Title - Death or Glory
Author - Sandy Mitchell
Year - 2006
Stand Alone or Series - IV of ongoing series
Pages - 416 (Mass-market paperback)
Reading Time - 5 days, March 2008
The first book For the Emperor, then Caves of Ice, The Traitor's Hand then Death or Glory, the fifth Duty Calls, the sixth Cain's Last Stand and the latest The Emperor's Finest. There are also three short stories. First The Beguiling (What Price Victory anthology), Fight or Flight (Crucible of War),last Echoes of the Tomb and Sector Thirteen (Bringers of the Death). There is also a chapbook called Traitor's Gambit.
This character is one of my favourite in the Warhammer 40k universe and of course I read a way back but never find out time to review it. Since I am trying to get into 40k again I will review this book that I still remember. This book we get him back to his past when he was assigned to 12th Valhallan Field Artillery and as they travel to Perlia. A planet on a war with the orks. Cain and his army are part of reinforcing but because of a trap they are laid thousands of miles behind enemy lines with thousands upon thousands of Orks between them and safety. He must cope with rebels, planetary defence (for what they are worth of it) and escort train of civilian refugees through some rough battles.
In this novel we are back to his first years (with only Jurgen from other books) where he wasn't so famous. This book follows the same writing as the previous with all black humour that Sandy Mitchell as accoustement us. This book we learn more about Cain and by far the best character driven of all series. How can a coward can inspire demoralised defenders.
Strangely enough we learn that he is reported KIA due to bureaucratic controversy and then there is a order that Cain is never to be reported KIA and so after he is long dead by old age he is still on active duty roster.
We also learn a lot about Orks. One thing is that they have a belief that any vehicle painted red or given red strips will go faster than normal.
In the end it was another good story about Cain as the previous books but it lack something that the other books had. I can't say what...
Rating: 6/10
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