“Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Founding”, by Dan Abnett

 

768 pages, The Black Library, ISBN-13: 978-1844163694

 

Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Founding is an omnibus edition from the Black Library that collects three novels together: First and Only, Ghostmaker and Necropolis. The peaceful, arboreal world of Tanith is commanded to raise a legion of troops to serve in the Imperial Guard (er, make that the Astra Militarum now), the billions-strong regular army of the Imperium of Man. On the day the Tanith 1st, 2nd and 3rd are commissioned and depart for deep space, their homeworld is annihilated from orbit; thus, they become the Tanith First-and-Only; or, rather, Gaunt’s Ghosts. Under the command of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, the Ghosts have become a respected unit, skilled in battle and reliable under fire. But Gaunt, a political officer filling a military role, has made some very dangerous enemies in the High Command of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. The Ghosts are now part of the attempt to liberate the Sabbat Worlds from the forces of Chaos, but Gaunt discovers corruption and heresy may be taking root in the High Command, and he cannot trust anyone but his men in an effort to find a weapon of unimaginable power on the dark world of Menazoid Epsilon before his enemies do the same.
 

The Gaunt’s Ghosts series is one of the best Warhammer 40k novel series out there, and The Founding omnibus edition will take you through the first three installments of the Sabbat World Crusade that Gaunt and his Ghosts are campaigning in. Without getting into spoilers (promise!) you will find yourself reading through three very compelling stories about the Imperial Guard units that are fighting against the enemies of mankind to liberate the Sabbat Worlds. The books build the campaign up pretty smoothly and give you a solid introduction to major characters that you will come to know and root for. Much of the second book in the omnibus goes into character development, and there are great battle sequences in each of the books, as well. Abnett writes compelling war fiction and there is much to dig into here, for the way in which the books are written, the battle scenes and action compel you forward, eager to find the conclusion of the battles and encounters. I found myself reading far more than I planned several times while working my way through these books, the story itself being exciting enough that I didn't want to put it down for a little while longer.
 

Interestingly, the human element of the 40k universe comes out in Abnett’s writing, as well, as opposed to many of the books that feature the superhuman Space Marines. The Ghosts series of novels digs into the very human struggles of flawed but brave individuals fighting for the survival of mankind against determined horrible foes, and even goes into the very human politics that tend to surround military engagements and how they can affect things, in a word, the Ghosts are relatable. I think this is a big part of why these books are so compelling to many: they feature the human side of war and struggle in the far future that keeps this series as one of the best. All of the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels and omnibuses are being reissued by the Black Library, and The Founding is a great addition to your collection and will give you a good look into the non-Space Marine side of the Imperium of Man and how it prosecutes its wars. What’s best is that you don’t even have to be a wargamer to dive into the grim dark universe of the future (although some knowledge of the 40k universe will help you decipher what in the hell is going on).