface this appears to be a typical Imperial Guard focused Warhammer 40,000 story, it is a much lighter read, as the book revolves around Cain’s continued attempts to get out of danger only to encounter worst problems. It is really entertaining to see his excuses and manipulations, especially as nearly every action he does is calculated to avoid danger, which he shamelessly admits to. The continued increase of stakes, desperate response from Cain and the inevitable lucky escape makes for some fun reading, and Mitchell does an excellent job of layering a strong amount of comedy into a usually dark universe. This humour is expertly enhanced by the overarching narration of the book, provided by Inquisitor Vail’s editorial notes as she collates Cain’s memoirs. Vail’s various notes, quotes and included histories of the story provides some much-needed context to the plot, while the entertaining and often sarcastic way they are delivered works extremely well. I think that Mitchell got the right blend of humour, action, and dark moments throughout the course of The Traitor’s Hand, and I really got engrossed in the hilarious and action-packed story that emerged. I did feel at times that Mitchell did get a bit repetitive with some of his phrases and lines, which you really notice with an extended read, but this is honestly a pretty minor complaint, and The Traitor’s Hand proved to be an amazing read.

I liked how well Mitchell featured the Warhammer 40,000 universe in The Traitor’s Hand, especially as he once again seeks to showcase the horrors of the franchise from the eyes of a human solider, even one as lucky as Ciaphas Cain. The various Chaos factions prove to be great villains in this story, and I loved the cool comparisons between the Slaaneshi cult and the Khorne-worshipping warband. You also get a great insight into the life of the common soldier or civilian, and it was fun to see the various responses many of them have to the reveals about Chaos and their dark designs.

Like most of the Ciaphas Cain novels The Traitor’s Hand can easily be read as a standalone book, and no real pre-knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is really needed. Indeed, I really appreciated how efficiently Mitchell is able to ease new readers into the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe. In addition, readers don’t really need to have checked out the prior Ciaphas Cain novels either, as Mitchell does a good job of summarising the necessary key points from these books when needed. There were some strong references to the Ciaphas Cain short story, The Beguiling, which if you had read would have increased the impact of The Traitor’ Hand to a degree, however, it is also not necessary to have read it first, as Mitchell recaps it very well. Overall, I felt this was a great piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that many people can get into.

A key highlight of any Ciaphas Cain novel is the excellent character work that Mitchell installs into the story. This is certainly the case in The Traitor’s Hand, with most of the character work revolving around the protagonist and main point-of-view character, Commissar Ciaphas Cain. While Mitchell has done a great job setting up this figure in the previous two books, it is always so much fun to see a story through Cain’s eyes, especially as the protagonist bears the duality of being a hero and a coward at the same time. Fitted with a well-honed sense of survival, Cain is constantly trying to find ways to get out of danger and has proven quite adept at manipulating people to get what he wants. However, due to bad luck or because he finds himself trapped by his own legend, Cain is constantly dragged into the most dangerous situations possible. While it would be easy to dislike a character like this, readers quickly become aware that Cain isn’t as big a coward as he believes, and instead he is quite a skilled, brave and caring leader whose “cowardly” actions are often borne by shrewd assessment and tactical awareness. Throw in his excellent sense of humour, his entertaining insights into the universe, and his vast experiences with the many different things trying to kill humans in the Warhammer universe, and Cain is such a great protagonist to follow.

Aside from Cain, The Traitor’s Hand features a raft of other great characters, each of whom bring a lot to the story. For example, Inquisitor Vail, despite not appearing in person, serves a big role in the book, editing Cain’s unreliable manuscripts. I loved her witty over-arching narration and notes throughout the book, and it was fun to have someone constantly calling out Cain for his wilder statements. I also loved the continued inclusion of Cain’s aid, Jurgen, the man capable of killing anything in the galaxy with his trusted meltagun. I love how Mitchell sets Jurgen up as the Baldrick to Cain’s Blackadder in this series, especially with his attitude, hygiene and loyalty, although he proves to be a vital ally. It was also interesting to see Mitchell continue to explore just how vital Jurgen is to Cain’s success, especially due to his status as a Blank, and I love the entertaining team the two characters combine into. New character Commissar Tomas Beije, an old school rival of Cain’s, serves as a great secondary antagonist for much of the story, and it was entertaining to finally see a character suspicious of Cain’s status as hero, especially as he looks deranged spouting out accusations we know to actually be true. Finally, the various members of the Valhallan 597^th, many of whom were introduced to us at the same time as Cain, continue to grow as characters and serve great supporting roles in the story, and it was touching to see how their relationship to the protagonist has grown over the years.

I have often said throughout my many reviews on the subject that the best way to enjoy a Warhammer 40,000 novel is its audiobook format. Nowhere is that truer than the Ciaphas Cain audiobooks, which really capture the zany feel of the series through its excellent narration and style. Most of this is due to the excellent use of multiple narrators, whose mixture of voices creates a particularly epic read (indeed this one of my favourite audiobook series with multiple narrators). The Traitor’s Hand features four separate narrators, each of whom add so much to my enjoyment of this audiobook. Each of these narrators has a distinctive role, with the amazing Stephen Perring providing the bulk of the narration in this series, as he narrates the chapters told from the protagonist’s perspective. Perring serves as an epic centre for this audiobook, especially as he does such a good job capturing the larger-than-life Ciaphas Cain with his acting. Perring’s take on Cain’s cocky dialogue, as well as his more honest chronicling of events, is impressive, and I love how he captured the various aspects of Cain’s character. There are some other great voices featured throughout these chapters as well, as Perring assigns fitting and entertaining voices to each of the major characters. My favourite of these is probably Jurgen, especially as Perring really tries to make him sound as much like Tony Robinson as possible.

While Perring does most of the narration in The Traitor’s Hand, the additional voice actors also add a lot to the story, especially Penelope Rawlins. Rawlins voices the character of Inquisitor Vail, the Imperial Inquisitor and acquaintance of Cain who is compiling the memoirs for publication. As such, Rawlins voices the prelude, chapter introductions and footnotes contained in this book to showcase the editorial notes that this character is adding in to make Cain’s ramblings easier to read. Rawlins serves as a good contrast to Perring, especially as her character’s more serious tones are the direct opposite of Perring’s flippant take on Cain. I love how seamlessly the production works Rawlins’ voice into the various points of the audiobook where her character cuts into the main story, and you really get into the groove of her explaining key details about the universe and the characters. Throw in the additional voice work of Emma Gregory and new narrator Andrew Spooner, who give their voices to various in-universe texts that provide additional information for the reader, and you have a strong team who masterfully enhance Mitchell’s brilliant story. These great actors really help to make this entire audiobook production so much fun to listen to, and with a runtime of just over nine hours, you can very easily sit back and listen to The Traitor’s Hand in one fantastic sitting.

With The Traitor’s Hand, Sandy Mitchell continues to showcase why he is one of the strongest, and funniest, authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction. Filled with the series’ trademark humour, intriguing characters and intense action, The Traitor’s Hand was an entertaining audiobook from start to finish that I could not turn off. An outstanding and highly recommend novel, The Traitor’s Hand was so damn good, and I cannot wait to see how Mitchell continues this amazing series.

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Throwback Thursday – Warhammer 40,000: Caves of Ice by Sandy Mitchell

On March 17, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer12 Comments

Caves of Ice Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 February 2004)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Two

Length: 6 hours and 46 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read. For this latest Throwback Thursday I look at another highly entertaining entry in the hilarious Ciaphas Cain Warhammer 40,000 series with the second book, Caves of Ice.

Even after my many recent reviews of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, my obsession with this franchise is far from over, so when I had a spare second, I quickly listened to Caves of Ice. Caves of Ice is the second novel in Sandy Mitchell’s (a pseudonym for author Alex Stewart) iconic Ciaphas Cain series, which follows the outrageous life of Commissar Ciaphas Cain, legendary hero of the Imperium of Man, who in reality is a pragmatic survivor whose heroic reputation is the result of chance and coincidence. I had a wonderful time reading the first book earlier in the year, For the Emperor, and not only was it an extremely funny book but it also ended up being one of the absolute best Warhammer 40,000 novels I have had the pleasure of reading. As such, I have been looking for an opportunity to continue this series and I worked hard to slip it into my reading cycle. This was well worth the effort as Caves of Ice is another fun and awesome read that takes the protagonist to a whole new dangerous battlefield in deadly circumstances.

After unravelling a diabolical conspiracy on Gravalax, the legendary Commissar Ciaphas Cain and the troops of the Valhallan 597^th have been redeployed to a new battlefront, the ice planet of Simia Orichalcae. Empty except for a vital promethium refinery, Simia Orichalcae has recently received a group of unwelcome guests, a warband of orks who crash landed on the planet and are making their destructive way towards the refinery with ill intent.

Happy to be facing a more conventional enemy on their preferred icy terrain, the Valhallan men and women eagerly prepare for battle. However, Cain, in his usual pragmatic approach to life and war, is less enthusiastic about the violent battle to come and searches for any way to avoid the fighting. Several mysterious disappearances in the tunnels beneath the refinery offer a potential escape for Cain as he leads a small squad underground to map the tunnels and discover the reasons behind the missing miners.

Cain, with his typical bad luck, finds far more than he bargained for beneath the ice. Not only are several ferocious monsters lurking in the vast underground labyrinth, but a far more sinister foe lies there undisturbed, one that Cain has good reason to fear. When the war and Cain’s explorations awaken this enemy, the entire planet is put at risk as this new, unrelenting danger attempts to destroy both the orks and the humans. It once again falls to the reluctant Cain to face impossible odds and try to find a way to save his men. But can even this legendary hero of the Imperium stop the flood of evil that is to come?

Sandy Mitchell continues his fantastic Ciaphas Cain series in a very fun way with Caves of Ice, which features another excellent story that strongly focuses on Mitchell’s reluctant hero. Caves of Ice was a wild ride from start to finish, with a fantastic and captivating mixture of action, adventure, humour and intriguing character moments. Taking place after the events of For the Emperor, Caves of Ice is another self-contained novel that any new reader can easily jump into. This was a much shorter novel than the previous Ciaphas Cain book, and Mitchell provides a more direct narrative as a result. Initially focusing on the ork invasion of Simia Orichalcae, the story is soon primarily set in the labyrinth of mines and tunnels laying underneath the refinery, where several miners have gone missing. Attempting to avoid the fighting on the surface, Cain leads his aide Jurgen and squads of soldiers on several missions into he depths to explore the tunnels and find whatever is behind the disappearances. What follows is an Aliens-esque series of adventures, as Cain discovers a variety of different and steadily more terrifying dangers down in the tunnels. Each discovery forces Cain to go even deeper into danger, thanks to his heroic reputation and hidden skills, and the resultant action is pretty epic, especially when combined with Cain’s cynical and self-serving narration of events. Everything leads up to a very explosive conclusion as the protagonist and his comrades are faced with the absolute worst their enemy has to offer them, and the resulting mess really brings everything together. This ended up being a pretty strong sequel to For the Emperor, and I had an incredible time seeing Cain dragged into another deadly adventure.

I love the way that Mitchell portrays the various adventures of Cain in these novels, especially as it allows him to express a great range of different writing styles. Just like with For the Emperor, Caves of Ice is primarily told from Cain’s perspective as entries from his personal memoirs. However, this chronicle is cut through with notes and inclusions from his unintended editor, Inquisitor Vail, who provides some added context to the story through her own introductions, footnotes, inclusions of in-universe texts, and quotes from other notable characters. These inclusions from Vail not only allow for a much wider story than the one Cain is telling (especially when it comes to the battle on the surface), but it also increases the humour of the novel by implying Cain is an unreliable narrator. This, combined with the cynical and less-than-heroic observations and actions of the protagonist, gives the entire Ciaphas Cain series a much more comedic edge than many other Warhammer 40,000 books out there, and indeed there were several times I was cracking up laughing throughout this book. However, Mitchell perfectly balances this lighter tone with some dark and bloody moments as the protagonist encounters all manner of deadly foes. The action and lethal battles are recorded in exquisite detail, and you can feel the terror and fear that the protagonist feels as he constantly fights for his life. This great blend of styles and tones really helps to make Caves of Ice stick in the mind, and I find the entire setup extremely compelling and very easy to fall in love with.

In addition to being a great Ciaphas Cain novel, I felt that Caves of Ice was a great entry in the wider Warhammer 40,000 canon. The clever, humorous writing, and the fact the book could easily stand on its own, makes Caves of Ice an ideal place for someone to start their Warhammer 40,000 adventure, even if they are very new to the franchise. The book provides some interesting insights into life in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, both through Cain’s insights and through the humorous or satirical texts that Inquisitor Vail adds to the book. I really enjoy the solider-focused observations of the primary narrator and some of the supporting characters, and it is always quite compelling to see the common soldier’s reactions to the aliens and monsters they encounter. Cain’s observations are always very sharp and funny, and his own range of experiences adds some amazing colour to the events unfolding in Caves of Ice. Mitchell also takes the time to explore several iconic Warhammer 40,000 factions and races throughout the book and its quite interesting to see Cain’s opinions and insights into them, especially as he has a much more realistic views towards them than some of his cohorts. Combine that with some fun insights into the day-to-day lives of soldiers in the Imperial Guard and their Commissar, and Caves of Ices proves to be quite an interesting Warhammer 40,000 novel. I love seeing the range of different experiences that the protagonist has in this universe, and it will be fascinating to see what deadly danger he encounters in the next book.

Without a doubt, the major highlight of this series and Caves of Ice is the fantastic and compelling characters, particularly Commissar Ciaphas Cain. Cain is one of the more entertaining figures in Warhammer 40,000 lore as he is a somewhat cowardly man who, in his mind, has accidently gained a reputation as a great hero and legendary fighter. Just like in his previous adventure, Cain is still obsessed with staying alive and avoiding battle, often manipulating events to ensure he’s far away from the action. Nearly all his thoughts revolve around how he can stay alive or in control, and it is often very entertaining to see his very selfish thought process in action. At the same time, he is conscious of his image as a hero, which he also tries to maintain as dearly as his life, and this forces him into so many situations and fights he would honestly rather avoid. His honest observations and hilarious internal reactions when events don’t go his way (which happens often), are some of the main drivers behind the book’s outrageous humour, and it is hard not to fall in love with this cheeky rogue. While a lot of this book does focus on Cain’s attempts at survival and avoiding combat, Mitchell does take the time to focus on Cain’s good qualities. Despite his own narration constantly trying to talk down his own abilities out of modesty (or self-loathing), Cain is shown to be a very competent fighter, explorer and commander, effectively leading his troops into battle and facing down a series of outrageous threats. His keen insights, vast history fighting the enemies of the Imperium, and his own uncanny survival skills, actually make him an ideal champion who often succeeds against all the odds. Indeed, with each adventure it is becoming more and more apparent that Cain is in denial about his own abilities and is suffering some form of imposter syndrome. Whatever the case is, Cain remains a particularly entertaining and surprisingly likeable figure, and I cannot wait to see what crazy adventures he has in his next book.

Aside from Cain, Caves of Ice contains an intriguing range of characters who add to the story in several different and unique ways. This second novel contains a fascinating range of supporting figures, including several who previously appeared in For the Emperor, as well as a few new characters as well. The always entertaining Inquisitor Vail, despite not appearing in person, continues to have a major impact on Caves of Ice as she is the one presenting Cain’s manuscripts to the reader, often editing it to make it more reliable and cohesive. Her insights into Cain’s adventures, mindset and unreliable narrations are very amusing, while also simultaneously impacting the reader’s perception of the protagonist and his various actions. As such, she is a vital part of Caves of Ice, and I am glad Mitchell continues to utilise her as a narrator. Another major character in the book is Jurgen, Cain’s aide and bodyguard who accompanies him on most of his adventures. Portrayed as a slightly dim, relentlessly straightforward, and somewhat smelly, Jurgen is essentially the Baldrick to Cain’s Blackadder, and at times he serves as a good additional comic relief, especially in some of the more serious scenes where Cain is scared. Despite his portrayal as a simple man, Jurgen is a very effective fighter and companion to Cain, and his love of the meltagun heavy weapon gets them out a jam plenty of times. I liked how Mitchell also strongly hints that Jurgen is a lot smarter than anyone realises, especially when it comes to Cain’s nature, and it will be interesting to see how their friendship develops in the future. Other great characters include Lieutenant Sulla, an exceedingly keen and annoying solider who offers some entertaining insights into the wider events of the story. This is primarily due to the fact that Vail quotes Sulla’s memoirs throughout the book, although Mitchell writes them as pompously and badly as possible to really highlight Sulla’s character deficits. Throw in some additional soldiers, arrogant bureaucrats, and a fanatical Adeptus Mechanicus priest who brings nothing but trouble for Cain, and you have an outstanding cast that I had a great time following.

Unsurprisingly, I chose to listen to the Caves of Ice audiobook rather than grab a physical copy, and I once again had an epic time with the fantastic audio format. Coming in at just under seven hours, this was a relatively short Warhammer audiobook entry, and I was able to power through extremely quickly. The audiobook format really made Caves of Ice a joy to listen to, and the entire story was beautifully portrayed throughout, especially the action scenes in the tunnels. I was particularly happy that this production once again featured the three narrators who were utilised in For the Emperor, with the excellent team of Stephen Perring, Penelope Rawlins and Emma Gregory once again making a major impact. All three give excellent performances in Caves of Ice, and I had a good chuckle listening to their fun and clever takes on the characters.

Perring is once again the central narrator as he voices everything in Caves of Ice shown from Cain’s perspective. Perring has an outstanding voice, and he really brings all the characters to life in a colourful way, especially when it comes to showcasing the slippery and jaded Cain. I also love his take on most of the supporting characters, especially Cain’s aid Jurgen, who Perring gives a very Baldrick-esque voice to. In addition to Perring, Penelope Rawlins serves a very vital role as Inquisitor Vail in the outside narration, who is compiling Cain’s memoirs for the reader. Rawlins voices all the extra notes that Vail adds to the proceedings, including the footnotes, several chapter introductions, and the descriptions of several in-universe texts, all of which Vail adds to give extra context to the story. Rawlins gives Vail an awesome voice steeped in knowledge, command and a light sense of humour, and it is always very fun to see her add some honesty and truth to Cain’s version of events, especially when the footnote appears in the immediate aftermath of Cain’s false information or ignorance. The final voice actor, Emma Gregory, is primarily used to narrate one of the major in-universe texts that is quoted throughout, the chronicles of supporting character Lieutenant Sulla (Like a Phoenix From the Flames), written many years after the events of Cave of Ice. Gregory voices all the excerpts of Like a Phoenix From the Flames in a particularly pompous manner to match the tone of these poorly written memoirs, and you really get a sense of the self-importance Sulla must feel in the future. This brilliant combination of narrators ensures that Caves of Ice, and indeed all the Ciaphas Cain audiobooks, really stands out, while also effectively increasing the humour of the entire production. For that, and more, audiobooks are easily the best way to enjoy the Ciaphas Cain series and I cannot recommend it enough.

The second entry in the outstanding Ciaphas Cain series, Caves of Ice, was another exceptional novel from Sandy Mitchell that I had an awesome time reading. Featuring an outstanding and hilarious protagonist, Caves of Ice is a great addition to one of the funniest series in the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. I cannot recommend this book enough, and any fans of fun adventure are going to have a great time with Caves of Ice.

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