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...