Although Cain admits to using people and merely pretending to care, he actually does care and this is most apparent when he deals with his loyal aide Jurgen and Colonel Kasteen of the 597th, amongst a few others. One does not expect anyone to care much about strangers but how they treat those who are closer reveals what they truly are.
And although he constantly takes this self-centered approach, he still tries to strike a balance and not be too selfish.Ĭain’s qualities or lack thereof are most apparent when dealing with recurring characters. It is not that he wants to maliciously hurt others, he just wants to cover himself which, up to a point, is fair enough. The author has constructed the pathos quite nicely as Cain has some sense of honor. This is probably because just about anyone can relate to self-preservation. Nonetheless, Cain is an interesting person and, more importantly, relatable and even likable. It’s unlikely a reader will “feel” that ambiguity like one might about Garak or Quark in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. Although not the most original idea, the results are at times comical.Ĭain is a morally grey character, at least that would register as such intellectually although it may not resonate emotionally. Cain is basically a mix of the “accidental hero” and the “reluctant hero” who fulfills his duty in his own selfish but not entirely dishonorable way either by fluke and/or by manipulation. Whilst Cain has a certain simplicity about him, Mitchell writes him with some complexity.
And that includes not merely running from imminent danger but also scheming to avoid potentially unpleasant assignments. By Cain’s own admission, however, he is a coward who just wants to survive and will go to some lengths to avoid danger. To almost everyone else, Cain is a hero who is loyal, capable and, unlike some commissars, fair-minded and even caring. The stories are presented as Cain’s memoirs, obviously written in first-person. As such, this should be read as a review by someone who has a mild interest in this fictional universe.
I must qualify that I am not an expert on Warhammer 40k. This collection was first published in 2007. Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium by Sandy Mitchell (pseudonym for Alexander Michael Stewart) is a collection of the first three short stories and first three novels featuring Commissar Ciaphas Cain as the main character.
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