Cain's Last Stand
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- Create Date：2021-11-04 04:19:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sandy Mitchell
- ISBN：B09JT3MSQ1
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Summary
Book six 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？
Written by Sandy Mitchell。 Running time 10 hours and 31 minutes。 Performed by Stephen Perring， Penelope Rawlins， Richard Reed， John Banks and Phillipe Bosher。
©2021 Games Workshop Limited （P）2021 Games Workshop Limited
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？
Written by Sandy Mitchell。 Running time 10 hours and 31 minutes。 Performed by Stephen Perring， Penelope Rawlins， Richard Reed， John Banks and Phillipe Bosher。
©2021 Games Workshop Limited （P）2021 Games Workshop Limited
Reviews
The Lost Wizard Darth Vader of Tatooine
，
I returned to Ciaphas Cain with this excellent entry！ I know the Cain books are not good literature， but sill I enjoy them a lot。 I think that you can laugh at the stupidity of Jurgen （one of my favorite parts） and then read a gruesome scene with tyrinads。 Good book！
Dev Sodagar
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The jump forward in time really changes the feel of this story to a surprising degree。 I certainly miss the 598th but several of the new cast are engaging， the return to a known planet and the implications of hugely uneven life spans provided some interesting elements。 The somewhat ambiguous ending was also well done。
Nightshade
，
In this book Cain returns to Perlia， where he defeated the ork invasion 80 years ago。This book starts off fairly slowly for a Cain story， but really picks up towards the end。It was fun to see Cain trying to train a new generation of Commisars。 I also enjoyed getting to see some of the Adeptus Soriatus。This story had an interesting conclusion compared to the previous books， where things didn't entirely work out。This was possibly one of my least favourites of the Cain books so far， but still an en In this book Cain returns to Perlia， where he defeated the ork invasion 80 years ago。This book starts off fairly slowly for a Cain story， but really picks up towards the end。It was fun to see Cain trying to train a new generation of Commisars。 I also enjoyed getting to see some of the Adeptus Soriatus。This story had an interesting conclusion compared to the previous books， where things didn't entirely work out。This was possibly one of my least favourites of the Cain books so far， but still an enjoyable read。 。。。more
Bernard
，
Cain is enjoying his retirement doing serving as an instructor for the next generation of commissar students at the Schola Progenium on Perlia。 He is recalled to service one more time。This book is more intense than the previous novels and he shows just how tough he can be when the chips are down。 I think this book REALLY shows us who Cain really is。
Gareth
，
Another strong novel this one， even without the Valhallan 597th。 We see Cain in his later years here， dealing with some familiar foes once again。 Ties together nicely the loose trilogy of Death or Glory， Duty Calls and this novel， and we get to see one or two familiar faces as well as hear about various others we've met along the way。 A bit of bittersweet feeling to it， given it feels like an overall ending to the series， so good that more stories have since been written :） Another strong novel this one， even without the Valhallan 597th。 We see Cain in his later years here， dealing with some familiar foes once again。 Ties together nicely the loose trilogy of Death or Glory， Duty Calls and this novel， and we get to see one or two familiar faces as well as hear about various others we've met along the way。 A bit of bittersweet feeling to it， given it feels like an overall ending to the series， so good that more stories have since been written :） 。。。more
R Coulbeck
，
Cain's palms are tingling again， and for good reason。 Maybe next time you decide to retire to teach the next generation of Commissars， don't pick the planet with such a rich history of things going wrong for you。 Yes， Cain's back on Perlia， but if there is one thing I can say for sure， it's that there are no Orks around this time。As usual Cain lives up to expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed the parts which I keep coming back for time and again。 But on top of that， I felt this book went the ext Cain's palms are tingling again， and for good reason。 Maybe next time you decide to retire to teach the next generation of Commissars， don't pick the planet with such a rich history of things going wrong for you。 Yes， Cain's back on Perlia， but if there is one thing I can say for sure， it's that there are no Orks around this time。As usual Cain lives up to expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed the parts which I keep coming back for time and again。 But on top of that， I felt this book went the extra mile because of the differences。 He's older now， and subtly wiser。 Even his attempts to save his own skin， while still at the forefront of his mind， are aided by being exceptionally capable himself from his long years of service， and not as much by relying on manipulating others。 We get to see a nurturing side of him when he's trying to keep his students alive， and there are a couple of moments as the book progresses with them that really hit the heartstrings。The book nicely concludes a overarching story line that started with his first visit to the planet in Death or Glory。 Ramping up the stakes and the tension to a nail biting Last Stand as it were。 Highly recommend for all Cain fans， but do advise reading Death or Glory， and Duty Calls， first for references。 。。。more
Oliver Eike
，
This book takes the previous two and ties it all neatly together。 This is by far a better book than nr 5， it is in most ways better than nr 4 as well。 But i felt the ending of this book was rushed and that the author was running out of steam。 Cain has retired mostly from active duty now and works as a teacher at a Schola on Perilia。 But the planet comes under attack and so Cain has to save the day again。 And doing so with a new cast of characters around him。 Many of whom i hope we get to see mor This book takes the previous two and ties it all neatly together。 This is by far a better book than nr 5， it is in most ways better than nr 4 as well。 But i felt the ending of this book was rushed and that the author was running out of steam。 Cain has retired mostly from active duty now and works as a teacher at a Schola on Perilia。 But the planet comes under attack and so Cain has to save the day again。 And doing so with a new cast of characters around him。 Many of whom i hope we get to see more off down the line。 But yes， the build up of the book is great， the ending however leaves a lot to be desired。 Which is why this book gets just a 3， rather than a 4。 。。。more
Anton Shanaurin
，
Увлекательно и приключательно。
Allen
，
Cain is always enjoyable
Carl Phillips
，
The best of the series so far by a distance。 The change of scope that forced a older， more experienced Cain dealing with the enemy without his normal range of skilled allies。 It showed him at his adaptable， strategic best。 And the final duel was just hilarious。
Melissa
，
I dont know what it is about this one， but I felt like this one is one of the more intense novels of the series。 The desperation behind the whole war is palpable in the writing。 And it also has some great character moments with Cain where he really proves he isnt the selfish scoundrel he likes to come off as。 Sure， there are times in previous books where he has these moments， but I think this one is a bit different because it involves kids that he himself has trained up to this point in his life I dont know what it is about this one， but I felt like this one is one of the more intense novels of the series。 The desperation behind the whole war is palpable in the writing。 And it also has some great character moments with Cain where he really proves he isnt the selfish scoundrel he likes to come off as。 Sure， there are times in previous books where he has these moments， but I think this one is a bit different because it involves kids that he himself has trained up to this point in his lifetime。 That， and I think on a certain level， they delve deeper into his emotions as a character， more than previous books （up until this point; havent finished the series）。 I would go so far as to say Mitchell might have taken some notes from Abnett's writing as I consider the whole arc of these three books， with Cain's personal character development and the intensity and depth of these fights he finds himself in。 Overall， a great read， and I think one of my favorite books of the series next to Caves of Ice。 I think if I had any complaints about this one， it was the ending。 After how quickly and energetic everything moves up to this point， the final chapter is quite short， and definitely feels like a quick resolve， kind of blowing through the resolution。 A bit disappointing， but again， still loved the book 。。。more
Thomas
，
I saved this review to cover three books following Commisar Cain's career。 Death or Glory is early， Duty Calls a decade later， and this book at the end of his career。 It goes to show that choices have consequences， and Cain in his never ending quest for safety and leisure， is always in the middle of important things。 Much to his dismay。 His luck and trusty aide， the malodorous Jurgen， keep him the Hero of the Imperium。 This is book 6， check it out。 I saved this review to cover three books following Commisar Cain's career。 Death or Glory is early， Duty Calls a decade later， and this book at the end of his career。 It goes to show that choices have consequences， and Cain in his never ending quest for safety and leisure， is always in the middle of important things。 Much to his dismay。 His luck and trusty aide， the malodorous Jurgen， keep him the Hero of the Imperium。 This is book 6， check it out。 。。。more
Ty Nelson
，
Best book of the series in a long time。 New era of Cain's life brings a new Cain to light Best book of the series in a long time。 New era of Cain's life brings a new Cain to light 。。。more
Owen
，
This was fun， although parts of the end felt anticlimactic。 I like seeing Cain be more of the hero， to the point where he has a hard time convincing us that he's really a coward。 I also like seeing more nuanced characters from other areas of the universe - Adepta Sororitas with a sense of humor， tech-priests and Inquisition representatives reluctantly working together， and so on。（view spoiler）[I did not like the Necrons' role in this one， though。 In their nigh-unkillable state they're hard to ha This was fun， although parts of the end felt anticlimactic。 I like seeing Cain be more of the hero， to the point where he has a hard time convincing us that he's really a coward。 I also like seeing more nuanced characters from other areas of the universe - Adepta Sororitas with a sense of humor， tech-priests and Inquisition representatives reluctantly working together， and so on。（view spoiler）[I did not like the Necrons' role in this one， though。 In their nigh-unkillable state they're hard to handle in stories， and having them swoop in and render things moot at the last minute is kind of frustrating。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Christian
，
Hurray for more action！ Commissar Cain， in his later years， battles against the forces of the 13th Black Crusade to keep a Necron artifact out of Chaos’ possession。 The new characters and pace of the plot are engaging and it leaves off in a semi-cliffhanger。
Mark Austin
，
The Cain novels are like pulp action/war movies - you know the hero is going to survive， there's going to be some plot twist， he's going to have a moment where he almost dies and either survives through an ingenious plan or the cavalry showing up， and happily ever inevitable sequel（s）。The Cain novels are this in 40k。Sandy keeps the writing interesting， though not always fresh。 Cain is secretly completely self-interested， Jurgen smells bad and has infinite pockets， the melta gun is heavy， bulky， The Cain novels are like pulp action/war movies - you know the hero is going to survive， there's going to be some plot twist， he's going to have a moment where he almost dies and either survives through an ingenious plan or the cavalry showing up， and happily ever inevitable sequel（s）。The Cain novels are this in 40k。Sandy keeps the writing interesting， though not always fresh。 Cain is secretly completely self-interested， Jurgen smells bad and has infinite pockets， the melta gun is heavy， bulky， produces an actinic glare when fired， and Cain drinks tanna tea。。。 etc。If you're looking for character development， growth， and change， look further。 If you want light， entertaining war action set in a grimdarkness future of onlywar， these are worth a read。 。。。more
John
，
Cain versus a Chaos warmaster with a ridiculous Hitler 'stache。 Good times。 Cain versus a Chaos warmaster with a ridiculous Hitler 'stache。 Good times。 。。。more
Adam Whitehead
，
After eighty years on the front lines， Commissar Ciaphas Cain is enjoying a relatively quiet semi-retirement tutoring students on Perlia， the site of one of his greatest victories。 The period of peace is rudely interrupted when the hordes of Chaos， led by Abaddon the Despoiler， launch a vast invasion of the Imperium through the Eye of Terror。 Fortunately， Perlia is on the other side of the galaxy to the main battlefront。 Unfortunately， a major Chaos battle fleet is on its way to invade the plane After eighty years on the front lines， Commissar Ciaphas Cain is enjoying a relatively quiet semi-retirement tutoring students on Perlia， the site of one of his greatest victories。 The period of peace is rudely interrupted when the hordes of Chaos， led by Abaddon the Despoiler， launch a vast invasion of the Imperium through the Eye of Terror。 Fortunately， Perlia is on the other side of the galaxy to the main battlefront。 Unfortunately， a major Chaos battle fleet is on its way to invade the planet and seize an ancient relic that Cain has dealt with before。。。Cain's Last Stand is the sixth （of seven so far） books in the Ciaphas Cain series and sees author Sandy Mitchell fast-forwarding to near the end of his protagonist's career， right up almost to the 'present day' of the Warhammer 40，000 setting。 Thanks to the SF setting， Cain and his constant companion Jurgen are still hale and going strong， though they're a bit more seasoned and experienced than earlier books focusing on their earlier days。 Cain is somewhat less cowardly and more commanding here and has evolved into a fine tutor of commissariat students， trying to imbue them with a degree of common sense and intelligence in their dealings with demoralised troops。 With Perlia in danger of attack and the planet's defenders mostly being inexperienced soldiers， it falls to Cain and his students to keep morale high in the face of overwhelming enemy numbers。As with the previous books， this is an entertaining romp with black humour laced through it。 The time setting also introduces an element of regretful nostalgia to proceedings: Cain remembering various people he's fought alongside and reflecting that many of them have died （from either natural causes or enemy action） during the preceding years。Plotting-wise， Mitchell has taken a leaf out of Dan Abnett's book。 Aware that these last three books would be assembled into an omnibus edition， he's laced ongoing storyline points through them which build to a huge finale。 This works well， but the actual ending is actually a little disappointing in its lack of resolution and it's difficult to work out if it's a final one or setting up more adventures in future。 Elsewhere the book is very busy， combining planetary politics， Cain's activities in the college and interactions with other tutors and his forging of his students into an effective force whilst also taking part in military action proving to be a lot of plot to pack into just 250-odd pages （in the omnibus edition）。 As a result the book moves very fast， but doesn't have time to build up the secondary characters as successfully as Mitchell normally manages。Cain's Last Stand （****） brings this three-book arc to a successful conclusion and shines a different light on Ciaphas Cain to great effect。 Not the series at its best， but relentlessly entertaining nonetheless。 The novel is available now as part of the Ciaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium omnibus in the UK and USA。 。。。more
Stephen
，
Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium！
Andrew
，
Another good 40K book if you like the series you should like this one。 This is where I stopped reading the series。 It's not a bad book I just got tired of the structure。 Another good 40K book if you like the series you should like this one。 This is where I stopped reading the series。 It's not a bad book I just got tired of the structure。 。。。more
Dylan
，
The final book in the second trilogy about Commissar Cain did not disappoint。 Although i'm finding myself pretty burned out on all things warhammer lately， and it may have been a mistake to start this one while the universe isn't exactly appealing to me right now。 This book took way longer than it should have， and i found myself making excuses to not read （often just poking at my phone for hours， with the book sitting in my lap）， which is no indication on the quality of the book at all。 It was p The final book in the second trilogy about Commissar Cain did not disappoint。 Although i'm finding myself pretty burned out on all things warhammer lately， and it may have been a mistake to start this one while the universe isn't exactly appealing to me right now。 This book took way longer than it should have， and i found myself making excuses to not read （often just poking at my phone for hours， with the book sitting in my lap）， which is no indication on the quality of the book at all。 It was pretty fun and consistently entertaining， and we even got to see a the frequently referenced action during the 13th Black Crusade once Cain had finally retired and grown old。I'm really hoping this book gets followed up on in the future。 From the blurbs it looks like the next one is earlier in his career and involves Space Marines， but i'd like to see the ongoing story of the Shadowlight device be picked up again。 But。。。 i think it's time to take a real break from the Black Library and Warhammer 40k fiction。 At least until i can muster up some enthusiasm for the property again。 。。。more
Pygmy
，
Ciaphas Cain stories definitely build upon each other in momentum and overall enjoyment。 This series has definitely been my go-to for months of lunch breaks for solid writing， amusing antics， space action and the ever self-deprecating Cain who goes through great lengths to demonstrate his cowardliness/self-serving ambitions of ease and contentment， but still manages to save the day regardless。This particular one， however， made me unusually sad， as a result of introducing promising new characters Ciaphas Cain stories definitely build upon each other in momentum and overall enjoyment。 This series has definitely been my go-to for months of lunch breaks for solid writing， amusing antics， space action and the ever self-deprecating Cain who goes through great lengths to demonstrate his cowardliness/self-serving ambitions of ease and contentment， but still manages to save the day regardless。This particular one， however， made me unusually sad， as a result of introducing promising new characters。。。。and then taking them away。 :（ My sister tells me it's Warhammer 40K。 I'm already lucky that most of this series is so happy-go-lucky in comparison to everything else out there。 So while this is definitely a good read， be warned that your heartstrings may get squeezed！ 。。。more
Matt
，
A great way to finish off the Cain series， this book brings the Commissar back to the beginning （the planet Perlia） as the setting for an even more epic showdown。 It seems every flavor of xenos wants in on the action this time， and Cain is there to muddle through in the usual way。 Very entertaining and a quick read， highly recommended to anyone that has enjoyed any of the other Cain books。 However， don't go into this thinking that it wraps up the Cain storyline - the ending is similar to all the A great way to finish off the Cain series， this book brings the Commissar back to the beginning （the planet Perlia） as the setting for an even more epic showdown。 It seems every flavor of xenos wants in on the action this time， and Cain is there to muddle through in the usual way。 Very entertaining and a quick read， highly recommended to anyone that has enjoyed any of the other Cain books。 However， don't go into this thinking that it wraps up the Cain storyline - the ending is similar to all the other novels before it， so the title is misleading in that respect。 。。。more
Peter Smith
，
Love the Cain Novels
Andy
，
Not as engaging or humorous as previous Cain novels by Mitchell， this one finds the reluctant hero retired on his "home" world of Perlia spending his time as an instructor at a local schola。 His reputation from a previous battle on Perlia precedes him as the local PDF and other known officers of previous skirmishes seek his counsel and Hero status as a plot is uncovered of Chaos forces planning a raid on the planet in search of an artifact of immeasurable power。 This object， the Shadowlight， was Not as engaging or humorous as previous Cain novels by Mitchell， this one finds the reluctant hero retired on his "home" world of Perlia spending his time as an instructor at a local schola。 His reputation from a previous battle on Perlia precedes him as the local PDF and other known officers of previous skirmishes seek his counsel and Hero status as a plot is uncovered of Chaos forces planning a raid on the planet in search of an artifact of immeasurable power。 This object， the Shadowlight， was used in a previous Cain book， and Cain figures it must be protected at all costs。 What he ultimately discovers is a Xenos plot that could lead to even greater disaster in future Cain books。 Mitchell spends an inordinate amount of time on set up and bureaucracy in this one， and the reader needs a certain amount of discipline to get to the better parts near the end。 。。。more
Tom
，
Good， but the description led me to believe Caon would be fighting on Cadia or something， good book and then Cain fights [inconseqential servant of the dark gods]。 He doesn't really take part in the 13th black crusade。 Good， but the description led me to believe Caon would be fighting on Cadia or something， good book and then Cain fights [inconseqential servant of the dark gods]。 He doesn't really take part in the 13th black crusade。 。。。more
Paul Turner
，
Another solid and dependable Ciaphas Cain novel。 Nothing particularly new here if you've already read any of the previous adventures but you know what？ That's OK。 You get a reliable showing of daring do and witty dark humour。 Looking forwards to the next one in the series when I get round to it。 Another solid and dependable Ciaphas Cain novel。 Nothing particularly new here if you've already read any of the previous adventures but you know what？ That's OK。 You get a reliable showing of daring do and witty dark humour。 Looking forwards to the next one in the series when I get round to it。 。。。more
Eleanor With Cats
，
It was good， but not really my thing， and I ended up skimming some parts。 The part of the Warhammer 40，000 universe that really fascinates me is the tech-priests， and I'm not sure I'm ever going to find more than little bits of them in the novels。 Other authors have mixed science and magic。 The 40k universe adds religion， but as far as I can tell the psyker and null abilities people can show are inborn， not gifted by the Emperor to paladins or something。 Although if you count the chaos gods as g It was good， but not really my thing， and I ended up skimming some parts。 The part of the Warhammer 40，000 universe that really fascinates me is the tech-priests， and I'm not sure I'm ever going to find more than little bits of them in the novels。 Other authors have mixed science and magic。 The 40k universe adds religion， but as far as I can tell the psyker and null abilities people can show are inborn， not gifted by the Emperor to paladins or something。 Although if you count the chaos gods as gods， some of that seems to be possible。 Although this is supposed to be special fiction that players read for military stuff， the only thing I can see that's different in it from various other books I've read is that the characters （or Amberley in footnotes even！） say the model name of various military vehicles。 （Maybe for use in the game？） Also， whenever there is a strategy or tactics decision （still having trouble where to draw the line between the two ends of the spectrum） to make， one of the non-protagonist characters makes sure to ask why or to comment about why it is made。 I guess for a sort of elementary primer effect？ I haven't had any sort of military education （let alone experience） but I'm used to the John M Ford school of writing political intrigue - for you nonfans out there， that means making the characters look at each other significantly and make sort of vague allusions to what they want to do or are going to do or what is at stake or to implications of the action they intend to take， and then you have to figure out what is happening in the following scenes。 It's gripping！ It's bracing！ It's elegant。 。。。But I can still be fondly amused by it。 （And also prone to read the novels at least twice before I understand 85% of the events and implications。 Still love 'em though。）I may check out 40k again， but for now I will continue on my nonfiction kick and seek out new books， new novels of awesome。 。。。more
Mary Catelli
，
Reviewed in the omnibusCiaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium Reviewed in the omnibusCiaphas Cain: Defender of the Imperium 。。。more
Liam Cassidy
，
Cain's Last Stand is the novel in the Ciaphas Cain series that is most recent in terms of where it fits on the timeline of the Warhammer 40，000 universe。 It continues the tradition of the first six books （and the two most recent）， but features an older and more grizzled Cain who has finally gotten the peaceful retirement that he has fought so hard to live to see。 So， of course， he is called again to defend the Imperium of Man from the forces of Chaos。 Despite being "too old for this"。 This is a Cain's Last Stand is the novel in the Ciaphas Cain series that is most recent in terms of where it fits on the timeline of the Warhammer 40，000 universe。 It continues the tradition of the first six books （and the two most recent）， but features an older and more grizzled Cain who has finally gotten the peaceful retirement that he has fought so hard to live to see。 So， of course， he is called again to defend the Imperium of Man from the forces of Chaos。 Despite being "too old for this"。 This is a great book in the series， even for those who found Defender of the Imperium to be a bit stale， as the older Cain is just enough like his younger self to be recognizable， but interesting for his new quirks。 With some tense moments and a tear-jerker scene later in the book， Cain's Last Stand is an excellent addition to your reading shelves and perfect for those who have read some of the previous books in the series。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cain's Last Stand
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cain's Last Stand&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cain's Last Stand&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0