Duty Calls (Ciaphas Cain Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sandy Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ciaphas Cain Novels | Publication Date: May 22, 2007

While assisting local forces quell widespread civil disorder, Commissar Cain and his regiment of Valhallans discover sinister forces are at work behind the scenes. With a rioting populace, aliens on the rampage, and the Inquisition poking their noses everywhere, how can the wily commissar ever find the easy life he prefers?

Editorial Reviews

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.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop (May 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844164659
• ISBN-13: 978-1844164653
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Our favorite reluctant hero return., May 24, 2007

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Duty Calls (Ciaphas Cain Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Commissar Ciaphas Cain of the 597th Valhallan, our favorite reluctant hero, stumbles into action. Again. Along for the ride is his personal and odorous aide, Feric Jurgen. Jurgen's gift as a blank comes in handy, as does the huge melta weapon he so loves. This time Cain is assisting local forces on Periremunda to quell widespread civil disorder. Things turn out to be worse than Cain could have ever suspected. Inquisitor Amberley Vail is on the planet, though her presence is supposed to be a secret, following a lead to an ancient xenos artifact that Metheius had absconded with earlier. When it becomes apparent that Tyranids ('Nids) are not only already on the planet, but have already called in their Hive fleet, Cain knows that the frak has hit the fan around him again.

Commissar Cain becomes the public face of the Imperial Guard, thanks to the printsheets; something he truly hates to be. As such, assassins begin coming out of seemingly thin air, proving that Cain's troops have even more problems in the forms of genestealer hybrids and Psykers. Since 'Nids are bred for deception and camouflage, the horrors could be anywhere by now. To add to the chaos, The Order of the White Rose (convent of Battle Sisters) is being led by a woman named Enlantine who, to Cain's thinking, is out to prove that they can be psychotic Emperor-bothering harridans of the highest degree. To top it all off, Lieutenant Jenit Sulla is there and still attempting to batter the Gothic language into submissions with her lengthy narrations. How can the wily commissar ever hope to find the easy life he prefers?

**** This is the fifth installment of the Cain series, but all of you FNGs (frekking new guys) to the series will not find yourselves lost one bit. In fact, I have no doubts that you will scramble to locate the back list of Cain's saga. Afterwards, you will be eager for the advent of each new Cain adventure, just as I am.

Author Sandy Mitchell has done an incredible job of creating the main characters, especially of Cain who has become very real to me. Every time I hear his name I find myself smiling in memory of some sort of humorous situation he had managed to find himself within. Mitchell is to be commended for his achievement of bringing his characters to believable life. BRAVO! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, Death or Glory makes sense., May 26, 2007

By 

Noboru Akimoto - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Duty Calls (Ciaphas Cain Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

To be honest, I wasn't terribly impressed with the last entry in the Cain archives. Death or Glory felt like a rehash of previous plot elements and storyline and reverted Ciaphas to his "old" state where he wasn't terribly interesting.

But with Duty Calls, we get a better idea of why Vail chose the last entry and we can definitely see how Cain himself is different partly perhaps due to his experiences with the 597th. I'm assuming that Death or Glory, Duty Calls and another book will make up another trilogy of books, a bit akin to how the first three Cain books were anagolous to the original "Founding" trilogy of Gaunt's Ghosts.

Looking forward for more, that's for sure.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cain just rules!, June 10, 2007

By 

Jerry R. Kitchen Jr. "Corvette" (Lima, Peru) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Duty Calls (Ciaphas Cain Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

As with all the novels that involve Ciaphas they are just a wondeful rollercoaster ride. Some mild comedy at just the right time adds a warmth to the novel as well. Get it, you will love i promise.