Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Pre-2025 Novels

On December 3, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn List1 Comment

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. This week participants of Top Ten Tuesday get a freebie to list whatever topics they want. So, I am going to take this opportunity to start my annual end-of-year lists here by looking at my favourite pre-2025 novels that I read this year.

Each December I have a lot of fun looking at some of the best and most impressive books and comics that I have read throughout the year in a series of Top Ten Lists. While these lists will mostly focus on books that came out in 2025, for the last few years I have also taken the time to list out some of the best older novels that I have read in the last 12 months. There are some excellent novels that were released pre-2025 out there that I haven’t had the chance to read before and it is always fun to go back and explore them. I ended up reading a bunch of awesome older books throughout 2025, including some incredible novels that got easy five-star ratings from me and are really worth checking out.

To come up with this list I had a look at all the novels I read this year that had their initial release before 2025. While I struggled due to an overabundance of choice, I eventually managed to pull together a fantastic list that covered some of the best books I read this year released before 2025. I did have to put one restriction on my choices for this year’s list, primarily because I read quite a few novels from authors, Matt Dinniman and Terry Pratchett, and I could have filled this top ten list with books from these two alone. As such, I limited myself to three books from each author, which ensured a bit more diversity in this list. With this rule in place, I feel that this list still reflects the best pre-2025 novels I read throughout the year, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Crossfire by Matthew Farrer – 2003

An intense classic novel from the Warhammer 40,000 franchise with a great crime fiction twist.

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso – 2024

An intricate fantasy novel that makes excellent use of a clever, time-loop scenario

Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis – 2024

Flavia Albia returns for another ancient Rome mystery, this time hunting down an organised crime boss that she has a dark history with.

Top Ten List:

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett – 1992

I had a lot of fun re-reading several Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett in 2025, including the impressive and thought-provoking Small Gods. One of Pratchett’s absolute best Discworld books, Small Gods provides a clever and hilarious look at religion and how it impacts the human condition, all while following two of the author’s most relatable protagonists. There is so much to love about Small Gods, and it was a pleasure to read it once again, especially with the new audiobook format that featured narration from Andy Serkis.

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett – 1993

Another outstanding Discworld book I enjoyed in 2025 was the second entry in the City Watch sub-series, Men at Arms. The sequel to Pratchett’s earlier release, Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms sees the unlikely heroes of the Ankh-Morpork city watch attempt to stop a deranged killer wielding the Disc’s first firearm. A very impressive crime fiction novel that makes full use of the iconic city of Ankh-Morpork as a gritty background setting, Men at Arms was another early classic from Pratchett, that I will never get tired of re-reading.

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett – 1996

The final book from Pratchett that I want to highlight on this list is the third City Watch book, Feet of Clay. Following the returning protagonists from Men at Arms as they attempt to solve a series of brutal murders connected to Ankh-Morpork’s golem population, as well as stop the poisoning of the patrician. Probably the best crime fiction novel that Pratchett ever wrote, Feet of Clay is an exceptional book that still brings me joy whenever I read it.

Warhammer 40,000: Titanicus by Dan Abnett – 2008

It wouldn’t be a reading year for me without some older Warhammer 40,000 novels thrown into the mix. One of my favourites of these was the epic novel Titanicus by the legendary Dan Abnett. A spin-off of his Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Titanicus follows a sprawling war between the gigantic Titan war machines, as they rain destruction and death across an entire planet. Massive in scope and featuring some outstanding battle sequences, Titanicus was an outstanding read and one I had such an incredible time getting through.

Warhammer 40,000: The Emperor’s Finest by Sandy Mitchell – 2010

I also continued my dive into another awesome older Warhammer 40,000 series this year with The Emperor’s Finest by Sandy Mitchell. A particularly hilarious entry in the entertaining Ciaphas Cain series, The Emperor’s Finest once again follows the galaxy’s smartest, if most cowardly, commissar, as he attempts to avoid deadly danger in space, only to inadvertently end up facing even worse monsters or deadly situations. I laughed myself silly throughout The Emperor’s Finest and it was a great entry in one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – 2020

Those who are familiar with this blog will already know that 2025 started my obsession with the incredible Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman, as I dove into several of these novels which were all released before 2025. I ended up powering through the entire series on audiobook in a couple of weeks, it was that damn good, and I just had to include a few entries from this series on this list as a result. This includes the very first book in the series, Dungeon Crawler Carl, which serves as a powerful introduction to the elaborate narrative and setting. I love how well Dungeon Crawler Carl sets the entire adventure up, and you get a perfect taste of the author’s unique humour and crazy imagination with this incredible read. Highly recommended, although be warned, once you start reading this book, you won’t be able to stop.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton – 2022

The highly entertaining and inventive science fiction novel, Mickey7, proved to be excellent entertainment for a road trip earlier this year. A fantastic novel that I’ve been meaning to read for a while, Mickey7 featured a great story about an expendable member of a distant space colony, who gets in trouble when an extra clone of him is created. I really enjoyed this awesome novel and it really worth going back and checking out.

The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman – 2022

After already featuring the first Dungeon Crawler Carl novel on this list, I was spoiled for choice about which other entries from the series to feature here, especially as I read them all this year. however, in the end the choice was rather easy for me as I had to feature one of the very best books from Dinniman with the fifth book in the series, The Butcher’s Masquerade. Featuring an elaborate plot that sees the increasingly damaged protagonists transported to a new level filled with alien hunters who plan to butcher them for sport, The Butcher’s Masquerade was another exceptional entry in the series. Between its epic story, amazing humour, crazy moments, and impressive emotional depth, The Butcher’s Masquerade was a true standout amongst an already incredible series, and I just had to feature it here.

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman – 2023

The third Dungeon Crawler Carl novel I decided to feature on this list was the sixth book, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, which I honestly think was one of the most impressive entries in the series. Perfectly building on the plot from the previous novels, Dinniman turned what could have been a fun bridging novel into an emotionally charged and traumatic read that really dived into several of the series’ outstanding characters. Funny, exhilarating and absolutely heartbreaking, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride features some of Dinniman’s best writing, and I honestly could not get enough of the elaborate scenarios and shocking moments in this book. The crown jewel of one of the best ongoing series you need to read.

The Ascent by Adam Plantinga – 2024

The final book I want to highlight on this list is the very exciting 2024 thriller The Ascent by Adam Plantinga. A compelling read that saw a damaged former cop attempt to climb up through a chaotic and deadly rioting prison, The Ascent was a very impressive novel, and one I flew through extremely quickly. I really enjoyed this great book, and I’m hoping to read the sequel, Hard Town, sometime soon.

And that is the end of this list. As you can see, I have managed to read a huge number of epic pre-2025 releases this year. Each of the above were exceptional and fun reads and I would strongly recommend all of them, especially if you are in the mood for some fun fantasy or science fiction adventures. I look forward to reading many more older books in 2026, and it will be interesting to see what makes my next version of this list then. Make sure to check back in next week for some other end-of-year lists as I continue to highlight some of my favourite reads from 2025.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels – June 2025

On June 10, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn List, Warhammer9 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday focuses on Bookish Wishes, which, while interesting, isn’t something I felt I could contribute to. So instead I’m going to spend this week’s Top Ten Tuesday updating a regular list of mine where I highlight my absolute favourite Warhammer 40,000 tie-in novels.

Warhammer is a long-running extended universe that is based around a series of miniature table-top games. Started by Games Workshop decades ago, Warhammer in its various forms has a large and dedicated following to it, and there are several existing or defunct games associated with the franchise. The most iconic of these is the Warhammer 40,000 franchise which is set millennia in the future and details a grim-dark universe where multiple factions engage in massive wars and unique battles. Thanks to years of extended lore, there are a ton of Warhammer 40,000 books and comics out there, with a massive team of great authors contributing more and more to it all the time.

Due to how much I love this franchise and how many books I have been reading from it, around this time two years ago, I went out of my way to list my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books, which ballooned into a 20-entry feature. This proved to be a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed highlighting the top Warhammer 40,000 books I read, so much so that I updated it around a year ago. While I was happy with how these first two lists panned out, I was only really scratching the surface of this massive collection of fiction, as there are a ton of other epic Warhammer 40,000 books out there. I’ve spent the last year or so getting even further into this franchise, and I have read several additional awesome books, which includes some brand-new favourites. As such, I figured this would be a good time to update my previous list and feature even more epic pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

As with my previous list about Warhammer 40,000 fiction, I have loaded this entry up with my top 20 favourite books, including several great books I discovered in the last year. There are some amazing Warhammer 40,000 novels here, and it was interesting to see what new pieces of fiction made it onto the latest version of this list. I had some very hard decisions to make, and several books that I featured last time needed to be cut, which wasn’t easy to do. I did once again decide to compact several books from the same series (and written by the same author) into a single entry to increase variety, which I think worked out well. Overall, I’m very happy with how my Top 20 list turned out and there are so many exceptional and epic novels I would strongly recommend.

Top 20 List (no particular order):

Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Xenos Cover

The first entry on this list is the iconic and epic Eisenhorn trilogy by legendary Warhammer author Dan Abnett. Generally considered one of the most influential authors of Warhammer fiction, Abnett has written several key series and novels in this canon and the Eisenhorn books are some of his finest work. Made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, this series follows the titular Inquisitor Eisenhorn who investigates several complex conspiracies while trying to keep the Imperium of Man safe. However, along the way he starts making dark compromises and deals to fight the forces of Chaos, which slowly corrupts him. Providing an outstanding mixture of elaborate stories, impressive characters and some epic moments, the Eisenhorn trilogy is damn near perfect, and I have had a wonderful time getting through it. Easily one of the best Warhammer series out there, the Eisenhorn novels are a must-read, and there is a reason why most fans recommend it as a brilliant starting Warhammer 40,000 fiction starting point.

Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! by Nate Crowley

Ghazghkull Thraka - Prophet of the Waaagh! Cover

For readers looking for something a little less human-focussed, Ghazghkull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh! is the perfect book. A unique retelling of iconic ork character Ghazghkull Thraka’s origin story, this fantastic novel presents a powerful and instantly compelling story that shows a far deeper side to the ork boss and his followers. Crowley expertly utilises a series of distinctive perspectives to tell a particularly striking story, and I loved the fun combination of serious elements and humorous undertones. I had a brilliant time with this novel, and it ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022. Highly recommended, especially on audiobook due to the amazing team of talented narrators the recruited to voice it.

Assassinorum: Kingmaker by Robert Rath

Assassinorum Kingmaker Cover

Another Warhammer 40,000 novel from 2022 that topped my best of lists was the insanely good Assassinorum: Kingmaker by talented author Robert Rath. Following three ultra-elite assassins, Kingmaker showcases their mission to assassinate a king and bring a new era to a feudal Imperial Knight planet. The only problem is that their target is permanently bonded to a giant mecha, and there are far darker secrets hidden on the planet than they realised. This book was highly addictive from the very start, and I cannot emphasise how impressively amazing the narrative was. You really get attached to the major characters, and I loved all the epic mecha-on-mecha fights than ensued. A top read from one of the franchises fastest rising stars.

The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley

The Wraithbone Phoenix Cover

One of the things that I most love about Warhammer 40,000 fiction is the sheer range of different stories that can be featured in this universe. Probably the best example of this is the Warhammer Crime subseries that set a series of powerful crime fiction novels in a futuristic and corrupt Warhammer 40,000 city. The first one of these that I read was The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley, which features a fast-paced, crime thriller romp as several teams of over-the-top criminals fight to recover a mysterious McGuffin, the titular Wraithbone Phoenix. The story primarily focuses on the hilarious team of thieving ratling (a futuristic halfling/hobbit) and an enlightened Ogryn (ogre), who find themselves caught in the middle of the heist and hunted by everyone. Fun, intense and surprisingly moving, this was an amazing book, and readers should also check out Worley’s short audiobook, Dredge Runners, which serves as an exceptional prequel.

Storm of Iron by Graham McNeill

Storm of Iron Cover 2

From cool crime fiction to brutal sieges, my next entry is the awesome epic Storm of Iron by the legendary Graham McNeill. Storm of Iron is a powerful and intense read that chronicles a deadly futuristic siege of a legendary citadel by the Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marines, the galaxy’s most accomplished siege experts. What follows is a brutal and lengthy siege novel that sees both sides engage in a hellish campaign to try and survive. Cleverly showcasing both sides and providing some great context to the antagonists, this is a particularly fun book that is easily one of the best siege novels I have ever read.

Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks

Da Big Dakka Cover

One of the more entertaining additions to this list is Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks. Brooks is one of the most talented rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, especially with books like The Lion: King of the Forest and Huron Blackheart: Master of the Maelstrom. While I enjoy his serious work, my favourite book of his is Da Big Dakka. An intriguing and ultra-entertaining follow-up to his ork novels, Brutal Kunnin and Warboss, Da Big Dakka sets a deadly ork warband against the lethal Drukhari in a battle of wits, carnage and pain. Hilarious and clever from start to finish, I cannot recommend this book enough as it had me laughing all the way through.

Sinner’s Bounty by Joshua Reynolds

Kal Jerico - Sinner's Bounty Cover

There are many great Warhammer 40,000 novels on this list, but only one that I can truly blame for my current love of the franchise, and that’s Sinner’s Bounty by Joshua Reynolds. Set in the Necromunda sub-series/game, Sinner’s Bounty presents a whole new adventure from one of the franchise’s best characters, bounty hunter Kal Jerico, as he follows a notorious criminal into the darkest parts of the massive Necromunda hive city. A massively entertaining romp that features multiple teams of bounty hunters, an army of mutants, and all manner of monsters in the dark sewers of the city, Sinner’s Bounty is so much damn fun and I loved seeing my favourite character back in action. I hope we get more Kal Jerico books in the future, but in the meantime Sinner’s Bounty an amazing read that perfectly showcases one of the franchises best settings and protagonists.

The Infinite and The Divine by Robert Rath

The Infinite and the Divine Cover

Another outstanding novel from Robert Rath that I had to feature here is, The Infinite and The Divine. Focussed on two compelling and brilliant Necron characters, The Infinite and The Divine showcases the legendary feud between them as they spend thousands of years battling over a recovered artefact and its secrets. Devolving into quite a petty scrap at times, The Infinite and The Divine is one of the funniest and cleverest Warhammer 40,000 books out there as it makes excellent use of humour, intense lore, and some very serious moments to tell a unique and memorable tale. I had an exceptionally fun time with The Infinite and The Divine, and it is a fantastic novel for all Warhammer fans.

Gaunt’s Ghosts series – Dan Abnett

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

There was no way I could exclude Dan Abnett’s other iconic series, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books from this list. Generally considered one of the key pillars of Warhammer 40,000 fiction and essential reading for all newcomers to the franchise, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow the Tanith First and Only, a small regiment from a destroyed planet fighting for redemption in a deadly crusade. Containing great characters, compelling storylines, and a gritty examination of the common Imperial soldier’s life, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books are extremely captivating and I have had a great deal of fun with them. When I featured the Gaunt’s Ghosts books in this list last time, I had made some descent progress into the series with books like First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith, as well as the prequel novel, The Vincula Insurgency. I have since had the pleasure of reading another two books in the series with Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, both of which exceptional reads, especially as they really moved the overall narrative of the Gaunt’s Ghosts books along, while hitting the reader with some major tragedy. While I still have several more Gaunt’s Ghosts books to go, I can confidently say that this is one of the best Warhammer series out there and I would strongly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about this cool universe.

Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier

Lord of the Night Cover

A classic Warhammer 40,000 novel that I have a lot of love for is the dark and compelling Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier. A unique read that sees a lone Night Lords traitor Space Marine terrorise an entire giant city in the hunt for a legendary artefact, Lord of the Night is a complex, character driven novel that really dives into the villain’s perspective. Loaded with twists, compelling protagonists and a legendary game of cat and mouse, Lord of the Night is an outstanding read that I’m glad I got the chance to read.

Renegades: Lord of Excess by Rich McCormick

One of the things that I love about the Warhammer 40,000 franchise is the way in which the Black Library finds and encourages new authors, with several impressive writers making their overall debut with a cool Warhammer 40,000 book. One of the best recent examples of this was the outstanding novel, Renegades: Lord of Excess by new author Rich McCormick. A particularly intense and bonkers novel that follows members of the hedonistic Emperor’s Children Chaos Space Marines as they conquer a planet with the goal of making it perfect, Lord of Excess was fantastically over-the-top read that dove into the downsides of excess and obsession. One of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2024, Lord of Excess is so damn good, and I cannot wait to see what Rich McCormick writes next.

Double Eagle/Interceptor City by Dan Abnett

Dan Abnett’s domination of this list continues with the author’s exceptional dive into combat flying and aerial aces in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Spinning off from the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Abnett wrote the impressive novel Double Eagle in 2004, which followed several pilots fighting in the same system-spanning war as the Tanith First and Only. A particularly gripping novel, Double Eagle made excellent use of it’s Battle of Britain themes and motifs by showing the impact that atmospheric fighter craft can have in an interstellar war and is probably one of Abnett’s best novels. However, the fun didn’t stop with Double Eagle, as Abnett recently released a long-awaited sequel, Interceptor City. A particularly powerful read that followed the long-retired protagonist of Double Eagle as she is dragged back into combat, Interceptor City was another exceptional read, that took the awesome aerial combat from the first book and cranked it all the way up to 11. Both books are incredible, and I can already tell you that Interceptor City is going to end up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2025.

Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell

Warhammer 40,000 - For the Emperor Cover

Last year I made sure to highlight the amazing first novel in the Ciaphas Cain series, For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell, which I stated was one of the funniest Warhammer novels I have had the pleasure of reading. However, I was only just scratching the surface of the long-running and beloved Ciaphas Cain series which follows the adventures of Commissar Ciaphas Cain, who is either one of the Imperium’s greatest heroes or a manipulative coward who actively tries to avoid combat, only to end up in even worse situations. Mitchell paints a pretty hilarious picture around this scenario, and the result is a series of spectacular and side-splittingly funny novels. I have had a ton of fun getting through several more books in the series, with books like Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory, Duty Calls, Cain’s Last Stand and The Emperor’s Finest proving to be extremely awesome. I still have several more entries to go in this series I can’t wait to see all the fantastic and entertaining ways that Cain will run into trouble in the future books.

The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath

Warhammer 40,000 - The Fall of Cadia Cover

Robert Rath makes yet another appearance on this list with his latest novel, The Fall of Cadia. A truly epic read that recounts the dire events of the canon-changing, Imperium wrecking, final battle of the 13^th Black Crusade, The Fall of Cadia is a remarkable book that Warhammer 40,000 fans will not be able to put down. Filled with massive battles, unique moments, and so many larger-than-life characters, The Fall of Cadia perfectly captures one of the more essential moments in recent Warhammer 40,000 lore. Rath is really proving himself to be one of the absolute best authors of Warhammer fiction, as The Fall of Cadia ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023.

Outgunned and Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers

While Denny Flowers’ first book, Fire Made Flesh, was a great Necromunda novel, it pales in comparison to his Lucille von Shard novels. Another cool series that focusses on a flying ace, the Lucille von Shard novels are a very different collection of Warhammer 40,000 books as they look at the dark side of the lies, propaganda and badly run wars that are rife within the Imperium. The series started with the amazing novel Outgunned which follows an Imperial propaganda specialist who arrives on a swampy battlefield to film inspiration footage of a legendary fighter pilot as she battles an ork invasion, only to discover that his preferred subject is an arrogant drunkard, and everyone is dying for a corrupted planet. A brilliant and intense novel that not only featured a ton of great aerial combat, but which also dives into some very dark places that shows just how far humanity has fallen in the far future Outgunned was such a great read, and Flowers exceeded himself last year with the excellent sequel Above and Beyond. Once again following the damaged protagonists of the first book as they find themselves locked in a dark conspiracy of alien lies and deadly propaganda, Above and Beyond was an exceptional read, and one that highlights Denny Flowers as one of the most impressive rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley

Flesh and Steel Cover

The Warhammer Crime hits keep on coming with Flesh and Steel by renowned author Guy Hayley. This compelling read acts a bit of an odd-couple, buddy cop story when two very different detectives are forced to team up to investigate a dismembered body left across a city border. Mixing some fantastic comedy with some pretty dark and horrific elements, Flesh and Steel provided one of the best character-focused stories in the Warhammer Crime range and I was deeply impressed with how everything unfolded. A key Warhammer Crime read and one that I have a great deal of affection for.

Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons

Dead Men Walking Cover

Another book that highlight’s the unique human soldiers of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is the moving and tragic novel, Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons. Featuring a battle between two unrelenting foes, Dead Men Walking pitted the Death Korps of Krieg against the Necrons in a brutal, all-out war with no true winners. Cleverly told from the perspective of the poor unfortunates caught in the middle of the fighting, Dead Men Walking is an outstanding and dire novel that really highlights how desperate the Warhammer 40,000 universe can be. The book that cemented Lyons as the master of the Death Korps of Krieg (check out his other novels Krieg and Siege of Vraks), Dead Men Walking was a dark riot from start to finish that will stick with you for a very long time.

Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Day of Ascension Cover

A great example of the impressive talent that this franchise attracts can be seen in the 2022 novel, Day of Ascension, written by highly renowned author Adrian Tchaikovsky, making his Warhammer debut. Day of Ascension was a short and sweet novel which sets the robotic and callus Adeptus Mechanicus against a revolution started by a dangerous Genestealer Cult. Featuring Tchaikovsky’s flair for highlighting alien mindsets and cultures, there are some very clever divergent perspectives in this novel, and I loved diving into the distinctive minds of two very different types of human hybrids. Successfully introducing a great talent to the franchise, Day of Ascension is a brilliant read and one that I had an epic time with.

Titanicus by Dan Abnett

While I know that I’ve overdosed this list with Dan Abnett entries, I had no choice but to also include the awesome read Titanicus, which I had the pleasure of reading earlier this year. Also set around the same conflict featured in the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Titanicus sees an important Forge World invaded by a traitor Titan force, determined to destroy it. When reinforcements from a crusading Imperial Titan regiment arrives to repel the invaders, all out Titan warfare erupts on the planet as the giant god machines of the grimdark future engage in planet shaking combat. A particularly impressive novel that showcases a destructive, planet-wide war on multiple fronts, Titanicus is one of the definitive novels about the Titan legions in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I cannot recommend this additional Abnett novel enough.

Bloodlines by Chris Wraight

Warhammer 40,000 - Bloodlines Cover

The final entry on this list is the insanely good Warhammer Crime novel, Bloodlines by Chris Wraight. Following a cynical, veteran detective as he is dragged into a problematic missing person’s case, Bloodlines soon devolves into a hard tale of rich privilege and gangster violence as the protagonist refuses to stop investigating a crooked corporation. Probably one of the best pure crime fiction novels in this range, I loved the clever conclusion to the narrative and Bloodlines is an outstanding read, and one I am particularly keen for a sequel for (the protagonist has some dark secrets that need to come into the light). Highly recommended.

And that’s the end of my list. All 20 of the above books/series come very highly recommended, and each of them would make an excellent addition to any budding Warhammer 40,000 fan’s collection. I really loved that I was able to update this awesome list with several new books, and I have no doubt I will have even more to add next year when I update it again, especially as there are some great Warhammer 40,000 books coming out in 2025. I hope I’ve inspired at least one reader to embark on a Warhammer 40,000 adventure, and you honestly won’t be disappointed.

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

On June 2, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer2 Comments

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

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.

WWW Wednesday – 29 January 2025

On January 30, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris (ebook)

I started reading the excellent debut thriller An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris. Set around a woman with the ability to redistribute life force, the book sees her come up with her own guide to taking life as she attempts to balance the karmic scales. I haven’t made too much progress with An Ethical Guide to Murder yet, but the first 50 pages of it were a lot of fun. I will hopefully power through this book in the next few days, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

Warhammer 40,000: Leontus: Lord Solar by Rob Young (Audiobook)

I was still in a Warhammer 40,000 mood this week, so I started reading the intense novel, Leontus: Lord Solar. The second Warhammer 40,000 book from Young, who previously impressed me with his debut novel Longshot, Leontus: Lord Solar follows a legendary general as he leads a ragtag human army behind alien lines. A very compelling and exciting read, I am powering through the audiobook version of Leontus: Lord Solar and I should finish it soon.

What did you recently finish reading?

Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis (Trade Paperback)

Death on the Tiber Cover

I finally managed to finish reading the 2024 Lindsey Davis novel, Death on the Tiber. The latest book in Davis’ long-running Flavia Albia historical murder mystery series, Death on the Tiber saw the protagonist investigate another complex murder in ancient Rome, this time while dealing with demons from her past. I had an exceptional time with this book, and it proved to be an amazing addition to the series.

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

I also powered through the entertaining Warhammer 40,000 novel, The Emperor’s Finest this week. Part of the amazing Ciaphas Cain series, The Emperor’s Finest follows a highly pragmatic protagonist as he finds himself thrust into the horrors of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Another very awesome entry in the series, The Emperor’s Finest is very funny and I had such a great listening to it.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (Audiobook)

Thanks to a productive road trip I also finished listening to the entertaining science fiction novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. An excellent book that follows the misadventure of duplicated clones who no longer want to die, Mickey7 is proved to be an outstanding book and I’m glad I read it before the movie came out.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The next book I am planning to read is the new incredible novel from Adrian Tchaikovsky, Days of Shattered Faith. The third book in Tchaikovsky’s Tyrant Philosophers series, Days of Shattered Faith will follow two mismatched diplomats as they try to understand a crazy new city. I had so much fun with the previous entries in this series, City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds, both of which were amongst my favourite books of 2023 (with City of Last Chances being one of the best audiobooks of 2023), and I have no doubt Days of Shattered Faith is going to be just as epic.

That’s it for this week; check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

WWW Wednesday – 22 January 2025

On January 24, 2025January 24, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis (Trade Paperback)

Death on the Tiber Cover

I finally managed to start reading the 2024 Lindsey Davis novel, Death on the Tiber. The latest book in Davis’ long-running Flavia Albia historical murder mystery series, Death on the Tiber sees the protagonist investigate another complex murder in ancient Rome, this time while dealing with demons from her past. I am having an exceptional time with this book, and I am hoping to knock it off tonight.

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

I was in the mood for something fun this week, so I started listening to another entertaining Warhammer 40,000 novel, The Emperor’s Finest. Part of the amazing Ciaphas Cain series, The Emperor’s Finest follows a highly pragmatic protagonist as he finds himself thrust into the horrors of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Another very awesome entry in the series, The Emperor’s Finest is very funny and I am powering through it.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (Audiobook)

I also started listening to the entertaining science fiction novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton this week while on a road trip. An excellent book that follows the misadventure of duplicated clones who no longer want to die, Mickey7 is proving to be an outstanding book and I’m very glad I decided to check it out.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Ascent by Adam Plantinga (Paperback)

I powered through the awesome thriller The Ascent by Adam Plantinga this week. One of the more exciting debuts of 2024, The Ascent followed former cop forced to fight his way out of a rioting prison. This was an incredible and deeply thrilling novel that I had a brilliant time read, make sure to check out my review for it here.

Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland (Audiobook)

I also managed to finish off the 2025 fantasy novel, Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland this week. The sequel to the awesome Five Broken Blades, Four Ruined Realms sees a group of deadly killers and rogues once again try to work together to pull off an impossible mission. Loaded with action, fun characters, and some entertaining tension, Four Ruined Realms was a very worthy sequel to Five Broken Blades. Review to follow soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris

I have several awesome books to read next, but I think I’m going to check out the excellent thriller An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris. Set around a woman with the ability to redistribute life force, the book sees her pull together her own guide to taking life as she attempts to balance the karmic scales. I really love the sound of this book, and I cannot wait to read it.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Pre-2024 Novels

On December 3, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn List11 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. This week participants of Top Ten Tuesday get a freebie to list whatever topics they want. So, I am going to take this opportunity to start my annual end-of-year lists here by looking at my favourite pre-2024 novels that I read this year.

Each December I have a lot of fun looking at some of the best and most impressive books and comics that I have read throughout the year in a series of Top Ten Lists. While these lists will mostly focus on books that came out in 2024, for the last few years I have also taken the time to list out some of the best older novels that I have read in the last 12 months. There are some excellent novels that were released pre-2024 out there that I haven’t had the chance to read before and it is always fun to go back and explore them. I ended up reading a bunch of awesome older books throughout 2024, including some incredible novels that got easy five-star ratings from me and are really worth checking out.

To come up with this list I had a look at all the novels I read this year that had their initial release before 2024. This proved to be a momentous task, as I read a ton of older books this year, including quite a few Warhammer 40,000 tie-in novels. Despite the awesome array of older novels and audiobooks I enjoyed this year, I eventually managed to pull together a fantastic list that covered some of the best books released before 2024 that I read. As I have in previous years, I combined novels that are part of the same series into a single entry, just to diversify it up a bit. While I might be cheating in places, this list honestly reflects the best pre-2024 novels I read throughout the year, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000 Brutal Kunnin by Mike Brooks – 2021

A highly entertaining read from a great rising star of Warhammer 40,000 fiction. Brutal Kunnin was particularly funny, and it allowed me to read it’s 2024 sequel, Da Big Dakka, in all it’s hilarious glory.

Warhammer 40,000 Witchbringer by Steven B. Fischer – 2022

A fantastic Warhammer 40,000 debut from a couple of years ago, Witchbringer was an awesome novel that I was really happy to finally check out.

Rebellion by Simon Scarrow – 2023

I got Rebellion, the 2023 entry in one of my favourite historical series, a bit late last year and it ended up being an early January 2024 read for me as a result. A captivating and action-packed novel, Rebellion was amazing and comes highly recommended.

Top Ten List:

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett – 1989

I had a ton of fun re-reading one of my favourite Discworld novels this year with Guards! Guards!. One of Terry Pratchett’s best books, Guards! Guards! was just as amazing as I remembered it, and I still laugh at its elaborate narrative and exceptional humour. While I have read Guards! Guards! before, I’m including it on this list as it was the first time I listened to the new audiobook version with Jon Culshaw, Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy. An incredible listen that I cannot recommend enough.

Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett – Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr – 2002

As with last year’s pre-2023 book post, this list could have been dominated by the works of Dan Abnett if I hadn’t combined a few posts together. That is because I am still making progress on his Gaunt’s Ghosts series, which is one of the seminal pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction. Following the common soldiers of the Tanith First and Only, better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts, this series is a gritty series about camaraderie and the horrors of war for the common human soldier in the grim future of the Warhammer universe. I managed to get through two exceptional entries in the series this year, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, both of which were epic in their own way. Featuring great characters, dark moments, and some particularly realistic depictions of war, these novels were so damn good, and I loved every second I spent listening to them. I am hoping to dive even deeper into this series next year, and I know I am going to love it.

Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle by Dan Abnett – 2004

One of the absolute best Warhammer 40,000 novels I enjoyed in 2024 was another classic read from Dan Abnett, Double Eagle. A spin-off from his Gaunt’s Ghosts series (The Guns of Tanith specifically), Double Eagle was an exceptional and highly intense read that followed various Imperial pilots as they fight a brutal air war above a contested planet. Essentially the Battle of Britain in the grimdark future, Double Eagle was utterly addictive, and I loved every single second I spent listening to it. A must read for all Warhammer 40,000 fans, Double Eagle is just incredible, and I am looking forward to the sequel, Interceptor City, which is coming out soon.

Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell – The Traitor’s Hand (2005), Death or Glory (2006), Duty Calls (2007) and Cain’s Last Stand (2008)

Another long-running Warhammer 40,000 series I read in 2024 was the Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell. Following the heroic Commissar Cain as he fights in multiple battlefields, the Ciaphas Cain books are a particularly fun Warhammer 40,000 series due to the hilarious protagonist who is a lot more cowardly and practical than most people realise. I read four books in this series this year, mainly because they are so easy to listen to and enjoy. This includes The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory, Duty Calls and Cain’s Last Stand. All four were extremely good and featured distinctive and entertaining stories, with the last three featuring a great, loosely connected storyline. If I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Death or Glory, that set a young Ciaphas Cain on his path to hero status when he accidently leads a band of human survivors Mad Max style to victory. An outstanding series I will probably read more of in 2025.

Warhammer 40,000: Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons – 2010

As I’m on a roll with awesome older Warhammer 40,000 novels, the next book on this list is the impressive Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons. A particularly dark addition to the canon, Dead Men Walking pits Lyon’s favourite Imperial Guard faction, the Death Korps of Kreig (who Lyons also writes about in Kreig and The Siege of Vraks), against the unstoppable metal-coated Necrons, resulting in a devastating battle against two equally unrelenting foe. Cleverly told from the perspective of the normal humans caught in the crossfire of this brutal war, Dead Men Walking showcases just how dark Warhammer 40,000 fiction can get, and I loved the entire captivating and ironic story.

Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher – Skin Game (2014) and Peace Talks (2020)

After a couple of years of having a brilliant time exploring the Dresden Files books, I finally finished off the series this year by reading Skin Game and Peace Talks. Two excellent and compelling entries in the series, these books were particularly awesome in all the right ways. My favourite of the two was Skin Game, which saw the wizard protagonist forced to team up with his worst enemies to complete an impossible magical heist. However, the other book, Peace Talks, was also particularly moving and exciting, especially as it set up Butcher’s other 2020 novel Battle Ground, which is where I entered the Dresden Files series. I have had such an incredible time reading the Dresden Files books over the years, and I hope we start to get some new entries in it soon.

The Outsider by Stephen King – 2018

One of the books I was particularly happy to read in 2024 was the intense and brilliant Stephen King novel The Outsider. A complex, dark and shocking horror thriller, The Outsider starts off with a great concept when a local hero is accused of a terrible crime and all the evidence irrefutably shows that he did it. The problem, the accused claims to be innocent and he has an impossibly airtight alibi. I loved the fantastic and powerful story King wove around this idea, and I honestly could not stop listening to it. Probably one of the better King books I have so far read, The Outsider was so damn good and still cannot get over its exceptional story.

The Sandman – Act III by Neil Gaiman – 2022

After having a great time listening to the first audiobook adaptations of The Sandman in previous years (see my reviews for Act I and Act II), I managed to listen to the third act this year. An intriguing continuation of the story, Act III featured an excellent and addictive story, told by an all-star full cast of excellent actors and voice talent. I had such an outstanding time listening to the complex tales contained within this latest adaptation of The Sandman and I really cannot recommend it enough as an awesome way to enjoy this brilliantly dark and inventive series. I hope we eventually get a fourth act of The Sandman at some point, as I really need closure around how the series ends.

Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K. J. Parker – 2023

After having an exceptional time with Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead last year (one of my favourite books of 2023), I made sure to read the simultaneously released sequels, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder in 2024. Both were clever and hilarious reads that followed the series’ smart, cynical and unlucky protagonist through a series of complex adventures. These sequels were extremely well written and planned out, and I loved how the overarching series came together. I cannot recommend the final two Corax books enough, and together with Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead, they form and exceptional and extremely smart trilogy.

Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell – 2023

The final book I want to feature on this list was the captivating fantasy novel, Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell. A loosely connected prequel to de Castell’s new Court of Shadows series, which started this year with Play of Shadows, Crucible of Chaos was an outstanding read that I am glad I went back to check out. Set in the author’s Greatcoats universe, Crucible of Chaos follows an unlikely magistrate as he journeys to an isolated monastery to arbitrate a religious dispute that has broken out on the grounds. However, upon arriving he discovers that the situation has irrevocably deteriorated, and he must investigate a terrible murder amongst on the storm rocked island, whilst dealing with armed factions and dark magic. A particularly impressive read that cemented my new-found appreciation for de Castell’s writing, Crucible of Chaos is an outstanding novel and a fantastic final entry on this list.

And that is the end of this list. As you can see, I have managed to read a huge number of epic pre-2024 releases this year. Each of the above were exceptional and fun reads and I would strongly recommend all of them, especially if you are in the mood for some fun fantasy or science fiction adventures. I look forward to reading many more older books in 2025, and it will be interesting to see what makes my next version of this list then. I imagine it will also end up being very Warhammer heavy, as I have plans to finish off the Gaunt’s Ghosts and Ciaphas Cain series, and I will probably also dive into a bunch of other awesome series from the franchise. Make sure to check back in next week for some other end-of-year lists as I continue to highlight some of my favourite reads from 2024.

Top Ten Tuesday – Top Pre-2024 Novels That I read in the First Half of the Year

On July 31, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn List3 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was to lists books which you thought required either more or less of certain elements to make them better. While this is an interesting concept, I’m instead going to do something different and will provide two separate lists here that continue my them of recapping the first half of 2024. The first of these lists will look at the very best pre-2024 novels that I read in the first half of the year.

I have had a lot of fun recapping some of the best recent books and audiobooks released in the first half of 2024 in previous weeks, but I also need to talk about some of the books that came out before 2024 that I also read this year. I am a big fan of going back and checking out older series and books, and there are so many excellent pre-2024 novels that I haven’t had a chance to read before. This has been particularly true recently, as I have spent a lot of time this year pouring through novels and audiobooks with a variety of older release dates and featuring them in my Throwback Thursday posts. I honestly might have enjoyed too many of these older books, as I am way behind in my 2024 readings now, but I think it was more than worth it as there were some exceptional reads there, including a bunch that got five-star ratings from me. Due to the sheer number of pre-2024 books I have already read this year, as well as their amazing quality, I felt that it would be interesting to do a list highlighting them now.

To come up with this list I had a look at all the novels I read this year that had their initial release before 2024. This list includes a range of pre-2024 releases, including quite a few that I had been meaning to read for a while. To make it a little more difficult for myself, I decided to limit myself to only one book from each author for the main list, which did reduce the choices I had. Thank to this I was eventually able to cull this down to a workable Top Ten list, with a descent honourable mentions section. Due to my current obsession, this list is extremely Warhammer 40,000 heavy, which I’m fine with because they are awesome books, so I apologise in advance if some of my choices are a little predictable. This proved to be a fun list to pull together, so let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Warhammer 40,000: Sabbat Martyr by Dan Abnett – 2003

An intense and epic Warhammer read that blew me away, especially as it provided a fitting end to several key characters.

Warhammer 40,000: Cain’s Last Stand by Sandy Mitchell – 2008

Commissar Cain “bravely” faces his toughest challenge ever in this very clever and hilarious book.

Cold Days by Jim Butcher – 2012

A fantastic, high-stakes addition to the always impressive Dresden Files series.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher – 2020

Another intriguing Dresden Files novel, Peace Talks was a great read that masterfully set up its explosive sequel, Battle Ground.

Top Ten List:

Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver by Dan Abnett – 2002

First up we have a great entry in the fantastic Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Straight Silver. I have been slowly making my way through this exceptional Warhammer 40,000 series by Dan Abnett and Straight Silver might be my favourite entry so far. Forcing the stealth-orientated Ghosts to fight in stagnate trench warfare, Straight Silver is a dark and compelling entry in the series that also does a good job setting up the following Sabbat Martyr. I deeply enjoyed this book, and it was a great pre-2024 novel to check out this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Death or Glory by Sandy Mitchell – 2006

There were several awesome entries in the Ciaphas Cain series that I checked out this year, including The Traitor’s Hand and Duty Calls, all of which were very fun and loaded with action. However, my favourite had to be Death or Glory, which sees a younger Cain crash-land on an ork controlled planet and is forced to fight his way across it. Essentially turning into a Mad Max inspired adventure with the cowardly Cain leading the charge, Death or Glory was pretty damn hilarious and I loved every second I spent with it.

Warhammer 40,000 Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons – 2010

One of the most intense pre-2024 novels I’ve read this year is Dead Men Walking by Steve Lyons. A great novel that focused on Lyons’ beloved Death Korp of Krieg (check out his later novel, Krieg), Dead Men Walking saw the implacable Krieg soldiers face off against the unstoppable necrons. Essentially a battle between two faceless and unfeeling armies, with the poor civilians of the invaded planet caught in the middle, Dead Men Walking was an outstanding read that showed a particularly dark side to the already crazy Warhammer universe.

Skin Game by Jim Butcher – 2014

While Cold Days and Peace Talks were very good additions to the Dresden Files series, my favourite book from Butcher I read this year was Skin Game. One of the most highly regarded Dresden Files novels, Skin Game sees wizard protagonist Harry Dresden forced to work with his worst enemy to complete an impossible magical heist. Clever, exciting and loaded with memorable moments, Skin Game was one of the best books Butcher has ever written and I cannot recommend it enough.

Warhammer 40,000: Brutal Kunnin by Mike Brooks – 2021

Mike Brooks has been on a real roll with his amazing Warhammer 40,000 fiction lately, and I made sure to jump back and check out one of his older novels this year, Brutal Kunnin. A captivating and fast-paced read, Brutal Kunnin focuses on the always entertaining ork faction, as they attack a heavily defended planet. Mostly focused on the innate humour that surrounds the orks, Brutal Kunnin was an excellent book that will have you laughing the entire way through. It also sets up Brooks’ 2024 release, Da Big Dakka, and is a must-read as a result.

The Sandman Act III by Neil Gaiman – 2022

I had to continue the intricate and utterly brilliant full-cast audiobook adaptation of the classic The Sandman comics with the third entry, which made for some great listening during some road trips I recently had. Continuing the stories set up in Act I and Act II, this third volume had another amazing story that was expertly portrayed with the extensive, high-profile vocal cast who brought it together. A magnificent audiobook that you will not be able to stop listening to.

Warhammer 40,000: Witchbringer by Steven B. Fischer – 2022

An outstanding Warhammer debut from a few years ago I’ve been meaning to read for ages, Witchbringer was a very clever read from Fischer that saw a sanction psychic defend a regiment who all fear and hate her. An amazing read with some interesting examinations of Warhammer 40,000 lore.

Saevus Corax Captures the Castle/Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K. J. Parker – 2023

A quick double entry I had to include here was the second and third Corax novels, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle and Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K. J. Parker. Continuing from the amazing Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead, these two books continue to follow the titular master of battlefield loot as he attempts to survive an array of scams and cons being run around him. Both books are very entertaining, and contain Parker’s typical wit, intensity and cynical outlook on human nature.

Rebellion by Simon Scarrow – 2023

The latest entries from one of my favourite historical fiction series that I had to read earlier this year rather than when it first came out. A particularly epic book, Rebellion had a great story loaded with Roman historical action and adventure.

Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien De Castell – 2023

After loving the amazing 2024 novel, Play of Shadows, I had to dive back into the loosely connected novel from Sebastien De Castell, Crucible of Chaos. Released at the end of 2023, Crucible of Chaos had an exceptional story that saw an injured investigator and duellist travel to an important monastery to try and discover what drove all the monks crazy. An elaborate and highly entertaining novel, Crucible of Chaos got an easy five-star rating from me and is guaranteed to make you a fan of De Castell and his extended Greatcoats universe.

And that is the end of this list. As you can see I have managed to check out a bunch of epic pre-2024 novels in the first half of this year. Each of the above were exceptional and fun reads and I would strongly recommend them, especially if you are in the mood for some fun fantasy or science fiction adventures. I look forward to reading more older books in 2024, although I should probably slow down a little and check out my recent releases. However, I imagine it I will probably continue several of these series, especially the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, so be prepared to see more Throwback Thursday posts featuring. Make sure to check out my other recent lists about the first half of 2024, especially my other Top Ten Tuesday post tonight, and let me know what cool older books you have already checked out this year.

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

On June 10, 2024 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

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 13^th 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 13^th 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.

WWW Wednesday – 5 June 2024

On June 6, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn WWW WednesdayLeave a comment

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

So, let’s get to it.

What are you currently reading:

Mrs Hopkins by Shirley Barrett (Trade Paperback)

Mrs Hopkins Cover

I am currently reading the intriguing Australian historical drama Mrs Hopkins. The final book of late Australian author Shirley Bennett, Mrs Hopkins is a compelling read about women’s reform school in 19th century Sydney. This is proving to be an interesting read and I am hoping to get through it this weekend.

Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson (Audiobook)

Point Nemo Cover

On the audiobook front I am currently listening to the exciting science fiction thriller Point Nemo by the always entertaining Jeremy Robinson. A fast-paced read that sees a small group journey to an alien landscape that forms in the middle of the most remote ocean, Point Nemo is a captivating and electrifying adventure that proves hard to put down. I have made a lot of progress on Point Nemo already and I cannot wait to see how everything comes together.

What did you recently finish reading?

Hill 112 by Adrian Goldsworthy (ebook)

Hill 112 Cover

I managed to finish off the epic historical novel Hill 112 by Adrian Goldsworthy this week. A powerful and brutal World War II novel, Hill 112 followed three young soldiers fighting in one of the bloodiest battles of the Normandy campaign. A compelling and harrowing read.

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

Cain's Last Stand Cover

Another exceptional and highly entertaining entry in the amusing Ciaphas Cain series, Cain’s Last Stand was a great addition to the series and the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Review to follow soon.

Nero by Conn Iggulden (Trade Paperback)

Nero Cover

I also managed to power through the epic historical fiction novel Nero by Conn Iggulden. An intriguing read that followed the early days of the titular tyrant and show the events that led to him becoming Emperor. One of the best historical books of 2024.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis

Death on the Tiber Cover

While I have a few potential books to read next, I think I will probably dive into the new Lindsey Davis novel, Death on the Tiber. The latest book in Davis’ long-running Flavia Albia historical murder mystery series, Death on the Tiber will see the series’ protagonist investigate another complex murder in ancient Rome, this time while dealing with demons from her past. I really love this amazing series and I have no doubt I will have a wonderful time reading Death on the Tiber.

That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.

Warhammer 40,000: Duty Calls by Sandy Mitchell

On June 5, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer6 Comments

Duty Calls Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 22 May 2007)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Five

Length: 9 hours and 37 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

One of the most entertaining authors of Warhammer fiction, Sandy Mitchell, continues to shine with the fifth book in his excellent Ciaphas Cain series, Duty Calls.

I doubt anyone is too surprised to hear that I broke a recent lull of reading by resuming the Ciaphas Cain series. The Ciaphas Cain books, written by Sandy Mitchell (the alternate penname of author Alex Stewart), are an outstanding series that aims to bring a little humour to the crazy and dark battles of the gothic Warhammer 40,000 universe. I have deeply enjoyed the first four books in this series, For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand and Death or Glory, and this honestly is one of the very best Warhammer 40,000 series out there.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain, hero of the Imperium and self-confessed self-serving coward, continues his exciting and deadly adventures when a new dark threat rises to destroy humanity. After his last harrowing adventure with the Valhallan 597^th, Cain is keen for a less deadly experience, and his new deployment to help crack down on civil unrest on the planet of Periremunda seems to be the ticket. However, nothing is ever simple when Cain is involved.

Upon arriving on Periremunda, Cain quickly finds his life in danger as a series of assassination attempts are made against him. Realising that his assailants are genestealers, the deadly scouts of the Tyranid swarm, Cain begins to understand the true danger Periremunda is in, as the genstealers herald the approach a Hive Fleet. But unstoppable hordes of alien creatures are the least of Cain’s worries as he is reunited with his old flame, Inquisitor Amberley Vail.

Ostensibly on Periremunda to help the Imperial Guard stave off the Tyranid invasion, it soon becomes apparent that Vail is there for a darker reason. Something incredibly important has been hidden on the planet that has the potential to change the entire Imperium. Forced to assist Vail, Cain and his trusty aide, Jurgen, find themselves thrust into the deadly intricacies of a battle between hidden underground factions. But with hungry Tyranids all around, deadly assassins gunning for Cain and a mysterious Chaos cult causing mischief, can Cain survive his deadliest encounter yet?

Duty Calls was an awesome addition to the Ciaphas Cain series that builds on several of the prior adventures, while also testing the protagonist in some fun new ways. I loved the interesting story contained with Duty Calls, and this was one of Mitchell’s stronger additions to the series.

This fifth Ciaphas Cain novel had a great story behind it, although I am sure that prior readers will be familiar with the overall thrust of the narrative, with the seemingly cowardly Cain arriving on a new planet to face one threat, only to discover a much more dangerous enemy hiding beneath the surface that he is forced to reluctantly face and defeat, once again accidentally proving that he is a hero. While Mitchell does try to break this story premise up throughout the series, this is a recurring story format, which can get a little too repetitive. However, I think that Duty Calls stands on its own feet and Mitchell does a good job distinguishing it from the previous entries in the series. The initial hidden threat of genestealers transforms into a massive Tyranid invasion, and it proved intriguing to see the protagonist face off against the ravening alien forces. Tyranids are easily one of the best antagonists in the entire Warhammer 40,000 canon, and while they lose a little of their fighting ability in the face of Cain’s plot armour, they proved to be a great threat in Duty Calls.

While Mitchell could have probably left Duty Calls as simply a military novel, the inclusion of major recurring character Inquisitor Amberley Vail ensures that Cain is thrust into a much more subtle form of danger alongside the Tyranid invasion. Caught between warring factions of the Inquisition and Adeptus Mechanicus, Cain is used as a pawn in the resulting shadow war, and there are some great scenes as Cain dodges assassination attempts, hidden Chaos cults, and other unseen dangers, all while trying to work out what the elaborate conspiracy is. Novels that focus on the plots and conspiracies of Inquisitors are always very cool in the Warhammer 40,000 universe (see my reviews for Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus by Dan Abnett), and Mitchell fits Cain into this intrigue laden story arc extremely well. It helped that there was some excellent set-up for this in the previous novel, and it was good to get a continuation here. The resulting combination of storylines comes together really well, and Duty Calls has a really impressive and addictive narrative that will appeal to all fans of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

As with the previous Ciaphas Cain novels, Mitchell does a great job of balancing the various elements of Duty Calls perfectly. While primarily a military focused science fiction read, Duty Calls also has some great elements of intrigue and espionage, which ensures extra levels of excitement and danger. However, I feel that the best part of Duty Calls is the inherent humour that Mitchell produces, which is a real rarity in Warhammer fiction. Most of this is due to the hilarious and cynical narration of the main character, who pulls no punches when it comes to describing how ridiculous events are and the fact that he’s caught in the middle of them. Extra humour is also built in due to the contained chronicle format that Mitchell has set the series out in, with the protagonist’s journal entries enhanced by extra documentation, descriptions, references and notes from Cain’s associate, Inquisitor Vail. Vail’s sarcastic take on Cain’s description of events throughout these extra notes is a lot of fun, and the additional in-universe texts and broadcasts seek to showcase just how ridiculous humanity and the Imperium has gotten in the war-torn future, with over-the-top bits of propaganda and biased historical documents. All this adds to quite a funny book, and this built-in comedy pairs remarkably well with the more serious parts of Duty Call’s narrative to create a truly addictive and fun read.

I felt that Duty Calls was a strong entry in the Ciaphas Cain series, especially as it builds nicely off the events of the preceding novel, Death or Glory. Due to the series looking at different time periods of Cain’s career, Duty Calls is set between the second and third books, although it makes a lot of references to the first novel, and the events of Death or Glory, which took place many years before. While the jumps around the timeline are a little confusing, Mitchell makes it work, and I liked seeing the return of several recurring characters, as well as a continuation of some mysterious storylines from the previous book. Despite these connections, Duty Calls also works quite well as a standalone novel, and new readers can jump into the series here without too many issues. Indeed, Duty Calls is a good introduction to both the Tyranids and the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and the Ciaphas Cain books are very much engineered for new Warhammer fans. I will say that after reading several Ciaphas Cain books in a row, Mitchell’s proclivity for repeating elements from his other novels is a bit more obvious, and you do get a little weary of hearing the same phrases, descriptions and character depictions again and again. Still, Mitchell ensures that Duty Calls is a particularly entertaining read, so its easy to really get stuck into it, and I deeply enjoyed seeing this unique series continue.

As always, I must mention the great characters featured within Duty Calls. The most prominent of these is series protagonist Ciaphas Cain, who might be one of the more complex and debated figures in the Warhammer 40,000 canon. Shown by his own admission to be a coward and a false hero, Cain spends most of the book trying to come up with ways to avoid combat and surviving the inevitable battles that his reputation and own bad luck force him to participate in. His memoirs are filled with cynical allusions to the methods he utilises to survive, and you can see that Mitchell is trying to emulate classic characters like Flashman or Blackadder. However, despite the character’s constant assurances that he is no hero, you see time and time again that there is far more to Cain, as he routinely defeats the enemy, often thanks to his own caution, survival instincts and ability to inspire his fellow troops. I love how you are constantly rooting for Cain, despite his attempts to weasel out of trouble, and his self-deprecation about his actions really makes you feel for him, especially as its apparent that he is just one filled with self-doubt after not being an over-the-top martyr like the other heroes in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. At the same time, Cain also provides a lot of the book’s humour, as you are bombarded with his fun comments and cynical attitude about everyone he encounters. As such, I really appreciate Cain as a central character in this series, and it is always so much fun to follow him throughout his adventures.

Aside from Cain, there is an interesting array of characters featured in Duty Calls who I had a lot of fun with. Many of them are recurring from the previous novels, and it was good to see various familiar faces again. This includes Cain’s faithful aide, Jurgen, who Mitchell portrays in a manner like Baldrick from Blackadder, due to his apparent gormless attitude and poor personal hygiene. However, in many ways Jurgen is just as much a hero as Cain, often being the one to save the day with his skills and big gun, and he forms a great team with Cain, especially as his Commissar is usually the one drawing the enemy’s attention from his aide’s attacks. I also really enjoyed seeing the return of Inquisitor Amberley Vail, both as a character in Cain’s adventures and the person publishing his memoirs. Vail proves to be the perfect foil to Cain for many reasons, and I like how she’s the only person who can effectively manipulate Cain and doesn’t fall for his lies and schemes. Vail constantly calls out Cain, both in person and through the footnotes she amends to his chronicles, and I love how she has his number, while also clearly caring for Cain as a partner. Duty Calls really shows just how dangerous Vail can be though, especially as she gets into the fight and makes some tough decisions. Other interesting characters include several familiar soldiers from the Valhallan 597^th, the outrageous members of Vail’s inquisitorial retinue, and a several intriguing antagonists who prove to be great and over-the-top opponents to the sensible Cain. All these characters added a lot to the impact of the book, and I cannot wait to see how they fit into Cain’s adventures again in the future.

Readers who have seen my previous Ciaphas Cain reviews know that the only way I am going to enjoy this series is through its audiobook format. All Warhammer novels make awesome audiobooks, but the Ciaphas Cain audiobooks are something particularly special thanks to the use of multiple narrators. Duty Calls features six separate narrators who add a great deal to the production thanks to their fantastic voices and entertaining takes on the characters and universe. Most of this narration is done by the superbly talented Stephen Perring, who lends his voice to all the chapters told from Cain’s perspective. As such, he covers most of the first-person action and adventures of the main character, and his take on the complex Cain and his colleagues is exceptional. The way he captures the various aspects of Cain’s character through his voice work is impressive, and you really get a sense of the multiple layers surrounding his motivations. Perring also does a really good job of capturing the other intriguing characters Cain interacts with, including his aid Jurgen, and the eclectic members of the Inquisition that crosses his path.

After Perring, the most prominent narrator is Penelope Rawlins, who provides narrations for the various inclusions written by Inquisitor Vail. As such, Rawlin’s voice is constantly interjected into the audiobook at various points as she reads out the footnotes, context pages, and personal remarks from Vail, as she attempts to make Cain’s story more readable. Rawlins has really perfected her Vail voice over the course of the series, and it is always great to have the playful, informative, and often gently exasperated tones of a chronicling Inquisitor come through the plot. There is also some good contrast between Perring and Rawlins, especially as both voice the character of Vail throughout Duty Calls, and they serve as a winning main team.

The other four narrators, Emma Gregory, Richard Reed, Tara Rawson and Andrew James Spooner are also very fun, even if they are used a little sparingly. These four narrators’ voice extracts from various in-universe texts, chronicles and new casts that Inquisitor Vail has added to Cain’s manuscripts to give them more context. These talented narrators go all out in voicing these intriguing and often over-the-top inclusions, and I love the humorous spin their excellent narration adds to them as a result. Gregory is particularly noteworthy, especially as she once again voices the ridiculously patriotic memoirs of an officer fighting alongside Cain, but all these extra narrators do such a great job. This excellent and entertaining combination of voice actors and audiobook narrators turns Duty Calls into a real treat to listen to, and I honestly cannot recommend this format enough to anyone interested in checking out the Ciaphas Cain series.

I continue to fall further in love with the Ciaphas Cain series as Sandy Mitchell produces another amazing and fun story in Duty Calls. Loaded with action, humour, and a particularly complex protagonist, Duty Calls had everything I’ve come to expect from the Ciaphas Cain series, and I deeply enjoyed how Mitchell continues to showcase the Warhammer 40,000 universe in his own distinctive way. I can think of no better way to highlight just how much of a great time I had with Duty Calls than to reveal that I automatically started listening to the sequel Cain’s Last Stand, the moment I finished it. Highly recommended to all Warhammer fans and new readers wanting some fun science fiction adventures.