The Last Ditch - Book Review

The Last Ditch by Sandy Mitchell
Imperial commissar Ciaphas Cain returns to Nusquam Fundumentibus to crush the ork attacks which have been plaguing the frozen planet. But when his ship crashes into the wastelands outside the capital it disturbs a far greater enemy, one which has lain dormant under the permafrost since long before the Imperium came to this world, and could now threaten the whole sector. Faced with ongoing greenskin raids and keeping an over-enthusiastic novice commissar under control, Cain must rally his men and confront whatever emerges from beneath the rapidly melting ice...

Yet again commissar Ciaphas Cain finds himself staring death in the eyes. This time it's due to negligence and greed. He is attached to the 597th Valhallan regiment, on route to a planet with an Orc infestation. The ship they are travelling on suffers from shield failure while in the warp, and something manifests on the bridge. The instruments on the bridge are badly damaged in the fight against the demon, and they lose control of the ship. Not even down on the planet and fate is already against Ciaphas Cain, who is now trapped in a steel coffin hurtling towards a fiery death in the system's star.

As always, there is a million to one chance a risky plan will save them, and as any Terry Pratchett reader knows, these will work nine times out of ten (or eleven times if you're very lucky). You can't really call what happens next a landing, it was more of a slightly controlled crash. By controlled I mean they got to choose to hit a planet instead of a sun. On the way down they hit a mountain, which happens to be where the Orc horde is hanging out. Ciaphas Cain and the Valhallans now face some very angry orcs bearing down on them. It's pointed out how this is something the Valhallans look forward to, orcs being their hated enemies, but not at all to the liking of Ciaphas Cain. His favoured enemy is danger of any kind, but he'd rather run away than face it. Wise man.

Sandy Mitchell has done a remarkable job with The Last Ditch. Ciaphas Cain is a great character, and I would struggle to jot down everything awesome about him. According to himself, he is a selfish layabout, who wants nothing but peace and quiet, but also the admiration of those around him. Sandy Mitchell has always made sure to, in my opinion, to give us room for doubt. I think Ciaphas Cain is a hero, just a very modest one. Not only is our hero well written, Jurgen, his aide is also great. Together the two form a truly dynamic duo, capable of overcoming every obstacle. Whereas Ciaphas Cain is a dashing leader of men and a great swordsman, Jurgen is quiet, stoic, and a master marksmen. He is also not the sharpest chainsword in the armoury, but his ability to follow orders to the letter more than makes up for it. The dialog between the the two is so much fun, and even though Ciaphas Cain mocks Jurgen on occasion he does not tolerate rudeness from others directed in his aide's way.

Sandy Mitchell delivers a stronger plot than in the previous Ciaphas Cain novel, The Emperor's Finest. It feels more like one coherent story this time, instead of three short stories, which was the case in The Emperor's Finest. I won't say the story in The Last Ditch is amazing as by now they seem to follow a familiar script. Ciaphas Cain arrives to deal with threat A. He tries to direct from behind as many bodies between himself and danger as possible, but manages to volunteer to a dangerous mission. He then discovers threat B which is much greater than threat A. For me the plot is just the medium through which all the awesome action and punchy dialogue is delivered, so I can easily forgive the familiarity. This is what I expect from my Christmas reads anyway, cozy and fuzzy familiarity. Makes me feel safe and happy.

The Last Ditch is another triumph for Sandy Mitchell, which delivers on all points I expect from a Ciaphas Cain novel. No matter where our Commisar turns he faces danger, unspeakable horror, or Jurgens BO. When he is not busy fending off alien killers, he is usually in the middle of being sarcastic or making a funny observation. Fun, danger and BO, what more could you ask for? A good old 4 stars for me as it keeps the character going, just a shame there isn’t much development (or Amberley) in the novel but lets see what’s coming in the future.

Available from:
http://www.Blacklibrary.com/
Sandy Mitchell
Hardback • ISBN 9781849701242

Imperial Glory - Book Review

Imperial Glory by Richard Williams
Tired and broken by war, the men of the Brimlock Eleventh Imperial Guard are a force on the verge of collapse. Having been stretched across the galaxy by their loyalty to the Emperor, they are presented with one final battle that will allow them reward they all seek: to colonise the distant world of Voor and live out the rest of their days in peace. All that stands in their way is a force of savages – a plague of feral orks that has spread across the planet. But can the Brimlock’s battered bodies and minds hold up to this greenskin invasion?

In the latest imperial Guard novel from the realm of the Black Library we join the Brimlock Eleventh Imperial Guard who are already heavily depleted, find themselves battling for not just their lives but for a home against the mighty Greenskin army on the distant world of Vorr. Yes as we all now expect from the Black Library, it does have some heavy duty combat, but not as much as one might have thought and certainly not as much as with the Space Marine novels out there. The style of the writer is one that concentrates on the struggles of both the mind and the physical and as such does a great job of bringing both the fore as the reader feels the troops exhaustion throughout the title.


The novel does have many good points, there are some strong characters (some of which are almost too funny) and some that are recognisable from other genre and films. The characters do fit together well apart from the overly “evil” Commissar who just seems there as something to add for no real reason other than to show the various parts of the Imperial Guard. The plot is unfortunately a little bit too much like a military option, the story is almost to formulaic, you know what will happen before it happens all because it’s been planned out beforehand. This telegraphing of the plot is a tad frustrating as there is little in the way of surprise but I guess the characters themselves make up for this. Yes this does mean you might plod along and miss the odd intriguing bit here and there but I’m sure in most cases they will be picked up.

As mentioned though whilst there is action a plenty the focus is on three main characters and how this campaign plays out for them. We have Major Stanhope, a man who’s unable to put the past behind him, 2nd Lieutenant Carson, a man unable to escape his past actions, and Private Blanks, a man who has no idea what his past is. There’s a number of really great supporting characters as well that flesh out the company, you really get the sense that the 11th have been fighting far longer than is healthy for a person’s wellbeing. Physically, they’re extremely capable soldiers, but mentally there are questions! Just keep an eye out for Mr. Emmet and you’ll know what I mean. The problem is that whilst this is an interesting angle to go with the Imperial Guard I do think it should have been spread out and not only focused on this but also on the day to day functions of the guard, we could have had a campaign series here instead of a single novel, as there are some very tantalizing hints to the working world of these guardsmen.

Whilst ‘Imperial Glory’ won’t rank up there with my all-time favourite Imperial Guard novels as at times it’s just a little too slow and when thinking about the novel it does make me think of missed opportunities for developing the characters, backstory and even the campaign it certainly is a good read. The novel kept me reading and when it really got going I was glad that I’d stuck with it, but it’s ending whilst premature was different enough from the normal flow of the Black Library stock that it actually made me pause for a moment or two as it is very emotional. Williams’ family has its own share of military figures (as the appendix at the end shows) and throughout the book you definitely get a sense of this knowledge and experience as when the chips are down and combat is joined this really comes across. However despite all that the novel gets a solid 3 and a half out of 5 as despite its human appeal and emotive undertones the initial starting point is somewhat laboured and the story doesn’t allow for as much in the way of surprises as one might like. Still a good and potentially great study of the Guardsman’s condition in the 40k universe. An interesting read and I would love to know what other people thought of it.

Available from:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/
Imperial Glory by Richard Williams
Softback, 416 pages, softback • ISBN 9781844168880

The Emperor's Finest - Book Review

The Emperor's Finest by Sandy Mitchell
Commissar Cain is called to duty once more, saving a governor’s daughter from aplanet over-run by rebels. The uprising hides something far more sinister however – genestealer hybrids! The search for the source of the alien threat leads Cain to a drifting space hulk – a far safer place than beside the obsessed governor’s daughter. But when the Reclamator Space Marines suffer devastating losses at the hands of the Great Devourer, Cain and his trusty aide Jurgen must go it alone. With the tyranids waking and a group of stow away orks on the loose, there are no safe places to run or hide, and Cain must use all his ingenuity and cunning to escape the space hulk alive.

Just a brief review this time due to Christmas and other demands, so on with the show!


Cain is back doing what he does best, getting in to scrapes and blagging his way out of them again! Ok so the story arc could be epic and there could be a great sense of plot, but for some reason there doesn’t seem to be that! The novel just feels a little rushed and lots of the stories don’t interact very well. Though all is not lost, yes there is some pretty solid dialogue with the usual mix of self-depreciative humour, a touch of classic melodrama and this all works to keep the novel moving. I guess as well when you throw in that Cain is crossing paths with the Astartes you know that it’s going to have something for everyone. This, all in, saves the book and makes this a great title in the continuing series of the Imperium's greatest reasonably unmodified hero and one that will only add to his heroic saga.

There are however lots of sections in the book that are predictable and dry with everything that is going on seeming mundane and tedious but the odd Cain moment changes it up. There are a few nice nods to current fiction characters and current trends, however the footnotes are a great disappointment! Normally they are a great humorous touch to the books but in this case they just don’t add to the appeal and are almost completely pointless, still it’s nice to see their still there.

Unfortunately because of a few let downs the book only scores a 4 out of 5 from me but given its a Cain book and the character is great fun I personally can’t wait for the next one to see how things improve.

Available from:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/
The Emperor's Finest by Sandy Mitchell
Hardback • ISBN 9781844168903

Imperial Guard Sneak Peeks - Conversion Corner

Folks its the second update of the day and the third Conversion Corner from the weekend. This time its a small selection of peeks at the ongoing work on my Imperial Guard and my Storm troopers (though cant decide on Guard Storm Troopers or Inquisitional Storm Troopers) that i thought i would share with you all.

WIP COMMISSAR

WIP STORM TROOPER SERGEANT

enjoy folks