Warhammer 40k Book

Audio Anarchy Episode 3 - Ciaphas Cain for the Emperor Review

This video is one I have been planning on releasing for a while now. It covers the first Ciaphas Cain book by Sandy Mitchel. You'll find bellow attached the original script for the video. I will be starting to do this more with video's I have written scripts for. Just encase anyone is interested in any difference between the script and the final product.

Audio Anarchy episode 3 – Warhammer 40K: For the Emperor Review

For the Emperor Review

Intro

Hello and welcome to another edition of Audio Anarchy. This time we are going to be covering Warhammer 40K: Ciaphas Cain for the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell

For The Emperor is the first book in the Ciaphas Cain Novel Series for 40K. This book was instantly on my Radar from the moment it was described to me as Black Adder Goes forth in 40K.

Now before I jump into the usual plot walk through, I will just quickly talk over the framing device for the book. As always, this video will contain spoilers from this point on.

Framing Device of the book

The way for the emperor is conveyed to the reader, or listener, if like me you went for the audio book. Is through the lens of Cain's Memoirs written after his retirement. Footnotes and additional information are provided by an Inquisitor who is trying to put the events in a readable state.

This even leads to some of the humour in the book with some of her observations and remarks about the way Cain lays out events or describes elements of the setting and people within it. A great example of this is when cain Describes the Inquisition as "The Emperor's holy Psychopaths". only for her to of added a footnote "Obviously not the most flattering description of the Emperors Holy Order"

It's also used to switch to other characters viewpoints to provide additional information about the wider scale of things such as battles and the state of the planet of Gravalax, the planet the story is set on.

This also brings me nicely to the point that the audiobook uses multiple voice actors for its narration. This is different to many of the 40K and Heresy Novel adaptations. It's also something I like about some of Audibles other works such as their version of Sandman.

Its not a bad thing for the book's to be done by one person however, when It comes to a male narrator trying to do a female voice it can fall apart very quickly. Even more so if it is a character with an established voice. This is something for the emperor never falls into. The two main characters are Cain and Amberley vail the for mentioned inquisitor. Both of which have their own voice actor and actress.

The other extracts are also using their own voice actors. These being Purge the Guilty an Impartial account of the liberation of Gravalax and Like a phoenix. Both so-called historical accounts being used to take the piss out of different aspects of 40K literature. With Amberley repeatedly apologizing for including extracts of both books in between Cains parts of the story.

Purge the Guilty is poking fun at the concept of the unreliable historian within the 40k narrative. This is often an explanation used by GW and Black library to explain discrepancies in the Warhammer cannon. Its actually a decent way of handling such a massive franchise that's been going for so long, if you ask me anyway.

As for like a Phoenix it comes across as a parody of the way normal 40K books are presented. It is actually written by one of the characters in the regiment Cain is attached to in this book. Like cain it is written in her retirement although it is structured more like a pros novel as opposed to cains account. This being the source of Vail's jabs at the book.

Story

Now we have covered the way the story is presented let's look at the contents of that story. I will do my best to be light on the specifics but as said before the will be spoilers especially in this section. you have been warned.

The Book opens with Commissar Cain looking for a transfer to another regiment. We also have cain tell us about his past and his undeserved reputation as he puts it. This reputation is claimed to be built by accident will he tries to save his own skin and stay out the firing line. It's also here we learn he began his career in an artillery Valhallan regiment, this will be more relevant later.

The regiment he is attached to is made up off two regiments that are no longer at ideal combat strength. These regiments being the Valhallan 296th and 301st. With it being noted the 296 is an all-female regiment and the 301 having a superiority complex.

Cain finds very quickly the tension between the newly combined 296/301 Regiment is almost at a boiling point.

The Boiling point being a Fight in the mess hall leaving three Imperium navy troopers dead and Cain the responsibility of investigating and dealing out punishment. While having to balance the regiment's moral and the ships commander desire to avenge his soldiers.

Cain through this events show's a knack for reading people and manipulation. The Commissar finds that the cause of the fight was because the 296 served the soldiers of the 301st using the 296th plates. Leading to I think one of my favourite lines in the whole of 40K. "you're telling me trained soldiers brawled because they didn't like the plates they were served on."

Cain manages to use the situation to his advantage however and pulls the two regiments together under the assignment The Vallhallan 597th Regiment. The 5 ring leaders are placed in a cell awaiting transfer to anywhere else. To top it all the 597th receives its first set of orders to deploy on Gravalax on the brink of war.

When they arrive at the planet it becomes clear the Tau are well dug in and a large part of the population very much welcome their Trade and customs.

Cain is present at the assassination of one of the Tau ambassadors. He and several of the 597th also play an important role in escorting the surviving Tau delegation back to their turf preventing a large-scale conflict. These events place the commissar in the path of the inquisition and Amberly as he tries to stay out of the effort to put down the civil unrest sparked by the Assassination.

As this event are unfolding cain and the officers of the 597th come to the horrifying revelation. The is clearly a third party at play trying to turn the cold war between the Tau and Guard into a long bloody war.

The rest of the book focuses on Cain, vail and the 5 troopers from earlier as they go deep blow the city streets in pursuit of this shadowy conspiracy Placing them in the crosshairs of a well-established Gentler cult.

Conclusion

For the Emperor is a very different experience to the other 40K books I've listened to other the past few months. I found it very refreshing. I very quickly began to go through the others in the series. Don't be surprised if the next Audio anarchy video after this covers the second book caves of Ice. I would highly recommend the Ciaphas Cain Books from what I have seen of them so far. The concept of the memoirs of an officer written after their service is a brilliant framing device for a franchise such as 40K. It has also piqued my interest in the Guard, a faction I will admit to often looking over both in books and on the tabel. As always i hope you have enjoyed this video and I'll see you all in the next one.