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Ciaphas Cain
Series · 13
books · 2003-2023

Books in series

For the Emperor book cover
#1

For the Emperor

2003

Commisar Ciaphas Cain - hero of the Imperium and renowned across the sector for his bravery and valour - is sent to help maintain order on an outpost world on the borders of Tau space. But when the alien ambassador is murdered and the situation quickly spirals out of control, Cain and his regiment of Valhallans find themselves in the middle of a war. As the Imperial Guard struggle to contain worldwide civil insurrection, can the wily Commisar Cain identify the real villian before the planet is lost to the Imperium forever ?
Caves of Ice book cover
#2

Caves of Ice

2004

Still attached to the Valhallans, Commissar Ciaphas Cain fights orcs and necrons on the ice world of Frigidia.
The Traitor's Hand book cover
#3

The Traitor's Hand

2005

Pseudo-heroic Imperial Commissar Ciaphas Cain and his unit, the 597th Valhallans, must defend the planet Adumbria from an invasion of the vile forces of Chaos.
Death or Glory book cover
#4

Death or Glory

2006

Yet again, reluctant hero Commissar Cain is catapulted into glory in the fourth story of this tremendously popular series. Escaping from a disastrous space battle, the commissar and his malodorous sidekick Jurgen crash-land behind enemy lines. The only way out is to round up what few troops they can find, and fight their way back to the safety of the Imperial lines. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of barbaric alien orks stand in their way!
Duty Calls book cover
#5

Duty Calls

2007

While assisting local forces quell widespread civil disorder, Commissar Cain and his regiment of Valhallans discover sinister forces are at work behind the scenes. With a rioting populace, aliens on the rampage, and the Inquisition poking their noses everywhere, how can the wily commissar ever find the easy life he prefers?
Cain's Last Stand book cover
#6

Cain's Last Stand

2008

Audiobook 6 of the Ciaphas Cain Series The Imperium's most unlikely hero is back, reluctantly returning to the front line and hoping his luck will hold out! LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE This entry from the Cain Archives takes the Hero of the Imperium into his greatest – and possibly last – battle. He's an old man in this one, pulled out of retirement for one last mission as the hordes of Chaos close in on the Imperium... THE STORY After a long and distinguished career defending the Imperium from its many enemies, Commissar Cain is enjoying a well-deserved retirement on Perlia, teaching in a schola progenium. But when a Black Crusade threatens the sector, all able-bodied citizens must rise to the defence, including Cain and his cadets. As the forces of Chaos overwhelm Perlia, can the wily commissar prove himself to be a real hero of the Imperium one last time?
The Emperor's Finest book cover
#7

The Emperor's Finest

2010

Commissar Cain is called to duty once more, saving a governor’s daughter from a planet 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.
The Last Ditch book cover
#8

The Last Ditch

2012

Commissar Cain returns to an icy planet to crush a new wave of ork attacks, but inadvertently disturbs a far greater threat which has lain frozen and dormant for centuries in a new hardcover edition. 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...
The Greater Good book cover
#9

The Greater Good

2013

The new hardback Ciaphas Cain adventure When the world of Quadravidia comes under attack by the insidious tau, only one man can defeat the aliens and save the planet in the Emperor’s the legendary Hero of the Imperium, Commissar Ciaphas Cain. When the aliens call for a ceasefire, Cain expects the worst, and his fears are answered in the form of the dread menace of the tyranids. As a hive fleet approaches Quadravidia, Cain must try to forge an alliance between the Imperium and the tau – but can he truly trust the inscrutable xenos?
Choose Your Enemies book cover
#10

Choose Your Enemies

2018

Book 10 in the Ciaphas Cain Series. Commissar Ciaphas Cain returns! After putting down an uprising on a mining world, he finds evidence that the corruption might have spread to other planets, and the forge world of Ironfound could now be at risk… It's been a long time, but the self-styled Hero of the Imperium is back in action! And he's doing what he does best – telling tall tales of his unlikely exploits. Commissar Ciaphas Cain and the Valhallan 597th are in the thick of it again, putting down an uprising of Chaos cultists on an Imperial mining world. Though their mission is a success, they find evidence that the corruption might have spread to other planets, and that the forge world of Ironfound could now be at risk. The munitions Ironfound produces are vital to the Imperial war effort in the subsector; its safety must be assured at all costs. As battle explodes across the planet, Ciaphas Cain and his regiment come up against allies and enemies old and new in their fight for victory against the forces of Chaos.
Vainglorious book cover
#11

Vainglorious

2023

Book 11 in the Ciaphas Cain SeriesCiaphas Cain is nearing retirement, but of course his fate leads him into a twisted web of deception, corruption, and an unfortunate amount of mortal peril. This time, it’s the Adeptus Mechanicus throwing spanners into his future plans of heroic rest and relaxation.READ IT BECAUSEThe darkly hilarious saga of a reluctant hero continues – packed with all the action, wit, and hijinks you’ve come to expect from Ciaphas and his comrades.THE STORYWhen the flow of desperately needed weapons for the Astra Militarum slows to nothing from a newly founded forge world, there’s only one man able and (un)willing to investigate… Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium.With Cain’s desperately sought-after retirement on the line, the Imperium’s most reluctant commissar must navigate insidious assassination attempts against his person, legions of mutinous skitarii, heresy within the upper echelons of the Adeptus Mechanicus itself… and a hidden foe, pulling the strings, with an agenda that could threaten the future of Imperial rule in the Damocles Gulf.
Hero of the Imperium book cover
#1-3

Hero of the Imperium

2007

Enjoy tall tales of adventure and derring-do in Commissar Cain’s memoirs. Tau, necrons and Chaos cultists all fall before the self-proclaimed hero of the Imperium… In the war torn future of the 41st Millennium Commissar Ciaphas Cain, hero of the Imperium, is respected by his peers and an inspiration to his men – at least that’s what the propaganda would have you believe. The reality is very different, for Ciaphas is simply looking for an easy life and a way to stay out of peril. However, fate has a habit of throwing him into the deadliest situations, and luck (mixed with self preservation) always manages to pull him through and onto the loftiest of pedestals. To survive Commissar Cain must dodge, bluff and trick his way out of trouble, even if it increases his status beyond his control!
Defender of the Imperium book cover
#4-6

Defender of the Imperium

2010

The legendary Commissar Ciaphas Cain, lauded as one of the great heroes of the Imperium, finds himself thrust onto the battlefield again. Cain wants nothing more than to keep out of trouble and get to the other side of his commission in one piece, but the war-torn 41st millennium has other ideas. Confronted with the powers of Chaos and hordes of alien foes, our intrepid Commissar seeks to sidestep danger and talk his way out of trouble. Yet each time he survives his legend only grows, and his life is in ever-greater jeopardy… Defender of the Imperium contains the novels Death or Glory, Duty Calls and Cain’s Last Stand, plus the short story Traitor’s Gambit and a new introduction from author Sandy Mitchell.

Author

Sandy Mitchell
Sandy Mitchell
Author · 34 books

Sandy Mitchell is a pseudonym of Alex Stewart, who has been a full-time writer since the mid nineteen eighties. The majority of his work as Sandy has been tie-in fiction for Games Workshop's Warhammer fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 science fiction lines. The exceptions have been a novelisation of episodes from the high tech thriller series Bugs, for which he also worked as a scriptwriter under his own name, some Warhammer roleplaying game material, and a scattering of short stories and magazine articles. His hobbies include the martial arts of Aikido and Iaido, miniature wargaming, role-playing games, and pottering about on the family allotment. He lives in the North Essex village of Earls Colne, with his wife Judith and daughter Hester.

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