Review: Duty Calls
Duty Calls by Sandy MitchellMy 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 sizes of a few kilometers, to some large enough to hold large cities, pose a challenge to properly defend and root out any insurgents. However, in hindsight, seeing the eventual (view spoiler)which the planet suffers, this unique geography also provides the defenders a lot of breathing room.
Joining our heroes this time around, for the first time since Book 1, is the lovely yet hyper lethal Inquisitor Amberley Vail. And you know when an agent of the Ordo Xenos is personally visiting a planet, shit is officially about to go down.
Unlike ‘Death of Glory’, which was characterized by the theme of survival and resistance, Duty Calls is characterized by one word, assassination. The cowardly commissar somehow finds himself the center of attention, due to his glorious legend as ‘Hero of the Imperium’, as well as the usual series of accomplishments, primarily aimed towards survival, but misinterpreted as courage under fire.
This newfound planet wide fame, framed as media propaganda, puts him under the crosshairs for nefarious agents functioning in the planet, who spare no expense in trying to remove him as a dangerous variable. But, thanks to his preternatural luck, instinct, skill, and no small amounts of assistance from the ever loyal and capable aide Jurgen, the Commissar manages to turn the table on his opponents and claim yet another glorious victory in the name of the Emperor; this is par for course.
Unlike previous iterations, the action is more personalized. Even as planetwide conflicts break out in the wake of their arrival, for the most part, Cain and his retinue are often embroiled in thwarting the continuous attempts on his life, as well as uncovering the secrets and conspiracies that lay hidden. This provides a lot of fertile ground, as the Commissar overcomes a street ambush, multiple assassination attempts from rogue psykers, disabling a bomb in the last moment, and playing hide and seek with a squad of armed servo skulls programmed to fill him with lead.
The threads of the plot, which were left unsolved in Book 4, regarding the (view spoiler) is resolved, as the full implications of Cain’s discovery are brought to light.
Other than that, there’s nothing much to write home about. While the action scenes are engaging, the way it ties to the wider plot is largely ambiguous. But hey, it’s not like I’m expecting Shakespeare when picking up a Warhammer novel. There is a lot of fighting, shooting and shouting, and I consider that satisfying enough.
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