Book : Caves of Ice
Author : Sandy Mitchell
Pages : 256
Publisher : Black Library
Caves of Ice is the second novel in the Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell. Mitchell does a great job in putting the reader right in the middle of Cain and his Valhallan regiment's latest adventure without backtracking too much to explain the events of the previous book. If you haven't read the first book it is not important for the story. But would increase the level of understanding of the characters. In this episode, Commissar Ciaphas Cain, Jurgen is sidekick, and his regiment of Valhallan Guardsmen are deployed to the ice world of Simia Orichalcae. The orks intend to overtake the precious promethium plant and use the current mine workers as slaves. When Cain arrives, he has only a single day to set up the defenses before the orks reach the plant. As Cain arrives he must deal with another problem. Five mine workers have mysteriously disappeared in the underground tunnels. Cain, having been a born and bred tunnel rat, is best suited to investigate (even though he wishes otherwise). The creature he finds is worse than the ork problem. Unfortunately, something worse than either of those is dormant in the ice caves and it is beginning to stir. I have to say that the creature they had to face is one of my favourite of the W40k universe, the Necrons. As all books that Cain features there are footnotes, some of them are intereresting and there are a prelude in each chapter that tells us what is happening elsewhere. Most people don't like the prelude or/and the footnotes but Ilike it. If you read it straightway you wouldn't miss it and you would still enjoy the book. With the footnotes and preludes you enrich the enviroment and gives a depth to other characters. In the end I liked the book. I was eagearly waiting the progress of Jurgen even above the Commissar, and I was not dissapointed. This book as a serie of good fortunes and gives just to the phrase, being on the right spot and the right time, things will be allright.
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