Abnett is obviously starting to flag
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A while ago Abnett stated his preference to write other series of books and its is clearly beginning to show now. Although background and realism has never been his strongpoint 'Traitor General' continues his rather worrying trait of producing flat main characters and even flatter supporting casts. Shorn of character those around, the now two-dimensional, Gaunt are sadly shorn of intelligence and this does little to help a series that has flagged over recent books. The tiny sections of characterisation are padded out enormously by pointless scene after pointless scene. Battles come and go, new characters are introduced and then either killed or left in plot limbo as events swirl randomly towards...I would say a conclusion but it is more accurate to say the end of a very short book. I can only hope that Abnett has a real twist in his pocket for the next book as 'Traitor General' was enough to turn me away from what was a good series in many ways.
In many respects writing Warhammer 40,000 novels is an exercise in fan fiction. I had hoped that Abnett had risen above that but by ignoring the background and now credibility, believability and characterisation I am not sure he has. Look elsewhere.
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They do hunches...and inklings.
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The team that went to Gereon came back different. You do not spend that long on a Chaos-held world and not have it affect you. It changed the way they fought. It changed the way they lived and thought, the way they trusted. All of those changes were alterations forced on them by the simple need to survive. Gereon left its mark on them. They developed an instinct, a type of hunch, a sensitivity, a little inkling that rang alarm bells when things were not right. They learned to sense the vibrations of Chaos. Because of this, they survived and returned from the dead to their people. Also because of this, they were not trusted and found themselves before a tribunal. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt has been missing so long and presumed dead that his unit, the Tanith First-and-Only, has been redeployed. Eszrah Night, a Gereon partisan who has attached himself to Gaunt, follows Gaunt on the trip homeward. They learn that the Ruinous Powers are on the move and that the Warmaster may very well find himself stabbed in the back. Since the higher-ups would not believe anything from a possibly tainted resurrected hero, Gaunt would just have to find a way to force them into listening and believing. In the meantime, the Ghosts are sent back to the front lines where the men they meet will learn to do things a new way, the Ghost way, or die. **** The first few chapters of the book are intense. Gaunt's Ghost fans are witness to their heroes returning and how they are treated. But then things slow WAY down. There are many battles, but nothing really gets done. It comes across to the reader as simply filler pages. Then, as usual, a little past the half-way point, things begin to happen. The real story begins. From then on, you will not be able to pull yourself away. I only took away one star due to the several chapters of slowness because the author managed to show the reader that the "new" Ghosts actually teach the fresh, green, recruits how to think under stress. Readers actually see the cherries mature into decent fighting men. A wonderful addition to the series! **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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Say hello to mister yellow...
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This is an absolute must for everyone!! You don't have to be a Warhammer 40k fan to like this series of books, hells teeth my Mum reads 'em. This book is a great read, back to form in terms of war in the 41st millenium, Traitor General being drastically different, and it being back to the straight forward war effort is great. Also with Gaunt out of his command role you get to see how his Commisarial duties are still with him even after everything he's been through. The rest of the charaters are ice cool veterans now, they work with a ruthlessness when they fight and a nonchalance when things get tough showing real character development in terms of the horrors they have seen. I have always enjoyed this series and cannot wait for the next book.
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For the Emperor, For the Throne, For...Belladon?
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Wow, this book is fantastic.
Gaunt arrives back with most of his mission team, and is immediately a suspect! Meanwhile, his regiment has changed completely.
I was simply unable to put it down. It did feel slightly shorter than the others, but that may well be the fact that I read it so quickly! The characters of all of the mission team (with the possible exception of Brostin) have changed beyond recognition, so re-reading the previous eight books is a MUST if you want to get the full impact of the change, especially the early books detailing the relationship between Gaunt and Rawne. The book is also littered with referances to previous books.
Reading the Sabbat Worlds Crusade book is also a must, as it puts everything into context, and this book refers heavily to it. There are a large unmber of cliffhangers, where you know something important has happenned/has been found/has been said, but you have to wait a while for the resolution, which really pushes the story on. Remember every detail, everything is vital, and the end leaves you yearning for the next book. With the next volume not scheduled to turn up before June 2006 (according to blcklibrary.co.uk), it'll be a tough wait!
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Feth me!
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If your a fan of the gaunts ghosts then you will need no pursuasion buyiny the 9th in the serise. Filed with huge battles and the brilliant characterisation you expect in all of Dan Abnetts books, you really do care for the characters and prey they all make it through. Set in the fantastic gothic backdrop of 40k, i can't recommend this book highly enough. For Tanith!
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