Customer Reviews

Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great airplane read. The heroes are always in peril, violent action erupts every few pages, and the characters are drawn with enough complexity and humanity that you actually care what happens to them. You don't have to slog through any boring parts to get to the good stuff; it's all good stuff. Don't be put off if you're not into Warhammer or Warhammer 40K or not into RPGs and wargames at all. I used to play RPGs when I was younger (and had more time!), but I never got into the Warhammer universe. But that's no problem here. You don't need to know any of the backstory. Abnett sketches in the universe quickly, and at no point did I ever feel lost or like I was missing out on anything. Think of these as simply good action-oriented military SF. They're not as hard-edged as David Drake's books, but then whose are? Abnett's books are pulpier, more rolicking--heck, just more fun.

One word of special praise. A lot of F&SF, and especially a lot of game tie-ins, suffer from terrible writing. These books don't. I write for a living and keep a copy of Strunk & White under my pillow, and after I've read several of his books Abnett still hasn't done anything to offend my refined sensibilities. Quite the contrary--some of his passages are so eloquent and evocative that I've copied them down and sent them around to friends. If you're used to thinking of gaming fiction as a big bucket of filthy coal, get ready to enjoy a diamond.

If you're looking for intense character-driven drama or Big Idea SF, this is not the place. Abnett is not trying to write like Greg Bear or Isaac Asimov, or David Drake for that matter. He's doing his own thing, and it's a fine thing in its own right. So judged on their own terms--as pure, action-packed entertainment--I give the books five stars.

I read fantasy and sci-fi to explore other worlds and people. The frustrating thing about a lot of it is that I'm always waiting around for a new volume to come out, or sinking a lot of time into a series only for my interest to fizzle. I'm an ex RPG gamer and, while I don't have the group nor the time to play, I still like to delve into the realms. So, I gave this a shot.

I don't play Warhammer (though, maybe I'll have to start), and I have had no knowledge of their fantasy or 40k worlds prior to this book. But I loved it. It was entertaining. I did find characters I want to know more about. And I am anxious to know more about the world. I've even picked up the 40k rulebook for some more background. Abnett does a great job introducing the world by immersing you in it. And I am excited to read more. Very excited. I think the Warhammer worlds may be exactly what I'm looking for. Worlds to be explored in fiction without forcing me to follow series plot-lines. The episodic nature of the fiction is great.

5 stars...

I can't get enough of this series...Dan Abnett is a superb writer with how he paints each individual character from the storyline w/ such realism, you can't help but find yourself caring about each of the characters and what happens. The combat is of an epic scale and very, very well-written. But be warned, the author doesn't pull any punches...this is the gritty world of Warhammer 40K, so characters die...and yes, I'll admit to being a bit upset when a favorite gets killed, but it only strengthens the realism and bite of the story itself.

Another thing I wanted to add was how the author captures the Spirit of what it's like to be an Infantryman. Knowing that you're the bottom of the pile and typically you're given the most difficult jobs b/c no one else wants it, but by the same token, you're given these kinds of jobs b/c you're the only ones who can pull it off. Underappreciated and overworked w/ the added bonus of the threat of a messy and painful death just over your shoulder as a constant companion, and the most you could hope for is that it'll be quick. And last, but certainly not least, that camaraderie you share w/ your brothers in arms that you find no where else in life. How you'll find that man to the left and right of you are your brothers in a way that you can't truly explain...and no one else who's never been there can quite grasp...I think Dan Abnett captures that feeling..at least to me he did...Anyway, I've read these books quite a few times over and I'm always pleased to do so b/c I feel like I'm visiting old friends....All in all...I highly recommend this series...

If you are a Black Library fan you know that Dan Abnett is the absolute king of the 40k universe and that anything he writes has been excellent. The Founding is an omnibus of the first 3 books in the Gaunts Ghost series and chronicals the beginning of the Tanith First and Only. The characters from the start are well thought out and compelling as is their story. This book will keep you coming back for more and unfortunately the next omnibus with the following 4 books will not be released until August, and the individual books are only available privatly and upon last check are a little pricy. Definately a good buy especially if this is your first foray into 40k.

I belive there are 11 gaunt books as of the time I am writing this (3/15/10) and I have just finished reading these first 3 in The Founding. The Chunky formats price is right and the books are extremely good. The men, then political intrugue, the action sequences and the players lost and gained all make for a great series. Not sure how 4-11 will hold up but I ahve the next "chunky" ready to read. Mkoll, Larkin, Gaunt, Bragg, etc. are all a blast to follow. As for Rawne, I can't wait for whatever is in store for him and Gaunt but its such a fun "bad" guy character and adds so much spice to the mix I hope its a long time coming.

Having discovered Mr. Abnet through the Ravenor Rogue and then Eisenhorn novels (yep, backwards) and then a few of his horus heresy series, imagine my delight to know that have only read about 10 of his 21 or so warhammer novels. I feel like a freaking kid in a candy store.

Very sorry to hear about the epilepsy diagnosis Mr. Abnet. I hope the medication helps and I make no apologies for hoping that you write for as long as you enjoy it. Stay healthy and listen to your doc's.

The peaceful, arboreal world of Tanith is commanded to raise a legion of troops to serve in the Imperial Guard, the billions-strong regular army of the Imperium of Man. On the day the Tanith1st is commissioned and depart for deep space, their homeworld is annihilated from orbit. Thus, they are the Tanith First and Last. The Tanith First and Only.

Many years later, the Tanith 1st has a new name: Gaunt's Ghosts. Under the command of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, the Ghosts have become a respected unit, skilled in battle and reliable under fire. But Gaunt, a political officer filling a military role, has made some very dangerous enemies in the High Command of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. The Ghosts are now part of the attempt to liberate the Sabbat Worlds from the forces of Chaos, but Gaunt discovers corruption and heresy may be taking root in the High Command, and he cannot trust anyone but his men in an effort to find a weapon of unimaginable power on the dark world of Menazoid Epsilon before his enemies do the same.

Over the past decade, Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts series of military SF novels and several related series have sold more than a million copies for the Black Library, a remarkable feat that has made Abnett one of the UK's biggest-selling SF authors with sales on a par with the likes of Peter F. Hamilton, Iain Banks and Alastair Reynolds. Many of these readers have gone on to become fans of the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe of which Abnett's series is part (although self-contained; the Ghosts books can be read with no pre-existing knowledge of the setting), boosting sales of the related computer games and the miniatures line.

First and Only is where the story began. For a first novel - although Abnett had previously done successful work in comics - this is a remarkably polished effort, with a superbly-executed structure as the main story thunders forward, interspersed with brief flashback interludes to key moments in the history of Gaunt and his unit. As a slice of military SF, this is top-notch stuff, with Abnett providing a reason for the carnage and using deft but not overdone characterisation to differentiate the various officers and grunts from one another and make the stakes in the battles clear. Military SF is a subgenre where it is remarkably easy to fall into cliche quite easily, but Abnett manages to avoid most of these issues and makes the few uses of standard military tropes - such as the unit's doctor who treats soldiers injured in battle willingly enough but refuses to fight himself - almost a welcome nod to a classic trope rather than anything too corny.

With a firm grasp of character and a superior ability to convey action (you can almost hear the bullets roaring overhead and feel the apprehension of troops stuck in foxholes), Abnett delivers a great, readable SF novel here and earns his comparisons to an SF Bernard Cornwell.

First and Only (****) is a fast-paced, SF military thriller. It is not generally available by itself anymore, but is readily available as the first part of the omnibus volume The Founding (together with its two immediate successors, Ghostmaker and Necropolis), available now in the UK and USA. There are currently twelve novels in the Gaunt's Ghosts series with several more planned, along with three spin-off works and several related Warhammer 40,000 game accessories.

I thought this omnibus was pretty good. The first book, First and Only, is the best of the three. Ghostmaker was neat, in that there were plenty of flashbacks which showed some of the Ghost's background. And Necropolis, the last one, was good. But not great. Some of it seemed a little rushed, but overall it was a good story.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a good, easy(in that it doesn't require too much thinking to figure out) read.

This Warhammer 40,000 omnibus gathers the novels FIRST AND ONLY, GHOSTMAKER, NECROPOLIS and the short story IN REMEMBRANCE under one cover, providing a seamless set of interrelated stories surrounding the chaotic Sabbat system, where the Imperial Guard faces invasion by heretical forces. Schemes, plots, subplots and a displaced army vie for control in a military science fiction series of scenarios certain to satisfy any reader of military science fiction.

Having never played the warhammer games and having no prior knowledge I was able to step into this complex universe and not be too lost in the beginning. The book kept me coming back for more. I've read it, The Founding, and am now reading the Lost. This book is the first step that is well worth it.

Read it.

This is possibly the best storyline in the Warhammer 40k Universe. I've read read this omnibus a hundred times.
The Imperial guard unit Dan Abnett writes about have depth, believable characteristics, and best of all, the whole series just feels REAL.
A must have for any fan of Military Sci-Fi