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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another adventure for the Hero of the Imperium (™️)! Whilest The Greater Good doesn’t do anything new or special compared to the previous entries in the series, I can assure you that if you loved those you’ll probably like this outing of Caiphas Cain and Jurgen, just as much. I wish the Tau part of the story had more depth to it, but overal another very enjoyable book!
Having read all previous novels I would say that this one was a bit disappointing.
The reason is that I expected more Tau action or at lease presence and they are not even there for 90% of the book.
So what's this tale about? The war is brewing in the Damocles Gulf and the Tau are basically winning a war in a planet where Cain is. After being defeated the Tau approach Ciaphas and ask him a truce with the Imperium. The reason is unknown but after the innitial meeting we learn Tyranids are coming and they must be fight together to save Damocles (and fight one another).
One interesting unknow point is who decided fromt he Imperium they fcould accept peace or is this a sector governemnt representive or did the high lords of terra had any knowledge of this peace? Tau are only present in that sector - so if they were presented in other sectors would that be valid? Ah.. small questions but I remembering having after reading them.
Then as both Tau & Imperium start protecting their worlds a small representative force attach themselves to Ciaphas (the same with the Imperium on Tau world but we never learn anything).
Then there is a initial problem with machines and for 30 or so pages is the only place where imperium and tau (well 3 or 4) are fighting together. Afterwards they are almost absent fromt he book. They didn't die. They just went away in other part of the world.
We've got some glimpses of Reclaimers Space Marine Chapter, some more interesting points on Magos Biologis from the Adeptus Mechanicus and some interesting points on Tyranids mentality and physiology. Apart from that we almost have no grand action or great battle. We've got Ciaphas Cain trying to stay alive with Jurgen and it was very interesting to see his feelings towards Jurgen go a bit further.
Another interesting story, and we always know that the covers of the books are propaganda takes where he has a bolter and a chainsword whereas we always see him fight with a las-pistol & chainsword. Now we know where the bolter is from... So either, these pictures since the first novel are taken from his later years or something is wrong lol.
Either way.. It's not a bad book. I prefer per example Caves of Ice & For the Emperor better. Both had Tyranids and Tau and interesting or not both are connected to this novel.
Interesting or not of the 9 books I've read so far, the first 6 I gave 4 stars and the last three I gave 3. So... only one more book to go and the series is over (unless they write more stories... )
The reason is that I expected more Tau action or at lease presence and they are not even there for 90% of the book.
So what's this tale about? The war is brewing in the Damocles Gulf and the Tau are basically winning a war in a planet where Cain is. After being defeated the Tau approach Ciaphas and ask him a truce with the Imperium. The reason is unknown but after the innitial meeting we learn Tyranids are coming and they must be fight together to save Damocles (and fight one another).
One interesting unknow point is who decided fromt he Imperium they fcould accept peace or is this a sector governemnt representive or did the high lords of terra had any knowledge of this peace? Tau are only present in that sector - so if they were presented in other sectors would that be valid? Ah.. small questions but I remembering having after reading them.
Then as both Tau & Imperium start protecting their worlds a small representative force attach themselves to Ciaphas (the same with the Imperium on Tau world but we never learn anything).
Then there is a initial problem with machines and for 30 or so pages is the only place where imperium and tau (well 3 or 4) are fighting together. Afterwards they are almost absent fromt he book. They didn't die. They just went away in other part of the world.
We've got some glimpses of Reclaimers Space Marine Chapter, some more interesting points on Magos Biologis from the Adeptus Mechanicus and some interesting points on Tyranids mentality and physiology. Apart from that we almost have no grand action or great battle. We've got Ciaphas Cain trying to stay alive with Jurgen and it was very interesting to see his feelings towards Jurgen go a bit further.
Another interesting story, and we always know that the covers of the books are propaganda takes where he has a bolter and a chainsword whereas we always see him fight with a las-pistol & chainsword. Now we know where the bolter is from... So either, these pictures since the first novel are taken from his later years or something is wrong lol.
Either way.. It's not a bad book. I prefer per example Caves of Ice & For the Emperor better. Both had Tyranids and Tau and interesting or not both are connected to this novel.
Interesting or not of the 9 books I've read so far, the first 6 I gave 4 stars and the last three I gave 3. So... only one more book to go and the series is over (unless they write more stories... )
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Review by Han Solo
The Greater Good (Ciaphas Cain #9) is another solid entry in the ongoing saga of everyone’s favorite reluctant hero. Cain’s still doing what he does best—trying to survive the horrors of the 41st millennium with a stiff drink in one hand and a bolt pistol in the other. And once again, he ends up looking like a legend while running from certain death. Classic.
This time, he’s stuck between Imperial bureaucracy and the ever-murky intentions of the Tau. The setup’s promising, and the banter between Cain and Jurgen still hits the mark—grimy charm, deadpan delivery, and enough battlefield chaos to keep things moving. The action’s there. The wit is there. But something feels… a bit by the numbers.
It doesn’t quite hit the highs of earlier installments. The stakes never feel fully gripping, and the Tau, while conceptually interesting, don’t bring quite the same punch as the Imperium’s usual nightmares. It’s more of a “shuffle the pieces” story than a game-changer. Fun, sure—but a little too safe.
3 out of 5 stars. Entertaining, familiar, and good for a few laughs—but Cain’s danced this dance before, and this time it’s a little short on rhythm.
The Greater Good (Ciaphas Cain #9) is another solid entry in the ongoing saga of everyone’s favorite reluctant hero. Cain’s still doing what he does best—trying to survive the horrors of the 41st millennium with a stiff drink in one hand and a bolt pistol in the other. And once again, he ends up looking like a legend while running from certain death. Classic.
This time, he’s stuck between Imperial bureaucracy and the ever-murky intentions of the Tau. The setup’s promising, and the banter between Cain and Jurgen still hits the mark—grimy charm, deadpan delivery, and enough battlefield chaos to keep things moving. The action’s there. The wit is there. But something feels… a bit by the numbers.
It doesn’t quite hit the highs of earlier installments. The stakes never feel fully gripping, and the Tau, while conceptually interesting, don’t bring quite the same punch as the Imperium’s usual nightmares. It’s more of a “shuffle the pieces” story than a game-changer. Fun, sure—but a little too safe.
3 out of 5 stars. Entertaining, familiar, and good for a few laughs—but Cain’s danced this dance before, and this time it’s a little short on rhythm.
I love the Ciaphas Cain series and I enjoyed this novel. But it felt like a bait and switch. It’s called “The Greater Good.” The cover features Cain and a Fire Warrior fighting Tyranids together. The story itself sets up a grand alliance of Imperium and Tau pausing their conflict to fend off a hive fleet. …and then they go their separate ways to see to their own worlds and we end up hanging out with Tech-Priests and some Space Marines. I think this is the first time this series has disappointed me. It still has all the other elements of his stories that I love, so I still enjoyed it. But it could’ve been better.
A fun Ciaphas Cain adventure with Tyranids and the Tau, it was good but not one of my favourites in the series - there wasn't anything that makes it stand out from the others, but I think if anyone enjoyed his other books they'd also like this one too.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Now into its ninth novel, Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain series is one of Black Library's longest running and most well loved ranges. Since the publication in 2003 of his first adventure, Cain's memoirs have seen him fighting all sorts of menaces across the galaxy, from orks to tyranids, necrons and the forces of Chaos. In the latest novel, The Greater Good, we see him facing an old foe in the shape of the tau, as he bravely (sort of) defends the world of Quadravidia from the upstart aliens. The situation soon changes however, as the threat of a new tyranid hive fleet forces the Imperium and the tau into an uneasy alliance. Caught in the middle of this, Cain's reputation as a Hero of the Imperium sees him called to act as intermediary between the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus and the tau.
Read the rest of the review at http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/the-greater-good-sandy-mitchell/
Read the rest of the review at http://trackofwords.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/the-greater-good-sandy-mitchell/
I liked this book. There was a lot of action and I liked the inclusion of footnotes. There was not as much Imperium/Tau cooperation as I thought there was going to be. Instead, the story is mainly Imperium vs. Tyranids. The constant laser fire kept me entertained.