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Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




Are Gaunt's books torn from Lt. Sharpe's Rifles? Both are centered around an extremely rough and read group of sharpshooters that are known for accomplishing impossible tasks against impossible odds. Also, Sean Bean is a gaunt and haggard young man that is horrifically scared by the brutality of war. Both are "raised from the ranks" and a sore spot among the "elites" of the upper class. Also, they both feature a hard nosed (basically irish) SGT that fights anyone who messes with his officer, and is constantly drinking or going off on deadly solo missions.
   
Made in gb
Preparing the Invasion of Terra






Yes.
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Kinda?

Sharpe was a commoner raised up.

Gaunt was a Commissar raised to the unusual position of Command, rather than advisory.

   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut




Aye, but Sharpe's riflemen are way tougher than gaunts ghosts. (And the various Sharpe novels are excellent!)

They're the toughest crew in all of fiction.

Think about it. Sharpe's riflemen are the only people to have kept Sean Bean alive and in one piece, not just for one feature length show, but for a whole season. :p

If they were in 40k, they'd have won the eternal war already.

But yes, to answer OP, Sharpe was very much an inspiration for Gaunt.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/25 19:13:15


greatest band in the universe: machine supremacy

"Punch your fist in the air and hold your Gameboy aloft like the warrior you are" 
   
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Preparing the Invasion of Terra






Also, it's Colonel Sharpe
   
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Longtime Dakkanaut




 Gert wrote:
Also, it's Colonel Sharpe


Not at the start! :p

Not that I'd want to argue the point with the guy either! :p

greatest band in the universe: machine supremacy

"Punch your fist in the air and hold your Gameboy aloft like the warrior you are" 
   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




Deadnight wrote:
Aye, but Sharpe's riflemen are way tougher than gaunts ghosts. (And the various Sharpe novels are excellent!)

They're the toughest crew in all of fiction.

Think about it. Sharpe's riflemen are the only people to have kept Sean Bean alive and in one piece, not just for one feature length show, but for a whole season. :p

If they were in 40k, they'd have won the eternal war already.

But yes, to answer OP, Sharpe was very much an inspiration for Gaunt.


My only regret is that I have only one Exhalt to give this comment!

More then that, he even came back for a TV movie!

I had never seen the show before, but I loved it and can't wait to read the books. It seems amazingly similar to the C.S. Forester series "Hornblower"

It's funny that British have almost as much of a hardon for tales of Napoleonic wars as much as us Yanks have for WW2.
   
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Preparing the Invasion of Terra






It was the beginning of Pax Britannica, 100 years of British domination of the world as the pre-eminent global power. Post-1914, Britain started a decline in global standing that has never recovered.
But just as a side note, British people, especially the English, very much have an obsession with WW2.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/25 19:29:10


 
   
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Longtime Dakkanaut




FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
Deadnight wrote:
Aye, but Sharpe's riflemen are way tougher than gaunts ghosts. (And the various Sharpe novels are excellent!)

They're the toughest crew in all of fiction.

Think about it. Sharpe's riflemen are the only people to have kept Sean Bean alive and in one piece, not just for one feature length show, but for a whole season. :p

If they were in 40k, they'd have won the eternal war already.

But yes, to answer OP, Sharpe was very much an inspiration for Gaunt.


My only regret is that I have only one Exhalt to give this comment!

More then that, he even came back for a TV movie!

I had never seen the show before, but I loved it and can't wait to read the books. It seems amazingly similar to the C.S. Forester series "Hornblower"

It's funny that British have almost as much of a hardon for tales of Napoleonic wars as much as us Yanks have for WW2.


The show is ... interesting, I guess. 'Here comes a French regiment', and twenty frenchies March forward. It's very 90s and low budget.

Books are excellent. I've read most and am working my way through them all again chronologically. Bernard Cornwell is an excellent writer. Well worth checking out his 'warlord' series with Uhthred in dark age England - also a TV series with 'the last kingdom'. No frenchies but plenty Danes with sharp swords, and a cunning Irishman helping our hero along.

greatest band in the universe: machine supremacy

"Punch your fist in the air and hold your Gameboy aloft like the warrior you are" 
   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




 Gert wrote:
It was the beginning of Pax Britannica, 100 years of British domination of the world as the pre-eminent global power. Post-1914, Britain started a decline in global standing that has never recovered.
But just as a side note, British people, especially the English, very much have an obsession with WW2.


Interesting, I thought war and glory porn was a distinctly American thing, that I hated about my country. But thank you for enlightening me.

I am constantly reminded of the Eddie Izzard skit about the British during and after WW2.

World: Ok, time to give everyone their countries back, common, give em back, ENGLAND?

England: What?

World: What's that behind your back?

England: It's just India and a number of other countries....

World: Give em back.....

England: Oh all right. But we need the Falken Islands! For strategic sheep purposes!
   
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There's nothing wrong with liking the period and playing games set during it but it's very much one of those topics that are an eye raiser if you talk about it too much, like Warhammer or Anime or Rome. History teachers get a pass.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/25 19:37:17


 
   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




It's funny you mention Rome. I don't think I've ever met someone from Rome, but if I do, I'd ask them if they have people who are WAAAY too into the Glory days of Rome.

Remember when we controlled basically the known world?
   
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Longtime Dakkanaut




FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:


Interesting, I thought war and glory porn was a distinctly American thing, that I hated about my country. But thank you for enlightening me.



'Two world wars and one world cup' is the catch phrase here.

There's a lot of ridiculous war nostalgia here, you'd swear Dunkirk was yesterday. They've never gotten over it. Probably never will, either.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/25 19:45:48


greatest band in the universe: machine supremacy

"Punch your fist in the air and hold your Gameboy aloft like the warrior you are" 
   
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Grisly Ghost Ark Driver






 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Kinda?

Sharpe was a commoner raised up.

Gaunt was a Commissar raised to the unusual position of Command, rather than advisory.
This is an important distinction, as early on Sharpe had to deal with not only the disdain of the aristocratic officers since he was not a "officer and gentleman" by birth, but the active hatred of his new command, as he was common-born as they were and they resented being commanded by this upstart. Eventually, his troops ignored his origins since he kept most of them alive, but it was a rocky start.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/25 20:35:46


Kings of War: Abyssal Dwarves, Dwarves, Elves, Undead, Northern Alliance [WiP], Nightstalkers [WiP]
Dropzone Commander: PHR
Kill Team: Deathwatch AdMech Necron

 
   
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Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




Gaunt had to deal with Aristocracy in every book so far. His first commander was that General who kept sending him to his death, and finally got killed when his Inquisitor (Horse face) died in a psykic blowback and destroyed his tank thing.
   
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FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
Gaunt had to deal with Aristocracy in every book so far. His first commander was that General who kept sending him to his death, and finally got killed when his Inquisitor (Horse face) died in a psykic blowback and destroyed his tank thing.
Yes, but other than Major Rawne and a few malcontents, not everyone in the First and Only is looking to frag Gaunt. Sharp had it worse since the aristocrats AND his troops were out to get him. Later, Sharpe only has to contend with the aristos.

Kings of War: Abyssal Dwarves, Dwarves, Elves, Undead, Northern Alliance [WiP], Nightstalkers [WiP]
Dropzone Commander: PHR
Kill Team: Deathwatch AdMech Necron

 
   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




Harper = Rawne. Common man. Also, Whats his name who kills a woman with his knife, is = Sgt. Obadiah.
   
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FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
Are Gaunt's books torn from Lt. Sharpe's Rifles? Both are centered around an extremely rough and read group of sharpshooters that are known for accomplishing impossible tasks against impossible odds. Also, Sean Bean is a gaunt and haggard young man that is horrifically scared by the brutality of war. Both are "raised from the ranks" and a sore spot among the "elites" of the upper class. Also, they both feature a hard nosed (basically irish) SGT that fights anyone who messes with his officer, and is constantly drinking or going off on deadly solo missions.


Gaunt’s Ghosts are most definitely inspired by the Sharpe stories.

Dan Abnett speaking about the first Gaunt’s Ghosts story, Ghostmaker:

There’s another myth, which is that it’s Sharpe’s Rifles with the names changed, which is…again, a misunderstanding of what I said about it! I wanted to capture the spirit of the Sharpe books, which is to say a brave and capable leader with a group of men who will often find themselves doing really unlikeable missions because they’re essentially disposable, and to have that sort of feeling about it. That was as close as it got in terms of having any modelling of it, it was more of a vague template than anything else!


Source: https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/05/03/forgotten-texts-dan-abnett-on-ghostmaker/
   
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Depraved Slaanesh Chaos Lord




Inside Yvraine

Abnett has outright stated that Sharpe was his inspiration for the series yeah. In fact I discovered Sharpe from reading one of the book covers for a Ghosts book.
   
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Wow, between Gaunt's Ghosts and Sharpe, I'll have a lot of audiobooks to listen to while painting Guard.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/26 07:11:25


 
   
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Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
Gaunt had to deal with Aristocracy in every book so far. His first commander was that General who kept sending him to his death, and finally got killed when his Inquisitor (Horse face) died in a psykic blowback and destroyed his tank thing.


I’ve not read the books, so my immediate question is, given Gaunt is a Commissar, with all the duties and privileges that brings, why didn’t he just execute that General?

   
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Preparing the Invasion of Terra






Commissar's can't just execute whoever they want, that's just a bad meme. General Dravere was also a senior Crusade leader with numerous victories under his belt. Remember this is the Imperium, it doesn't particularly matter how the victories were achieved, just that you achieved them.
   
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Battleship Captain





Bristol (UK)

Yup, commissars still have ranks, they just exist in a rank structure separate and parallel to the military. Commissars don't have jurisdiction over people above them, even going sideways warrants more justification than those below them.

Gaunt is somewhat special in that he has a military rank as well. Giving him jurisdiction to formally command units and individuals.
What makes Gaunt particularly special is that this is a permanent title for him. It seems to be a common practice for a Commissar to temporarily assume command after removing a failing officer, but not permanently so.
   
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 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
Gaunt had to deal with Aristocracy in every book so far. His first commander was that General who kept sending him to his death, and finally got killed when his Inquisitor (Horse face) died in a psykic blowback and destroyed his tank thing.


I’ve not read the books, so my immediate question is, given Gaunt is a Commissar, with all the duties and privileges that brings, why didn’t he just execute that General?


Gaunt does execute people in the stories from time to time, but he is portrayed as a sympathetic character and only does so as a last resort and with evidence of a specific crime to be executed for. IIRC there are also references to having to be able to justify it after the fact and the amount of paperwork involved in other BL stories about Commissars (Ciaphas Cain for example). Also, although within the letter of the law he can execute a general, there would be consequences for him personally especially from a political standpoint. Also if memory serves, there is nothing in the imperial guard regulations that would mean a general wasn't allowed to repeatedly send a regiment on "suicide missions", Gaunt is generally a "good soldier" in that he follows the regulations and goes where he is sent, even though he doesn't like it.
   
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A ranking officer being executed is a very rare thing in 40k anyway. Common soldiers, NCOs or Junior officers but anything above Captain would have to be a pretty exceptional situation and not just "you turned away from the enemy, time to die".
I also want to point out that murderous, trigger happy Commissars are very much in the minority since harsh words or lighter punishments often suit better for motivating front line troops. Even just the threat of a pistol to the back of the head is enough to get most troops moving and even then many will be too indoctrinated to disobey orders anyway.
   
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Bristol (UK)

Absolutely, I can easily imagine a commissar that gets too harsh with his punishments quickly getting caught in the crossfire of a chaotic engagement.
   
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United Kingdom

 Gert wrote:
A ranking officer being executed is a very rare thing in 40k anyway. Common soldiers, NCOs or Junior officers but anything above Captain would have to be a pretty exceptional situation and not just "you turned away from the enemy, time to die".
Severina Raine executes a Captain in the opening paragraphs of her first book (for not charging an enemy fortress, IIRC).

 kirotheavenger wrote:
Absolutely, I can easily imagine a commissar that gets too harsh with his punishments quickly getting caught in the crossfire of a chaotic engagement.
Catachans don't have Commissars because the keep "having accidents".

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/08/26 11:35:00


 
   
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A recurring feature of the Ciaphas Cain stories is how he is unlike most commissars in preferring to find alternatives to executing soldiers, largely out of self interest as he notes that trigger-happy commissars tend to die in the line of duty, often from accidental friendly fire and far from the front line...
   
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beast_gts wrote:
Severina Raine executes a Captain in the opening paragraphs of her first book (for not charging an enemy fortress, IIRC).

Exactly why I said above Captain. Plus, that's not just turning away from the enemy, that's directly disobeying orders and IIRC Raine gave the Captain ample warning, as Commissars are trained to do.
   
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Bristol (UK)

The Taros Campaign shows a Lord Commander getting replaced by a Lord Commissar.
He failed, utterly, in the prosecution of his campaign and ended up getting like 9 regiments wiped out without taking the planet.
Thus the Lord Commissar replaced him and took over to lead the evacuation (plus the final feth-you to the Tau raid).

Although that wasn't a simple bolt pistol to the back of the head. It was very 'gentlemanly' 18th century style.
The Commissar offered him three choices; a loaded laspistol, command of a heroic yet suicidal assault, or trial and execution.
The commander chose the pistol.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/08/26 12:36:38


 
   
 
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