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Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Hello my fellow Dakka Dakkites, I thought with the recentish release of the fun Gaunt's Ghosts models, the Vincula Insurgency...novella, and the excellent audiobooks read by the talented Toby Longworth, I thought I'd write some reviews for each one, in no particular order. I'd also like to hear what my fellow Dakka Dakkaites think of them. Well, in the order I read them or listen to them, the 1st will be as I've just finished re-reading it for the umpteenth time...



As I've said in many different places and on many different occasions, Traitor General is my favourite Gaunt's Ghosts. I recently decided my favourite 40k book overall, which was emphasised even more after this re-read, so don't expect an unbiased review from me. I also used it as one of my books to review or write about in my third year of my creative writing course as a reference on how to write an ending as my upcoming novel: The Angaran Chronicles: The Underside has a similar ending, the main characters storming their enemy's base. So seen as though I've already talked about the ending of the novel, I will begin there...ironically. Nevertheless, spoiler warnings are to come.

I'm going to say it; Traitor General easily has the most well-paced and well done ending in all of the Gaunt's Ghosts books, in my eyes. Perhaps out of all of the 40k novels written by Dan Abnett I've read so far. Why? Easy, it's a small scale book that doesn't need to wrap up five or six plotlines at the end; the most egregious was in Unremembered Empire, I think/ While it doesn't have a huge war story to tell, it has many different Horus Heresy plotlines to wrap up and combine, I maintain if any other BL writer attempted to write such a book in 300 pages would've made it even more of a mess, I like Unremembered Empire, a lot, but it certainly isn't perfect. Writing a large scale battle in just 300 pages can be damned hard, but Traitor General doesn't have that problem. It's not perfect, mind you, as the eponymous "Traitor General", the most charming and friendly Noches Sturm's heel face turn is a bit too quick and out of the blue. Sure, it's because of his returning memories, but the process could've been a bit more gradual instead of: "I'm back to my haughty, arrogant self", then suddenly ", Oh no! Now I remember I'm a coward who tried to abandon Vervunhive, I deserve to die!" But otherwise, it's excellent, action-packed and quite satisfying.

This pacing is pretty much rolling so very well through the entire novel; scenes never drag; it's a true page-turner. I read it over a week on and off, which is fast for a 300 odd page novel for me nowadays.

Traitor General also benefits a lot from the smaller scale of the team being made up of twelve specialists instead of the large armies. Some characters really shine, most especially my favourite character, Major Elim Rawne, who gets an excellent arc to his character. How he overcomes his corruption out of a strong sense of self-awareness and truly embracing his humanity is actually quite tear-jerking, then he goes and saves Curth from the same fate. Quite beautiful, if I may be a bit melodramatic. Curth is another character who gets a bit of interesting development; Dan interestingly uses her almost as comic-relief in quite a few places, along with the normal comic-relief characters such as sergeant Ceglan Varl (who I'm glad was in the mission as I find him an immensely likeable character, I wish he got more screen time in almost all the books sometimes), the Old-lovable-Larkin and Beltayn, which is pretty cool. She and Brostin have a great scene together, and this novel also made me really like Brostin, a character I was kinda "Meh" about before much more (Dan Abnett has a skill for this as he made me like Rouboute Gulliman, another character I was meh about, so yeah). Mkvenner also has some interesting stuff revealed about him, and of the Nalsheen, his insight he makes of the nature of Chaos corruption is essentially my insight into Chaos corruption, how it doesn't turn the corrupted into someone else, so much as it turns you simply into your worst possible self this is how I show it in my 40k fanfic Secret War: Upon Blood Sands (which I've realised had taken a lot of influence from Traitor General) And is canon as far as I'm concerned. But even so, some characters fall by the wayside a bit in terms of character development even with the smaller focus, Criid (who still gets a little), Varl, Larkin, Feygor (who spends much of the novel sick), Beltayn and Mkoll kinda lag behind, which is a shame. Still, not everyone can get that spotlight, so that's okay. Gaunt being the main character, gets some development, but he's never been the most interesting character, in my opinion. First and Only was his book for all intents and purposes; he's sorta already had an arc in that, leaving him a bit of a flat character in subsequent novels, the exception being the underrated Honour Guard; that's not a bad thing; he's the kind of character, like Goku, who's more designed to make the characters around him change rather than change himself.

But each character gets some awesome moments to shine in the excellent action scenes. The battle against the Chaos Space Marines being the foremost, the way the Ghosts kill them is quite believable in my eyes. The battle against the interesting and scary as feth daemonic entities Wire Wolves, which is used to emphasise the Ghosts' strong camaraderie excellently.

Another great thing is the world-building of the Chaos corrupted Gereon. The Chaos occupiers are very interesting and nuanced, and the "pheguth" is an excellent perspective character to learn of it through. The main...contradiction I find strange is the "army" of Chaos occupying the world; before the coming of the Blood Pact, Chaos in the Sabbat Worlds was made up of fanatical cultists, but suddenly they have an army that has military ranks and quite well drilled which doesn't have an explanation or mention beforehand. You can say that they are only used for garrisoning, but isn't that for the interesting, freaky Excubitors who are basically police? I dunno; it might be me nitpicking.

I find it hard to talk about, that was the main annoyance of the teachers of my creative writing course, 'but what about how they convey this?" Uhh, I can't think of anything else to say; I'm a plot/character guy, so things like prose and themes. Being a genre fiction person, the prose is more a workmanlike thing than in "literature", where the writing is more about the prose than the story etc. The prose is great; this was before Dan Abnett went extremely streamlined in his prose for a while, and before, he seemed to throw away the descriptions of his more established characters entirely. Hence, it's strongly descriptive without going overboard, which I think he's grown away from lately. His use of simile is one of his strengths, especially because it's in service to his characters' voice of militaristic minded voice. Still, none stand out so much as the one I loved in "Armour of Contempt", where he describes a character being "like an unsheathed knife in a kitbag", which was just a brilliant way to describe a character.

Uhh, yeah, Traitor General good, I like it, I guess.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/22 10:00:42


"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Ohh...



I still have this version, and while in this cover art, Rawne and Corbec look really great, well...Gaunt...Gaunt looks like a dork, like an accountant cosplaying as a commissar for Halloween or at a convention, lol. Anyway, spoilers ahoy.

I like Honour Guard a lot; I think it might be more peoples' favourite Ghosts novel if it didn't follow hot off the heels of the excellent fan favourite: Necropolis. The tank combat is the highlight of this novel, or the highlight of the action scenes, far more than the toe tip of Necropolis. The battles between tanks are nicely detailed and exciting. I especially like it when a fething Baneblade shows up (back when they were the Alpha, alpha tank predator). It almost makes me try to one day GM a tank crew campaign of Only War or Dan would write more books revolving around a tank regiment.

This book also introduces a couple of great characters, recurring Zweil and Hark. Zweil, the...eccentric and awesome priest who is so funny and likeable; if he was the priest of a church near me, I might go to services even though I'm a pretty devout atheist. Hark, Hark's a great character too, a more grey area Commissar who goes through some good character development later. I think Dan Abnett has lost a bit of this skill over the years, introducing new, likeable permanent characters after Necropolis such as Zweil, Hark, Wes Maggs, Colonel Wilder, Ezsrah and Cirk (Sabbatine Cirk isn't really likeable, but she's interesting, at least). The new recurring characters introduced in Salvation's Reach are at best forgettable or annoying, such as captain, what's her name, who's just constantly whining, even after becoming a scout and finding her purpose. I miss Muril; she was a way better character, fething Cuu. Ugh, the trio of Space Marines are great, though; sorry, but I digress.

Speaking of Cuu, this novel introduces the massively hateable psychopath who was written in apparently because Dan Abnett lost his earlier draft and had to re-write it. It's hard to imagine the Saint arc without him. What an excellent subplot that ends in an interesting, logical and tragic, tear-jerking way. I wished he'd been 'ended' earlier in the peace, mostly out of emotional reasons rather than plotting reasons.

I like a lot how the novel delves into the themes of faith and purpose etc.; the "Wounded Wagon's plight is a nice contrast to the pessimistic, nihilistic world of Warhammer 40k. I do feel if I was a Ghost and probably being one of the more faithless of soldiers, I'd have followed Corbec up into those mountains, as he's fething Corbec. I'd be yelling as I hosed away with my las carbine 'for Tanith! For Corbec!" before being sliced down by mass las-fire as I'd likely be some random red-shirt lol. This includes another new character, Vamberfeld, and his character arc is...sad? I want to give the poor bastard a hug, and the way Bragg looked out for him was heartwarming, making me like the kind-hearted Bragg all the more, which made Guns of Tanith all the sadder.

This seems to be a theme of The Saint Arc, where Dan delves into the mental toll of war far more than the Founding Arc, which is more "swish!" "Bang!" "Awesome!" Necropolis really did convey how horrible war can be on a larger scale; the scale of slaughter on the Verghastite civilian population is horrifying. And the horrific things done by the Vervunhive's upper echelons, especially by the likes of Commissar Kowle and Salvador Sondar. But here, it's about the more personal. Vamberfeld is deeply traumatised, and this is conveyed in a true, tasteful way. He and Piet Gutes in Straight Silver and gak, Kolea who's trauma is more physical, are nuanced insights into PTSD and being mentally handicapped.

Bloody hell, I apologise for this stream of consciousness stuff.

I think another thing Dan does well, overall, is dialogue. It is natural and conveys character well. Most of the main characters have a strong tone/voice when they open their mouths. Zweil, in particular, is just unique in his wording and tone; it's one of the main reasons he's such a standout character in my eyes. Some of my favourite scenes are quiet dialogue scenes. Rawne confronting Gaunt near the end of the book about his motivations is especially great; just how brutal Rawne is in his verbal takedown is just him to his core, and one of the scenes that show Rawne is much more than the embittered, ruthless bastard he makes himself out to be. Then later, Rawne and his constant cynical snarking his scepticism of Corbec's and company's pilgrimage are some of the novel's most entertaining things. Gaunt's arc is great too; he becomes a grumpy, broken drunk early in the novel, which you learn why later when Rawne confronts him, and while he explains why he became a belligerent drunk can be thought of as "telling" not "showing" Gaunt's exposition is so well written it made me feel like I was there with him. Also, this novel makes Daur much more interesting and, dare I say...cool than any other, besides maybe Blood Pact he's never been the most interesting of the Ghosts, too straight-laced, too much of an "officer and a gentleman", but he shows a darker more manipulative side, here, which could be delved into more in later books, especially after what he goes through in Anarch.

The plot is great, and, again, Honour Guard has a strong sense of pacing even near the end of the novel. Again, while this is about a largeish scale battle, there are only a few plotlines to finish up. Despite the fact, the ending is an almost literal "Deus ex Machina", but the way it foreshadows and builds up to that "Deus ex Machina" almost makes it not exactly a literary "Deus ex Machina" if that makes sense https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeusExMachina. It's an interesting technology that could've saved Cadia if it wasn't an exclusive product of the "Daniverse". It's also kinda ironic that it was a product of...science? Or a "psychic trick" That was what saved them, not faith, which is their saviour in the end. I love the quote Dan has Saint Sabbat say at the beginning of a chapter "There are no miracles, only men." I even have Attelus Kaltos quote her in Secret War, but he couldn't remember who said it (which was sorta meta as I couldn't remember who said it at first, either) Which I sorta think is quite true in 40k as most of these "miracles" are the by-product of people with strong belief echoing in the warp rather than the divine intervention of the Emperor or whatever.

Uhh, yeah, I recommend Honour Guard highly, it was a strong beginning of the "Saint" arc of the Gaunt's Ghosts novels and I especially recommend it for anyone who wants to read about some awesome as feth tank battles, but also delves into the themes of faith and trauma than the novels before.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/25 04:34:15


"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





West Michigan, deep in Whitebread, USA

I will literally buy any Dan Abnett book with the faith that I'll enjoy it, after being introduced to the Ghosts back at book 1 all those years ago.



"By this point I'm convinced 100% that every single race in the 40k universe have somehow tapped into the ork ability to just have their tech work because they think it should."  
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

 AegisGrimm wrote:
I will literally buy any Dan Abnett book with the faith that I'll enjoy it, after being introduced to the Ghosts back at book 1 all those years ago.


I agree, I'd say even when at his worst Dan Abnett is great. I have problems with Pariah, but even with the flaws I see in that novel, there's so much great stuff to it, too, such as the worldbuilding of Queen Mab is incredible and how it has such a strong atmosphere on every page, so much so I feel I'm there with Beta Bequin.

"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




Huh. Abnett lost me long ago (though some of the stand-alones are fine). It seemed to get worse with each 'set' of books, to the point that it felt like the same kind of degradation in Harry Potter. Writer keeps ending up in corners, and relies on magic nonsense to off-screen the way to the next pack of standard challenges.

I don't even remember the rationale for throwing Gaunt back in command, but I started to lose interest at the anti-chaos mud or whatever that was.

Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Voss wrote:
I don't even remember the rationale for throwing Gaunt back in command, but I started to lose interest at the anti-chaos mud or whatever that was.


Chaos...fighting...mud? Do you mean the woad from the Partisans of Gereon's Untill? But that was a huge misinterpretation of the Inquisition of how the Ghosts managed to resist corruption.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, it only fought the physical sickness aspect of Chaos, not the mental/spiritual aspect.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/26 02:04:15


"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in us
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Huh just finished listening to this yesterday, and, well, it was much better than I remembered. While it's still far from my overall favourite in the series, I've learned much since first reading it years ago. That allowed me to appreciate the way Dan paints a scene in this novel and how he makes me feel I'm there taking part in the battle.

The Armour of Contempt has two ongoing storylines; one is of young Dalin Criid, both during his training in RIP (Re-education, Indoctrination and Punishment, acronyms are fun!) and then him taking part in a horribly stereotypical siege of a city on the corrupted world of Gereon. The other is Gaunt and his Ghosts taking a small town and then getting in contact with the Gereon Resistance.

Both are interesting storylines, the 2nd because it's almost a direct continuity of my favourite novel in the series and 40k in general, Traitor General. But in all honesty, Criid's story was way more interesting in my eyes. My earlier mention of the descriptions, of how they made me feel I was there, was all through Criid's eyes. I was with him as he ran toward the wall of the city. I was pushed alongside him as he was among the soldiers of the Imperium of Mankind as they poured through the gap in the wall into the city, then fighting with him as he takes part in clearing actions against the beautifully described, hideous Chaos soldiers defending the place. I feel his pain as he's punched in the face and feel the dirt splattering on him. His utter terror at the sight of the Greater Daemon.

It makes me wish I wasn't so lazy and impatient with my own descriptions lol.

Some of this immersion could be down to the great Toby Longworth's reading, but a lot of it is Dan Abnett's use of simile. The Armour of Contempt has my favourite simile from the whole series is when he describes a character as 'like an unsheathed knife in a kitbag', which is such an excellent way to show a character and does such a brilliant job for the 'voice' of a soldier. Brilliant.

Too bad this book pretty much ends the "Lost" arc, so Only in Death seems like it flows in the wind a bit, but I do like Only in Death and am looking forward to it being made into an audiobook, but still.

Anyway, the Armour of Contempt is good; one thing I noticed now, in hindsight, is some of the uhh foreshadowing for what he is revealed way later in Anarch. Hmm, foreshadowing might be too stronger a word as Dan Abnett does 'discovery writing' which is making it up as he goes along. There's also a nicely darkly irony-laden scene where Dalin Criid is convincing himself that it was the Emperor's will which placed him there in the first place. That kind of dark irony is one of the core themes in 40k in my opinion.

So, I liked it, yeah lol

"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Hi, everyone. It's been a while since my last post, but I recently re-listened to Traitor General, and I still love that book, perhaps even more so than before. Then I decided, for some reason, to listen to Salvation's Reach. Don't know why. Just felt like it, I guess.

Synopsis: The Ghosts of the Tanith First-and-Only have been away from the front line for too long. Listless, and hungry for action, they are offered a mission that perfectly suits their talents. The objective: the mysterious Salvation's Reach, a remote and impenetrable stronghold concealing secrets that could change the course of the Sabbat Worlds campaign. But the proposed raid is so hazardous, it's regarded as a suicide mission, and the Ghosts may have been in reserve for so long they've lost their edge. Haunted by spectres from the past and stalked by the Archenemy, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts embark upon what could be their finest hour... or their final mission.

Anyway, hmm, I have mixed feelings on Salvation's Reach, in all honesty, and quite literally, too. It is both one of my favourites and one of my least favourite of the series. Why? Because Dan Abnett got a bit too carried away with the "soap opera" part of the Gaunt's Ghosts, which he's referred to as the series in numerous interviews, including the last one I watched, but he didn't mean it completely, literally, but Salvation's Reach has a subplot that is a literal soap opera. I refer to the subplot of Elodie and Ban Daur. Which has too many pages dedicated toward it. In fact, there is a bit too much buildup overall. I remember reading it when it first came out was wondering again and again as the pages past by, when are we getting to the battle? Anyway the Elodie and Daur drama is uhh, how do I put this nicely? Not very good. Especially some of the dialogue Elodie shares with the other camp women which is pure, unadulterated almost stereotypical cringe.

But, yet again, even at his worst Dan Abnett is still great as the good in this book out weighs the bad. Some of the most emotional and awesome parts in the whole series are from the novel, I think. The former being Dorden's whole arc (which genuinely brought me to tears, especially his one scene with Sar Af the White Scar Space Marine) And the latter being Major Elim Rawne's badass scene at the beginning of the book fighting off assassins attempting to kill Mabbon Etogaur, but he's my favourite character so I'm a bit biased, lol. Too bad he doesn't play too much of a part during the rest of the novel, but oh well, he had a much bigger part to play in Blood Pact so can't complain too much.

Speaking of the Space Marine Sar Af, the trio of them are another great highlight in the book. Most especially the aforementioned Sar Af. I think Dan did an excellent job conveying them making so inhuman but yet so likeable. They may or may not be an inspiration for my own Veteran-Sergeant Kalakor of the Raven Guard from Secret War.

I also enjoyed Merrt's subplot. He's a character that I really felt for and it was awesome to see him find his former glory.

But there is one thing I've got to complain about. As well as stealing the dangerous artefacts the Salvation's Reach mission was also to begin a civil war between the Chaos factions. But wouldn't the Chaos personal in the facility (which they left alive on purpose) will be able to identify them as Imperial Guard. They didn't disguise themselves as Blood Pact so how would that start a civil war? Did I miss something? If I did, can someone please set me straight? Because that's an absolutely tremendous plot hole if I didn't miss anything.

Anyway, not sure what else to say. If I think of anything more might post again lol.

Uhh, sorry about the bad ending. Uhh, I hope you have/had a good day?

"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Ah! I did miss it; they fire out the inside of Salvation's Reach when the Highness Sir Armaduke broke from the space station, causing the void to get in. So, yeah, my bad. I can kinda understand why I missed it, as it's a brief snippet, almost off-hand mention.

Might go on to the Warmaster, which at the time was a bit of a disappointment as we had to wait years for it to come out, but it ended in a cliffhanger. So, that was annoying, but it's still pretty good.

Also...FETH YOU, MERYN, YOU BASTARD!!

Ahem! Sorry.

"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Gotta say I'm really enjoying listening to this novel in audiobook format. The narrator isn't Jonathan Keeble or Toby Longworth, but he's still damned good. Even if the ending was annoying as feth with the cliffhanger (It also didn't help that me being a fanboy, bought the super expensive limited edition version. Made even more expensive as I bought it with NZ dollars), I think it's a damned good book. In some ways, an improvement over Salvation's Reach. First, Dan Abnett scaled back the "Soap Opera" drama stuff giving it a better balance (which means a lot less, in all honesty). It's nice to see so many changes happen, including Gaunt's promotion and Rawne's, too, as well as Criid's. These changes make me very much interested in how the series will continue onwards.

But, uhh, I guess first and foremost, I'll talk about Meryn. Captain Meryn, despite my earlier post, is a great "villain" he's this arc's version of Lijah "Fething" Cuu, but he isn't just a complete sociopath (which can be great for a villain, and he was really great one the readers "Love to Hate, myself included) But Meryn is a sharp contrast to Cuu he's much more nuanced and sympathetic. When he rants and whines about how crappy his position is in the 41st millennium of the Milky Way, I can really understand it. Sure, he's a selfish, corrupt coward and murderer, but I can understand why. When he left Costin and his other soldiers to die in Salvation's Reach, that was a dick move, and I disliked him, but his cold, callous murder of Eszrah really got to me. Until Eszrah's death, I hadn't realised how much I liked the character and I dunno, with so many earlier statements that he would forever be Gaunt's protector so he would never die. Or if he did die, it wouldn't be so...anti-climactic? I guess this book could be described as "the subverting expectations" Gaunt's Ghosts novel. Eszrah's death and even Warmaster Macaroth himself are large subversions among a few others, but I digress. It's pretty obvious that Meryn is Rawne's shadow if Rawne didn't benefit from some excellent character development and truly embraced nihilism and his cynicism and also became a snivelling coward. I wonder if Rawne will remember that Meryn's a bastard in large part because of Rawne's influence in the early days of the regiment and deal with guilt about it. That'd be an interesting subplot; how a man who's changed from being a callous bastard to a less callous bastard with a strong sense of sentimentality deal with the mistakes of his past self? (Come on, Dan! When's the next novel coming out, dude? If it's happening or if he's going to keep writing prequel novellas which I hope now, even if I did like The Vincula Insurgency) Anyway, back to Meryn, I'll say this, first being in Anarch, when he runs away from the "Shadow", can you blame him? That thing literally chews up and spits out guardsmen like confetti, so there was no way he could save anyone from its wrath, even if he tried. But, again, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Despite how Dan has made the soap opera drama less uhh dominating in this book, I still think some scenes that delve into this drama are a bit too long. There's one between Blenner and Curth that, while it's a good scene, it does drag. That scene did impress me, actually, that while Blenner is a sleaze and a coward and an ass, the scene was much more nuanced than I thought it'd be. Perhaps with my exposure to fiction nowadays, I kinda thought Blenner would be made out to be the complete bad guy (and I could even have understood that, actually) But no, Blenner, while he acts a bit like a spoiled brat, he does make a few good points and even make Curth realise her hypocrisy a bit, which impressed me. I should have more faith in Dan. He does also delve into some, uhh, some sorta feminism themes, mostly with Captain Zhukova, but it doesn't get too preachy or too much focus. Being hot can be a detriment due to people assuming things about you, I guess lol. She does get annoyingly whiny in a short story later on, but that's neither here nor there. Another drama scene that drags on too long is a scene where Van Voytz is trying to convince Gaunt to help him in a coup. Both these scenes could've used a bit of slimming down. Or maybe a brief scene break to make it feel less long.

Patriarchy is looked at as well, mostly to do with Verghast, but again, it's not an overriding thing that's intrinsic to the choices of one character and not preachy. Of course, there would be patriarchies in the 41st millennium with so many planets being in the Imperium's fold, just as there was a matriarchy in one of the Ciaphas Cain novels (was it Caves of Ice? Can't remember).

Again, I really liked the beginning of the book; Mkoll's a complete badass and the action was well-written. Dan has become much more descriptive in his action scenes over the years or more consistently descriptive; the knife fight scene between Gaunt and a mind-controlled assassin in First and Only is excellent in my eyes) I think Dan does has a strong knack for writing beginnings that enrapture the reader, probably one of his best being Only in Death, as while it isn't full of action, it really, really sells the atmosphere and the almost horror-like story that the book becomes. Salvation's Reach had a great start as well. How good Dan's endings are...well, that's a bit more debatable, lol, but I think there are many contributing factors as to why that is, which I might elaborate on later (if I have not here already, I don't know as I'm too lazy to look back on my earlier posts, lol)

Hmm, there is a big continuity error which Dan tried to rectify in Anarch. apparently, Lord Chass is still alive, but I remember that he died in Necropolis, but this series has gone on so long I can understand such a mistake.

Hmmm, what else do I have to say about this book? It does feel that this and Anarch were originally going to be a single novel that got too large and had to be cut in half. It'd explain the cliffhanger ending and how the publication of Anarch (which I've started listening to next) was so close on Warmaster's heels.

One thing that some people were disappointed in was Macaroth; they expected him to be a charismatic warrior, such as Lord Solar Macharius, an assumption built up after decades of novels, but it turned out he was a reclusive bookworm. I didn't mind this at all myself, but can understand other reader's disappointment.

That's all for now. If i think of more things to say about Warmaster will post later. This review has gotten long enough now, I think.

"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Hey-lo to whom ever is reading this review. I hope you're doing well and stuff.

Anyway, without further adieu. First things first I really enjoyed the book and in a way on hindsight glad they split up I with The Warmaster. There was no way for a single novel to go into such detail. The horror elements were great, one of the best things about the book. I'm also agast at how fething well Dan managed to balance out so many independent plots all happening at once. There's the stuff in the palace which has atleast several POVs, Rawne and his Suicide Kings, Major Pasha's group which, again, has atleast three POVs. Then last but most certainly not at all-fething-least Mkoll's Infiltration behind enemy lines which firmly cements him into one of the most badass characters in all of fiction in my book (pun unintended) Dan manages to make all these plots coherent and interesting, which kinda works against the boom a bit as just as I'm really getting into one plot it switches to another, then another. Which does get annoying at times. Another thing about Anarch is that it has to be one of the most well paced Dan's written, up there with Traitor General, it really goes to who how well he can do with more freedom of page numbers rather than the Pulp Novel 90,000 word/300 page limit (which I tried to limit my novel The Angaran Chronicles: The Underside to for my Creative Writing course but my mentor helpfully suggested add another scene to elaborate on something I can't remember so it became about 1000 odd words over it, but oh well lol).
I think that the complaints that 40k isn't as Grimdark or edgy as it used to be is pretty legitimate but this book is most certainly an exception. Some of the most gory brutal deaths occur in this book most especially in Major Pasha's storyline which deals with the Cult Mechanicus and the deaths delt by the "Bad Shadow" as well.

Speaking of Pasha's storyline there's one particularly egregious continuity error that was making me shout at the audiobook because if how egregious it was. Back to Zhukova, she's now a scout, which is fine, no problem and Dan wanted her to have her time to shine, which again, is fine. But when he writes that she's now the closest thing they have to a scout when the others had died is a b8t off kilter when RECON TROOPER Wes-fething-Maggs is right fething there! Wes Maggs who unironically is one of my favorite characters introduced with the Belladon influx. Eas he demoted back to trooper in an earlier book? I might've missed that but even if he was still demoted he was a scout for quite a while and would've had ten-times more experience than Zhukova. Anyway, sorry about the rant, back onto it.

Hmm with so many plotlines it's hard to choose which one to go a bit more indepth into first. Will choose Pasha's first as I've talked the most about that so far. I really enjoyed it, I guess, it was an excellent way for Captain Tona Criid to truly prove her mettle as a senior line officer, she is one of my favorite female characters in 40k up there with Inquisitor Amberley Vail from Ciaphas Cain, Medea Betancore and Kara Swole from the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies so it was nice to see her do so well. She really does mix the badassery of being an elite soldier with being a caring, compassionate mother figure so well it isn't funny. I think that Dan does an exceptional job escalating how bad things get in this plot. The Ghosts truly take a bashing bit just from the Kimmora but when things seem somewhat under control the Kimmera unleash the virus on the Adeptus Mechanicus, it's an excellent way to show how the Adeptus Mechanicus overreliance on augmentation can be a huge weakness. But, eventually, the Ghosts manage to adapt which really shows how good they are as elite soldiers.

Next is Gaunt's and the Urdeshi palace storyline and boy oh boy what a horror that one was. Again, the atmosphere is brilliant, I feel like I'm there with the ghosts it's so scary and creepy. The monstrous ability of the Woe Machine is awe inspiring. An interesting aspect of that story is that we get a lot of POV from Domor. Who, for a long time I saw as the generic dude, the only interesting thing about him was his augmetic eyes and he's smart. Which isn't a bad thing, some characters are just normal nothing crazy about them and...well, he's still that same even after we get in his head quite a lot. He had some interesting stuff to say, like his speculation about learning to control fear and how dudes like Rawne were born with the skill. The best thing about that is Domor's interactions with Zweil. Domor being the straight man to Zweil's anything but. I love Zweil, he's just such a fun likeable character who's comic relief is a necessity in the Grimdark of the 41st millennium. Also, how each character reacts to the dark is interesting. The worst being Blenner and Meryn. Blenner being that he's weighed down in guilt and Meryn because of the brutal deaths of his comrades. I'm surprised at how sympathetic Commissar Fazekiel eas toward him, in all honesty. But the ending of this plotline hit me like a punch to the guts when I first read the book. The first time reading it I was frustrated by the lack of foreshadowing of Dalin being a Woe Machine but upon relistening the foreshadowing was there and not too subtle, not sure how I managed to miss it, I wouldn't be too reliant on crap I say about this sorta stuff because of this, lol. The loss of the long main stay of Gol Kolea and how he died was as heartbreaking as it was anticlimactic. He did get to repent for his sins, but then gone and dead by his own 'son-but-not-son in an almost ironic way. :(. The Victory of the Ghosts and the Crusade was a heavy one.

Speaking of Victory, let's go to Mkoll's storyline which is awesome. His fight scene at the beginning was great. Then the later exploration of the religious beliefs of the Sanguinary world's about their attitudes toward the Emperor which is more inline with the Emperor's original vision than that of the Imperials, ironically. I acquite liked the officer Mkoll kidnaps, so.much so when he was killed it was a bit sad mostly because I enjoyed his interactions with Mkoll and that we won't be able to learn more of the interesting world building Dan had done of the Sanguinary worlds. Then it was nice to have Milo return after so many years and the subsequent fight between Mkoll and Anarch Anakwanar Sek was awesome. But my favorite part is when Mkoll and Bonin reunite and it's just so stoic and understated yet genuine and within character that it might've brought a tear to my eyebwhen I first read it. What a great scene, perhaps my favorite in the whole book. Bonin had such certainty that Mkoll would return it was heartwarming, him and Rawne. I just feel the power of their friendship and camaraderie it isn't funny.

Next story line was of Rawne and his Suicide Kings going to protect Mabbon Etogaur. This one was especially harrowing as they were so outclassed by the Kimmora it isn't funny and culminates in the deaths of most of them. It was heartwarming how much Varl and Mabbon get along even if Mabbon claimed Varl and the others weren't friends. Which is even more doubtful after he sacrifices himself to save them. Back to the lack of foreshadowing, there was none of if for Mabbons status as being a Kimmora. None that I saw, though. It was nice to finally learn more about Mabbon, that he's somewhat of an Ubermensch that rejected both sides, and embraced his own perspective from his experiences. He truly did seem to be the only sane man in the galaxy in my eyes. What a great character whose death was sad but surely to happen.

Anyway, that's it for now, might have more thoughts to share later.

Hope you enjoyed this review (I really should be writing my own stories instead of these reviews, in all honesty, lol)

"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

Alright, damn was I impressed with this novel especially for a first novel, published novel, anyway. Pretty much everything about it was well done. The plot, and I take back what I said about Warmaster and Traitor General First and Only is the most well paced novel in the series, easily. Self contained and fun, the book is also surprisingly character driven, the novel is Gaunt's book no ifs or buts about it. It goes in deep into his past with numerous flashback chapters that allows the reader to learn a lot about him, beyond any of the Ghosts even in the short stories of Ghostmaker. There's a line Gaunt says to Fereyd at the end of the book where he says 'I wasn't the one who changed, you were.' Which is very true, despite the book being quite character driven Gaunt is very much a static character who doesn't change, the plot more vindicated his perspective a character who more changes those around him than he changes himself (Rawne being an excellent example) which isn't a bad thing as a static character can be great too. Goku from DBZ pretty much epitomizes this trope.

First and Only still stays as one of my favorites in the series, which is funny because I read Ghostmaker before First and Only. Which on hindsight was a good thing as it allowed me to appreciate First and Only more due to the character development given to Rawne, Corbec, Larkin, Bragg, Mkoll etc made me appreciate their characters more in First and Only. One of my favorite chapters in the whole series is in First and Only and that's when the Ghosts are on leave on Pyrites. I loved the spy/intrigue stuff of Gaunt and Blenner (who was first introduced in this part and I always liked him, he's a very similar but different character later which saddened me a little, but it made sense to an extent) but I absolutely love, love the B plot of that chapter thr misadventure of Rawne, Corbec, and Feygor ripping off local gangsters. Ending on a badass shootout that's told like a local anecdotal legend, what a fun part. What a great scene.

Alright, enough positive stuff with the book and onto some criticism first being that there is one egregious example of telling not showing, a particular Ghost dies near the end and it's supposed to be sad and Gaunt in inner monolog goes on and on about how true and likeable and funny he was but this was never shown beforehand through the rest of the novel. This character barely had five or six lines with anyone least of all being Gaunt so it lacked much punch at all. This is sorta ironic as Dan manages to give a character named trooper more characterisation in a few sentences that made me care more for him before is horrific demise than the other character. It's sorta funny that a character who apparently rivals Mkoll as a scout is pretty much never mentioned again. Not even Mkoll has thought about him in later novels which is a bit of depth and potential Dan could use sometime in the future.

Another being the depiction of the Men of Iron, Gaunt and company manage to kill one too easy and it hits Rawne and Caffran and both seem unscathed when they should be either torn to shreds of every bone broken on their bodies which negated the Man of Iron's intimidating factor and lent them both some of the worst examples of plot armour in the series. Thera are also examples of redundancies in the prose (which is excellent overall in my eyes, some amazing similies and descriptions that really allowed me to have some really strong visualization of actions, emotions and scenery) One being something along the lines of a 'dead corpse' or 'nodded his agreement' the latter is a bit of a subjective one, I suppose as nodding is already a sign of agreement, anyway, especially if it accompanies dialog that confirms it or if the context convies it well enough)

It's funny that so many of the later mainstays in the series aren't here at all. The likes of Mkvenner, Bonin, Laer, Brostin, Beltayn many of which are in the Gereon 12. Obviously, Dan hadn't thought of their characters yet, but it makes me wonder where they are and what they're doing during these battles. Meryn gets and offhand mention as a platoon leader but he is later just shown as a corporal.

Hmm, I did like how Rawne was initially set up as a red herring for being the pawn of Heldane and it was well foreshadowed that it wasn't him. In fact, Rawne has one of the most badass moments in the whole series when he head shots Fereyd which not just kills Inquisitor Heldane (avenging his own torture at the monster's...uhh claws) but the psychic backlash destroyed Hechtor Dravere and his entire Command Leviathan, what other Ghosts could claim such an inadvertent body count? Lol.

Uhh, yeah, I like First and Only, alot. Might post more if I have any other thoughts on it. But next is Ghostmaker which is one of the weakest books in the series in my eyes. It's still good, don't get me wrong, but it’s a bit muddled in many ways.

Anyway thanks for reading and for your interest on my thoughts of this excellent series which I love so much!

   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut



Derbyshire, UK

Ghostmaker probably feels a bit muddled because it was originally a series of short stories published in Inferno, reworked into a novel. Rather than having a coherent main plot it's more a selection of vignettes exploring particular events and characters.
   
Made in nz
Blood Angel Terminator with Lightning Claws






New Zealand

pgmason wrote:
Ghostmaker probably feels a bit muddled because it was originally a series of short stories published in Inferno, reworked into a novel. Rather than having a coherent main plot it's more a selection of vignettes exploring particular events and characters.


You're right. I forgot about that entirely, which was ironic as I watched an interview with Dan Abnett when he outright said that not long before I posted that review. Thanks for the reminder.

Now, the more astute of you, my fellow Dakka Dakkaites, might've seen I'm reviewing Blood Pact right now rather than the last promised Ghostmaker. I've skipped quite a few books, then. Now, there are a few contributing factors to this...revelation. The first is my inherent laziness; the other is because when I finished listening to Ghostmaker, I got distracted and didn't get around to writing the review and then time drew on and on until, eventually, my thoughts on that book broke apart into disparate scraps inside my skull. The one I recall the most was how impressive Dan Abnett's dialog is right from the start. Sure, some of it is early 2000s edgy cheesy cringe, but most of it is characterful and fun to read, and as a long-time writer, I realised a long time ago that writing dialogue is hard. There's a real art to it, and even the most entertainment-illiterate reader/watcher, etc., can tell when it's bad (except for my classmate at my creative writing class who unironically thought that "My face is tired...from everything", was good dialogue.

Anyway, Blood Pact, I liked it! I like that it's the opposite situation to Traitor General (my beloved), but I do have to start with the few negatives of the novel first, though. So, spoilers ahoy! This one I actually read rather than listened to, but I began listening to the audiobook recently.

First is the pacing; this has to feel like the single most rushed novel in the series so far, even more so than Salvation's Reach. The last third is made up of one or two-paragraph scenes, and it just shoots everywhere, which isn't bad, but it does feel like the scenes are just a part of the plot rather than characterisation and other reasons. The ending is also a bit anti-climactic. Well...it is, and it isn't. Eyl's death after so much buildup to him was disappointing (I suppose Dan Abnett thought Rime's death would make up for it, but I don't know). Speaking of Rime, I really hope that Dan didn't think that the reveal of his being a secret agent of the Anarch was a surprise. It was so damned obvious right from the start, especially with the cliche of so many Black Library novels, that when a new antagonistic Inquisitor comes along, he (and it's almost always a he) turns out to be a traitor, heretic etc. That's one of the many reasons I liked the Ciaphas Cain novel Vainglorious, where it turns out the new Ordo Malleus Inquisitor, who I can't remember the name of, was not the Big Bad! That book also threw the Avatar of Khaine a much-needed bone and did not have him be the "avatar" of the trope "The Worf Effect." So good on you, Sandy Mitchell.

Anyway, I think that's the end of the negatives until I remember more. I'm writing this as a flow of consciousness, so I hope it's easy to read.

First, I loved the side plot of Rawne and his near-do wells, even though, now I think about it, that might be the reason why the last third of the novel seems so rushed, as Dan might've spent too much time on that side plot when a lot of it could be seen as unnecessary, I really shouldn't judge too much as I have an infinite word count to play with, with my fanfics. But I still liked it. The coolness of their heist at the start is great and shows Rawne as the clever schemer he is. I still don't know how the Commissariat managed to get word of it to arrest them, though. Needed to for the plot, I suppose, but I digress. The snarky, teasing dialogue and chemistry between Rawne's team is just a lot of fun, and, yeah, it just shows these characters can just be thrown into a room with no action, nothing, and it's still entertaining, which is a great test of a writer's characterisation. I have to admit that Captain Daur has a bit more depth to him than I give the character credit for; he does have a dark, manipulative side to him that makes him more than the "Officer and Gentleman" trope. He shows that well in Blood Pact, especially with his manipulation of a ganger who held his love interest hostage and even more so in Honour Guard, where he manipulates the Greel dude (is that his name?) into coming with Corbec's crew to the Beati's resting place. Then, tricking him, later allowing Daur to kill him. I used to think of Daur as boring, but not so much now.

Blood Pact has one of Rawne's most badass moments, his killing of the Blood Pact NCO when Rawne was in the cell. Sure, it isn't like killing a Space Marine or a horrible, genetically engineered Ogryn-creature thing by throwing a tube charge into its open maw or taking out a whole bunch of elite assassin "Sirkles" almost single-handedly. But, damn, it's cool being able to manage a win in a situation when your back is almost literally to the wall; that shows true badassery. I almost felt sorry for the Blood Pact NCO, lol. Getting his face smashed into the bars repeatedly 'like a piston' poor bastard. Fething brilliantly brutal. It's also cool that Rawne gets his 2nd Inquisitor kill notch, although I'd like to know how he knew he was indirectly responsible for the death of Heldane. Might've known that due to the psychic connection? That's the implication I got in the end, just before Rawne kills Rime.

Another thing I like is that Wes Maggs (as he's one of my favourite characters) has quite a lot of "screen time" to him, much of which makes him look like a bit of a dick. He's...not the most diplomatic of people and the way he treats Kolding isn't nice, but it shows another side to him when not interacting with other soldiers. He also gets closure on the Madam in the Picture from Only in Death, and his killing a psyker as powerful as the witch is a definite notch in his badassness belt.

I do like the main plot of the story as well. The cat-and-mouse game between Gaunt and the Blood Pact and how they aren't just battling physically and mentally but metaphysically. It's tense and quite engrossing, and how Gaunt is able to plan and adapt against the forces allayed against him is interesting. It was also good to see Blenner back, too. He's a fun character that I'm glad Dan brought back and gave an interesting arc across the Victory arc. Again, the chemistry between him and Gaunt is great; the two of them just seem like old friends, and it's nice to read. Now, I just wish Dan would bring back the Vitrian Dragoons. It'd be pretty cool to see what they'd been up to during the years after the events of First and Only.

I don't know if Dan did this on purpose, but damn does the Holy Ordos come off damned incompetent. That kinda hurts me a bit as the Inquisition is one of my favourite factions in 40k, but also kinda negated them a bit as antagonists; Ludd, of all people, is able to out-manoeuvre them. But I guess that not all Inquisition people are going to be Eisenhorns or Ravenors or Harlon Nayls or Attelus Kaltoses (sorry, I just had to reference Secret War, just for fun, really. Please don't think I'm putting him on the same level as Eisenhorn or Ravenor), but still. Dan gives the Blood Pact plenty of time, showing their badassery. I think their attack on Section is a great scene; the Blood Wolf, while not the imaginative of Warp Daemons, has some damned cool by-products of its presence in the material plane, and the utter devastation it creates in its wake is brutal and quite terrifying. Dan can do a damned good job of injecting horror elements into his stories. It's one of his strengths to mix and match genres together into something nicely cohesive, even if it's only for a chapter or two. He should do a dedicated horror story in the future.

Uhh, Criid is as badass as always; I wish she played a bigger part in the finale, as she played a pretty important part in the story as a whole. One thing that some readers might not like is the lack of presence of His Most Badassiest, Mkoll. He and the other scouts and most of the Ghosts play a very small part in the story, which happens when you have such a large ensemble cast. Some characters are going to play a smaller part from book to book. But I'd understand if Mkoll fans were a bit disappointed in that. He is awesome, after all.

Also, sadness, poor Dorden, he's such a likeable, nice character, and the reveal of his leukaemia is...foreboding. Especially knowing how he suffers and his fate in Salvation's Reach. A real legacy character In my eyes, anyway.

Uhh, I hope there's another new Gaunt's Ghosts novel/novella coming out sooner or later, now with the finish of the End and the Death. It'll be interesting to see how it goes from the end of "The Victory" I hope he hasn't written himself into a corner like my other favourite author, GRR Martin.

That's everything, I guess. It's getting late, and I'm tired as feth. If I think of any more praise/criticism I'll post later.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading my review!


"The best way to lie is to tell the truth." Attelus Kaltos.
My story! Secret War
After his organisation is hired to hunt down an influential gang leader on the Hive world, Omnartus. Attelus Kaltos is embroiled deeper into the complex world of the Assassin. This is the job which will change him, for better or for worse. Forevermore. Chapter 1.

The Angaran Chronicles: Hamar Noir. After coming back from a dangerous mission which left his friend and partner, the werewolf: Emilia in a coma. Anargrin is sent on another mission: to hunt down a rogue vampire. A rogue vampire with no consistent modus operandi and who is exceedingly good at hiding its tracks. So much so even the veteran Anargrin is forced into desperate speculation. But worst of all: drive him into desperate measures. Measures which drives Anargrin to wonder; does the ends, justify the means?

 
   
 
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