First and Only: Gaunt's Ghost, Book 1

I’m just getting into Warhammer 40,000 lore, but Gaunt’s Ghost: First and Only is an action-packed thrill ride that satisfies everything a Warhammer fan would want to read with a human point of view. The characters are well presented and likeable, the plot goes into a straightforward direction that feels well paced and doesn’t get boring. The memory flashbacks even bring significance to the overall main story of the present events in the novel. Dan Abnett brings a flavor of his strange story structure into a very cohesive idea for Warhammer 40,000. It’s been a long and on-going thrill ride for me and I am eager to read this very episodic book series with hopefully some more stuff revealing more of this grim dark Galaxy filled with unimaginable horror and oversized scope of world-building.

"First and Only" is, well, the first book in Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts Series, which is often described as Richard Sharpe meets Warhammer 40K.I thought this book would be an origin story. It isn't. Instead the author slips back and forth between flashbacks and the events currently unfolding during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, where the Tanith First and Only apply their backwoods skills as light infantry.However, in addition to facing external threats, the Imperium of Man is rife with internal strife ranging from inter-service rivalry to open rebellion. So Colonel-Commissar Ibram_Gaunt finds himself confronting a conspiracy to usurp the crusade and snatch piece of archeotech.I can see why Dan Abnett is such a popular Black Library author, even readers who haven't played Warhammer 40K like his work. Although I agree with the one 3-star rater here, in that there's a sequence of coincidences and prophecies that fall into place to advance the plot.Unlike the Ciaphas Cain stories, First and Only plays the grimdark of WH40K straight, but was still an enjoyable book that I'll give a 4-star rating to.I look forward to reading the further adventures of "Sharpe IN SPACE!"

This is the first 40k book I've read and only got into the franchise because of Darktide. I'm not someone who has usually enjoyed reading, but gave this book a try. I could not put it down. I stayed up late reading, read in between meetings, and kept wondering how the book would end in my free time.I highly recommend this to anyone whether this is their first 40k book or their 30th book.

Don't get me wrong, First and Only is a fantastic book and great introduction to the world of Warhammer 40k. I read the book cover to cover and was hungry for more only to realize I could've gotten a better deal buying the Omnibus version "The Founding", which includes First and Only, Ghostmaker, and Necropolis; the first three books along with a couple short stories. If you like grimdark science fiction, Dan Abnett is the author for you.

What a great read from beginning to end. a fun action packed read. I am so glad I picked this book up and I can’t wait to read the next one

Enjoyable book, easily my favorite 40k book I've read thus far. The book made me appreciate the Imperial Guard even more. The book was fast paced with many unique settings. The characters all had their own quirks which definitely added to the narrative. I feel compelled to acquire more of the books of Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts.

Highly recommend if you like sci fi. Great world building and tied everything together well. Really makes you want to read the rest of his books.

Amazing from start to finish, First and Only is a great way to describe Dan Abnett and his writing. 10/10.

Second time on the trail with Gaunt.Been so long since reading it I am enjoying as much as I did first time round.

Well written and rattles along, but ending felt little too quickly wrapped up

Now this I have to say is grade A WH40K expanded universe story telling!What I liked:Where do I begin?! There are characters you'll love and overs you'll love to hate, well paced and high-stakes action, the story (as nearly all the Gaunt's Ghosts books do) takes the characters and events across varied and well descripted locations and by locations I mean exotic, far off worlds far removed from the worlds we're used to! I could really go on and on.This is an Imperial Guard series (Or Astra militarum if your going to be anal retentive about it) and by the Emperor is it the best! When being introduced to the Gothic sci-fi franchise of WH40K I was skeptical about the army force called Imperial Guard."They're just squishy humans in bellow par armour, why would you want to play them, let alone read about them?" was my first thought and how glad I was wrong. The characters here are indeed human, you can relate to them. You can feel their plights in a hopeless battle (the Ghost's always do!) and laugh out loud when they're just relaxing and interacting during their down time. This story is based in a rather rich fictional source material and the events in Dan Abnett's novel really add to it.What you may not like however:This novel dives straight in, expecting you, the reader, to already know the basic source material of WH40K. Sure lasguns and and servo-skulls you pick up on quick, just don't expect to get a detailed explanation on the difference between a Leman Russ Demolisher from a Vanquisher.If you want to enjoy these novels to the fullest, your going to want to brush up on your lore.

Recommended to me by a friend, I was a little sceptical at first as I never actually read a book based on the Warhammer 40k universe apart from a couple of codex's used for the tabletop game, certainly not a full blown novel.This book introduces Gaunt's Ghosts, the nickname for an Imperial Guard regiment. No time is wasted diving right into the exciting action, but don't let it fool you into thinking it's not plot driven as it did me. The plot is astounding and has everything you could ever want in a war novel, including betrayal, conspiracies, rivalries, and of course battles. I have to applaud the way in which each plot element is introduced in a creative way.As much as I enjoy reading about the exploits of the regiment, I also appreciate the wealth of background information on the unit and key characters involved, not to mention on Gaunt himself. Even if you know little about the Warhammer 40k universe you will be able to recognize his daring tactical abilities and how he regards his fellow men with admiration and respect, unlike the typical commissar.This was without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read, so much so I had to order numerous others in the series immediately. I can only hope you find it as thrilling as I did!

Really interesting book with an intriguing plot (even if I feel that it lost itself a bit during the middle) that gave you a mind catching story about the honour of the usually most expendable force of the Imperium