Cadian Blood (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Imperial Guard) [Mass Market Paperback]

Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009 | Series: Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Imperial Guard

When the Imperial shrine world of Kathur is blighted by Chaos, the brave Guardsmen of Cadia are sent to reclaim it. The plague of Nurgle has set in deeply on the planet, forcing the Cadians into battle with an innumerable legion of the infected. In the midst of battle, Captain Parmenion Thade is thrust into an unlikely commanding role. Yet, he cannot imagine what lies ahead on Kathur, and just how important it will be to ensure victory there -

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the plot for 'Cadian Blood' is one that kept me hooked with its daring strikes, harrowing reverses and last ditch stands. The underlying mystery of the plague is also played out very well, especially when the stakes suddenly get a lot higher without any explanation... If you're a fan of military sci-fi or Warhammer 40K in general then I think you'll enjoy this too. Check it out! Nine and Three Quarters out of Ten" GRAEME'S FANTASY BOOK REVIEW --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Aaron Dembski-Bowden's past in the RPG and video game industries is exactly that: the past. While some of his projects were nominated for various awards and he enjoyed a chunk of successful work, he quickly grew bored of trying to live a real life. Instead, he fled to the middle of the Northern Irish countryside to live the life of a full-time novelist, with his girlfriend Cathy and a tabby cat called Loken. He's been a full-time writer ever since he left uni in the early 2000s, which he attributes to a combination of raw talent, rugged good looks, blind luck - and absolutely no modesty. His first published work for the Black Library, Cadian Blood, is about - among other things - Cadians bleeding. He's been a deeply entrenched fan of Warhammer 40,000 since he ruined his copy of Space Crusade with the painting skills expected of an overexcited nine-year-old. When he's not writing, he's usually feeling guilty for not writing, going for long walks in expensive sunglasses, or getting annoyed at his Xbox. His main hobbies include reading anything within reach, fighting his cat, and helping people spell his surname. Aaron fears only the following things: 1. Responsibility. 2. Deadlines. 3. Monsters. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop; Original edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844167712
• ISBN-13: 978-1844167715
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He got the flavor right, December 8, 2009

By 

Just Anonymous (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cadian Blood (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Imperial Guard) (Mass Market Paperback)

(What's this?)

I'm adding a Warhammer 40K overview to this review to help newcomers get a sense for the Universe. (Warhammer 40K pros, go easy on me - I'm also somewhat of a newcomer to the Universe, hope I got the broad brushstrokes right). Review for book at bottom.

HOW I GOT HOOKED
I got this through vine and put it directly on my nightstand. Although I've never gamed Warhammer (Warhammer 40k Space Marines Combat Squad) or any of their many other games, I became a fan of Warhammer 40,000 after a friend in college introduced me to the Warhammer 40k universe back in 1990 I want to say. While browsing through Amazon, I came across Eisenhorn probably the best "starter" novel to get anyone started into the Warhammer Universe. I have to admit, I've gotten hooked on the stories.

THE BLACK LIBRARY
From a company standpoint there is a British company called the Black Library that owns and manages Warhammer 40K. They have some great writers on staff like Dan Abnett and Graham McNiell who write many of the stories. The common thread of the writers is that in my opinion they are very literary people who manage the capture the dark, dystopian, almost opressing vision of this far future. Many of their stories have foundations and parallels in real world history...for example The Flight of the Eisenstein (Horus Heresy) is very similar in my opinion to The Battleship Potemkin. I think the company was founded in 1989 to provide advanced hobbyist game pieces (Games Workshop Space Marine Devastator Squad Box Set) that gamers could paint and decorate and then play in competition based on some rule books called codexes (Warhammer 40K (40,000) Codex Space Marines) very similar to dungeons and dragons.

THE SERIES
Warhammer 40K takes place about 40,000 years in the future in a neogothic dystopian Universe where the entire galaxy has been colonized. During the 40,000 year history humanity discovers that hyperspace (the mechanism they use to travel faster than light) is filled with ghostly demons and other lifeforms that will not hesitate to invade and infest the real universe. Add to that alien Elves, Orks, intergalactic insectoid invaders, parasites and every other conceivable menace, this makes for a tormented universe that only knows War and suffering for its untold trillions or quadrillions of denizens.

In this Universe there is an Empire based on Earth with an Emperor and and a gigantic bureaucracy that manages the Imperium. I'll outline some of the story lines to help you make sense of this (if you're not a pro already):

SPACE MARINES - Genetically and Cybernetically augmented warrior monks that form the front line of defense for the Empire. Space Marine novels generally build on the mythology of the space marines and generally describe a chapter of space marines (a monastery) and tell some story of how they fight for the Empire or how they fell from grace. Space Marines are almost not human, they've been augmented genetically stand at 8 to 12 feet tall and wear giant powered armour. They fight in space and in some horrible conditions. For this reason, you don't get much of a feel for the denizens of the Empire (generally) in these novels. Space Marines are Monks and celibate (I think) so you don't get any flavor for interpersonal relationships. Although in a few stories you do get some political intrigue and in one space wolf novel, you even get to see Earth. Expect lots of fighting with these novels in very novel settings.
The Ultramarines Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus)

TITANS - The giant Mechwarriors (giant walking two legged tanks) that form the heaviest of assault machines of the empire. Titanicus is the only Warhammer 40K novel that I know of that is based on Titans. Because Titans stand at 40 stories and are crewed by a very select group of very religious people, you don't get much of the flavor for the citizens of the Empire although you do get dazzling descriptions of the cities, planets, and how the war machines fight. Expect lots of fighting with these novels.
Titanicus (Warhammer 40,000)

IMPERIAL GUARD - The Army of the Empire (untold billions serve and die regularly) -- CADIAN BLOOD is an Imperial guard novel. Expect down and dirty grunt fighting and warfare in these novels with a healthy does of intrigue and plot machinations. Because Imperial Guard are human, you get more of a sense for the Empire than you do with Titan or Space Marine novels.
Cadian Blood (Imperial Guard)

INQUISITORS - The Emperor's inquisition carries the Empire's complete support as they go out and seek out evil in any form (Einsenhorn, Ravenor, and Innocence Proves Nothing are Inquisition novels). Expect more intrigue and deceipt in these novels and expect to see some of the more opulent aspects of the Empire because many times Inquisitors walk among the citizens of the Empire. I find that I get a better flavor for the Warhammer Universe from Inquisitor Novels. They are my personal favorites.
Eisenhorn (A Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus)
Ravenor: The Omnibus (Warhammer 40000)
Innocence Proves Nothing (Warhammer 40000)

MECHANICUM - The Mechanicum is almost like a pseudoreligion based on Mars who has a very close alliance with the Emperor (although sometimes you wonder). The Mechanicum makes most of the technology for the Empire. So many things have been invented and forgotten in the 40K universe that technology is more of technomagic and technology use is almost ritual-like.
Mechanicum (Horus Heresy)

HORUS HERESY NOVELS - When the Warhammer 40K Universe was invented (mostly for gaming purposes), a backstory was developed that tells how the Galaxy was brought under the Emperor. It used to be a fairly short story but has been expanded broadly now that Warhammer 40K is so popular. Here are some Heresy books in no particular order but there is an order (there are too many of them for me to track and I haven't read them all).
Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy)
The Flight of the Eisenstein (Horus Heresy)
False Gods: The Heresy Takes Root (The Horus Heresy)

CADIAN BLOOD
Cadian blood, this book, follows a group of Imperial Guard who are sent to a shrine world planet that has been hit by disease. I always worry about reading something from a new author from the Black Library. I was pretty impressed in the first few pages, the writer got the entirely opressing feel to the whole universe. Part of the appeal to this is that after spending an hour with a novel like this, I walk away feeling that my life and circumstances are just plain fantastic compared to how these people live in this Universe.

I will not give any spoilers to the book but I will say that I was very impressed that the author got the flavor of the Warhammer 40k universe and the battles. I was also impressed at the number of battles and their detail in the story which, I must admit, is not the reason that I read Warhammer 40k (more of an inquisitor kindof fan) but I know that the core of Warhammer revolves around the battles and this aspect is treated very nicely in these novels. Also, because the imperial guard are humans you get much more believable situations (although these guys are armed to the teeth and would make short work of any modern world fighting force)...Imperial Guard novels tend to be grittier with a feel for what human battle would be like vs the superhuman space marine battles.

There's a lot of fighting, some intrigue as they try to figure out what's going on with the disease front, and some space naval stuff as the Imperial Space Armada works to keep people from fleeing the planet (they worry any displaced people might take the plague offworld). Overall a solid installment from a new writer and frankly amazed at the detail. Don't get me wrong, Dan Abnett is still my favorite but Aaron is climbing nicely as a solid writer here.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best Imperial Guard novel, January 20, 2010

By 

M. FB Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cadian Blood (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Imperial Guard) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really wanted to like this book, but it needs more work. The plot lines are messy at best. The character development is not up to par with most of the other Warhammer books that I have read. There are some good characters in the novel but they are left unfinished and shallow. There were some good action scenes, but unfortunately these are offset by too many poorly developed ones. I also did not like how the zombie idea was presented and developed. It seems like an unfinished first draft of a novel. I wish that a good editor would have spent more time helping the author develop the novel better.

I do not recommend this book unless you are a diehard Warhammer fan.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to the Warhammer 40K saga!, November 23, 2009

By 

R. Ballister "author and naval officer" (Annapolis, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cadian Blood (Warhammer 40,000 Novels: Imperial Guard) (Mass Market Paperback)

(What's this?)

Aaron Dembski-Bowden's CADIAN BLOOD is an excellent addition to the Warhammer 40K world.

The Chaos plague had already ravaged countless worlds, but when it began to appear on the shrineworld of Kathur, far from the center of the war on the Archenemy, Imperial forces were at a lost. Within weeks, the entire population was dead or dying, and an Imperial force was sent to reclaim the world in the name of the Emperor. But as the Imperial forces, led by the crack 88th Cadian Mechanized infantry, begin battling plague-slain by the tens of thousands, it is soon evident that there is something even more sinister going on. And when the Death Guard arrive, with the Raven Guard on their heals seeking vengeance, the stage is set for a slaughter that even the battle-hardened Cadians can't fathom.

Dembski-Bowden does an excellent job of blending the combat raging over an entire world with the small-unit aspects of a firefight involving squads, giving both a strategic perspective and a tactical one. His Cadian characters are stoic, professional, and memorable, evoking similar emotions from the reader as the Spartans in THE GATES OF FIRE. His Archenemy characters are profoundly evil, and the class between the two sides, especially between Astartes and Traitor Astartes, is truly enjoyable.

Full of the all the blood, gore, heroism and sacrifice that 40K readers look for, this is a fine addition to any 40K fan's library, and will also be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in military science fiction.