CIAPHAS CAIN: FOR THE EMPEROR | Warhammer 40k Book Review and Discussion
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On an Imperial outpost world on the fringes of tau space, the renowned Commissar Ciaphas Cain and his fractious regiment of Valhallan Guard, newly created from the remnants of two devastated units, find themselves in the middle of a war. As the Astra Militarum struggle to contain worldwide civil insurrection, can the wily Commissar Cain identify the real villain before the planet is lost to the Imperium forever?
"god I am such a piece of shit!"
-Cain while strangling a hive tyrant to death to save a baby
"No no you don't understand, I needed the baby's mother to be happy with me so she'd let us use her ship to escape the planet, and also 40 guardsmen and an Inquisitor were watching and expected me to be heroic. So you see it's for completely selfish, cowardly reasons that I dove into that nest of Tyranids to save a child. God I'm such a piece of shit" - Cain probably
@@starwarsnerd100 "And yes, I probably could of just used my authority to commender the ship, but... um... and l was only strangling it as I dropped my weapons out of fear, and the rock I picked up disintergrated after the seventh genestealer I beat to death with it. Not that was planned, that was real lucky panic strikes. And yes, I did make time to also save that Lamenters tactical squad whilst strangling the Hive Tyrant to death but they looked so sad I would of looked bad to everyone if I didn't."
*chainsword trumpet*
I love how in TTS he does everything to justify being a mistake or a peice of shit when at the end of the day, good deeds are good deeds and heroics are heroics regardless of ulterior motive as long as it isnt directly to cause others harm which ... he never really has lol
Accidentally
Here's the thing about Cain... Amberley thinks he's a good person, maybe not a hero, but a good man doing his best. And it is her _literal job_ to see through people's bullshit.
When you can out bullshit an inquisitor...damn
@@Magavynhigara No, I think Amberley is right about him, and Cain is wrong about himself.
as she points out maybe in this or a later book, it doesn't exactly make a difference if he was a terrible person or not, he served the imperium and time and time again was the deciding factor for numerous cataclysmic engagements, so it doesn't really matter
@@AsbestosMuffins It's actually a deep question: Is what makes you good or bad what you're thinking, or what you _do?_ Because Cain, for whatever reason, didn't run when things got tough, he prioritized the safety of his people, and he was actually a good mentor to several people.
The moment that convinced me was at the end of his career, the second Siege of Perlia during the 13th Black Crusade. One of his cadets, Donal, is mortally wounded and chooses to hold of the enemy while dying. Cain takes off his own sash and gives it to Donal, promoting him to Commissar on the spot. Later, when he's fighting the Chaos Warmaster, he invokes Donal's name as he's killing the traitor. He cared. He cared for real.
@@windwalker5765 I think that the core issue is that as much as Cain casually brags about lying to everyone, I think he's lying to himself most of all. He's a person with a well trained sense of danger in a world where everyone preaches that you should die instead of running.
And Cain genuinely wants to help people, but he's also constantly aware of the fact that he doesn't want either himself or the people he cares about to die needlessly, so he basically does what his instincts tell him when the lead starts flying, while making up rational, selfish reasons for him to do so in his head.
He's basically the opposite of Simba when he goes to the elephant graveyard, he doesn't put himself in danger to prove that he's brave, instead he tries his best to stay out of danger at all costs, but when a dangerous situation rolls around he steps up and gets shit done. The mark of true bravery.
Cain " I'm such a fraud"
Also Cain. Astartes level sword skills, top level personal skills, maybe a coward, but one that will still enter a necron tomb if needed.
Living in a world where the penalty for cowardice is death really does make heroes of the shrewder cowards. It's one of the central ironies of the Cain novels that I love dearly.
He has a really bad case of imposter syndrome
Dude was able to hold off a genesteler patriarch in one on one melee combat.
@@mainmanbumfuzz8983 there are some space Marines that have failed to do that
Dude's retreat skills are so good that Kriegers would willingly follow him for every last order.
"I'm going to go get a sandwich."
Sadly I could not have known that this decision would land me in a fight for the fate of the sector. - Cain
Love the cain archives. Especially in the traitors hand, when he's raiding a Slaneeshi cult base and a witch uses a spell to make her look like someone you love. And while the pdf troops with him are all slack Jawed he pulls out his lazpistol and says, "impersonating an Inquisitor is an capital offense." And the witch has a half second to look really surprised before getting shot in the face.
OMG!!! He did have affair with that beautiful Inquisitor!
@@TheCyborgCast much more than that lol
God damn it I can't find a traitor's hand pdf
... all thanks to Jurgen giving him Ultramarine level plot armor, as per usual. Still a great moment
Even better - amberley's notes after the scene where like "huh, he rly was smitten with me after all. Somewhat gratifying I must admit"
I've read a theory it's not that Jurgen smells because it's him being a blank, he deliberately has bad hygiene to smell bad to throw people off that he's a blank - as everyone reacts badly to him being a blank, having a bad smell is either a convienent explanation or a measure of taking personal control of other people's reflexive disgust.
No wonder he'll follow Cain into the depths of the Warp, he's the only person to look past his exterior and treat him with respect. In a later book Cain stands up to the daughter of a planetary governor for being rude to Jurgen.
Good theory, it reminds me of the blank in The All Guardsmen Party
It's not even a theory it's just Canon that he's a blank. He saved Cain's life many time by stopping psychic attacks
I don't think that Jurgen even understands that he is a blank, most people in the Imperium don't know that blanks are a thing. Plus Jurgen is not the sharpest knife in the encampment so to speak lol he is just a smelly werid dude that has a ton of very useful talents.
actually it is because he is a blank. the stink and dirty is the manifested effect. he could have just taken a shower and as soon as he gets out he smells worst than a corpse. fresh cloths suddenly look like s***.
I always thought that because he's a blank he's a bit autistic and doesn't really understand personal hygiene
Cain: "I'm a coward"
Also Cain: Fight a God damn Genestealler Patriarch with a damn chain sword
Cain:but I only did it so that the baby's mom would let us use her ship so that me and and 20 other guardsmen could escape, and Amberley was watching me, GOD I'm such a piece of shit
"I am such a coward. I'm not even that good at combat!" - Cain after winning a 1v1 against an Ork WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! boss.
Well it is better to fight him with chain sword than without one,
@@iglidor"I only pistol whipped the Brood Lord to death because I dropped my chain sword, it was all luck, really." - Cain
I love how the AdMech and technology is portrayed in the Cain books. That equipment has holy dents in them, and smacking it to make it work is ritualistic. That something is working perfectly when it's only showing the image correctly 50% of the time, unlike the unholy xeno-tech which gives an unwavering display image the entire time.
I think it's the right of percussive maintenance
Jurgen was the best guardsman I ever knew. The best aim, the most loyal heart -a mind so literal it could be filed by the administratum intact- and by far the worst approximation of the dress code I've seen (only passing inspection due to nobody wanting to see what could possibly be under the outer layer of webbing and flak).
I still miss him.
It is him, the man himself i salute you, hero of the imperium!
Mood Kindred!
Jurgen is best boy
Back in my day we didn't need commissars.
“Jurgen looks like a total badass” that’s because he is a total badass, he’s saved Kains life so many time with that melta gun they both lost count.
You must remember that Amberly explains things for Inquisitors, people so wrapped up in their conspiracy theories they don't understand some concepts, like guardsmen actually wanting to live.
Wait... so you're saying they actually do mind being used as cannonfodder? That sounds ridiculous!
As we learn from some of the short stories, Jurgen's mind is far more flexible than he appears to Cain. Quite probably because he's learned very early on that he will have much less stress in his life if he just lets Cain do the thinking and talking.
He's quite smart.
Cain doesn't really say Jurgen is dumb as a brick, he says he might as well be, because it literally takes a matter of life and death for him to show any initiative.
Considering that Cain lets Jurgen deal with a lot of the paper work that's meant to be for Cain himself. Jurgen is probably quite smart.
Or when Jurgen does something that could be seen as incredibly stupid and risky. But in Jurgen's mind the risk is worth the reward. Often being the deciding factor that both he and Cain will live through their current predicament.
He's like that Ogryn that got all the medals pinned on him for being an awesome soldier and got a medal more for answering the question of what his job in the guard was - to do whatever he was told :p
@@SollowPJurgen is also quite sly in his own way - he knows how to make use of his authority and the reputation Cain has to get what both of them want with minimal effort. He is smart in a practical sense, always plans ahead and stays OVER stocked on anything they might need, just in case they need more than they would normally... Which is most of the time.
He also does develop a cheeky sense of humour as the books go on.
My favourite Ciaphas Cain moment:
"I suggested the wounded trooper Penlan rode back in the cab with us instead.
'Better safe than sorry,' I said, 'until we get back to the medicae at least.' So, despite her understandable reluctance, I was able to replace my human shield and enhance my reputation for concern about the troopers under my command at the same time."
Mine is the very unexpected Father Ted refference in book 2. I had to put the book down I was laughing so hard when it came out of nowhere.
@@stryke-jn3kv I genuinely think I missed that, I read the 6 main line books in about 3 weeks so maybe I just can't remember it
@@InviWasTaken It's from an admech if I remember right saying that something would be a ecumenical matter
Poor "Jinxie" Penlan becomes one of my favorites in the books because of why she got the nickname. Especially in "Traitors Hand" when Cain ends up listing multiple incidents.
@@jameshewitt4706 The ration tin was definitely great, but her definitive moment in that book was her morbid fascination with the Slaaneshi artwork.
Ciaphas Cain was my introduction to the Warhammer novels and still my favourite. For being a setting so deeply drenched in satire, there's not nearly enough Warhammer comedy.
My first Warhammer book, which I am still reading is "The Solar War"
@@militarytruck8190 oooooof thats a dense tome
Ciaphas cain ruined my enjoyment if other warhammer books. The cain books actually feel like real lived in armies, with actual humans instead of stoic serious killers. We so often forget that most soldiers around the world are like, 18-25. Young and goofy and stupid. I have a lot of military friends and cain is much much much closer to the reality of warefare. Miscomunications, pettiness, making each other laugh, lotta pranks, pants shitting terror.also cain himself is immensely funny. But how do I go from those books to reading about Dan Abnetts grim gravelly men growling grimly at one another?
@@alejandrorivas4585 to be fair there's plenty of that in the Gaunts Ghosts series, there's just a lot of horrible stuff too
Also I see you're a fan of Yahtzees illiteration too
@@JJJBunney001 good catch. Love yahtzee
Ciaphas Cain once fought an actual Chaos Space Marine in melee and survived.
"Jurgen, the melta!"
More impressively fought a Ork Warboss 1v1
fought and killed 2 world eater space marine's!
"I thought the acolytes of Khorne were supposed to be fearsome warriors not a bunch of pansies"
-Actual quote from Cain to a World Eater
@@fatherpucci-madeinheaven362 Cain has a talent for shit talking some might consider... unnatural. Also balls made of adamantium.
Also, remember that Cain was trained to shot anyone showing self-preservation instincts, so I'm pretty sure he's aware that most other commissars wouldn't hesitate to shoot him if he was a guardsman.
But the point is he's just so unbelievably good at hiding the fact his prime motivation in doing _anything_ is self-preservation, and have it instead mistaken as him simply being ball-to-the-wall heroic.
So even if he was a guardsman, he'll probably still be hailed as a hero and end up flying up the ranks.
That's what almost happens in one of the books. Another commissar starts to question Cain and his heroism, swearing to put Cain on trial and having his rank revoked by the high council.
Unfortunately for this commissar, Cain's luck isn't something a lowly commissar can win against.
The two of them, alongside with Jurgen came across a deamon princes.
The commissar was quivering in his boots, almost pissing his own pants, all while Cain stared the deamon in the eyes, without even flinching. Cain knew about Jurgen's blank gene by this point, alongside what it does to deamons.
Cain just straight up shoots the deamon and saws her head off, the deamon of course being completely dumbfounded at what was happening. How could a lowly human hurt her?
At the end of all this, Cain keep his commissar privileges, while the other commissar is put on trial himself for the audacity of questioning The Hero Of The Imperium.
@@SollowP Fun add on to what is my favorite scene in all of 40k, the Commissar who tried to court-martial Cain ends up getting found innocent on his own court-martial on the defense that his actions weren't the result of actual malice, but INCOMPETENCE.
The result is that instead of punishing him in any of the normal manners, they punish him by removing him from command, which would his stupidity from affecting anything of actual importance.
The thing for me is Cain's respect/friendship with Jurgen. Cain is never rude to Jurgen, and since Jurgen is a blank, he might have been the only person in his life who treated him like a human being.
I like how Cain developed somewhat of a friendship with the Tau water caste ambassidor who spoilers
appeared again in one of the later books. Its nice seeing characters from different factions get along even in a setting a grim as 40k
One of the things that struck me in this book is that in the Ciaphas Cain books, life goes on.
There's love, there's cowards, there's non-fanatics, there's people who process their feelings with snark, there's children cartoons and movies, and there's even diplomacy.
Not everything is about rippling muscles and power armour turning hallways into a pool of gore and bolter blasts, with the divine hand of the God-Emperor.
I think someone once made the observation that "only the Ciaphas Cain novels are true, everything else from the games to the codexes to the other Astartes and Inquisitor books are all Imperium propaganda".
Hell, it's him being friends with the Water caste Ambassador that saved his life in that later book.
Cain is about the most common sense character in the grim dark. He is just trying to survive and doesn't buy into the entire Imperial dogmatic bullshit beyond using it to his own ends - which happens to be an Imperial Hero level of competency.
Yes and no. He does seem to believe in the Emperor and the Imperium as a whole, but he doesn't believe the Emperor take a personal interest in every man's business. "The Emperor helps those who help themselves" kind of thing. Amberly makes a comment in one of the later books saying she isn't sure if this is a part of his bluff personality or if he is actually unaware of his true abilities/courage/faithfulness.
Fake it till you make it. Maybe he wants to be the kind of guy who can feel nothing for others and use them for his best interests. Let us remember this is a reality where death dogs everyone's footsteps. Cain is smart enough to know this. Imagine how terrible a realization this is for a genuine and caring person. Such a person may wish to be a true black hearted bastard instead.
@@TheBenjaminArgo he's like everybody raised catholic but dropped out after they got old enough, ya the emperor exists, probably works miracles, but uh...I'm gonna cover my own ass because he's got a lot on his plate
Isnt the whole appeal of 40k the ludicrous amounts of conviction and devotion almost everyone has in the pursuit of victory? And isnt it counter productive to have a character who is not like that?
@@AsbestosMuffins And quite a few who are devout even as they grow older.
Ciaphas Cain is simply a really good refreshing read/listen when you are reading/listening to a lot of other 40k books. It simply is a lot more lighthearted than other 40k books, even if it can get tense at times. Other 40k books just tend to be a lot darker and more serious. Especially when you compare it to books like Gaunt's Ghosts.
i definitely might take a peek. hoping i won't stretch myself too thin as a 40k beginner as i already have eisenhorn and the space wolf on my plate.
It's really a more realistic tale on 40K, humans are still humans even in the distant future, after all.
I think the tone strikes the perfect balance. There's still horrific, gorey deaths and the occasional reminder that the Imperium is not the Good Guys, but it's more of an adventure story than a story of people being slowly ground down by the wheels of an unending war.
Told y'all on live, caiphas is the only one enjoying the world of 40k.
@@hasiticninja How? Literally everything he does, he does it because he's paranoid and afraid of dying, and he's stuck self deprecating because of it.
Amberley Veil's super power is common sense, which can be seen as heresy in WH40K.
Common sense is a privilege not granted to most in 40k.
You may know the right thing to do is a clever flanking maneuver but your orders are to charge the machine gun face first so you're gonna do it
yes also fish
Sorrel was the sniper. The lovers were infected by Genestealers. The Inquisitor’s Psyker panics when Jurgen is around screaming “He is nothing!” I have used the audiobook to get others into 40K. They think it is hilarious.
this is the only book that The Lovers dont show up in though, at least that Cain is part of the 597th
@@F14thunderhawk Different couple.
It’s one of the only books that’s got me to actually laugh out loud
@@F14thunderhawk The lovers that you're probably thinking of are Vorhees and Drere, who first appear in Caves of Ice and recur in later entries in the series. The couple in For the Emperor are Holenbi and Velade.
@@compguy091 could be thinking of Griffin and Magot as well but you’re probably right. I just remember Magot being mentioned more often.
Ciaphus: I'm a coward because I do tactics because it means me and other people don't die as often, instead of the good honorable heroic thing to do and letting everyone die for honor.
Regarding Jurgen’s smell and appearance, there’s a point in one of the later books where he and Cain all get to finally bath after spending months driving across the desert. Jurgen’s described as looking clean and then immediately starting to look dirty and smelly within minutes of leaving the water so yeah, it’s probably his blank-ness
Despite throwing out words like "necrons" and "promethium" every once and a while, I can confirm that these books are great for newbies, because they're how I first got invested into 40K. Kind of like Bricky and DK, the memes did make me expect much more slapstick going into it. But two main things make these books work: The interesting characters and the slightly lighter tone. Cain alone could have whole essays written about his psychology, and the jokes keep the adventure mostly lighthearted and fun even while an alien horror is ripping people apart. They're not perfect, but these books are pretty damn fun.
Absolutely, they are where I started.
I started reading them after reading several other 40k Books and they were a great change of pace.
They were the first 40k books I read.
Fucking love how ciaphas is literally just a good leader with imposter syndrome, he effectively unified a regiment, lead them to glory, and kept the peace with the tau empire in an incredible tense situation he literally is the only reason the imperium didn’t die horrifically,
The first Cain book has to do the heavy lifting of introducing the main players. Once you know Cain, Jurgen and the other recurring characters the other books get to Play more with their personalities and focus more on the story. But the main joke of the entire series is Cain's job is to shoot people who act like Cain.
I actually like the fact they just killed the 'last chancers' because it still keeps with the GrimDark. There are some characters that do get the recurring roles like Sulla, the Taybers, some members of Amberly's retinue and a few others... My favorite book in this series so far is 'Cain's Last Stand' because you see the other side of the Schola life.
Also Colonel Kasteen and Major BROklaw fit in the same box as Cain, of surprisingly competent people in the Guard.
I still think he should have kept at least Sorel alive.
@@alexbrown7708 This is one of those things that's really tough because, as a writer, it's incredibly difficult to predict which characters your audience will latch onto. In this case, I think the author probably didn't expect his readers to get so invested into such an openly psychopathic character. Note that while the other prisoners killed someone in the heat of passion, Cain goes out of his way to note that Sorrel strikes him as the kind of guy who probably murdered someone just because he thought he could get away with it.
@@the_mad_fool Fair. I still think that if he was going to die it should have been in the Patriarch fight instead. Especially since Jurgan gets shot by the bolt pistol right after Sorel does.
@@alexbrown7708 jurgen is shot in his flak armor, Sorrel isn't quite as lucky and is shot in the head, if he was shot in his flak armor he would have survived as well.
@@agentc7020 no they were both shot in the head.
How dare they overlook colonel kasteen
I shall see you both on the duelling field
Ass so fine it made cain spot servitor skulls with guns out to get him
Heyyy I got that reference now
@@devildevious2646 one of my favourite cain moments, it tells you a lot about him as a character even beneath all his talk about how he's self serving
‘It’s my estimation that every man who ever had a statue made of him was one kind of son ‘of a B or another. It ain’t about you, Jayne. It’s about what they need.’ - Malcom Reynolds, Firefly.
The TV tropes of this series implies that Jurgen is more socially intelligent and manipulative than he realizes.
Blanks in Warhammer 40K have it a bit hard. It is said that a blank gives off an aura of wrongness, and the stronger the blank the more that feel that wrongness. Jurgen bypassed that by having the hygiene of a wildman. That supernatural wrongness of him being a blank, is overpowered by his physical unpleasantness.
Probably my favorite example from this book about how shitty the Imperium treats the Tau, is that even while Cain is being diplomatic to them his monologue says how strange it is to *think of them as people*. Even the Imperium's ambassador and expert on the Tau seems to have similar thoughts.
I like bits like that to remind you that Cain is still the product of a lifetime of propaganda.
@@SolarArmadillovery true 😂
I mean, the Tau certainly think better of humans but of the imperium? Nah, they "steal" any imperial planet that looks relatively isolated with a practiced ease, meaning they aren't just victims of the xenophobic regime but also challengers of it, because at the end of the day, the Tau are just a nicer version of the imperium, with all the good and bad that comes from that.
The best part to me of the Cain books is that they are scattered over a decades long timeframe, just picking interesting moments of his life. You get books from his original regiment, books from the 597th, from his retirement teaching at a schola, and everything in between. Its kind of a shame they didn't go with the omnibus with this book, the necrons on the mining world, and the rival commissar storylines, between them they really give a feel for how the series goes and introduces many of the recurring characters that show up throughout the series.
The footnotes are also always great, with Vail's sarcasm often dripping or sometimes going "well that is a private matter lets join the story back to after Cain and I had some private time" or complaining about acronyms that the guard uses.
Personally, the second Cain did the broom order in the riot I fell in love with the character and the book
Jurgen is a badass. He's a soldier who looks forward to fighting orks. He also never shows fear.
My favorite Cain quote is:
Khorne cultist: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
Cain: Harriers for the cup! *Shoots him *
-later-
Other cultist: BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
Cain: Fine, he can have yours. *Stomps his throat in *
Yet another cultist: *_BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD-!_*_ [BONK!]_
_Not_ Cain this time: Well, he’s not getting mine!
He also told one of them to either frake off or shut up in response
For the record "I am Kroot" IS a Groot reference. Groot's catchphrase has been thing since *1960*. He would always introduce himself "Behold, I am Groot."
Ciaphas Cain is very competent as you've mentioned. It's more that he values his own life above pretty much anyone else. If saving someone's life will mean that his own life is more protected in the future, he'll gladly do it.
One of the reasons he's so...let's say friendly to his troops is because he knows that if he treats them with respect and comradery, they'll do the same to him. Which means that they'll do their out most to follow his orders and protect him.
He even mentions that it's not uncommon for very stern and evil commissars to be found with a las-shot wound in the back of their head.
Jurgen is probably one of the only people Cain would risk his life to actually save, because he does value him as a friend.
maybe he will go out of his way to save Jurgen bc he just doesn't want to do paperwork
@@xuanquang9815 whatever cain is away from Jurgen for a while and the two reunite cain always mentions how a sort of sadness that he didn't even notice gets lifted from him. So it's very obvious he genuinely cares about Jurgen and likes having him around
This isn't actually true. Cain in other books will enter into dangerous situations with just himself and Jurgen. Jurgen will ask if they should retreat but Cain will basically say they can't solve what the current problem is if they don't know the true extent of the problem and therefore further investigate.
Altruism. What a concept in 40k!
He tells this to himself, but I remember that in the third book he could order Jurgen to melta-fry Heretic Leman Russ battletank but chose not to because....
Because.
**Guard march**
**bolter shoots**
CI-CI-CIAPHAS CAIN: HERO OF THE IMPERIUM! CI-CI-CI CIAPHAS CAIN: HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!
**more bolter shoots**
CI-CI CI CIAPHAS CAIN! CI-CI CI CIAPHAS CAIN!
**even more bolter shoots in the rhytm of the march**
CI-CI-CIAPHAS CAIN: HERO OF THE IMPERIUM! CI-CI-CI CIAPHAS CAIN: HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!
I salute to a fellow mood-kindred/person of culture!
I’m kind of surprised it took them so long to figure out the blank thing, he gave a psyker a seizure before the genestealers showed up
Read Caiaphas Caine: Death Or Glory. its the book that sets his hero reputation in stone in the timeline. also one of my favourites of the series.
The way Bricky and DK played up the group dynamic of the prisoners makes me want them to read Last Chancers
1. One of the best parts of these novels are the in-universe supplemental extracts interspersed between chapters. The historian's conspiracy theory about Rogue Traders is funny, but I like the memoirs of Lady General Jenit (sp?) Sulla because of the contrast between Cain's impression of her in the main story, and Sulla's view of him as a mentor.
2. The is an Emilie; she shows up in The Traitor's Hand.
3. You know these stories are old because the Necrons are 3rd edition Necrons (e.g. in Caves of Ice).
4. One of my favorite Jurgen moments is when Amberly's psyker freaks out and yells, "He's nothing! He's Nothing!" and Cain's internal commentary is, "That was pretty harsh. Jurgen isn't the best soldier, but "nothing" is a bit too much."
5. Mitchell is very good at world-building. The characters are not simply their jobs, and each planet's population has its own particularities so that they feel human, rather than props.
6. I don't think the Cain books are the best place to start because much of the humor comes from the contrast between the novel and 40k played straight.
7. If you like Sandy Mitchell, he wrote a couple of tie-in novels for the old 54 mm Inquisitor game (or maybe it was for the Dark Heresy RPG). The titles are "Purge the Alien" and "Innocence Proves Nothing." Warning, though, the series was clearly intended to be a trilogy, and the 3rd book has not been written (and I am doubtful that it will).
through the flames, like a phoenix, gods Sulla's writing is purple af I absolutely love it
If you guys don't read up to the techpriest waifu, you'll regret it. The first Perlia arc is in my mind the best in Caiphas Cain. It also can be pointed to (according to Amberly) as the point when Cain gains recognition sectorwide as a "Hero of the Imperium".
I can't remember if it is the second or third book though, since I read the omnibus of the first 3 or 4 books.
I think its the fourth
Ive said before that the cain books are the saturday morning cartoons of the 40k books. You enjoy them, they're a little schlocky, there's nothing particularly standout of them but you enjoy them and they're consistently pretty good. They stand out cause they're the only thing in 40k like that.
The Wiki describes Jurgen as having "a case of body odour that could overwhelm a Carnifex" the man looks like the word "blech" still an amazing guardsman tho
Mood kindred!
[ultra comfort and crying]
Mood kindred!
Cain ran away in his FIRST battle and never got over it despite being a brave and good man.
I always imagined him as someone who is really good at convincing people and lying from the memes. After listening to the first 2 books of Ciaphas Cain, he is exactly as I imagined.
Exactly, I don't know what the hell kind of memes they have been looking at.
My first 40k book was the second book in this series "Caves of Ice" and then I got a copy of "for the emperor" and I agree with Bricky, Amberly is a great character (Severina Raine is cool, but Honourbound is a bitch of a read) . If you go through the rest of the series, she only becomes more sassy and fun. But I love how the books basically boil down to a "slice of life" style take on an Imperial guard regiment, while they have this Hero of a commissar being pulled off in directions he really doesn't enjoy.
Hopefully you read "Traitors hand" and "Duty Calls" In my opinion they are the finest additions to the Cain series! :)
Cain: I'm such a fraud
Also Cain: Fights a berserker of Khorne to a standstill until Jurgen can kill it with his melta
Just looked up what books were out by the time the book came out. Was pretty much only grimdark stuff with some of the first space marine chapter books, eisenhorn and gaunt. So for an audience more used to the very serious people starting the book off with the commissar, that doesn't want to be there and looks for every way to get out, takes an APC to get the F outta there and just driving right into a nid attack, at which point they turn around to get the F somewhere else and then gets accolades for that ... great piece of levity for the time. Also quite a counterpoint to gaunt ;)
What makes Cain so good a protagonist is that he is smart and professional while still showing us as readers his inner workings of just trying to survive.
I actually really liked the first part of the book. Really set up Cain's character. The chow hall fight was my favorite part
Calgar: Mood...kindred?
Cain: MOODKINDRED!!!!
Ah, Blackadder and Baldrick in space. My favourite!
Sandy Mitchell did say that it was the main inspiration for Cain and Jurgen. Only difference is Cain has a deep respect and admiration for Jurgen. Cain is a smart guy and knows damn well the boon he has with Jurgen as his aide in terms of his survival.
It's almost a "What if captain Blackadder and private Baldrick were actually competent, but In! Space!"
Based on future books I wonder if Jurgen’s Melta becomes a relic for some faction. I.E. His prolonged usage of the weapon allows Jurgen’s blank ability to embed on the weapon and thus it has a limit blank ability. I kicked around the grey knights and it is called humbler. A weapon given as a reminder that one can be both humble and a badass.
Jurgen don't use the same Melat every time. Like Cain said in the first half of the book, Jurgen has a ability to just get things without asking. So he just grabs some Melta when he needs one
@@bennai2 The Emperor's Finest (book 7) states specifically it is the same Melta and the later books further use descriptions that is the same unit. Near the start of of multiple books there will be a mention how it is in his kit, at times he has to save from some disaster, and then lug it across the story. At no time is the melta lost or destroyed. Quote from book 7; ““Are you sure you’ll need both of those?’ I asked, with a nod at the weapons he carried. His lasgun was slung, as it always was, where he could grab the grip and squeeze the trigger in a heartbeat, while the melta he’d acquired on Gravalax hung across his back, to minimise the amount of time he’d spend getting the clumsy weapon hung up on low ceiling fixtures and the kind of narrow doorways which tended to be all too common on vessels of this type.””
@@gilkshake oh, OK thanks. My apologies. I am just by book 5
@@bennai2 No problem. This random tidbit stuck in my mind probably because I liked the Jurgen character and it is not serious. I also kick around a potentially future concept that Jurgen eventually has a family with the psyker Rakel but make it like Sergeant Fred Colon’s marriage in the Terry Pratchett Discworld series. Where others would have no idea how it is possible since Jurgen and his wife would rarely see each other and instead communicate through notes around their shared residence. And yet like his Melta it would work.
I actually really like the Valhallan comanders I really enjoy when they come into focus
KastIN and BROklaw :D
I kinda want them to assemble the various Valhallan regiments Cain has worked with into a whole damned division. 597th Infantry, 12th Field Artillery, 425th Armored, reestablish the 301st Infantry and 296th Logistical, and you have a powerful and flexible unit which will exactly fit on a standard troopship. Put Kasteen in general command, give Broklaw the 301st, and Sulla can have the 597th.
Especially Sulla. Everything about Sulla is simply hilarious.
@@the_mad_fool One of my favorite moments in the whole series is in Caves of Ice. Slight spoilers for the context given
When Sulla recollects her finding Cain after his harrowing expedition of fighting orks and escaping through a Necron Tomb. "Sulla, of course. Who else would it be?"
@@Avengedtenfold For Cain, that's him being exasperated that the one saving his ass is the "ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH, DEAR FRIENDS" happy Sulla....for Sulla, it's praise from Cain-senpai.
I already read the twice dead king and it's amazing! It makes both the Necrons seem terrifying while also showing the Imperium as an unstoppable juggernaut
"I'M SUCH A DAMN FRAUD!"
Says Cain as he piledrives a fucken ork causing a major explosion...somehow.
The Cain books are better when actually read. Amberley's comments are literal footnotes that you can read when you want, without forcibly interrupting the main narrative.
Being disappointed that things did not work out well for the prisoners is kinda hilarious ... this is 40k, fellas.
Ciaphas is almost 2m high while Jurgen is described to be short for a Valhallan, who are supposed to be above average height amongst human, so I would say around 1,70 to 1,75.
A little sad they didn't mention the retired guardswoman that wrote an memoir Amberley used to cite what was happening, but I guess even then it makes sense considering it's about Cain, because I didn't even know guardsmen could even retire.
Sulla's hilariously dry memoirs.
Well she did become a general, Guard Generals can retire but they don't often do it, because they are so loyal. Similar to for example Commisar Yarrick, he could have had an entire planet and retire there but no, he continued to serve.
The Ciaphas Cain audiobook is a great listen, but the best way is to read the omnibus version because u get small stories that plug the plot gaps in the series and eksplain a lot of things that u dont get in the audiobooks...
And as always, it is a great show u guys put on...💯🔥💪
I think my favorite Cain book is the one about how he became the hero of Perlia (or how ever you spell it), though I cant remember if thats the 3rd or 4th book
3rd. It's the best one.
@@hyperiorv1379 Just checked and it's actually the fourth book: "Death or Glory."
Literally from the moment he shouted at people to grab mops in a high tense brawl situation I loved him
The humor of the book is great and hes actually a genius in his own hilarious way
I hope you do more cain books in the future
The best thing about the Cain books is how accurate they are as a meta reference to the GW Canon style. It is a series if memoirs, published and annotated by an opinionated inquisitor for consumption by other inquisitors. Did the events happen? Probably, but not exactly as described.
Had some industrial solvent in my eyes yesterday the only thing keeping me going is this channel not making me wait till Wednesday for another episode
I hope they get to Our Martyred Lady at some point, I want to hear what they have to say about Grayfax’s Psychic torture, Saint Celestine going full Snyder Cut Wonder Woman on a bunch of Heretics, and how Dangerous followers of Tzeentch can be
Tzeentch followers are the worst part of that book they really can get like two steps ahead of celestine and grayfox. Like they already knew ahead but was like trap at the already revealed plot. The guys are good
@@stalinsoulz7872 Tzeentch followers aren’t as thick headed as other followers of the chaos gods
I say this is actually a good starting book for 40k fans, for the 'jargon' thrown around, sure it's a lot, but as his totally not dominating girlfriend Amerly says, Ciaphas knows the names of things, but generalizes them a lot, an example being Eldar, as he's never had many opportunities to engage with them without being *engaged* by them.
When the story focuses on it, we do learn a lot about the key things in it too.
Would love to see you do the Traitor's hand Cain book, it's by far one of the best ones out there.
This was actually my first 40k book when I knew almost nothing about the Universe and I thought it was a fantastic intro to the 40k universe. Yeah there were a lot of names of things I didn't understand but that doesn't bother me in books or stories, it just makes the universe feel big and alive. I really think they should make a live action Ciaphas Cain series instead of Eisenhorn. The Cain series is less grim and easier to digest. The whole Tau political dispute felt like something out of Star Trek or Babylon 5. Once we get people hooked then we can introduce them to the Grim Darkness with other series.
The Caiphus Cain series is what got me into 40k after listening to the podcast
I binged all the way to book six and I loved the series, now I'm making a vallhallan army!
Some books are a bit better than others but it's a great lighthearted (in comparison to the rest of 40k) way to get into the franchise!
27:00 I heard that the book covers were basically propaganda posters for the empire. Hence Cain having massive muscles on some books and Jurgen looking relatively normal
and him having a bolter instead of his favourite lasgun
I'm a big tau guy, and I've been loving DK's journey towards tau loving. This book did a gret job at showing off the Tau (especially for them being a new species in 2003)
When the book is so good you forget it's 40K until half the cast is dead.
Though, Cain does spend a lot of time keeping his troops alive after this.
Also, Amberly gets her tagalong later. I forget which book, but her accent isn't that bad.
This was my first 40K book. Luckily my brother had played the table so I knew about most of the jargon. I was so disappointed when there were no Genestealer Cults or Tau Gue’vesa models. Now we have tons of Genestealer Cultists, and Tau have an update soon… soon.
CIaphas Cain, The only man who could interact with lamentors and they'd both have a normal boring day
Now that I think about it, Cain's luck is that thing will go wrong but he will get through it just fine. So rather I think if the two groups were ever paired up, everything that could go wrong, would go wrong. Both groups would be mentally scarred (as tradition), but casualties would be at a all time minimal.
In defence of the amberely jumping in, in the actual book she dosent 'cut in', theres a footnotes section in the back where Amberley explains everything that was said, which is much better than the audio book. I think thats a thing that just didnt translate to audio
The author pokes fun at the "Stepped on a rake and blew up the enemy" meme by having a character who is exactly that, one of the troopers in later books
I loved this book from the moment I heard Amberley Vail's foreward. I have an academic background, and so I am a sucker for an in-universe footnote. And Amberley Vail writes a wickedly snarky footnote. When Cain remarked that bribes and threats are a bad idea because, "the inquisition is better at both and tends to resent others using their methods," and Amberley remarked, "As His Divine Majesty's most loyal servants, we are above such petty feelings as resentment" I actually laughed out loud. The excerpts from Stententious Logar being Space Alex Jones ranting about Rogue Traders always made me grin.
Chiaphas Cain took me back to my undergrad lit class days, where it really got me thinking and reading between the lines. Hands down my favourite 40k novel. Best I've read.
Honestly, the Ciaphas Cain Omnibus is my favourite Warhammer 40k novel, and pretty up there in my favourite books, period, list.
Jurgen reminds me of a George Carlin joke about praying to Joe Pesci because he gets shit done. I’d pray to Jurgen for the same reasons.
I made my very first ttrpg based on this book. Players were accompanying Cain, and, unlike in the book, survived and did all the work. Cain cowered and occasionaly set the pace, Jurgen used melta on patriarch once to give them a fighting chance.
I'm disappointed you guys didn't do the book wherein the Hero of the Imperium accidentally liberates an entire planet from an orc WAAAAAGH! Make sure you do that one for your own personal reading, even if it isn't for the channel. Highly recommend, ten servitors skulls out of ten. (It was the reason I go into 40k in the first place)
And who can forget the *spoiler* recording him as he *spoilers* an Ork *spoilers*. Aaaaah, the propaganda films that were born that day on Perlia. That's when the hero worship really began.
And dont forget through some later books saying waagh for him bee alittle bit of a thing through that campaign i think or when ever he dealt with orks .
No Christmas without a "I'm gonna snap your spine like a slim jim." Shirt. Or a "Drink your forget me juice." On the front. "Or your going in the wall." On the back. Also need one with a picture of Commissar Savage holding out a las pistol. "You want to be a commissar don't you?"
I don't recall the inquisitor's nottes being overly explanatory. But that might be because "For the Emperor" was my first book.
❤ your guys podcast i listen to it while commuting to work because CZcams takes too much data.
Ciaphas Cain books are amazing. I was sent the omnibus or anthology of the books while i was in iraq in 2008 thru 2009.
I always loved Cain, he is the officer we all want in our unit.
I have for a long time wanted to make a Ciaphas Cain Kill team.
A bit late to comment, but I love that every piece of art for Ciaphas Cain doesn't make sense with the character's own description of himself until you realize that they're all Imperium propaganda of Cain to distribute to the public. I read 2 or 3 books and kept wondering why his art always had him one handing bolters and flexing so hard his sleeves had exploded when he states constantly that he prefers his standard issue laspistol for its accuracy and familiarity and always downplayed his own physique. Then I saw the cover for Death or Glory and thought "That's got to be a poster for a movie about Cain, right?"
just googled it lmfao he looks like a catachan in fancy clothes
Ciaphas Cain, Imperial Patron Saint of Luck and Sarcasm
Oh DK, that book is 20 years old, lore on how Genestealer cults work has changed a lot from when they weren't an army.
I enjoyed the Warhammer 40k version of the Flashman. And like the Flashman, I enjoyed the first book and never got past the introduction of Royal Flash.
I´m currently reading the Collection "Hero of the Imperium" and it starts with a little short story where Cain meets jurgen for the first time and they fight tyranids.
That one got me really hyped up for the start of "for the emperor", so I had no problems there. Maybe that´s a better read order?
Yeah I kept wondering when they were going to mention that bit.
digital weaponry is not just ring weapons
usually its jokaero made and is tiny compared to how big it should be
think there is one reference to a digital flamethrower in an earring
but yes rings are the standard thing they are placed in
I get the feeling that Cain & Jurgen as characters are based partly or at least inspired by Edmund Blackadder & Baldrick from the British series Black Adder, especially the 4th season set in WW1. Also the Marshmallows become a bit of a running in joke between Cain & Jurgen in some of the later novels.
Cain is inspired by George MacDonald Fraser's version of Harry Flashman and Jurgen on that author's McAuslan. Flashhart from Blackadder was also based on Flashman, though IIRC the earlier Thomas Hughes version. Commissar Beige is a reference to the titular character from Tom Brown's Schooldays, which is where Flashman first appears.
The books get better as they go along. Please, do the rest of them too!
Maybe the choice of the ending music is deliberate on your, because man I feel melancholic as hell every time I hear it, knowing I’ll have to wait for the next episode.
Best books with the Tau are usually from the Imperial Guard perspective (For the Emperor, Kill Team, Fire Caste). I imagine it's because the Tau are effectively a Guard level army. But they're far better armed than the Guard, so the Guard is still the underdog whenever they fight. And then there's the way that normal humans have to struggle with the the fact that the Tau might be better rulers than their own. Of course, 'better' doesn't mean good.
Highly recommend you check out Fire Caste. It's an excellent book that despite the name is more Imperial Guard-focused, and it does a good job showing the darker side of both the Imperium and the Tau.
The Ciaphas Cain series generally has really cool female characters. There's an awkward element where a lot of them are basically 'Bond Girls' for Cain to romance, but the romances are always based on mutual respect and the women being *astoundingly* competent.
Spoilers for future stories:
The Cain books are published out of chronological order, so there's a small thing that's not obvious: Cain is a playboy who has daliances throughout his career... up until he meets Amberley. At which point, he keeps meeting and chatting with cool women, but only has a romance with Amberley (who has the occasional amusingly jealous footnote about his past girlfriends).
"Occasional"?
@@PobortzaPl Mandatory.
This book club ep is very interesting cause I actually think the opposite of Bricky. I believe the first half is the strongest. Though this is most likely cause I just really like his character and psychology so I find it more fun to read.
I think they dislike Sorrel's death so much because it was rather shoehorned and unfitting whereas the rest of his squad died: executed as a traitor, as a loyal but misguided soldier taking an unlucky round, and two squaddies in love and almost embraced into the hive mind and tragically executed. Sorrel really should've survived as either a lackey for the Inquisitor, still in penance of duty OR died fighting the patriarch/stealers at the climax.