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Product Description
Product Description
The adventures of wily Commissar Cain, his malodorous aide Jurgen, and the 296th Valhallans have proved great favourites among Black Library fans. This omnibus edition is an attractive introduction to a very popular series.
About the Author
Sandy Mitchell is a pseudonym for British author Alex Stewart. He has written science fiction and fantasy, television scripts, comics, and gaming material. His television credits include the BBC’s high tech espionage series Bugs.
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Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For Those Who Want More Than Grim Bloodshed,
By listlurker (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Paperback)
The Ciaphas Cain novels seem to rub a lot of fans of the Warhammmer 40,000 science-fiction universe the wrong way, simply because they contain the one element which the WH40K universe seems to lack almost entirely -- humor.
This is not to say the adventures of Ciaphas Cain are absurd or goofy (they're not), rather that some WH40K readers absolutely demand that their WH40K material be nothing except nihilistic gorefests -- adolescent power-fantasies, in the very worst cases. The Cain novels, however, borrow intentionally from out-of-genre characters like Harry Flashart and Edmund Blackadder, and bring a welcome wry humor to the overriding grimness of the Warhammer science-fiction setting. The title character, Cain, survives the military facism of the 41st millenium through wry wit and cleverness, and manages to manipulate those around him by exploiting their dogmatism and their slavish devotion to blood and iron. In the greatest irony, Cain has become a hero to his narrow-minded kin (entirely in spite of himself) and these stories comprise his memoirs -- an attempt to tell "the real story" to a society which really doesn't want to hear it. While the novels _are_ funny, they stop short of outright genre-breaking. Cain is completely plausible within the WH40K universe; in fact, Cain may be the most "human" character in the universe. He's more like us, perhaps -- trying to get by in a hostile universe with equal parts humor and intelligence. In being so human, Cain also brings a level of plausibility to the Warhammer 40,000 setting which it can sometimes lack. Cain is no grim noir anti-hero, devoted to the destruction of his enemies -- he's simply trying to get by unscathed in what amounts to a terrifying and oppressive society. Ordinary readers can identify with Cain more readily than the science-fiction warrior Ubermenschen of the other WH40K novels, I think. I can't help but wonder if the reason that some Warhammer fans dislike Cain much is for the fact that, when Cain mocks the mindless jingoism and exaggerated machismo of the Imperium, he also ends up mocking those fans who take these same elements of Warhammer 40,000 _far_ too seriously. They can have their Gaunt's Ghosts and their Kill Teams. If I ever found myself stuck Warhammer's 41st millenium -- and the Tau Empire wouldn't take me in -- Commisar Cain would be the man I'd want to know. The one downside to this edition? Be aware that it's an omnibus paperback containing three novels and some short stories. As such, it's around two-to-three inches thick at the spine, and the type font within is smaller than average. If you can handle the book's physical format, Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium is an unexpected treat. Wit and intelligence lighting the darkest of fascist futures. Recommended.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, but not great,
By
This review is from: Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Paperback)
I first encountered Ciaphas Cain in a short story omnibus, and found the story enjoyable. I was struck by the similarities between Cain and an old favourite character of mine, George MacDonald Fraser's Harry Flashman.
Two things quickly became clear - Mitchell was taking a page from Fraser; and Cain was no Flashman. The storyline was decent enough, but never really had any surprises; the dialogue was passable; but all in all there was nothing here to write home about. Dan Abnett is such a superstar for the Black Library line of books that Mitchell really pales in comparison.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews) 18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark humor at its best,
By B. A. James "General Paladi" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Paperback)
Even thought the WH 40k universe can be a dark and trecherous landscape Sandy Mitchell's character has a way of projecting his own sort of humor on every situation. The book takes place over the first three installments in Commissar Ciaphos Cains adventures along with a few short stories.
The best part of Mitchell's books is that they are humorous but not to the point of absurdity. The author does a good job of interjecting humor into most situations will stil being able to maintain a sense of suspense, adventure, or tension. The characters are well thought out and even though a good portion of the book is written from the point of view of Commissar Cain, the natual and self depricating style and angle from which it is written draw you into Cains world and psyche and make you root for him even though you get the sense that like the rest of us he only ends up in the most heroic of situations only be accident and only claims credit when it is advantagous and his original intentions are misconstrued. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ciaphas Cain is My Hero,
By B. Sinclair "bookschlepper" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Paperback)
Sandy Mitchell is brightest gem in the Black Library treasure trove, and this collection demonstrates why. His Ciaphas Cain series is hilarious, rich with background flavor, and action-packed when it needs to be. More so than any other Black Library author, his books are compulsively re-readable. His characters will stick with you, giving you a few good laughs just by remembering them. What more can you ask for in a book about from a book based on a tabletop strategy game? It's almost too good to be limited by being a part of a tie-in series. Fortunately, Warhammer 40,000 is a very strong background and Mitchell knows how to play to its strengths even while tweaking its faults.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your average Dark Library offering,
By T. Dean "Overlord" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Paperback)
Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium (Ciaphas Cain)
While this is in no way a great piece of literature, it is a departure from the monotonous, grinding, slaughter-fests that are the typical offering from the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Sandy Mitchell does an excellent job of taking the reader to a far different mindset and writes from a first-person perspective (something that is typically hard to pull off correctly) quite well. Ciaphas Cain is more of a narcissistic character study from an off-kilter mind than a blood-and-guts war story, although there is some of that thrown in for good measure as well. An apt subtitle to this compendium could be something like (Self-preservation, or how I learned how to run like hell!) While there are some noteworthy titles from other authors writing for the Black Library, no other author has actually pulled me into the Warhammer 40K universe as completely as this one. This is a very human perspective thrown against the backdrop of Aliens, Demons, and Genetically modified Super-Humans, and even the dark humor was written surprising well into the story. This series really pulls you onto the battlefields, and into the intrigues, and the plot and the writing style keep you submerged there. |
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