Ciaphas Cain reading order

The Warhammer 40K Ciaphas Cain novel series, written by Sandy Mitchell, is one of dark humor and action as we follow the vibrant career of Commissar Ciaphas Cain. But what is the best way to read this rich series?

Every way to read the Ciaphas Cain series

There are only two ways to read the Ciaphas Cain series, in the order of which they were published, and in the chronological order of events.

In this case, the publication order is almost objectively the best order in which to read this subversive series. This is because although the timeline jumps around a little, Mitchell does a great job of referencing these other stories. If reading chronologically, the reader wouldn’t understand such passages, leading to a jarring experience.

Also, the Ciaphas Cain books aren’t written as conventional stories for the most part, but as snippets of Cain’s life that he wrote down during his retirement. The “Cain Archives,” then, are best experienced as they are revealed through the publication order.

Naturally, if you really want to, you can read these stories through a chronological order, although I should note that a comprehensive resource that places all of the Ciaphas Cain doesn’t exist in the public domain, as there is some ambiguity in the timeline for certain entries. But you can still read the most integral books in chronological order, and then read the others.

Please note that there may be more Ciaphas Cain stories, although nothing is currently confirmed.

Publication order for Ciaphas Cain

The most recommended way to read the Ciaphas Cain stories is through the publication order. I have included all Ciaphas Cain franchise stories in this order, including audio dramas.

Also, instead of listing each novel and novella individually, I have decided to list the omnibuses that encompass them, instead. Although the omnibuses were collected years after the individual stories were written, I will be regarding the publication date of the stories inside. The omnibuses provide a cheaper and easier way of reading, and it complies with the publication order.

A few stories were published in between the stories of the third omnibus, but weren’t included in the omnibus. For ease, I have listed them after, although you can insert them easily into the publication order when you go about reading. I would still recommend reading to this order, as the author collated those specific stories together for a reason.

The contents of the omnibuses have been indented below them for viewing ease.

1. Hero of the Imperium (omnibus, 2007)
   • Fight or Flight (short story, 2002)
   • The Beguiling (short story, 2003)
   • For The Emperor (novel, 2003)
   • Echoes of the Tomb (short story, 2004)
   • Caves of Ice (novel, 2004)
   • The Traitor’s Hand (novel, 2005)
2. Defender of the Imperium (omnibus, 2010)
   • Sector 13 (novel, 2005)
   • Death or Glory (novel, 2006)
   • Duty Calls (novel, 2007)
   • Traitor’s Gambit (short story, 2009)
   • Cain’s Last Stand (novel, 2008)
3. Savior of the Imperium (omnibus, 2018)
   • Emperor’s Finest (novel, 2010)
   • The Last Ditch (novel, 2012)
   • Old Soldiers Never Die (novella, 2012)
   • The Greater Good (novel, 2013)
   • The Smallest Detail (short story, 2013)
   • The Little Things (short story, 2012)
   • A Mug of Recaff (short story, 2015)
4. Dead in the Water (audio story, 2011)
5. The Devil You Know (audio story, 2014 )
6. Hidden Depths (short story, 2014)
7. Choose Your Enemies (novel, 2018)
8. Last Night at the Resplendent (short story, 2020)
9. The Bigger They Are (short story, 2021)
10. The Only Good Ork (short story, 2022)
11. Rotten to the Core (short story, 2022)
12. Three Questions (short story, 2022)
13. Vainglorious (novel, 2023)

There you go! A whopping 13 entries that turn into 28 stories. This is generally agreed to be the best way to read the Ciaphas Cain stories, although if you really want to read it chronologically, you may be disappointed.

Chronological order for Ciaphas Cain

Unfortunately, a complete list for the chronological order of Ciaphas Cain stories is not yet available. This is due to some ambiguity in the timeline and because no brave soul who owns all of the stories has stepped up to set the record straight.

We do have a half-complete list, however, which you can see here:

1. Fight or Flight (short story)
2. Sector 13 (short story)
3. The Beguiling (short story)
4. Death or Glory (novel)
5. Echoes of the Tomb (short story)
6. The Emperor’s Finest (novel)
7. Dead in the Water (audio story)
8. For the Emperor (novel)
9. Caves of Ice (novel)
10. Duty Calls (novel)
11. The Traitor’s Hand (novel)
12. Old Soldiers Never Die (short story)
13. The Last Ditch (novel)
14. The Traitor’s Gambit (short story)
15. The Greater Good (novel)
16. Cain’s Last Stand (novel)

We know that Cain’s Last Stand must be the final book in the series, unless Sandy Mitchell wants to go against what’s been established or surprise us. There are 12 stories currently not present in this order, which is a lot to miss out on if you are to stick to this reading order.

If ever a brave soul comes forward with a comprehensive and accurate chronological order for the life of Ciaphas Cain, I will revisit this order. But for now, this is the best we’ve got.

Now that you know all we know about Ciaphas Cain, one of the greatest Warhammer 40K novel series, you can get stuck in with his accidental antics.