Rating: 
Summary: Not Just For DieHard WarHammerites
Review: First off, I don't play Warhammer. Not because of any bias, but because I a)don't have the money required to buy all the pieces and game sets and b)I don't have the time, even if I had the money. But I've always been intrigued by the game, with its scenario and mythology. When I came across this novel, written by Dan Abnett, I picked it up. I've loved Abnett's comic book work on LEGION, and was sure I'd enjoy his work here, as well.I did. The Warhammer universe is dark. Boy, is it dark. The opening half of the book is just one long, bone crunching battle. Even if you have no idea what the hell is going on, you can't help but feel involved. The second half of the book deals with more of a conventional plot, intriguing as it is. Even though this is a 'sharecropper novel', there is no stinting of creativity, and 'First and Only' reads like a good, solid dark SF novel. I felt shades of Heinlein's 'Starship Troopers' here, I felt nods towards Clive Barker horror, but most of all I just enjoyed Abnett's deft handling of characterization. A fun read. Maybe I'll have to start saving up for my own Warhammer game.
Rating:
Summary: A good old-fashioned war story w/ a scifi twist.
Review: I have enjoyed playing the Warhammer 40,000 games from Games Workshop and even collected several hundred painted figures. When I found out that they were going to start publishing novels based on this game, I made sure to pick up copies of the books when they appear.
One of the first I picked up is Dan Abnett's satisfying novel about an Imperial Guard Regiment and its commander: Colonel-Commissar Ibrahim Gaunt. The regiment is called Tanith First and Only for the fact that the homeworld they were recruited from was destroyed by a surprise attack on the day of their deployment. This fact gives the story and its many characters a certain humanity that most scifi action novel do not have. These are people who have lost everything they know and love. The only thing they have left is each other.
The action in this novel is fast-paced and very brutal. Its very reminiscent of the dime novels about battles during World War 2. This story doesn't glorify war and actually shows war at its most brutal and ugliest.
Dan Abnett has set up a good base from which to write successive sequel novels dealing with Gaunt and his Ghosts. This book really conveys the theme and idea behind the Warhammer 40k games. Fans of the games will love this book and fans of scifi books as well.
Rating: 
Summary: A fun tale filled with quite a bit of action
Review: I'm not a gamer of the Warhammer 40k universe but I've taken a definite interest in the WH40k books since Dan Abnett's First and Only story of the Tanith Ghosts. Dan Abnett's Tanith First & Only tales aren't filled with the depth or complexity you'd find in an Orson Scott Card or Joe Halderman tale but helps to provide the meat and backbone of the science fiction genre. First & Only is a solid tale of the Tanith "Ghosts". The "first and only" regiment of light infantry troops to make it off a homeworld that was lost to them by the forces of chaos. Packed with lots & lots & LOTS of action, First & Only is a great read from beginning to end with fully fleshed out characters and a vivid view of the grim battlefields from the eyes of the light infantry scouts. He does an incredible job of giving the reader the perspective of not just the main character but quite a few characters from the "Ghosts". I'd recommend all of the series (I'll be writing a review of all five books) but you'd definitely want to make sure you start out with the First and Only.
Rating:
Summary: A fun tale filled with quite a bit of action
Review: I'm not a gamer of the Warhammer 40k universe but I've taken a definite interest in the WH40k books since Dan Abnett's First and Only story of the Tanith Ghosts. Dan Abnett's Tanith First & Only tales aren't filled with the depth or complexity you'd find in an Orson Scott Card or Joe Halderman tale but helps to provide the meat and backbone of the science fiction genre. First & Only is a solid tale of the Tanith "Ghosts". The "first and only" regiment of light infantry troops to make it off a homeworld that was lost to them by the forces of chaos. Packed with lots & lots & LOTS of action, First & Only is a great read from beginning to end with fully fleshed out characters and a vivid view of the grim battlefields from the eyes of the light infantry scouts. He does an incredible job of giving the reader the perspective of not just the main character but quite a few characters from the "Ghosts". I'd recommend all of the series (I'll be writing a review of all five books) but you'd definitely want to make sure you start out with the First and Only.
Rating:
Summary: The Ghosts Will Haunt *You*
Review: Like Eye of Terror, another Warhammer 40,000 novel that I read with some apprehension, First & Only caught me by surprise. I read it to get some additional background for the WH40K game world. Where Eye of Terror was only partially combat-focused, First & Only is basically a war novel, with back to back battles. I thought it would bore me, but it didn't. Comic writer Dan Abnett, who does a number of comics for Game's Workshop, is a *very* good long-form writer. His descriptions of the 40K world are compelling and very "painterly" at times, his characters have real depth and charm and his battle descriptions keep you on the edge of your seat. What really makes this book work though,are the unique characters of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First, the so-called Ghosts, who are a fighting force from a dead civilization. Every time one of the Tanith die, their race moves one step closer to extinction. Gaunt, who was promoted to Commissar ahead of the line, has made many enemies in the Imperium who constantly put him and his men in harm's way in hopes of getting rid of him. They always manage to pull through (albeit with tragic loses to the Tanith), which makes his Imperial detractors all the more determined to do him in. The day I finished this book, I ordered the second volume in the series: Ghostmaker. I can't wait to read it and others in the Gaunt's Ghost series.
Rating:
Summary: Great Intro to Warhammer 40K
Review: The book First & Only is a great read for fans of Sci-Fi or just military fiction in general. This book introduces highly defined characters and a story line that is truly unique. The Imperial Guard regiment in this book are from a destroyed planet. When each member of the unit perishes this culture is one step closer to utter extinction. The whole story line captures the reader as the members of Gaunt's Ghosts fight the evil of chaos and the natural survival instinct given to us all. Whether or not you are already a fan of Warhammer, it does not matter. This book can stand alone as a great Sci-Fi novel while keeping the integrety of the Warhammer Universe as developed by the members of Games Workshop. If Dan Abnett continues this level of writing in the upcoming sequel, he could very easily become one of my personal favorite Sci-Fi writers.
Rating:
Summary: a good book for a Warhammer 40k fan
Review: The book is a good read and one you'd probably recomend to a friend. There isn't much to criticize about this book. It's excellent light reading material, if anything it was sometimes too light in my thoughts. I enjoyed it enough that I'm continueing to read the series.
Rating:
Summary: Best 40K book Series and this is the one that started it all
Review: The Gaunt series is by far one of the best series in the Warhammer 40K universe. The concept of comradre and honor really shines through here backed by treachery and human corruption. The focus of these series is the the grand battles but more of character building which makes me love the characters even more. Soldiers like Gaunt, Try Again Bragg, and Caffran really helps make this book shine. Get this series.
Rating:
Summary: great series
Review: The Gaunt's Ghosts books are a great read if you like war science fiction. I have read all of them except the last, and I just started that one. If you are unfamiliar with the world of warhammer 40,000, the miniature game, some things may seem a little odd. Stick with it and you have the David Weber of science fiction land warfare. I have tried to read books from david drake but they didn't pull me in. There was something missing. These books found that something. Try them. You'll like them.
Rating:
Summary: great series
Review: The Gaunt's Ghosts books are a great read if you like war science fiction. I have read all of them except the last, and I just started that one. If you are unfamiliar with the world of warhammer 40,000, the miniature game, some things may seem a little odd. Stick with it and you have the David Weber of science fiction land warfare. I have tried to read books from david drake but they didn't pull me in. There was something missing. These books found that something. Try them. You'll like them.
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