Customer Reviews

Traitor General (Gaunt's Ghosts Novels)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dan Abnett again provides a wonderful page-turner of a novel in the Gaunt's Ghosts' storyline. The prologue sets the stage quite well, as the commanding officers of the Ghosts are not present at a function they normally would attend, replaced instead by other familiar faces.

The leadership along with a select squad of some of the most able of the Ghosts has been tasked with a very important and secret mission. They have journeyed to a Chaos-held world to seek their quarry, whose identity is kept secret for most of the book but should be known to readers of an earlier book in the series.

The Ghosts are forced to trust people they normally would not, and they are forced to go places and face foes that others would almost certainly avoid. Not only must they face the Chaos forces, they must deal with the insinuation into their very beings of the essence of Chaos. Unity begins to wear among the group as they near their quarry, and the reader must worry whether they will destroy themselves in internecine conflict.

As with the other Ghosts novels, the characters are very well-developed, but it is through the Chaos effects that we see somethings that were only hinted at before. There are of course a number of battles, but not terribly gruesome as some of the earlier books. The body count, perhaps due to the small size of the infiltrating force, is lower than most of the preceding books. The ending, however, is something of a punch in the gut, despite not being entirely unexpected. More great WH40k action, though, at its best.

Abnett returns to his Gaunt's Ghosts series with a bit of a departure: instead of the sweeping, epic style engagements that we've come to expect from the Tanith First and Only, Traitor General is the story of a commando mission undertaken by a select contingent of Ghosts. This small unit action not only superbly highlights the Ghost's skills at stealth and infiltration, but its tight focus also provides an excellent opportunity for Abnett to thoroughly examine some of the more colorful members of the Ghosts.

Similar to Abnett's earlier Double Eagle, Traitor General is set on an Imperial world occupied by the forces of chaos. Unlike Double Eagle, however, there is no longer any organized Imperial military presence left to combat the invaders. All that remains to hinder the entrenched chaos forces are small cells of beleaguered, ill-equipped partisans. It is into this bleak setting that Gaunt and his small band of commandos are thrust, charged with an almost certainly suicidal mission of the utmost importance to the Sabbat Worlds campaign.

Traitor General benefits from a rich cast of antagonists who receive almost as much attention from Abnett as do the individual Ghosts themselves. For the first time that I'm aware of, readers are treated to a long look at the inner workings and administrative bureaucracy of the chaos forces. From the lowest street enforcers to elite front line combat troops, from brutal chaos space marines to petty bureaucrats, Abnett reveals all. One chaos minion in particular is placed at the forefront of the story and elicits a great deal of understanding and sympathy, if not approval, from the reader. On the other end of the spectrum, Abnett introduces us to one of the most terrifying, macabre chaos constructs ever envisioned.

If Traitor General has a flaw it's that the ending is rather abrupt and doesn't provide all the closure that most readers will probably crave. That having been said, future installments in this story arch are a certainty and will likely address all unresolved issues. All in all, this is yet another terrific offering from the finest author in the Black Library stable.

Dan Abnett brings another well-written story and introduces the first installment of a new arc in the Gaunt's Ghost saga. As I continued to read each page, unable to put the book down, I slowly came to the realization that this is what Gav Thorpe's "Last Chancers" novels should've been like, instead of the lackluster manner in which they were presented and abruptly concluded. For those of you already familiar with signature characters within the Tanith First & Only, you'll be satisfied with how the story begins and with how it develops and concludes. I really appreciated the way the identity of the traitor was deliberately kept hidden and hinted at through subtle references, which, if you remember the details of each of the previous novels, you will quickly deduct who the Imperial turncoat is before the official reveal later in the story.

Like in "Double Eagle", Dan Abnett masterfully lays the ground work by introducing us to the world and its people as they toil under brutal Chaos occupation with remnants of the PDF stoically carrying on an underground resistance through independent cells operating in each city and township. In this manner, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his elite team of Imperial Guard mission specialists enter the story and then, things take off.

Many intriguing new elements are revealed in this story, which undoubtedly will bear fruit in future novels inevitably fated for publication in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future. Other elements left over from the conclusion of "Sabbat Martyr" are referred to, and by their mention, allude to possible inclusion and further development and revelations in subsequent installments in this new story arc, known as "The Lost".

Despite what any other reviewer states in the content of their review or their title/heading, "Traitor General" is topnotch 40k fiction and every bit as good as any of the previous novels created by the masterful storytelling of Mr Abnett.

I received this book in the mail and finished it in less than 2 days and now I ravenously await the publication of the next novel! If you enjoy 40k fiction, enjoy a good story with well-developed characters, and specifically like stories about war, soldiery, and courage - YOU HAVE TO GET THIS BOOK.

Eighth instalment in the Gaunt's Ghosts series, Traitor General is decent fiction on its own - but if you haven't read the other Gaunt's Ghosts books, this would not be a place to start. Too many references to past events. In context with the seven previous books, this is both an excellent continuation and a nice break.

For the first time, we have a whole book where a few Ghosts (Gaunt and about a dozen others) are detached from the regiment on a special mission. That's bad in itself, since one of the strengths of this series has always been its development of minor characters and the resulting interplay; seven books (eight, now) gives a lot of room to develop some quite complex relationships.

On the other hand, not all the characters on the mission are "big names" - there's a few minor characters on the team and they get plenty of screen time; it's good to see them get fleshed out. Pyromaniac Brostin (the flamethrower guy) is particularly good - I love one particular scene involving a barrel of flame-retardant jelly that I can't really describe further here for spoiler reasons.

The action is as good as anything else Abnett has done, although by necessity the firefights tend to be a bit smaller in scale.

There's an interesting view of the administrative echelons of Chaos and what they actually do once they've taken over a planet.

There *are* slight inconsistencies with earlier books - the title character was a plain general (I'd imagined probably only a brigadier or so) when we last saw him, when he was arrested for treason. In hindsight he seems to have been promoted several grades to Lord Militant General, which apparently equates to theater commander... but this is a nitpick and the fact doesn't take anything from the plot.

For that matter, the bad guys are well-done and, although there's not much room for shades of grey when you're talking about Chaos, they do have realistic personalities.

Overall, a worthy continuation of the Gaunt's Ghosts series and a damn good book in its own right.

The Gereon Resistance believed that if it held out long enough help would come and their world would be liberated from the forces of Chaos. But when Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his team arrive, liberation is not in their Orders. Gaunt's team is to have the Resistance lead them deep into Chaos territory. There, they must locate and rescue a high-ranking Imperial officer that has been captured. This must be accomplished before the enemy manages to break through the officer's mindlock. Otherwise, the rescue mission becomes an assassination.

**** This is the first novel of "The Lost" series involving Gaunt's Ghosts. Judging by this story, the series will be a winner. (This series is part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.) At times the story slows down, but readers will not find themselves becoming too bored. I found myself fascinated as the officer's story began to unfold and I learn WHY Gaunt's mission is so vital. All-in-all, a very good read. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Dan Abnett really chose his material well when he began writing about the Ghost. These aren't Space Marine, genetically engineered to take everything the universe can throw at them. They are normal people, trying to survive in a world that's gone too harsh for them.
Its one thing to read about a huge armoured space marine facing down hordes of Chaos minions, bellowing about courage and honour, another to see it from the perspective of the normal men and women of the Imperial Guard, who has to face them down armed with nothing but their lasrifles.
Dan Abnett puts a human face on grim dark future where there is only war.

If you have never read a Gaunt's Ghosts story, this is a great introduction. A new story arc, first book of three for Warhammer 40K universe and Gaunt's Ghosts.
With a picked force Gaunt has gone behind enemy lines to a planet where Chaos rules and death is around every corner. Familiar characters are put through the ringer, again, not only fighting another war, but being infected by Chaos!
I'm not going to give anything more away. But I started the book at 11 PM.....and read it in one sitting. Riveting.

Another enjoyable book in this series, as usual abnett produces credible and competent villains, maybe less so than usual. This book detaches a small set of the ghosts for an infiltration and assassination mission on a chaos-controlled world, Gereon. It also deals with the gradual re-emergence of the traitor general while in the hands of chaos forces.

spoilers follow

descriptions of the tools and forces available to chaos (wirewolves, glyphs) was very well done, typical abnett. the entire chaos-enviroment background was seemless and really set the tone of this book.

gaunt's forces taking out a squad of chaos ex-astartes, on the face of it, was hard to buy, even with abnett's writing.

book did seem to drag a little towards the end, but still enjoyable way to pass a few hours. a definite read.

Writing is tight, the characters are fewer in number and come more into focus -- even as they retain their own unique personalities (eg: Rawn still hates Gaunt even if they are on a special mission) -- and the Traitor General himself is quite approachable as a character until the very end. This is one of the best in the Ghost series.

Dan Abnett is truly the Master! The Black Library publishes some mighty fine stuff, but Abnett is still the best of the best! He can't write his novels fast enough! Taught, compelling wartime sci-fi set in the Warhammer universe; you have to scrape the mud from under your fingernails and scrub the Promethium fumes from your hair once (if) you can tear yourself away from one of his books.

Gaunt and his strike team are dropped into the midst of a Chaos infested planet on a suicide mission, with all the odds stacked against them. Thru cunning, luck, and the will of the Emperor...well, you'll have to read the book to find out eh? But to all you Ghost fans, all your favorites are along for the ride: Rawne, Venn, Mkoll, Criid, Larks...

The Gaunt's Ghost series is my favorite and he hits another home run here. If you're a Ghost fan, you have to buy this book! (I even broke down and bought the hardcover since I couldn't wait for it to come out in softback)