The Ciaphas Cain short stories are a batch of Sandy Mitchell’s side tales about Warhammer 40k’s most reluctant hero. They fill in gaps between the novels and show Cain at every stage of his career, from green commissar to old soldier.
What the Ciaphas Cain short stories actually are
They’re a set of shorter pieces written by Sandy Mitchell, mostly published between the novels. Some appeared in Black Library anthologies or as standalone ebooks, and many were later gathered into the big omnibus editions.
They follow the same format as the novels: Cain’s private memoirs, edited and footnoted by Inquisitor Amberley Vail. That framing is half the joke, and half the reason the stories work.
In 2023 Black Library released Ciaphas Cain: The Anthology, a collection of thirteen short stories plus the novella Old Soldiers Never Die. It’s the easiest way to get most of them in one place.
What’s in the anthology
The Anthology pulls together stories from across Cain’s life. You get early-career pieces like Fight or Flight and Echoes of the Tomb, mid-series entries like Sector Thirteen and Traitor’s Gambit, and later ones such as The Smallest Detail and Rotten to the Core.
The novella Old Soldiers Never Die sits alongside them, though it originally came out as a limited edition in 2012 and was also included in the Saviour of the Imperium omnibus.
One note: a couple of the short stories, like The Bigger They Are, The Only Good Ork, Three Questions and Last Night at the Resplendent, aren’t in this particular anthology. You’ll find those elsewhere.
Why they matter to the series
The shorts aren’t just filler. They let Mitchell try different tones, from straight action to outright farce, without committing to a full novel. Some of the best Cain moments live in them.
They also connect directly to the novels. Fight or Flight, Echoes of the Tomb and The Beguiling were collected into the Hero of the Imperium omnibus, while Sector 13 and Traitor’s Gambit went into Defender of the Imperium. So if you’ve read the omnibuses, you’ve already met some of these stories.
For completionists, the shorts fill in the chronology. You see Cain with the Valhallan 12th Field Artillery before the 597th, and you get smaller, stranger missions that don’t fit a novel’s length.
- They use the same memoir framing as the novels, edited by Inquisitor Vail.
- Several were folded into the three main omnibuses.
- The 2023 Anthology gathers thirteen shorts plus one novella.
- A few shorts still sit outside the Anthology.
Where they fit alongside the novels and audio dramas
Cain’s full bibliography is bigger than just the novels. Alongside the short stories there are two audio dramas, Dead in the Water and The Devil You Know, plus the later novels Choose Your Enemies and Vainglorious.
If you’re new to Cain, the novels are the main course. The short stories are the side dishes: quick, funny, and often just as sharp. The Anthology is a good place to start if you want a sampler before committing to a full novel.
Sources differ slightly on how many shorts exist and which collection counts as definitive, so it’s worth checking a current Black Library listing if you’re hunting a specific one.
Key facts
- Written by Sandy Mitchell and published by Black Library.
- Ciaphas Cain: The Anthology (2023) collects 13 short stories and the novella Old Soldiers Never Die.
- Several shorts were previously collected in the Hero of the Imperium, Defender of the Imperium and Saviour of the Imperium omnibuses.
- The stories use the same memoir framing as the novels, edited by Inquisitor Amberley Vail.
- A few shorts, including The Bigger They Are and Three Questions, aren’t in the Anthology.
FAQ
Do I need to read the novels first?
Not strictly. The shorts stand alone well enough, though you’ll get more out of them if you know who Cain and Jurgen are. The Anthology works as an introduction.
Are all the Ciaphas Cain short stories in the Anthology?
No. It has thirteen shorts plus the novella Old Soldiers Never Die, but a handful like The Bigger They Are and Three Questions aren’t included.
Who writes them?
Sandy Mitchell, the same author behind the Cain novels. The audiobooks are performed by Stephen Perring, Penelope Rawlins, Emma Gregory and Phillipe Bosher.