Gaunt’s Ghosts – 6 – By Dan Abnett

Continuing my re-reading of the Dan Abnett series – Gaunts Ghosts – next up is book 6, Straight Silver

‘Commissar Gaunt and his men undertake a seemingly suicidal mission in the blood-soaked trenches of the 41st Millennium.

On the battlefields of Aexe Cardinal, the struggling forces of the Imperial Guard are locked in a deadly stalemate with the dark armies of Chaos. Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his regiment, the Tanith First and Only, are thrown headlong into this living hell of trench warfare, where death from lethal artillery is always just a moment away. The only chance for Gaunt and his lightly armed scouts to survive is to volunteer for a mission so dangerous that no one else dares accept it.’

The Ghosts are stealth and infiltration specialists, but when they are assigned to the wars on Aexe Cardinal they quickly find themselves in the middle of trench warfare… and to make matters worse the enemy has brought some very big siege guns into the war… and the trenches are under intense attack.

After repelling the first attack against their lines, Gaunt convinces the local command to use his troops in a more suitable location… but there is a catch; the Ghosts are split in two. One half is working their way through a forest – still miraculously standing after decades of war – and the other must hold the trenches… and find the location of the big guns.

Unfortunately neither mission is as it seems and the Ghosts have to explore the wood, where their own need for R&R may cause them to forget the basics, whilst those left behind in the trenches must find the guns, so they can be silenced.

Straight Silver is back to classic Ghosts (although it never went far), and I loved it. The descriptions of the battles, unlikely survival of the troopers, and death of some, whilst they infiltrate and fight their own boredom … often at the same time.

This is another novel set in the 40k universe that I was able to relate to, in a way that I sometimes struggle with Space Marines. The Imperial Guard / Astra Militarum remain just men and women… with guns and a little armour… dying in droves to keep the enemy at bay or making small progress. Straight Silver delivers on this promise.

Another great novel and a good read.

— Declan

Previous Gaunt’s Ghosts Book Reviews on Woehammer:

First & Only
Ghostmaker
Necropolis
Honour Guard
Guns of Tanith

Check out the Woehammer Book Review Archive for more reviews!

Gaunt’s Ghosts – 5 – By Dan Abnett

Continuing my re-reading of the Dan Abnett series – Gaunts Ghosts – next up is book 5, The Guns of Tanith.

‘The heretical forces of Chaos fight back in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, cutting off Imperial forces. Gaunt and his men must recapture the key world Phantine, in order to save the Emperor’s beleaguered forces.‘

Tanith have been joined by Hivers from Verghast – and it’s rapidly becoming a noun for the new soldiers. In The Guns of Tanith Gaunt and his ghosts find themselves fighting on another planet, and being picked for a dangerous mission. They must infiltrate the chaos defenders, find their leader and kill him.

Four teams of Ghosts are assembled to take on the task, whilst the rest of the regiment stay fighting the arch enemy and preparing for the assault. Meanwhile Caffran is accused of killing a civilian and Gaunt and Hawk must try to get him free… but will they treat the Verghastites differently? The Regiment must be as one, but is that possible?

If you’re this far into the series, it’s safe to say you already enjoy the style – and it is unashamedly page turning pulp fiction – and will be eager to read Guns of Tanith… and you definitely should. Dan Abnett’s great idea to bring in new blood in the form of the Verghastites allows new stories (rivalry, and integration) that wouldn’t have been possible with just the Ghosts, but it also answers the question on many readers minds — what happens when they all die? This is the Imperial Guard after all.

The side plot involving Caffran is well done, and a welcome relief from the bullets, lasguns, and explosions — although they are included aplenty in the main plot. Meanwhile the plot races forward, with stories of daring from the infiltrators but just enough gaps in their stories that you are left wondering how exactly they proceed – a technique I really enjoyed and could be very useful as a plot hook if you like RPGs in Warhammer 40k

Another great novel and a good read.

— Declan

Previous Gaunt’s Ghosts Book Reviews on Woehammer:

First & Only
Ghostmaker
Necropolis
Honour Guard

Check out the Woehammer Book Review Archive for more reviews!

Gaunt’s Ghosts – 4 – By Dan Abnett

Continuing my re-reading of the Dan Abnett series – Gaunts Ghosts – next up is book 4, Honour Guard.

‘Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts are back in the thick of the action in a battle to defend a vital shrine-world. But the vile forces of Chaos will never allow them to hold their prize for long and as the counter-attack rages, Gaunt is sent after the most priceless relic of all: the remains of the ancient saint who first led humanity to these stars.‘

In Honour Guard, Gaunt and his Ghosts are tasked with taking a Holy Sabat city, but given impossible deadlines by the General in charge, they have to capture the city quickly… allowing chaos to blow up the city.

Gaunt is blamed for the failure and given the opportunity for one last mission before command of the Tanith First and Only is taken from him – he must recover the bones of the Saint and evacuate them from the planet before it is left to Chaos.

The Ghosts fight through an enemy who shouldn’t be there, in numbers unexpected whilst trying to reach their goal. Meanwhile some injured Ghosts try to join up with the rest of the Tanith to be with Gaunt for his last mission.

More lasguns, big guns, tanks, transports, and fighting! All with Abnett’s characteristic page turning style. This book is a great addition to the books of the Imperial Guard / Astra Militarum and shows how humans can overcome the seemingly impossible in a far future where there is only war.

Another great novel and a good read.

— Declan

Previous Gaunt’s Ghosts Book Reviews on Woehammer:

First & Only
Ghostmaker
Necropolis

Check out the Woehammer Book Review Archive for more reviews!

Gaunt’s Ghosts – 3 – By Dan Abnett

I read Gaunts Ghost’s on their first release, but lost track of the books after a while. When Black Library offered the first trilogy on ebook at a discount I picked them up and have started to re-read them. You can read my review of the first book First and Only here; and the second Ghostmaker here.

The last book of the opening trilogy is Necropolis:

On the world of Verghast, a grinding war between two hive cities – one loyal to the Imperium, the other fallen to the worship of the Dark Gods – is bolstered by the forces of the Astra Militarum, spearheaded by the Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only. But bitter rivalries and treachery threaten to derail the defence of Vervunhive, and it falls to Gaunt to take command of the Imperial forces and forge victory from an almost certain defeat.

Necropolis is the third book in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series and it is getting closer and closer to being Sharpe in Space…! Or at least Sharpe does Warhammer. Whilst the first two books were essentially collections of short-stories about the Ghosts this is the first story about one battlefield from beginning to end.

Vervunhive is under attack from a neighbouring hive and the Warmaster has sent a few Imperial Guard regiments to shore up the defenses – but Gaunt and his fellow commanders are about to find that there is something more troubling is behind the attack – and that the defenders are not all fully invested in ensuring Vervunhive stands.

Abnett keeps all the action clear despite dotting around about the various combat zones. He also brings short vignettes of soldiers and hivers fighting and dying for minimal gains – or none at all. The Gaunt’s Ghosts novels are beginning to show the randomness of combat in the 41st millenium and the cruelty of it, the Imperium and the luck (or lack of it) that dogs the Ghosts.

Another great novel and a good read.

— Declan

Check out the Woehammer Book Review Archive for more reviews!

Gaunt’s Ghosts – 2 – By Dan Abnett

I read Gaunts Ghost’s on their first release, but lost track of the books after a while. When Black Library offered the first trilogy on ebook at a discount I picked them up and have started to re-read them. You can read my review of the first book First and Only here!

Having finished the second book, let’s have a look at it:

On Monthax, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his Tanith First-and-Only await the order to advance into the sweltering jungle and drive the alien eldar from the world. As battle approaches, Gaunt walks the lines, raising his men’s spirits and remembering their most heroic deeds – and the tragedies that have dogged Gaunt’s Ghosts from the day of their founding on lost Tanith. The day that Gaunt became known as the Ghostmaker.

Dan Abnett’s classic series of Sharpe in the Warhammer 40k universe continues with Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only regiment.

Gaunt returns with the Tanith First and Only in their second book and this one – similar to the first – is essentially a series of short stories. Each story covers one of the main Tanith characters, their relationship with Gaunt and within the Tanith Ghosts and as a solider.

As this is my second time reading the series, it was great to read the background and history of the main characters who we grow to know so much about later and this is a fun way to introduce… but it is a collection of short stories, and if that isn’t your thing this will likely be a disappointing book, that you may want to skip and return to later when you have more emotional investment in the characters.

— Declan

Gaunt’s Ghosts – 1 – By Dan Abnett

I read Gaunts Ghost’s on their first release, but lost track of the books after a while. When Black Library offered the first trilogy on ebook at a discount I picked them up and have started to re-read them. Having finished the first book, let’s have a look at it:

In the Chaos-infested Sabbat system, Imperial Commissar Gaunt must lead his men through as much in-fighting amongst rival regiments as against the forces of Chaos.

For a thousand years, the Sabbat Worlds have been lost to the Imperium, claimed by the dread powers of Chaos. Now, a mighty crusade seeks to return the sector to Imperial rule. And at the forefront of that crusade are Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only – better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts. Trapped in the grinding trench warfare of Fortis Binary, the Ghosts find themselves drawn into a conspiracy to assassinate the crusade’s leader, Warmaster Macaroth. With enemies all around them and no one to trust, Gaunt and his men must find a way to save the warmaster and prevent the Sabbat Worlds Crusade from falling into anarchy – even if it means waging war on their supposed allies.

Dan Abnett’s classic series of Sharpe in the Warhammer 40k universe starts here, with Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only regiment.

The men of Tanith are forced to leave their homeworld when Chaos attacks and Gaunt takes the regiments off world to save them for the Emperor… to die later!

This is essentially a collection of short stories / novellas with the characters and regiment introduced slowly. The stories are also ordered in a non-chronological order, but this just means you find out information as Abnett intended. Whilst there is a not a lot of character development here – apart from Gaunt – there is a lot of information about the Tanith First and Only and about their world. You get the impression of what Tanith is like, and a view into how the scouts are able to contribute to the fighting of the Imperial Guard / Astra Militarum.

A classic in the Warhammer 40k Universe.

— Declan