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:''This article is about the book series. For information on the Tanith First-and-Only in other aspects of Warhammer 40,000, see Tanith (Warhammer 40,000)''
'Gaunt's Ghosts' is a book series written by Dan Abnett. It is a military science fiction series, set in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' universe.
The series spans eleven novels, in which the efforts of the Tanith First-And-Only during the 'Sabbat Worlds Crusade' are documented. There are dozens of named characters, but the protagonist is Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, one of the few political commissars of the Imperium to be awarded command of a regiment.
Other major characters include Colonel Colm Corbec, Major Elim Rawne, Sniper Hlaine Larkin, Brin Milo, Scout Sergeant Mkoll. The series alludes to other series by Dan Abnett, such as Eisenhorn and Ravenor, and has resulted in two spin-off works.
The series began as a continuing set of loosely connected short stories in the Black Library magazine INFERNO! (issues 4, 8, and 30). Their popularity was such that what was to be the next short piece, entitled "Vermilion Level", was written out to novel length as ''First and Only'' and published as the Black Library's first original novel (the book line up until that point consisting of reprints of novels from the pre-Black Library days and anthologies of short fiction taken from INFERNO! magazine). The original short pieces subsequently appeared as flashback-chapters in ''Ghostmaker'', the second book.
The books remain probably the most popular and best-selling of the Black Library's line, with a wide range of other publications (ancillary novels devoted to minor characters in the main series and a mock "historical book" about the war in which the books take place) as well as merchandise such as badges, T-shirts, and special editions of the books themselves.

Contents

Books in series

Ghostmaker & First And Only

Voltis City, Voltemond

Fortis Binary

Menazoid Epsilon

Monthax

Necropolis

Honour Guard

The Guns of Tanith

Comparison to Cornwell

Spin-off titles

See also

References

Books in series

The novels fall into a series of three story arcs.

★ ''The Founding'' (omnibus, 1008 pages, October 2003, ISBN 1-84416-066-1, 768 pages, May 2006, ISBN 1-84416-369-5):

★
★ ''First And Only'' – ISBN 1-84416-164-1

★
★ ''Ghostmaker'' – ISBN 0-671-78410-2

★
★ ''Necropolis'' – ISBN 0-7434-1159-5

★ ''The Saint'' (omnibus, hardcover, October 2004, ISBN 1-84416-125-0, paperback, 1027 pages, August 2007, ISBN 1-84416-479-9)

★
★ ''Honour Guard'' – ISBN 1-84154-151-6

★
★ ''The Guns of Tanith'' – ISBN 1-84154-232-6

★
★ ''Straight Silver'' – ISBN 1-84154-262-8

★
★ ''Sabbat Martyr'' – ISBN 0-7434-4360-8

★ ''The Lost''

★
★ ''Traitor General'' – ISBN 1-84416-113-7

★
★ ''His Last Command'' – ISBN 1-84416-238-9

★
★ ''The Armour of Contempt'' – ISBN 1-84416-400-4

★
★ ''Only in Death'' – To be released November 2007 in the U.K. and December 2007 worldwide (also referred to as ''Even Unto Death'').
After November 2002, the first five novels (''First And Only'' to ''The Guns of Tanith'') were reprinted with new cover art by Adrian Smith, whose provided cover art was used for all later releases. Previously, cover art had been created by a variety of artists. The ''Founding'' and ''Saint'' story arcs have been released as hardcover omnibus editions, with paperback editions to be released in February and August 2007 respectively.

Ghostmaker & First And Only

The first two books are collections of short stories originally published in the cartoon fanzine ''Inferno!'', published by the Black Library. They are not sequential; for example, the fall of Tanith in the first chapter of ''Ghostmaker'' occurs before the siege on Fortis Binary in ''First And Only'', which in turn takes place before the assault on Oskray Hive in ''Ghostmaker'' (this latter timeline can be established by the mention of a cybernetic shoulder that was fitted to one of the characters on Fortis Binary). Disregarding the fall of Tanith, during which little fighting took place, the action of the two books is focused on four main theatres of operation:

Voltis City, Voltemond

Voltemond is described in ''Ghostmaker'' as a temperate world, similar to Earth, with extensive marshlands around Voltis City, the planetary capital, which was under Chaos control before the events of ''Ghostmaker''. The chapter begins with the Tanith First " Gaunt's Ghosts" saving the Ketzok 17th "Serpents" artillery regiment from an ambush by Chaos Space Marines. The Tanith are then ordered to infiltrate and assault the main watergate and sanitation outfall of Voltis in order to mine the walls and form a breach for an assault by the Royal Volpone 50th storm troopers, known as the "Bluebloods". The assault on the watergate is repelled when the traitors open the floodgates and flush the Tanith out; however, Sergeant Cluggan leads a successful attack on the sanitation outfalls, creating a breach for the armoured assault. As the Ghosts retreat, General Noches Sturm of the Royal Volpone and his adjudant, Major Gilbear, both of whom were disdainful of Gaunt and his "low-born" soldiers, order the Ketzok to bombard the Tanith as they fall back to their base. Three hundred men, including Sergeant Cluggan, are killed and another two hundred wounded. Gaunt almost faces a court-martial when he punches Colonel Ortiz, the Ketzok commander, but is let off when Ortiz claims that his injuries were caused by his Basilisk artillery vehicle's recoil.

Fortis Binary

Fortis Binary is described as a forge-world, a planet-wide factory that fell to Chaos. ''First And Only' describes how the Ghosts manage to sabotage a Chaos ritual after Lord Militant General Hechtor Dravere orders them on a suicidal attack on an enemy trench line. This marks the first demonstration of the hatred of Colonel Draker Flense, the commander of the Jantine Patricians who suggested that Dravere give the assault order, for Colonel-Commissar Gaunt.

Menazoid Epsilon

A death world on the edge of the Menazoid Clasp, Epsilon was the site of three shrines to Chaos, designated Primaris, Secundus and Tertius by Imperial tacticians. Beneath Shrine Target Primaris was a Standard Template Constructor, a relic from over ten millennia before the events of ''First And Only'', which made Iron Men, a pattern of robotic warriors; the traitorous General Dravere, assisted by the mutated, radical Inquisitor Heldane, Colonel Draker Flense and his Jantine Patricians attempted to seize power and overturn the commander of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, Warmaster Macaroth, using the Iron Men. However, the machine was corrupted by Chaos and Commissar Gaunt destroyed it, despite the psychic puppetry of the Inquisitor, who died after his "instrument" - Imperial Agent Fereyd, the man into whom Heldane had extended his consciousness - was explosively killed. Colonel Flense also attempted to get his revenge on Gaunt and the Ghosts, as Gaunt has field-executed Flense's father, General Aldo Dercius, many years previously. The Jantine shock troops annihilated the Tanith Seventh Platoon, but were themselves killed to a man by Gaunt's allies, the Vitrian Dragoons. Gaunt stabbed Flense to death beneath Target Primaris, before escaping along with his men.

Monthax

The jungle world of Monthax is the setting for the end of ''Ghostmaker'', when Gaunt and his men encounter the alien Eldar as they struggle to wipe out a Chaos infestation. The Ghosts have to cooperate once again with the Royal Volpone 50th, and with an inquisitor who had accused Brin Milo of witchcraft. They discover an ancient portal leading to one of the Eldar's craftworlds, self-sustaining cities in space, which the inquisitor, Lilith Abferquan, closes after the alien Farseer guarding the portal dies.
Aside from these battles, ''Ghostmaker'' is interspersed with short stories (originally published in ''Inferno!'') in other warzones such as Blackshard, Caligula and Oskray Hive which are used to develop individual characters; for example, the character and leadership qualities of Dermon Caffran are displayed in his actions at Oskray Hive, where he commands an infiltration force which causes the fall of the enemy stronghold, and continue to be exhibited upon his promotion to Sergeant in ''His Last Command''.

Necropolis

Necropolis tells the story of the siege of Vervunhive, a megacity or "hive" on the planet of Verghast. It is set several months after the battle for Monthax, and marks the start of the books' chronology in the sense that the events in one book are sequential and immediately follow the events at the end of the previous book.

Honour Guard

In Honour Guard The Ghosts are sent to the Shrineworld Hagia, religious capitol of the Sabbat worlds and home of the Saint for which they are named. There they engage in battles with the Infardi, led by the psyker Pater Sin, a more unpredictable, cult-like enemy than the regular Chaos forces they had previously engaged. The book concentrates particularly on the clashes of armoured forces, including the Pardus armoured Imperial Guard regiment, and opposing them machines from the corrupted Forge World Urdesh.

The Guns of Tanith

Amidst the spires of the lethally polluted world of Phantine, the Tanith must make an aerial assault to recapture Ourenberg and its valuable Promethium reserves from the elite enemy Blood Pact, and their allies the ruthless reptilian Loxatl.

Comparison to Cornwell

The ''Gaunt's Ghosts'' series of books have been inspired heavily by the ''Sharpe'' series of books written by Bernard Cornwell ^[1]. This has been the subject of considerable controversy between fans of the series and those who dislike Abnett’s writings.

Spin-off titles

Dan Abnett has also authored two other titles based during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. The first is ''Double Eagle'', focusing on the Phantine Air Corps introduced in ''The Guns of Tanith'' and set in the same immediate timeframe as ''Sabbat Martyr''. The second is a fictional history of the Crusade, from the beginnings of the crusade 10 years before the setting of the first novel to a point just after ''Sabbat Martyr'', providing an overview of the crusade as a whole

★ Double Eagle, , , , Black Library, 2005, ISBN 1-84416-090-4

★ The Sabbat Worlds Crusade, , , , Black Library, 2005, ISBN 1-84416-249-4
A sequel to ''Double Eagle'', titled ''Interceptor City'', has been planned.^[2] ''Brothers of the Snake'', a novel by Abnett focusing on the Iron Snakes Space Marines, scheduled for release in June and July 2007,^[3] is also likely to be set during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.

See also

★ List of Gaunt's Ghosts characters

★ Tanith (Warhammer 40,000)

References

★ First and Only, , Dan, Abnett, Black Library, 2000, ISBN 1-84416-164-1

★ All other books in the ''Gaunt's Ghosts'' series of novels.

★ Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Imperial Guard, , Andy, Chambers, Games Workshop, 2003, ISBN 1-84154-410-8
1. An Interview with Dan Abnett, , Christian, Dunn, Warhammer Monthly, 2000
2. Dan Abnett Interview (Horus Heresy)
3. Brothers of the Snake by Dan Abnett