Commissar Ciaphas Cain, a man dubbed by Imperial propaganda as the greatest living hero of the Astra Militarum, knows the truth: he’s a coward. Through a combination of self-preservation, uncanny luck, and a well-honed talent for being elsewhere when the shooting starts, he’s somehow survived a career that would have killed any sane officer a hundred times over.

With his loyal (and perpetually unimpressed) aide, Gunner Jurgen, at his side, Cain must bluff, bolt, and bluster his way through a full-scale alien invasion—all while trying to convince everyone he’s exactly the hero they think he is.

In For the Emperor , Cain is assigned to the Valhallan 597th, a regiment formed from the uneasy merger of two warring units. His mission: keep the peace, avoid danger, and survive long enough to enjoy a quiet retirement with a full pension. But when a seemingly routine planetary defense mission against a minor xenos threat spirals into a desperate confrontation with the ravenous Tyranid hive mind, Cain finds himself trapped between a ravenous alien swarm, a suspicious Inquisitor, and his own reputation.

Stephen Perring (with Penelope Rawlins & Emma Gregory)