The Man who Never was

Cain's Last Stand by Sandy Mitchell My rating: 5 of 5 stars In Cain’s Last Stand, everyone’s favorite Commissar takes on Space Hitler, mixed with the mule from Asimov’s Foundation series. Having spent the better part of a century taking the good fight to the Emperor’s numerous enemies, the hero of Imperium finds himself spending the last light of the 42nd Millenium back in Perlia. For those unaware, Perlia was the planet where previously our hero had led a ragtag group of resistance fighters to drive out the numerically superior Ork invasion force. Thus, earning him the moniker of ‘The great Liberator’. Detailed in one of stronger of the Caiphas Cain Novels #4 ‘ Death or Glory Death or Glory’. At the ripe old age of 200, Cain & his faithful aide Jurgen, have been assigned to the Schola Progenium founded on the planet, to train a new generation of Commissarial Cadres. (Yes, you heard that right; In the world of 40k if you’re someone of wor...

Sigismund: The Eternal Crusader by John French My rating: 4 of 5 stars After completing ‘Sigismund-Eternal Crusader’ by John French, I was left with more ambiguity than when I had first started reading. Before going into the story, the only things I knew about the character was for being the Emperor’s Champion, as well as the first High Marshall of the newly formed Black Templar chapter. Now, if you know anything about the Black Templar, if there is a word which defines the entire purpose of the chapter, it would be ‘zealous’; or you know ‘Crusading’ of the eternal kind. These guys are the 40k equivalent of the Knights Templar in real history, devoted to the Emperor to an almost pathological degree, and willing to scour entire civilizations should they happen to run counter to the emperor’s light. As such, they maintain something called the eternal crusade, forever committed to wage war in the name of the Emperor in whichever battlefield needs them....

The Smallest Detail by Sandy Mitchell My rating: 4 of 5 stars A short story, focusing on a day in the life of Ferik Jurgen, the loyal, resourceful and supremely battle capable aide to Commissar Cain. In the main stories, we often see Jurgen stand his ground against Xenos, Chaos, and everything vile in between that the universe has to throw at them. More often than not, he is more than up to the challenge. So, when we see him facing off against a group of gang bangers from a local planet they're stationed in, the difference in combat capabilities and experience becomes apparent. Jurgen has survived long in the field, partly due to him being a blank, but mostly because of his instincts and skills which keep him well out the way of whatever is trying to end him; and filling said thing with copious amounts of firepower. This side story showcases how, even though he is oft described as taciturn and impersonable, that doesn't diminish his capabilit...

A Mug of Recaff by Sandy Mitchell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Trooper Ferik Jurgen, is the shadow of the hero Commissar Caiphas Cain. Intensely loyal to the Emperor & the Commissar, resourceful, single minded in devotion, and quite handy with a melta. The malodorous Watson to Cain's Holmes, he might not be most personable of soldiers, nor does he understand the complexities of life. But point at something you want gone, and he will make sure that it's gone. And, in the thick of battle, when the metaphorical shit hits the fan, there is no one else you rather have watching your back; something which Cain would attest to with gusto. Jurgen as a character, with his arc intertwined with our protagonist, is a crucial pillar, which serves to make the story so entertaining. Looking forwards to reading more oneshots like this. View all my reviews

Duty Calls by Sandy Mitchell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Canonically set several years after the Book 4, but immediately picking after the events set up during that story, ‘Duty Calls’, sees Commissar Cain, his trusted aide gunner Jurgen, as well as the capable 597th Valhallan regiment deployed to the planet of Periremunda, which is, as usual, on the verge of a seditious insurgency. This is after all the Imperium of Mankind, where, at the best of times, you can say you’re alive and not being tortured as an indentured slave. The standards for living are pretty low. Like many of the previous planets we’ve seen in the series, the unique geography of Periremunda is manifested in the fact that it is made up entirely of plateaus. The rest of the planet, its ground level at least, is covered by oceans of magma and desolate landscape which pretty much ensures survival is impossible. This provides a unique logistical nightmare, as each of the plateaus, ranging in...

Death or Glory by Sandy Mitchell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Synopsis Set during the early years of Cain’s service as a commissar. Before taking charge of the 597th Valhallan Regiment, Commissar Cain was assigned to the Valhallan Artillery Regiment, surreptitiously placed at the rear of any army formation pointed towards the enemy and moral danger. Something which he secretly was grateful for. And thanks to the never tiring support of his loyal and hard working aide, the phlegmatic Jurgen, Cain is able to delegate most paperwork, sit back and relax. That is, until the troop transport ship he was on board fell victim to psychic warp shenanigans, perpetuated by the ork weirdboyz, en route to their engagement of the green menace at the next contested imperial planet. Cain, surviving the encounter by a hair’s breadth, managed to board an escape shuttle, accompanied only by the steadfast Jurgen, and ended up crash-landed on the planet, far behind enemy l...

Man of Iron by Guy Haley My rating: 4 of 5 stars There was a lore youtuber, who once mentioned something to the effect of how, Warhammer as a whole, was a story about the defeat of civilizations, who tried to master the galaxy, but at some point, fell from grace. This is true for most races; the necrons, Aeldari, Old Ones, and to a lesser extent, the currently devolved mindless war-mongering oks, or the rabid tyranid who're suspiciously fleeing from something. Humanity's fall being the prime force of the setting, with what following the Dark age of Technology (DOAT), saw them fall from the zenith of their existence, through a series of catastrophic, reality rendering event. We as readers know little as to the exact events which transpired during the DOAT, seeing as how they're little to no actual stories set during the period. Those fictional characters inhabiting the galaxy, know even less, their lives occupied by indoctrination, technol...

Descender, Vol. 3: Singularities by Jeff Lemire My rating: 4 of 5 stars Events have gotten decidedly darker. Which is a weird thing to say, seeing as how our prologue was a literal multi-planet sized genocide. But I suppose, we as readers are not good at understanding death, when it's a death toll. When we get to know the tragedies of individuals, that's when our empathy glands start working overtime. There is much to go around this time around. As we go about exploring the pasts of our characters, biological and synthetic. Somehow the latter hitting harder. The plot hasn't progressed much, seeing as how this volume seems devoted primarily to character. But makes you care for their fate all the more. And remember, 'Driller is a real killer'. View all my reviews

The Traitor's Hand by Sandy Mitchell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Summary Commissar Caiphas Cain, hero of the Imperium, returns; this time to face the vile heretics who worship the ruinous powers of chaos. Assigned to the Imperial planet Adumbria, with no gravitational spin, and thus each hemisphere is stagnant in its orientation. Where one side is always facing the sun and is scorched, but habitable. While the side, facing the darkness of space, is perpetual Winterland. The caveat being, a narrow stretch of land in between, in the equatorial region, called the shadow belt, where the climate is barely habitable, and where most of the populace resides. It’s quite a unique geography this planet has, reminiscent of some of the wackier islands from One piece. I bet there is some point in the shadow belt, some mountain, where you could stand on, and see the contrasting land masses; the desert on one hand, and a frozen tundra on the other. Suspected heretic...

Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Jeff Lemire My rating: 5 of 5 stars It's been a while since I read a good robot story. This one, Descender, is a largely minimalistic, tightly written, gritty tale, which feels like a more emotionally mature version of A.I., with a more empathetic version of David. The world building is detailed, and that narration gives you just the right amount of exposition, enough to keep you hooked, but not boring you with the details. The characters are not one note, and each have their own personality. There's a mixing and matching of various groups and factions, all out for their own goals, but circumstances put them in unlikely teams, where they have to work together for mutual benefit and survival. All the action and fights are not glorified, or bombastic, but serve the purpose of progressing the story, which I appreciate. As is customary in such stories, there is an overarching plot, world ending threats, and secrets...

Outer Dark by Robbie MacNiven My rating: 3 of 5 stars Left a bit disappointed after reading, the last outing (which I know), of the Carcharodon chapter. Although we got an appearance of big boy chapter master Tyberos , as well as the pleasure of seeing him single handedly eviscerate an entire Tyranid boarding group, little else was known about his character. Also, the book has an issue with pacing. With the entirety of the first half devoted to slow investigations which go nowhere, and negotiations which seem set up just for the purpose of the plot. Then, in the last arc, things come to head, more like things literally start spilling out from behind the doors, walls, curtains, crevices. They transpire and climax faster than.... //I was going to make a joke related to horny teenagers here, but then thought better. Although, just by adding this disclaimer, you must've already figured out the punchline. Well, it's the thought that counts. // It ...

Krieg by Steve Lyons My rating: 5 of 5 stars You know how I love reading stories featuring our favorite shovel boys, right? But the problem with reading a full-length novel named Krieg, despite the solid lore and action, is just how morose it seems to get. Who knew, reading about an irradiated planet full of religion fueled child soldiers who venerate a cult of suicide can be so depressing; go figure. For context, the infamous Death Korps of Krieg are a regimental army hailing from the death world of, you guessed it, Krieg. Hailing from a world where horrendous nuclear fallout had turned the surface into a frozen, dark, irradiated wasteland where nothing can survive, the Kriegsman carried a great burden. Of treason and betrayal against the emperor, by their ancestor some millennia ago. Even after the loyalist factions won, and rejoined the imperium, their subsequent generations were forever scarred and changed due to what they see as this ultimate tr...

Down Amongst the Dead Men by Steve Lyons My rating: 4 of 5 stars Despite being amongst some of the emperor's most loyal and formidable guard regiments, most other Imperial guard don't relish fighting on the same battlefield as them. The reason? They're damn depressing man. Which is expected, when your entire planet, history and upbringing centers around sacrificing yourself for the emperor. Where you as an individual have no value, less value, compared to other 'essential' resources like, you know, bullets. After all, bullets take time, resources and expertise to craft. Your average nameless numbered Kriegman are legions strong, ready to buy vats grown, trained, indoctrinated and shipped. So, what if you end up suffering ten times the casualties as your average guard regiment, who themselves are no stranger to grievous battlefield casualties. So, what if your value is so low, you're not even given a name, just a serial code pr...

Caves of Ice by Sandy Mitchell My rating: 4 of 5 stars You know that joke, where the punchline is 'I slipped and fell into it'? That's Caiphas Cain when it comes to his accomplishments. The man has the collective compendium of common sense that most Imperials, including Space Marines seem to lack. Plus, has luck of the gods, not the chaos ones, that would be heresy. Another observation which came to mind after being regaled by the second in his series of adventures is that, if you're not the phlegmatic Jurgen or Amberly Vail, the last place you want to be, in the same squad as Cain when he's sent out on a dangerous assignment. This time around, it's two different squads that were either decimated or completely obliterated, while acting as his meat shields. If his previous history is any indication, that is a regular occurrence. But on the other hand, this is 40k, and the Imperial guard, who're sacrificed by the millions, j...

Extinction by Aaron Dembski-Bowden My rating: 4 of 5 stars Read this story if you want to see some filthy traitor Astartes being hunted down and mutilated by their other traitorous allies. Serving as a prologue to the main stories of the Black Legion series, Extinction sets the stage of the disparage fragmented bands of the erstwhile Sons of Hours, now a shadow of their former selves. Being hounded and eviscerated on a hundred different chaos realms, like a bunch of mongrels. Setting up their inevitable resurgence as the newly formed Black Legion, under former first captain Abaddon. Seeing as how, Aaron Demski Bowden has a track record of writing traitor legions as engaging characters, (go and read his Night Lords series if you haven't yet), I'm intrigued in looking forwards to how he handles the broken legions of the arch-traitor. View all my reviews

A Sanctuary of Wyrms by Peter Fehervari My rating: 5 of 5 stars You remember the Silent Cartographer mission from Halo: Combat Evolved Game. The whole sense of mystery and horror, as the Master Chief arrives at the dark swamp, and slowly descends into the maw to uncover an ancient evil? That's the sense of atmosphere you get while reading 'A Sanctuary of Wyrms'. The story starts without preamble and ends without a climax. Detailing the internecine period which forms the meat of this all too short, but engaging narrative. A group of tau and human turncoats are researching a mysterious yet overwhelming backwater planet, which is a world of exile for broken and unneeded tools of the greater good. There, they discover a sealed bunker complex, littered with dead bodies of Space marines, of the deathwatch. For those of you who know what this entails, might be able to discern just how soon shit is gonna hit the fan. In the face of a greater evil...

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics by Tim Marshall My rating: 5 of 5 stars //Disclaimer: The below review is colored by several regional biases, and a lot of rants which might piss off at least some people. You’ve been warned// I can’t remember the last time I was in anticipation while reading the geopolitics of the globe. Or the last time I was so animated reading the nail biting saga of the scramble for territorial dominance in the Arctic. Hailing from a subcontinent, whose entire post independence history was shaped due to arbitrary lines drawn on a map by some British dude, naturally this topic was something which resonated with me. The book, as indicated, is quite well written and engaging. Really, it’s no small feat that Mr. Marshall was able to condense the entire centuries long history of entire continents into bite sized chunks and chapters. This does make the content entirel...