Customer Reviews

Only in Death (Warhammer 40000)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The men and women of the Tanith First-and-Only, a.k.a. Gaunt's Ghosts, knew that this would not be an easy task, but when are they ever easy? Trouble is what they do. Now they are on Jago, a fortress world built along the trailwards salient of the Cabal System. As others are thrown into areas where the fighting is already intense, Gaunt's Ghosts' objective is Hinzerhaus, a labyrinth house full of hidden passages, surprises, and possibly something supernatural. Though no one has set foot in Hinzerhaus for decades, if not a couple of centuries, the lights are still on. Dim, but on, the lights pulse as if in rhythm to its own heart beat. The Ghosts are to find, secure, and hold it. They are to deny any attempt by the enemy to enter or pass through the area.

Each member of the team begins hearing odd sounds. Echoes from people that do not exist. Ghostly footsteps seem to come up from behind them, pass, and then continue on down corridors. Teammates, long dead, show up to offer tactical advice, give a heads up on incoming fire, or leave small gifts. To make matters worse, the enemy seem to know all the hidden passages and use the information to set up ambushes. Lack of water is a major problem. Snipers keep attention to the areas and nowhere seems safe choppers to land and deliver the much needed water or ammo.

Commander Ibram Gaunt does his best to keep his people alive as the situation continually worsens. Dalin Criid, the first son of the Ghosts, has Hinzerhaus as his first mission. He has to do more than prove himself. It just may be up to Dalin to save them all.

***** This is probably my favorite of the Gaunt's Ghost series. Not only is this story well planned and executed, but the strange happenings seemed to have no credible explanations. There were scenes that sent cold chills down my spine. The story starts out unnerving and keeps getting worse until the very end. For perfect effects, read during a storm at night. Military warfare meets paranormal in this Ghosts installment. Absolutely wonderful! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Wow. I have read most of the 40K novels that have come out thus far, and Abnett's have surpassed all the others in quality. But this book is something else. While there were a few of the Gaunt's Ghosts novels that seemed to drag or end too quickly, this book accomplishes everything that one could want from a novel.

As usual, Abnett has the best characterization in his writing from any other contemporary author that I have encountered. Despite the underlying brutality of the overall storyline and the specific plot of this book, Abnett delivers humor, heartwarming moments, illustrating the self-sacrifice that soldiers in certain death situations have for one another, along with his exquisite descriptive abilities of not just battles and combat but the setting in which the characters find themselves.

Set in something of an alien haunted house, the Tanith First and Only are tasked with securing and holding a fort far from any friendly forces. From the start, the unit members are demoralized and disturbed by visions, hallucinations, rumors, and fear. Certain that they will meet their ends at this posting, they nevertheless endeavor to make certain to sell themselves dearly. Facing down an enemy they've fought in a number of the prior books in the series, they also have to deal with their own inner conflicts. Amidst all the combat, they are forced to deal with the losses of their comrades, who cannot be replaced as they are the last of their world, as every death is a dear friend.

Abnett manages to achieve all the plot points to advance the story for the next book, while whittling down the unit even further amidst the hopeless battle in which he placed them. And still, he moves characters through their own personal demons and completes them. Too often in sf and fantasy writing, characters are flat. While some, as part of their specific nature by intent, are flat, Abnett makes it look so easy to make round characters of the bulk of the cast.

It's such a joy to read Abnett's works, but so sad at the same time. The sadness comes from knowing that there will be an interminable wait for the next book in the series. And since his writing is so intense that all his books are page-turners, they go so fast that despite the fulfillment, the reader is left wanting more. This book was easily the best I have read in a long, long time, in any genre.

Dan Abnett does it again! While some of the story is a departure from his normal writing style, there can be no mistake that we've returned for a battle with all the Ghosts intact. If you think about it, this story completes the story arc very well...it's the first time since "Sabbat Martyr" that the Tanith (Verghastite and Belladon) First-and-only is reunited as a regiment with Gaunt and led into a real knock-down drag-out battle. While the books in the meantime have been good, it was very cool to have this happen, as the combat at Cantible in The Armour of Contempt wasn't really the focus. Abnett had me on the edge of my seat for the last half of the book, after the usual great start.

This is the last book for a while, apparently, as Abnett is working on other projects this year and next. So I've heard anyway. I really can't wait to find out what direction the storyline goes after this.

Mkoll is my frigging hero. That's the only "spoiler" you get. :)

I am a fan of much of Dan Abnett's work, especially the Gaunt's Ghost and Eisenhorn series. Not great literature but fun reads. I think, however, that someone has gone to the well once too often. This book starts well, and has a great sort of uber-Maginot-line haunted house setting (though I think Mr. Abnett should win a prize for the most frequenct use of the term "Cloche Tower" in a work of fiction).

But the plot ends up just not delivering, at least not for me. There is a lot of increasingly incoherent action, and a kind of sophomoric deus-ex-machina, but all the potentially interesting plot threads just dribble away. For example, one apparently real character is actually a 'warp echo' sent by an unlikely ally, but nothing is made of this other than the finding out that he/she was a 'warp echo'. What? In other books the unlikely ally would have slowly built with increasing hints and tied into the rest of the plot, here we just have things magically dumped in. Unless you are an ardent fan the simple jumbling together of characters from all the previous books with almost no explanation will make no sense. If you are a true fan go ahead and buy it, but compared to many of the other books in the series it's just not there.

Finally.
This is the book i've been waiting for. The last book i read was Descent of Angels, and i was really in need of a book that wouldn't make me hate written word. Dan Abnett takes a semi-different approach to the story but, as always, never lets the story lag or in anyway feel like the themes are repeating. After finishing this book i find myself having trouble getting to sleep without my nightly dose of Ghost....."Dose of Ghost" sounds cool...But anyway, even if this story had ended the series i wouldn't have been mad. Because i have no problem going back and reading every book in the series over and over agian.... it is just that good.
In conclusion.
Long live Dan Abnett and Ibram Gaunt....oh yeah,and the King too.

I really liked this book but the Gaunt series is getting a bit darker than I like. One thing that is great about Dan Abnett's 40k stuff is that he tones down the inherent silliness and death-metal tone of 40k and makes a more believable world. Lately though it seems like he is leaning more towards the almost cartoonish gloom and doom of "true" 40k. I realize war stories rarely have happy endings though, and the story in this book is good stuff. I just hope the series lightens up a tad before they all get turned into Chaos daemons or something. :P

From the periodic journal and radio entries to the Ghosts seeing ghosts, this book is definitely a step up from The Lost story arc. It gets back to the ground pounding, blow-by-blow warfare that made the Gaunts Ghosts series so popular to begin with. And in a heavier splash of Lovecraftian horror and you have a truly fine work of Abnett.

Gaunts squad is given the orders to hold and guard the eastern flank by fortifying an abandoned military base known as Hinzerhaus. But there are, as always, a few minor problems. Hark, their chief commissar after Gaunt, is wounded and out of action. Several original members of the First-and-Only are seeing dead comrades. One of the high officers is hallucinating seeing a "daemon-wyrm" and is on the lookout to find and kill "her." None of the maps of Hinzerhaus they've been given are right, and most don't match one another. Hinzerhaus seems to have lights, but no power source, and appears to breathe.

Oh yes, and the Blood Pact are performing hit-and-fade attacks that're so well done that they seem to vanish like... well, like Ghosts.

I only give it 4 stars as I'm a harsher critic than most. This is a great read, especially in hardback.

Note that I am giving this book 5 stars, so please take all of my comments and criticisms in that context. This is a great book from Dan Abnett.

This is the first focused Ghosts entire-unit action story in a few years, since Armour of Contempt was split with some unrelated things. I enjoyed this more than anything since Traitor General, to be sure. Many characters get some screen time, and as always Abnett makes the fortress where most of the story takes place come alive (I am always amazed at how well he can make location/ambiance come alive in the reader's mind).

Now for spoilers. Don't read past here if you haven't read the book.

SPOILER WARNING - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

LAST CHANCE

Detailed comments - bringing back long-dead main characters via Larkin's ghost-seeing and via what is later blamed on Soric is a nice way to see faces long-missed. I am not sure Abnett has been able to create replacement personnel to fill the void left by Bragg, Colbec, and Brin.

While puzzled by the supernatural elements in the story and wondering how he would justify it, he pulls the Soric card out - How many of us have wondered at Soric's fate once he was taken aboard the Black Ship? I often wondered how his talent could be ignored as a battlefield asset, and wondered if he would just be fed to the astronomicon, but Abnett writes a doom for him which brings the gross inhumanity of the Empire into clear focus [It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable]. Nevermind that the statistical odds of Soric being on the same planet for the same battle as the ghosts must be extremely low. Trivia - I immediately caught the Soric reference 'Help Me' on the page facing the chapter header, as the related scene from Sabbat Martyr has stuck in my mind ever since, but didn't catch even then that he intended to introduce soric into the story... I am slow sometimes.

Gaunt's apparent death - While is was interesting to read how the unit carried on after his death, with Rawne taking command in his own style, I don't think this was fair to the reader. Once it became clear his body wasn't going to be found in upper 16, I started having shades of MkVenner in The Armour of Contempt. Then we are told Gaunt was seen FALLING OFF A VERY HIGH CLIFF, something which was not later explained in terms of justifying his survival. By then the reader is wondering if Abnett will actually kill the headline character in a successful franchise or will cheat at the last minute to keep gaunt alive. My opinion is that you have to play fair with the reader, and throwing out the assumed death card as done here isn't, as there is no reason gaunt should be alive (nor the guy from the Untill who went after him, in my opinion.). I personally think the series could be continued fine with Rawne as unit commander (Gaunt doesn't get much screen time anyway).

More generally the strong foreboding of the destruction of the Ghosts in this story does in a way come true (47% casualties), but unless I missed something all named/main characters survive - no emotional payoff to the tension. Abnett has show a willingness to kill named characters in this series before and has been ruthless in some of his other stories when bringing them to a close, but here I guess the payoff is supposed to be Soric?

Dalin Creed finally beginning to figure out who Gol Kolea is is overdue, imho. I know this has been written around since Gol first saw them (and Gol was brain-dead for many years), but still am not convinced recognition of a father would not be instinctive even after years at the age Dalin was when Tona found him. Clearly Abnett has decided to start moving things in that direction now.

He is developing Victor Hark more in this story, and it is enjoyable reading.

I have made some very pointed criticisms above, please take them in the context that I consider this a 5-star book from one of my favorite authors.

Dan Abnett finally manages to put the Ghosts in a haunted house and it pays off in spades. Huge battles, blood and guts, all are here with a significant creep factor in the mix that creates an impressive atmosphere. Like the other arc climaxes in the series(Necropolis, Sabbat Martyr) Only In Death is strong stuff from begining to end and makes for some great reading.
Eleven books in the series up to this point, still great, still interseting, still vital. Truly an impressive lot, all deserving to be read and enjoyed.

In this, the 11th book of the Guant's Ghost series the First and Only are sent to Space Afghanistan (OK, OK Planet Jago) to hold an ancient fortress against an endless hoard of chaos warriors. Low on ammo, surrounded and plagued by literal ghosts the heroes soon prepare for their last stand.

Basically if you liked the previous 10 books you'll like this one, it has the same strengths and the same weaknesses. Jago is vividly described as a dusty mountainous world (the parallels to Afghanistan are hard to miss) and situation becomes increasingly hopeless. Several major characters apparently die and minor ones must step forward and pick up the burden. There is a real mystery as ghosts appear to most of the characters that adds to the horror of the hopeless siege.

Unfortunately this book also has some of the same tired cliches, last minute saves, seemingly dead characters turning up fine and while minor characters die by the bucket-full, major ones somehow only get flesh wounds.

Abnett's plotting improves somewhat, the last-minute miraculous saves that fill the last part of the book are set up better than they have been in the past. But the book suffers because of the setting. Jago is so dreary and so hopeless that the first half of the book is a real slog to get through.

Abnett is still on of the best writers the Black Library has and his books are worth reading but keep in mind you're not really going to get anything new here.