“Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Victory (Part One)”, by Dan Abnett

 

960 pages, The Black Library, ISBN-13: 978-1784968151

Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Victory Part One is an omnibus edition from the Black Library that collects two novels and four short stories together: Blood Pact, Salvation’s Reach, Family, You Never Know, Ghosts and Bad Shadows and Killbox. I suppose the days of the Ghosts are winding down, if this latest (so far) omnibus is anything to go by. The first novel Blood Pact I found to be about as adventurous as a dungeon crawl (remember those?), while the short stories were…oh, I don’t know, a waste of paper? Maybe Dan was trying to give some background to his favorite gang of Emperor-lovin’ hard-asses, but I found that if I wanted to go to sleep at night I just had to read one of these things and was snoozing in no time flat. As this is only the first half to this series that is winding down, I suppose I must seriously consider whether or not I want Part Two…oh, who am I kidding; I am incapable of having an incomplete collection. Still, it is my fervent hope that Abnett gets back to his masterful ways and writes a proper send-off to 40K’s greatest band of lifetakers and heartbreakers, as this volume was all but broke my heart with its…its…commonality. Anyone could have written these stories, but Abnett is so much better than anyone. Here’s looking forward to Part Two. Gulp.