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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Abnett matures as a novelist, moves from good to great, December 20, 2006
This review is from: The Armour of Contempt (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Hardcover)
Dan Abnett has, since the first Gaunt's Ghosts book, been a good writer with a gift for creating compelling characters and perhaps an even greater gift (which surely comes from his background as a comicbook writer) of telling stories paced, framed, and laden with the kind of potent imagery that normally comes only from film or graphic novels.
He began climbing the list of my favorite authors with the second Eisenhorn book, the Ravenor books, Double Eagle and the fantasy novel Riders of the Dead. With The Armour of Contempt, Abnett completes the ascent, and -- though my degree is in English and I'm supposed to live for the Carvers and O'Conners of the world -- he has become my favorite writer.
Why? Because he delivers the escapist fare I prefer, but has matured to a level where that's no longer all he is doing. This book, more than any other he has written, is more than just a story to be enjoyed on the surface level. There's an underlying message, and dare I say commentary here that shows that Dan Abnett hasn't removed himself from the grim darkness of the contemporary world he lives in.
He's always done exceptionally well in conveying the unforgiving, brutal nature of war. This book continues that, in better crafted, more visceral fashion than any attempt so far. But nestled in the tale, there are nuggets like this that seem to powerfully reflect events in our own war-scarred world:
"[Cirk] stared at her boots. 'It's such a bloody mess, isn't it, Ibram?
'It's not exactly as a I imagined it. I thought I'd be proud. I'm not proud of this. High Command didn't initiate this operation for the benefit of the people of Gereon. They're only bothering with Gereon because they think there's something valuable here.' "
With this book Dan Abnett has graduated from merely being an author who weaves a good tale wrapped around richly drawn characters. There's something real and important being conveyed here, and I don't think it's a preachy message. It simply adds a deep resonance to an already enjoyable story.
Well done. I shall look forward to his next effort.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing but Praise., February 6, 2007
This review is from: The Armour of Contempt (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Hardcover)
Simply Awesome. Dan Abnett does it again with Armour of Contempt in the Gaunt's Ghost series. I have really enjoyed following the character of Dalin "Holy" Criid as he goes through training to become an Imperial Guardsman and tries to join the Tanith First and Only.
The writing is still riveting, compelling and descriptive and the plot moves along at a rapid pace. I thought following two of Tanith's own in a "regular" battalion compared to the elite of the Tanith was a wonderful plot.
Dan Abnett continues to impress me in his creativity and writing. Each of his books are very unique and tends to compliment the entire series as a whole. There is a tendency for authors to emit a similar echo in plot (see Sharpe's series by Cornwell, or the Patrick O'Brien series). Not the case with Mr. Abnett.
From heroic last stands, to trench warfare, to urban warfare, to frontal assaults, to airborne assaults, to assassin missions, to suicide missions. He has brought it all to the Gaunt series.
Armour of Contempt is no exception and is just another marvelous addition to the Gaunt Series.
Pro- unique look at the underside of Imperial Guard Life and training, normal guard units, and the return to Gereon.
Con- Too short... I would have loved another 100 pages to fill out the ending...but I nitpick...and will just have to wait for the next book.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyable novel, though I am not clear on what the point is, December 2, 2006
This review is from: The Armour of Contempt (Warhammer 40,000 Novels) (Hardcover)
I enjoy almost everything dan abnett writes, and while I enjoyed this novel I did feel there was a notable lack of overall plot development or focus. Spoilers follow in this review.
spoilers follow. read at your own risk.
The general gist is that gaunt's unit is part of a large-scale invasion of Gereon, the location of the excellent Traitor General novel. A major side-plot is the enlistment of Dalin Criid, the son of Gol Kolea and adopted son of caffran and tonia Criid. Dalin ends up getting sent into a major engagement in the initial landing which ends up being a major storyline in the plot.
The Ghosts are used to take a small village and make contact with the resistance, who are then captured by the inquisition as part of a search for whatever might give them resistance against Taint. despite the billing of the novel as gaunt being against the orders he is given or whatever, he in fact follows his orders, even if he doesn't like them. We learn that MkVenner is dead, then learn 'well we didn't find a body' and finally that he is in fact alive. the ghosts leave, end of story, literally.
I think 300 pages was simply not enough to develop the dalin storyline and leave enough to build a primary storyline involving the unit. While a couple of new chaos-inspired enemies are introduced, you don't get the sense of drama or impact that Glyfs and Wirewolves gave. As usual, when long-running characters die, they do so in a dramatic and symbolic fashion rather than typical battlefield deaths like everyone else gets.
I am looking forward to Abnett's forthcoming Ravenor novel, but hope/wish he would be given more page allowance - 300 pages is simply not enough for this sort of work.
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