Death or Glory (Ciaphas Cain Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sandy Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ciaphas Cain Novels | Publication Date: February 28, 2006

Once again, reluctant hero Commissar Cain is catapulted into glory in the fourth story of this tremendously popular series. Escaping from a disastrous space battle, the commissar and his malodorous sidekick Jurgen crash-land behind enemy lines. The only way out is to round up what few troops they can find and fight their way back to safety. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of barbaric alien orks stand in their way!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SANDY MITCHELL is the pseudonym of Alex Stewart, who has beenworking as a freelance writer for the last few decades. Popular with Black Library readers as the author of the Ciaphas Cain novels, he has also written for television, working on the BBC TV hitech espionage series Bugs.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 414 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844162877
• ISBN-13: 978-1844162871
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #822,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only Thing Missing Is The Quotes....4.5 stars!!!, March 10, 2006

By 

S. Davis "black library fan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death or Glory (Ciaphas Cain Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was worth waiting on. The Ciaphas Cain novels are the only books in the Black Library that have any real humor built into them. It was a pleasent suprise to read a Cain novel that had nothing to do with the 597th, because by the time he is attatched to the 597th, he is already a living legend. This book is the story about the campaign that cemented Cain's status as a hero of the Imperium, so those of us who have read the other three novels will not be all that suprised by the ending, but Death or Glory is a great book to read. As always, i really enjoyed seeing how Cain's atempts to look out for #1 end up making him a legend. Another big plus is the length of the novel; i thought that the 2 books before Death or Glory were just too short. I also liked the twist of Cain being forced to cooperate with the PDF forces for him to survive, since he seems to hate every PDF member he has ever come across. Like the first reviewer stated, I do really enjoy the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, so it was a little bit of a letdown that they were not included in this book. I would give this novel a 5 star rating, but because there are no quotes, and there was no way for the ending to hold any suprises, I am going to give Death or Glory 4.5 stars.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As usual - can't wait for more, May 18, 2006

By 

M. Vile - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death or Glory (Ciaphas Cain Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sandy's writing is probably of the same caliber as most popular sci-fi writer's today, but let's face it, if you're reading this kind of material it's not because you want to delve into the inner working of the human mind or plumb the depths of life's inherent bias, it's because you want to be entertained.

All of the Caiphas Cain novels to date have done that and this one is no different.

Other reviews have done a fair job of describing the style and even plot of the book, so I'll focus on how it extends the series. If you've been paying careful attention while reading the previous 3 novels, you'll have realized that Sandy has been building up to some tremendous event far off in Cain's future. The back story in this novel really serves to tease and tantalize (sp?) us as to that event (already revealed to be related to the 13th Black Crusade). Whether we'll actually ever get to experience that event is clearly in doubt (since the premise of the series is that it is based on some memoires written several years before that ultimate adventure), but the tidbits Sandy drops in this installment only make you want the next novel all the more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Romp & Flashman Homage, June 15, 2006

By 

Sean B. Schoonmaker (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Death or Glory (Ciaphas Cain Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

This fourth book in the Ciaphas Cain series by M. Mitchell follows the infamous Imperial Commissar and his aid Jurgen, turning back the clock to an adventure early in his career, so technically it's a prequel to the others. It's set in Games Workshop's dark gothic Warhammer 40K universe.

As I have mentioned in reviews of the previous works in the series, M. Mitchell's protagonist pays homage to George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman. The writing style is playful, humorous, and peppered with the editorial comments by Cain's Inquisitorial associate, Amberley Vail of the Ordo Xenos.

At its heart, it is the story of a journey. In their flight from an unplanned crash-landing, Cain and Jurgen collect a supporting cast of capable misfits: Sergeant Tayber, Lieutenant Piers, and one of the more interesting, Fleicia the dedrite-tailed and somewhat irreverent Mechanicus Adept. They go on through a comedy of errors and competence to fulfill the story of "Cain the Liberator," the escapade that first brought him to the attention of important Imperial authorities.

The characters are well written, and have a depth roughly equal to their total screen time. The setting feels realistic and true to the atmosphere of the 40K universe. M. Mitchell writes excellent action scenes, specializing in close, hand-to-hand combat and the not inconsiderable chainsword skills of Commissaar Cain. However, as much as he attempts to make Cain the self-serving coward, the Commissar tends to do the right thing regardless. His style of leadership and his dealings with others may stem from a desire to further his "undeserved and inflated" reputation - or fear - but regardless of the motivation, it still tends to be spot on. As bravery can be defined as doing the right thing in the face of fear, the charge of cowardice seems a bit far-fetched at times.

In short: this is a fun, light-spirited read that will resonate especially well with 40K fans. I was entertained throughout, and M. Mitchell's writing skills continue to improve. However, if you like this, I highly recommend reading its "progenitor," the Flashman series.