REVIEW: Audiobook: Ciaphas Cain: Dead in the Water
For those who are unacquainted with our hero, Ciaphas Cain is a roguish commissar who hopes to ride the waves of mediocrity to a comfy retirement. Despite his best efforts, he finds himself always meeting face-to-face with the Imperium’s most deadly foes. His uncanny talent for staying alive has inexplicably earned him the title of hero among his peers. The events of “Dead in the Water” are no exception.
The story itself has a distinct “Apocalypse Now” feeling to it, albeit with no lack of 40k flavor. Setting out on a gunboat with his Jurgen, his steadfast, reeking companion, along with a small crew, Cain seeks to find a missing Vostroyan squad. His unease as to the fate of the guardsmen only increases as he comes closer to the truth. What he finds will change the tenor of the entire planetary campaign.
The thing I liked the most about this audio book was the way the story drew you into its environment. While many readers enjoy the over-the-top craziness that is readily available in 40k fiction, there is something to be said for the way Sandy Mitchell makes his world so much more tangible to the reader. Ciaphas Cain is an appropriate hero in this sense, for his personality is more reminiscent of an indolent 19th century naval officer than a grimdark tyrant who suicidally directs his meat shield of a platoon to its doom. Commissar Cain always takes the path of caution, carefully weighing his odds of survival with every move. With Commissar Cain, even heroism on his part must be rationalized so that it does not conflict with his self-preserving nature. However, despite his calculated efforts to save his own skin, his skill in combat and reluctance to leave a task unfinished make it difficult to label him a coward.
The voice acting by Toby Longworth was extremely well done, with distinct characterization that left no question as to which person is speaking, even between the older Cain narrating and the younger Cain himself. The sound effects were executed in a way that added significantly to the mood of the story without being distracting.
If there was anything that I would change, it would only be to make the story a bit longer. At just over an hour, it left me still wanting more. This is not necessarily a bad thing in context. Had it been much longer, disc changing would then have to come into play, though in the era of iTunes and the like this consideration is becoming increasingly rare.
So, if you need some inspiration while painting away at guardsmen or whatever dark horror from beyond hits your table, I would certainly recommend this audiobook for the task.
