Ghostmaker: A Gaunt's Ghosts Novel (Warhammer 40,000) [Mass Market Paperback]

Dan Abnett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000

Join Commissar Gaunt and the Tanith First-and-Only as their adventures begin, from the tragic destruction of their homeworld to their first hard-won victories in the epic Sabbat Crusade.

The Ghosts are dog-soldiers in the endless war of the far-future. The heroic troopers that live and fight and die, unsung and unremembered, yet they must survive. They must be ever-vigilant for the evil of Chaos and the deadly rivalry of their allies for they are the First, the Last and the Only and if they should perish then the last few fragments of Tanith will be lost forever.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dan Abnett's writing rattles along rollickingly... From wholesale planet destruction... 'Ghostmaker' encompasses just about every type of conflict imaginable. -- SFX Magazine, June 2000

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Games Workshop (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671784102
• ISBN-13: 978-0671784102
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,812,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Abnett is a novelsit and award-winnig comic book writer. He has written twenty-five novels for the Black Library, including the acclaimed Gaunt's Ghosts series and the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies, and with Mike Lee, the Darkblade cycle. His Black Library novel Horus Rising and his Torchwood novel Border Princes (for the BBC) were both bestsellers. He lives and works in Maidstone, Kent.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Abnett is Gifted, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghostmaker: A Gaunt's Ghosts Novel (Warhammer 40,000) (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't like this book nearly as much as First & Only (or Eye of Terror), but it was still a fun read. I really got sucked in to the characters from the first book and wanted to follow their further exploits. While First & Only had a strong plot that held it together, this book is more of a collection of war stories. They read like they may have already appeared in Inferno! (the Warhammer fiction zine). I'm not a big fan of straight combat/action fiction, so this was somewhat disappointing. What saves it is the fact that Abnett is a truly great writer who really rises above this genre of game fiction. The war stories are interrupted by these almost poetic tableaus of the Tanith troops between battles: A soldier obsessively cleaning his gun, the MASH unit quiet and waiting for the coming onslaught of carnage, a General sharing coffee and small talk with the company cook. These bits are very effective counterpoint to the ferocious battles of the surrounding chapters.

I'm hooked. I can't wait for the next "Gaunt's Ghosts" book, I just hope that Abnett spends more time developing a compelling story arc and less time on the battlefield reportage.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good sequel to Tanith First and Only, August 2, 2004

By 

A. Sandoc "sussarakhen" (San Pablo, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ghostmaker: A Gaunt's Ghosts Novel (Warhammer 40,000) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dan Abnett follows up his first Gaunt's Ghosts novel --- Tanith First and Only --- with Ghostmaker and he does a good job to keep fans of the original hooked with the story. It doesn't rise above the original, but the characterization of major and secondary characters are explored abit further.

Ghostmaker also further explains the current Crusade campaign the regiment is on. Politics become an issue as well. Jealousy from other regiments with a more storied history helps add abit of a subplot to the main story. Gaunt and his men are put through the wringer as they accept missions or put into dangerous situations that slowly dwindle their numbers. This is sad and poignant for the fact that without a homeworld to call home anymore, they have no way of replenishing their regiment like other Imperial Guard units. This also means that for every Tanith who falls in battle, more of their homeworld and people's culture disappear. It really adds meaning to the title of Ghostmaker.

I would recommend this book to those who have read the first and still contemplating as to whether to pick up this sequel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't know why people don't like this book, it's awesome!, October 17, 2003

By 

T. Harris (Chillicothe, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ghostmaker: A Gaunt's Ghosts Novel (Warhammer 40,000) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second book in the Gaunts Ghost series, and while it's not the best Ghost's book, it's still a five star book. With a huge number of different characters in the books, I think this was a great idea for the series. Dan abnett was able to give more dimension to the characters and there past, which he brought to life in First and only.

Yes, this book is pretty much a collection of short stories and each story focus's on a different character. I personally don't like short stories, but the way Ghostmarker was written was awesome. The thing I don't like short stories is there short! they don't leave any time for character development and in less then an hour they are done. In ghostmaker, the short stories were there to show the character, and show their past, and why they are so attached to it.

Gaunt's Ghost is one of my favorite series of novels, and Ghostmaker is a must read for any fan of warhammer 40k or military sci-fi.