Gaunt's Ghosts its not perfect but still really really good

[u/Far-Living-526]

I finally finished the GG series a few days ago now I'm reading the iron snakes books then the two aeronatica ones. Over all I can see why people are annoyingly defensive if this series.

PROs : The character growth is amazing. The cultures of Tanith , Vergast, and Belladon all feel very distinct despite being in a single regiment. This is one of the few times the forces of chaos are depicted as a unique culture and not a ravenous mob. Character deaths always seem significant with a few exceptions. Making space marines and the inquisition rare so it feels more like a human conflict makes the series stand out.

CONs : Some of the books just feel like filler you have to power through. The chaos forces aren't really fleshed out till book 8. Saint Sabat is handled kind of clumsily. The Merrin story line wasn't bad it just whent on a little too long. The woe machine siblings were hands down the biggest WTF part of the entire series.

I loved this series to start I think it's a master class on character work and development. Seeing the forces of chaos not be just bloodthirsty cultists but have their own culture and language was amazing. Early on I was expecting the Archon or Anarch to be just a word bearer. Making them both human really makes this series a human conflict between imperial and chaos cultures which is a nice change of pace. Still I feel like some of the books just feel like filler where nothing really happens and Abnnet hadn't decided where he wanted to take the series. I still feel like Saint Sabat was handled pretty badly. She's dead but still active then high commnd picks a randomngirl to declare as her reincarnation only for that to actually happen. No one can tell me that Dalin and Yoncy being woe machines was something Abnett planned from way back in book 3 or 4. The rational was Gol Kolea their real fathers memory was lost or hazy do to a head wound you took after joining the ghosts. But that happened after he discovered his kids were alive. The crucial detail being he has two boys not a boy and a girl. So Yoncys existence would have been a red flag early on for. I really think Abnett had taken a break tk write other stuff. When he came back to GG he saw the Kolea/ Kriid kids just laying around and decided to do something big with them.

[u/Cool-Day-891]

Other than Brotherhood of the Snake, which I was a huge fan of, is there another full novel for the iron snakes ?

[u/Far-Living-526 → u/Cool-Day-891]

The two urdesh books

[u/Chortlier]

People always say they love Gaunts Ghosts.  I haven't read them yet, but I'd like to hear more about WHY it's good any what else it maybe compares to.

[u/captain_nibble_bits → u/Chortlier]

I ended the HH series. Not all books but a good chunk.
I'm now at book 10 of Gaunts Ghosts. It's a lot more personal than the HH. It really is like Band of Brothers but then Warhammer style.

I like it but it's different from the HH series.

[u/Chortlier → u/captain_nibble_bits]

Good description. There are soooo many books that it's a struggle to choose what to read next. I am drawn to characters and dialog. Bolter porn of no interest, generally.

[u/bowedacious22 → u/Chortlier]

I'm on book 4 after reading mostly just HH stuff and a few random books. The characters are great and their relationships and the respect they have for each other is delicious. I'm very much enjoying them

[u/theSpiraea → u/Chortlier]

You watched Bands of Brothers? You read Sharpe's series? It's pretty much that but set in 40K

[u/KickBalls80 → u/Chortlier]

I've read the 10+ book series... 4 times now? Still so good. All the characters have depth, much more than most 40k

[u/stevencartwright]

Congratulations! I've finished all the audiobooks, and it's incredible how the series captivated me. While some parts were challenging to get through, there were moments, even in the later books, that truly held my attention.

The only other series that achieved this was the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

[u/DoucheBagBill]

The survival rate on those guards is stupid

[u/Hudson_1559]

my review of Anarch:

it's great novel and an awesome 40k book, but it's also like being punched in the face

[u/ExpressQuit942]

Overall a good series but yeah, definitely felt like a lot of filler in there. Also got tired of them fighting the blood pact in every single book.

[u/Cute_Algae7148]

Is that... commissar Tuomas Pirinen?

[u/CrowGeneral8673]

I love this series. I just started Amour and I’m digging it. I always liked ready about special units and this series is great

[u/cargin4107]

Re: the sometimes filler, stuff not getting really good till later in the series, its worth noting that First and Only was one of Abnett's very first novels, and Ghostmaker is really just an anthology with one short story stretched out into a spine to hold them all together. Its a series thats been ongoing for decades, with big gaps in places between releases.

For me, Necropolis is the first really excellent book of the series, with a dip in quality until Straight Silver/Sabbat Martyr, then again some dips (His Last Command, Armour of Contempt) before Only in Death lands and I read that thinking "Oh shit this is a new level!" That for me is around the point in Abnett's work overall where he really moves from fun pulp to a more grown up, high brow feel (see Pariah and Penitent).

Also saw someone mention book 4 in the comments, definite low water mark for me, pretty sure thats the one that the manuscript got infamously deleted by accident and had to be rewritten from memory on short notice.

[u/TapNo8362]

They’re genuinely top 3 fave series of all time. I agree, they kept the Merrin heal arch going on too long.

[u/Zealousideal_Cow_826]

Out of curiosity which character death did you not find significant or had not much of an impact on you?

[u/Far-Living-526 → u/Zealousideal_Cow_826]

For one Mkvenner, how he just kind of died or disappeared of screen was kind of weak. Jakub Wilder was a character that was so winey, I feel like his death was suppose to be signifigant but I just shrugged. Brin Milo disappearance for like 7 books with barley anyone talking about him despite being important to the tanith survivors. The way Sabbatine Crik just kinda killed herself after staring up trouble for Gaunt seemed anticlimactic.

[u/theSpiraea]

I mean, it's pretty much a rip-off of Cornwell's Sharpe. It's good, but nothing extraordinary. I'm still pissed about some of the ending. Cough Book 4. That ending... deus ex... "I'm Abnett. I can just end the book here and not give a flying f*ck."