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Gaunt's Ghosts: The Warmaster


JH79

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Isn't there a quote in one of the books that the Sabbat Worlds Crusade killed Trillions of people?

 

And that was one of nine Imperial Campaigns happening at the same time

 

 

How many of the casualties were civilian or military?

 

 

The Imperials lost Billions of Guardsmen taking (and retaking a few times) a single planet

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I really enjoyed this book. It did feel like a set up to another book, but the best Abnett book for me in a long time. While the overall plot might not have been to my 100% satisfaction the writing was top notch.

 

One question I have is that Dan said in an interview he was giving the ghosts a genuine moment of happiness and reprieve. I must have skipped over that page, when was it?

 

 

The only thing I would qualify about KingHongKong's post is this:

Oan Mkoll is, indeed, alluded to having a last stand against the Sons of Sek. I sincerely doubt he's dead (his body isn't found, just his broken dagger), but more importantly his action didn't force the enemy to retreat. I thought it was understood that the enemy came to get something, that they succeeded in doing so, and that the attack was ended once this was done.

 

 

My initial reaction was they retreated because of him. This is because of Macaroth's speech about the war being one by one Guardsman doing something very good or very very bad..
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One question I have is that Dan said in an interview he was giving the ghosts a genuine moment of happiness and reprieve. I must have skipped over that page, when was it?

 

I think he was talking about Gaunt's promotion and the camp celebrating.

 

 

Right. He did say the Ghosts, not the reader. :wink:

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Ok so I’ve just finished. There’s lots of things I want to discuss, but it’s New Year’s Eve, lots going on and one thing is still just constantly circling in my head.

 

Meryn killed :cussing Ezra?! I think I might hate him as much or in some ways more than Cuu. Though at least Cuu was always a psychopath. I still can’t quite get on board with Meryns change to murderous, criminal :cuss that he is now. I get that Op Larisel hardened him somewhat, then his taste for command from Wilder may have gone to his head. But the way he is now is just such a massive change to me. But to have him kill Ezra, for poor awesome Ezra to go out like that is just...

 

I mean I was so glad to finally be rid of Gendler and Wilder and get a badass Ezra moment. Then just as I’m sat there grinning and internally whooping at how awesome Ezra is.....Meryn shoots him! And for what real reason? Why did he actually need to kill him other than mainly to he even more of a villain.

 

Also as mentioned before. Blenner. I desperately want him gone as well. Before he was endearing in his own way. Bit of a bull:cusster, likes the comforts of life. But that was it. Now ever since Salvations Reach he’s a massive coward, like uncontrollably so, and now a criminal to boot. As said. I just can’t see how he ever passed out of the Scholam, never mind survived so many years as a Commissar without being found out. I thought he, like Wilder has got better after Salvations Reach, but if anything he got lore cowardly and Wilder hated Gaunt even more.

 

Again. Lots more to discuss after new year. But yeah.

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Having finished this yesterday and had some time to have a think on its contents. While the book was indeed very fun and a solid read, it was let down in 2 major ways for me, 1) the first act dragged on a little too long before they actually get to urdesh and for no real reason. 2) It just doesn't feel like a whole book, it feels like if someone cut my book in half and gave me part one. While i understand the need to leave some things hanging, this felt particularly jarring.  But all in all not a bad read, just not a great one.

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I've finished this recently too, after receiving it for Christmas from my wife.

 

Overall, I did enjoy the book. The story was generally well written, however the end of act one was rather sudden, and the beginning of act two seemed to have been glossed over as though it didn't really matter.

 

I also agree with many of the character descriptions mentioned previously, and, the nod to Yoncy's change being initially an accident, but then brought up and turned into a plot point.

 

 

I do think that it's either Giant's disaffected daughter or Yoncy that Sek is after. The trouble is, both seem rather obvious, but at the same time, remote. Yoncy does seem to have been largely ignored aside from some incidental mentions, so, to jump into centre stage seems a bit out of left field.

 

I can't help but feel excited for the next book, even though there is a high possibility it will be the last outing for the ghosts.

 

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As I was determined not to buy this book until it was out in MMPB, I didn't think I would be posting any comments here, but a good friend pressed his copy into my hands and said "READ" and so I did. Wow... lots going on. Before I get started I want to warn everyone who doesn't want a hint of what's going on I'm not going to "Hide" any spoilers. However, I will keep them brief and as vague as possible.

 

On the whole ​The Warmaster​ was a very good read and a worthy sequel to Salvation's Reach​. As I said, WOW..... lots going on. There was a lot of character growth and development in this book. Some good to see, some very sad.

 

​First, there is Gaunt's promotion, and in my opinion, well deserved. Given his varied and wealth of combat experience, coupled with his intellect, integrity, and charisma, it was logical and inevitable. I know that some see his rise as not following a natural progression. Great and successful leaders seldom follow a linear progression. History is full of examples. I will give you one...General of the Army and Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) Dwight David Eisenhorn.....errr....I mean Eisenhower:wink:  Promoted from Lt Colonel to General (Four Stars) in less than two and a half years. Until his incredibly rise in rank and responsibility he had never commanded a unit above battalion level and had no combat experience. He did a pretty good job.

 

​Elim Rawne has really come into his own in this book. He's come a long way from bitter young officer and black market mastermind to charismatic and natural commander (still more than a bit of a rogue). I've been rooting for him a long time now.

 

​Poor Vaynom Blenner has exceeded his level of incompetence. I've always had a soft spot for him since First and Only​,but he's deep in the nasty now. I'm hoping in the end things don't end badly for him and he has one last redemptive moment.

 

​Flyn Meryn on the other hand..... He sees himself as Rawne's natural successor as criminal kingpin even though he doesn't have a tenth of Rawne's guile or intelligence. The incident with Ezra is just one dark and ignominious example of his blundering. Hopefully he dies badly and at the hands of Rawne.

 

​Have we seen the last of Oan Mkoll...... no fething way!!

 

​Red Dragon, I don't believe we've seen the last of Mabbon Etogaur either. If he doesn't still have a pivotal role to play, I'll be sorely disappointed in Mr. Abnett.

 

​Warmaster Macaroth turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. A very interesting character..... although with Abnett at the helm I really should not have been surprised.

 

​There are so many threads to tie up in the next novel. Some of which I don't see where they are going. Although The Warmaster​ was a very good read and hard to put down, it had the least satisfying ending since I first stared reading the GG series over ten years ago. Even ​Traitor General​ (one of my favorite's too DukeLeto69) had a good element of closure for a cliffhanger novel. This had no closure at all. It really is part one, to be continued in The Anarch​.

 

​Although I love the adventures of Gaunt and his Ghosts, I'm hoping that the series ends soon. I'm hesitant and sad to say this, but I want to see this series go out on a high point and not fizzle out with the last Ghost dying somewhere at the a** end of some forgotten corner of the galaxy. I don't want to see this series end with every great character buying it stupidly like every great character in the Warhammer Fantasy universe did..... FETH THAT!!!

 

​Well brothers and sisters, I guess we'll be talking again in about six years when The Anarch ​comes out.

 

​P.S. Hey DukeLeto69 and A Kvlt Ghost..... ​Blood Pact:thumbsup: 

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I hope Abnett plans still to do that final arc after Anarch - there is too much for one final book, especially given Abnett's lack of closure.

 

Have any of you watched Stranger (also Secret Forest) on Netflix, or watched the Wire? I was thinking about it when watching the former - I really hope Abnett is able to give the ending of the series time to breathe and see consequences. An epilogue of more than a short chapter.

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I wonder how Sabbat connects with the Night of a Thousand Rebellions?

Are they related? Lexicanum says the latter happened a bit more than 200 years after Warmaster (208 specifically).

 

Edit: I can't do math well.

They both occur in Segmentum West

 

 

It would be Grimdark if all the efforts of Gaunt was for nothing two centuries later

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I wonder how Sabbat connects with the Night of a Thousand Rebellions?

Are they related? Lexicanum says the latter happened a bit more than 200 years after Warmaster (208 specifically).

 

Edit: I can't do math well.

They both occur in Segmentum West

 

 

It would be Grimdark if all the efforts of Gaunt was for nothing two centuries later

Oh okay I wasn't sure if I'd missed some info somewhere. Thanks!

 

But the two events don't have to be causally related for all of Gaunt's efforts to be for nothing, right? Having all your efforts defeated not because of your own failures but because of the failure of the galaxy at large, over which you have no control, is also suitably grimdark I think.

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I hope Abnett plans still to do that final arc after Anarch - there is too much for one final book, especially given Abnett's lack of closure.

 

Have any of you watched Stranger (also Secret Forest) on Netflix, or watched the Wire? I was thinking about it when watching the former - I really hope Abnett is able to give the ending of the series time to breathe and see consequences. An epilogue of more than a short chapter.

I'm almost certain Dan is on record saying there will be more, and he says in his latest video interview he wants to keep on writing them until he feels he doesn't have any more stories left to tell with the characters. That implies at least one more arc of three or four novels. 

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Just finished the novel...

 

Thoroughly enjoyed return to the Ghosts, but feel as if the novel ended way too abruptly

It’s like somebody took a novel, chopped it in half and released them separetly

I suppose that’s what a cliff hanger is all about! We rarely get that sort of ending in BL books but it’s a fairly common comic book ending. Take a critical point in the story and pause it. The only problem is it relies on a relatively quick second part. We will have to wait and see about that!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hate the ghosts. They shouldve all be taken out the back of the barn and shot, 6 books back. Gaunt included. If he cant see this, hes not much of a Commissar. Stupid comic book Abnet these days.

 

Commissar leadership sits around, well we just had one of our number plus a squad of guard come back after 6 months on a khaos world. Let them live, the human life is to be cherished??? and we cant replace them???

:cuss Abnets comic arx :cuss.

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Hate the ghosts. They shouldve all be taken out the back of the barn and shot, 6 books back. Gaunt included. If he cant see this, hes not much of a Commissar. Stupid comic book Abnet these days.

 

Commissar leadership sits around, well we just had one of our number plus a squad of guard come back after 6 months on a khaos world. Let them live, the human life is to be cherished??? and we cant replace them???

:censored: Abnets comic arx :censored:.

 

Huh, I thought there had to be somebody out there that hated the Ghosts, but never thought I'd actually come across them.

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Hate the ghosts. They shouldve all be taken out the back of the barn and shot, 6 books back. Gaunt included. If he cant see this, hes not much of a Commissar. Stupid comic book Abnet these days.

 

Commissar leadership sits around, well we just had one of our number plus a squad of guard come back after 6 months on a khaos world. Let them live, the human life is to be cherished??? and we cant replace them???

:cuss Abnets comic arx :cuss.

So you read His Last Command? Anything since? I think comic book is a term I would not apply to this series. But it's also problematic to use it as a pejorative term given that comics include very fine pieces of high literature....

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