A typical spelunker turns into Frasier and then AvP. ( )

Awesome reboot of this series by Mitchell after the somewhat lukewarm last one. This one starts out quickly as Cain rescues a governor and his daughter from planetary rebels, develops a relationship, somewhat reluctantly, with the daughter Mira, and finds himself alongside Space Marines as they search for a massive genestealer vessel threatening the entire system. Cain once again demonstrates the self-preservation tactics that are meant to keep him out of trouble, but once again his reputation puts him right in the middle of it. The strengths of this book are the return of some very humorous writing and strong characterization, especially detailing the Cain/Mira interactions. The last section of the book, detailing Cain and Jurgen's harrowing time on the Spawn vessel, are absolute page turners. ( )

Review coming soon ( )

Originally posted at https://www.fuzzysteve.co.uk/2011/01/21/review-the-emperors-finest/

The Emperor's Finest - Sandy Mitchell

The short review is: If you liked the earlier books in the Ciaphas Cain series, go read this book now. Stop reading this review. Why are you still here? Oh, I guess if you didn't, steer clear. And if you've not read them, give the first trilogy a go.

If you're the kind of person that likes a longer review, I guess I can help you there. I'll try to steer clear of the spoilers.

I found this novel as much of a page turner as any of the others. Not quite as strong, but still seriously worth the read. I suspect the reason for the relative weakness is that as it's autobiographical, the peril can be a little hard to sustain. A big part of these books has been the 'How is he going to get out of it this time?' factor. While there are still elements of it here, it felt less like outrageous fortune.

Stil, it's good. And being set in an earlier point in his career, it doesn't have the larger cast of well known characters who can weaken the focus on Cain. There are plenty of other characters, who are fleshed out appropriately, giving him people to bounce off. People who you don't have any expectations for.

Mitchell's striding into classic territory here. Space Marines, and Space hulks. (Hey, it's on the back of the book. Can't call that a spoiler). A worthy addition to the series. Can't wait for the next one. ( )