The first in the series of Gaunt's Ghosts novels.Commissar Ibram Gaunt is one of the most interesting characters in the Warhammer 40k setting.

Don't let the fact that this should be mass produced Warhammer 40k garbage throw you. Dan Abnett has a particular talent for this kind of story and a lot to offer even those of us who are not really into the 40k universe.First and Only covers a major campaign in the Ghosts' history and is a good introduction to the Imperial Legions or whatever they are and how the various troop interactions work between the different companies that are harvested from different worlds. This book has a lot of inte...

Three and a half stars, I guess?This was a fun read, quite breezy. The pacing is very well-done, and the sequences move on briskly. The action is also very well-written, especially the massive battle sequence that begins the book proper. There are a lot of characters, and the book is of modest length. So some of the characters only manage to be quick, rough sketches. Unfortunately the main character, Ibram Gaunt, is pretty much just a square-jawed hero, which makes him somewhat boring. I enjoyed...

I picked this up after being impressed with the high rating on goodreads. Unfortunately, "First and Only" never even came close to living up to all it's hype. The book starts off with Gaunt and his Ghosts being deployed as ground forces against the enemy shriven. This goes on for a third of the book without Abnett even making the slightest effort at developing even one character among the entire ensemble, thereby creating a huge waste of time. The book does improve after this battle, but not by

If you like Warhammer, even if you don't, regardless, this book kicks off one of the best action/adventure series I have ever read. Massive battles, intrigue, honor and brotherhood under fire make this book, much like the rest of the series, outstanding.

I should not like this series, and everyone I know agrees with me. I can't help it! I sometimes indulge in military fiction, but never, never Warhammer. I only dared to read the first book because I had heard that there was more to it than I assumed (and the covers let on). Good characters, messed up plots, and Gaunt is a badass. Sometimes it does get a bit over my head, probably because of my utter Warhammer-ignorance, or maybe because it's getting a bit too military (I like to believe it's the...

I didn't get very far before I gave up. No real plot, just piggybacking on a group of soldiers. Except: This is the far flung future with spaceships and laser weapons, but they're still using artillery, grenades, and fighting in trenches. No air support or orbital bombardments. I know I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief, but the lack of plot mixed with that, was too much.And, for a final quibble, Abnett kept referring to "coffee" as "caffeine". As in, "...poured himself a tiny cup of rich black...

So begins my epic re-read of the entire Gaunts Ghosts series prior to reading the final part, Anarch. It was strange to return to the very first novel, which I first read about ten years ago. Re-reading it brought home how the series has changed, the prose gradually sharpening up while the structure of the novels have become less ambitious. Later entries in the series, and most of Abnett's writing to be honest, have been extremely linear. While not the 'bolter porn' of lesser Black Library autho...

Why has it taken me 10 years to finally read this book that one of my good friends told me to read back then? Stubborn I guess, who knows. Anyway, Dan Abnett's first 40K novel is well paced and very intriguing. He is my favorite of the Black Library's current authors and probably the best Marine author they have. Hear he starts the story of Gaunt and his First and Only Ghosts. They are an excellent regiment of imperial guard, and much like Abnett breathed life into the Lunar Wolves, and the Iron...

"The series follows the exploits of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his regiment of scouts and recon specialists, the Tanith First-and-Only (nicknamed Gaunt's Ghosts), as they serve in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Their battles are normally against the forces of Chaos, although they briefly face orks on Typhon Eight. Up until 'Guns of Tanith' the Ghosts are mainly pitted against heretical rebels armies, but on Phantine and in most of the campaigns following it they face the well-trained and elit...

Dan Abnett did a great job really bringing the grit and dark world of Warhammer 40k to life. I didn't instantly start reading the second book, Ghostmaker, only because it wasn't available in ePUB format yet.

"Give any man the power of a god, and you better hope he's got the wisdom and morals of a god to match. There's nothing feeble about my moral line. I value life. That's why I fight to protect it. I mourn every man I lose and every sacrifice I make. One life or a billion, they're all lives."I knew nothing going into this book. I have never played Warhammer 40k, I have never watched it being played, I never had a man who was into Warhammer40k – my usual way of brushing my fingertips against the ga...

Bit slow to get going i think, but really picks up! First 40k book i read, love it!

Surprisingly good..either that or i'm on a four star kick. I approached this thinking it was going to be mindless dribble. I was wrong. Think Band of Brothers but in space battling all kinds of nasty alien forces (this is actually Derek Manus' evaluation of the book, but i find it very apropos). There is also a bunch f infighting which Abnett ties a little too perfectly together. The writing is solid and the characters are lush, though it's a little confusing at first because a number of them ha...

I am military fiction lover and believe me this is trash. Leo Kessler is far more better in description of military action then this piece of mass produced Warhammer stuff. On the other hand it was enjoyable to read, but not as Sandy Mitchell's books. I was counting the death toll on the First and only regiment trough the books and seriously they would not make it trough the one book. The evil general, even more evil inquisitor plus evil rival regiment tried to kill our hero, who uncovered the w...

"Walk hardy and carry a bigger gun than anyone else" – the motto when reading Warhammer 40,000. Recently I decided to pick up First and Only by Dan Abnett as it has been some time since I read it and felt this was due a review (1999 I believe). Why? Mainly as it opened my eyes to the literature coming out from Games Workshop at the time. OK, the first novel I ever read was Wolf Rider which I believe was written by Jack Yeovil, but might be wrong there. The second novel was Horus Rising by D

THE EMPEROR FUCKING PROTECTS.

Band of Brothers battles Star Wars' Dark Siths in Lord of The Ring's Mount Doom.

This was the second time I've read the novel. The first time was in 2007 (one of the first novels I've read for Black Library) and now. Since I didn't follow with the rest of the series I thought about it and said to myself I would start reading when all finish. We now have all novels so it's a good time to start reading.This is the first book in 15 novel series plus an anthology. There is also the Double Eagle which is not part of Gaunt BUT it was set on the Sabbat Crusade. IT focus on areal wa...

I'll be honest, I don't follow the Warhammer 40K world at all. I don't read the books, and I don't play the games. I read the book because it was free.One thing that threw me out of the book continually was the language. It wasn't vulgar or anything but the usage of semi-archaic terms and knowledge of... I needed more backstory to support the book or a glossary... I guess the more I read the more I'll learn; but I'm not sure I want to learn about the world too much.I liked the book and I've foun...