# Ciaphas Cain



## squadiee (Nov 4, 2007)

Anyone else read the dashing and (IMO) hilarious tales of the cowardly commissar? Apart from the Gaunt's Ghosts and Eisenhorn books, they are some of the most well written novels in the Black Library. Anyone else enjoy them?


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## cccp (Dec 15, 2006)

yep, iv read three of them. i didnt think they were that well written in all honesty, but still a good read.


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## Words_of_Truth (Sep 20, 2007)

I was tempted cause i liked eisenhorn and gaunt ghosts books but someone said something about the jist of the book at GW and i was put off.


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## squadiee (Nov 4, 2007)

hmmmm.... I think they are reasonably well written. As I mentioned, not quite on par with Dan Abnett, and slightly random timeframe at times, but I like Sandy Mitchell's style.

Though, it is my kind of comedy (especially after finishing "The Saint" part of the Gaunt's Ghost's books) to read about someone who is the complete opposite of everything you imagine about commissars, yet still be so renound


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

I have them all as well. Like Squadiee says, not as good as Abnett but still a worthwhile read. Overall I find them quite enjoyable.


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## squadiee (Nov 4, 2007)

I find that they aren't as popular or well known as Abnett's or (god forbid it) C.S. Goto, which I think is a shame


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## Logain_85 (Nov 27, 2007)

ive just started the omnibus of them, and im already laughing, really looking forward to them. :biggrin:


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

i picked up the omnibus, and enjoyed the opening bit, i read the whole first book and got gradually more annoyed with mitchells tired and repetetive style. i really, really hate Cain now. not the character, but the books. for example, i dont need to be reminded, every 5 pages, that Cain might have grown up on a hive world. not that there are any records of this, of course. i know this, because i was told, 8 million times.

i was also alerted by the fact that when mitchell inserts the female generals viewpoint, mitchell points out that its written in a terrible style. i cant tell the difference.

i mean, its no CS Goto, i'll give it that, but read everything by graham mcneill and dan abnett first.


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## Bishop120 (Nov 7, 2007)

I love the mis adventures of Cain... always trying to avoid trouble but ends up literally running right into a sitaution where only his heroic reputation and sometimes skillfull luck can get him into more trouble.  

So far I've read all the books. I keep looking for more whenever I order my books. So far the only series I havent started on is the GG series.. to much to read... I'd have to order like 10 books at once for that one.


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## squadiee (Nov 4, 2007)

I know about the footnotes and Sulla's exerts, those bits do really kinda annoy me and seem to be cheap excuses for plot holes Mitchell can't be bothered to explain, but it is still a good read and I find it really funny.


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

Bishop, why not get the omnibus then?


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## Andros (Dec 10, 2007)

Cain is great in my opinion, not the best i know, but still it a good book full of laughs.......i got confused with the latest one, the others were all after For the Emperor in timeframe, that one was well before it, had me lost for a while

and trust him to fall for the women who could kill him..... Amberly, and that now dead twice over woman Emili or something  the Daemon one


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## squadiee (Nov 4, 2007)

lmao, yea, he i a right ladies man apparently


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## Andros (Dec 10, 2007)

bet Jurgen is a bit of a put off though ;0 and emeli or whatever certainly knows why now


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## cccp (Dec 15, 2006)

i like the footnotes, they add a lot to the humour of the book imo. yeah, its a bit repetitive, the writer has an odd style, but they arent bad books.


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## Dartanyun (Nov 14, 2007)

Just my opinion but i think the books are meant to be read in any order. that may be the reason for some of the background repetions.


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## Severian (Jan 22, 2007)

Loved these books. No he is not the next ________ (enter newest literary sensation) and the books are written in a simple easy style . This is however the charm of it. It is an easy read, a rip roaring tale, colorful characters all told with a tongue in cheek attitude.

Thoroughly enjoyable read. If you were looking looking for high literature look elsewhere if you however want to be entertained in the 40K universe page away.


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## Dirge Eterna (Apr 30, 2007)

I recently read the last one, and thought it was pretty good. I got Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium for a Xmas present, and got me into the books. I enjoy the fact that unlike GG or most of the SM books, Cain is not a gritty reality. It's a funny, epic story told BY the person who was there.

-Dirge


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## loyalist42 (Sep 7, 2007)

i've read all the books, and am currently working my way through the omnibus...
to be honest, i don't think any of the black library books are all that well-written...but then, i've been reading tolkien since gradeschool, so maybe i expect too much. for me, it's not really a matter of quality...i guess i just like the black library because it's the most prevalent source of background for 40k. since i love the game, i can't get enough of the background, regardless of quality.


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## squadiee (Nov 4, 2007)

DAMNIT, I just realised something

Juergan = Baldrick

its so damn obvious...

these Black Library writers and their Britishness...


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## Morgal (Sep 26, 2007)

So far the only 40k book i have read is "for the emperor".

I enjoyed it but agree with some of the comments.

Yes i gathered he grew up in a hive, yes i gathered that you can't conferm that...
also talking about the female officers writing style and subjecting me to it....i could not tell a diffrence.

But it was a good book, it was enjoyable and it put a smile on my face. I mean she's writing a fiction book not trying to go for a book award...good plot enjoyable to read who cares if she's not going to win book writer of the year.


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## squadiee (Nov 4, 2007)

I think you mean HE

yes, I was confused until I checked out in the Black Library just a second ago...

why does he not use his real name? Makes me wonder...


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## vorbis (Nov 20, 2007)

want to get deep involved with characters go read GG, want a nice easy read with funny quotes at beginning of chapters (life is the most fantastic journey anyone can go on shame about the end though) it provides the role of orks (why on a 40k forum does ork come up as misspelled?) little bit of light fun to remind you chill its just plastic spacemen.


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## Kudzu (Jul 20, 2008)

I'm going to say that this is my favorite series of 40k novels. It's mostly about a guy who just wants to take it easy by working the system and ends up being celebrated as a huge hero by mistake. It's entirely tongue in cheek and you know the author was having fun writing the over the top sections. 

The footnotes are half the humor... I guess the repeated parts were made for people like me who bought the books individually and forgot a few of the details in the intervening months and years.

As far as the bad parts of Sulla's writing, go back and read them while you think of all those bad reports you did in high school. The overly-flowery descriptions and general sense of trying too hard to sound smart will jump right out at you.

By comparison, and I know I'll be labeled as a heretic for this, I absolutely hate Abnett. Almost all of his characters have to be super-duper special and his villains might as well be twirling little black mustaches. His fight scenes are good, but beyond that I felt like I was reading a comic book or stories about space marines out of their armor.


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## titan136 (Jun 6, 2008)

definitely some of the more light humored BL books out there, there were quite a few laugh out loud moments


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## Zyke (Feb 15, 2008)

Kudzu said:


> By comparison, and I know I'll be labeled as a heretic for this, I absolutely hate Abnett. Almost all of his characters have to be super-duper special and his villains might as well be twirling little black mustaches. His fight scenes are good, but beyond that I felt like I was reading a comic book or stories about space marines out of their armor.


You sir, are a heretic. 

That said, I do enjoy the Cain novels quite a bit. They're always a fun read, even if they aren't that deep and the plots are sort of "meh." But they're fun, and there are a few really great one-liners. I've also found myself cracking up at some of the footnotes. 

This one especially had me almost in tears...

*fighting Khorne culists*
Cultists: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
Cain: HARRIERS FOR THE CUP! *stabs cultist*


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## neilbatte (Jan 2, 2008)

I enjoy the cain series and have read them many times and find it refreshing to find a 40k book where the main character actually has a personality and not just a basic imprint of what the fluff says they should be. I am glad that people dont think that sandy mitchell is the next Tolkien as despite a massive collection of fantasy and fiction books I still can't read through a Tolkien book. Yes I know Tolkien is the godfather of fantasy writing but it is to concerned with the minute and hard going.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

neilbatte said:


> I enjoy the cain series and have read them many times and find it refreshing to find a 40k book where the main character actually has a personality and not just a basic imprint of what the fluff says they should be. I am glad that people dont think that sandy mitchell is the next Tolkien as despite a massive collection of fantasy and fiction books I still can't read through a Tolkien book. Yes I know Tolkien is the godfather of fantasy writing but it is to concerned with the minute and hard going.


I agree on both counts. Cain is a more real character than any marine, and having spent twelve years in the army, I can relate to trying to make a nice cosy number for yourself.

As for Tolkien, he is hard work. Who needs to know all the shades of grey in the rock of a particular valley? I tended to just flick through those bits.


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## EndangeredHuman (Feb 20, 2008)

I've read the first three novels, and I must say I did enjoy them. I also enjoyed the footnotes, but the extracts were a biiiit too uninteresting, especially as they didn't contain anything truely worthwhile to read.

However, saying that, if they removed Sulla's extracts it'd be a very entertaining series of books throughout. Sure, it's not a George Orwell or Mark Twain by any means, but it's easy to read and fun, while fleshing out alot of decent characters and background. For me the first and third books were the best, and I plan on reading the fouth as it seems to have the most provocative storyline. Five? Eh, by the plot, I can miss out. Unless somebody can convince me otherwise?


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

EndangeredHuman said:


> I've read the first three novels, and I must say I did enjoy them. I also enjoyed the footnotes, but the extracts were a biiiit too uninteresting, especially as they didn't contain anything truely worthwhile to read.
> 
> However, saying that, if they removed Sulla's extracts it'd be a very entertaining series of books throughout. Sure, it's not a George Orwell or Mark Twain by any means, but it's easy to read and fun, while fleshing out alot of decent characters and background. For me the first and third books were the best, and I plan on reading the fouth as it seems to have the most provocative storyline. Five? Eh, by the plot, I can miss out. Unless somebody can convince me otherwise?


I've thouroughly enjoyed all the Cain novels, and am really looking forward to the next one in November. I can't remember which one was the fifth one, but they are all very good. A bit of light relief from the serious work of defending the Imperium.


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## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

I loved the books (i have the first 3) 
For thoughs of you that dont know they area rip off of the flashman novles that i would recomend to anyone.
For the record what i have read of CS Gott really put me off i sloged through 3 books about the blood ravens and to be honest i will not be picking up anything else by him for a while. Dan abbnet is great i loved his eisnhorn tillogy. 
If you want a bit of humour and are feed up of SM's i would recomend the Cain book or gotrex and felix)


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## Hialmar (Feb 19, 2008)

I would agree that the Cain novels are a fun read, easily my favorite series currently set in the 40K universe. None of the authors in their stable actually write any better than at an average pulp level including Dan Abnett. That having been said, I do not read them expecting fine literature I just want fun mindless stories set in a universe I enjoy.


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## 10228 (Sep 8, 2008)

I love it bar Sulla


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