“A humorous take on the Warhammer 40,000 Universe.” ~The Founding Fields

Alright, here’s my review for Dead in the Water, the first Ciaphas Cain Audio-Drama, and the latest instalment in the Ciaphas Cain series, and takes place on a river-world, where the hero of the Imperium must deal with a dangerous enemy, whose true identity remains unknown to the forces of the Imperium.

Before the foe must be dealt with however, it must revealed, and to do that, the only way Cain and his aid Jurgen can do it, is to meet the threat head on.

Although the plot is very simple, Mitchell does his best to pull off several awesome scenes in the seventy minutes that he has been gifted with.

Now, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the way Ciaphas Cain stories are written in (Like myself, until I read The Emperor’s Finest a few months ago), they are told in first person, which brings an interesting change to Black Library novels (and audiobooks), as the majority (Helsreach (Although only partly) and Waiting Death are two exceptions), are told in first person, by the Commissar himself as he recounts his memoirs.

I feel that the effects of this audio drama were done pretty well, and by Toby Longworth, I might add, who had done the majority of the Black Library audio-dramas including the Garro Audiobooks. The distinctive music was also done well, too, making this defiantly one of the better audiobooks produced by Black Library.

The voices of Cain and Jurgen are finally brought to life in this audiobook, and it’s great to see that they don’t sound out of character, as Cain’s voice is low and rough. The voice of Amberley Vail, although only giving a lone introduction to the audiobook at the beginning, is awesome.

However, despite the good things that I’ve talked about above, there are still a few negative comments that I have to offer about this audiobook, firstly the ending, which I found to be a little rushed, if I do say so myself.

Also, I found this audiobook to have a predictable plot which I guessed what would happen before it did, but nonetheless I still found it pretty decent.

Now, switching sides of the argument again, if you’re looking for an audio drama that builds up tension towards the ending (even though it is predictable), this is the one for you. Using lines like “If I had known what was coming next,” and so forth, it keeps the reader entertained.

Verdict: 3/5

More Ciaphas Cain: For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory, Duty Calls, Cain’s Last Stand, The Emperor’s Finest, Dead in the Water, The Last Ditch