The Lost: A Gaunt's Ghost Omnibus

I lost a lot of sleep over this book. ITs a big book and I had a hard time putting it down. Dan Abnett does a great job of character development. He gives you characters that you can really get attached too and care what happens too. Also he portrays the 40k universe and its players a little bit more intellegently and clever than some other novels in this series by different authors. The book is a ominibus of a number of stories that all build on one another, so there is great continuity. You can't go wrong with this one, if you a fan of the 40k series.

WHAT CAN I SAY ALL OF THE GAUNT'S GHOSTS NOVELS ARE QUITE GOOD, BUT THIS LOST STORY ARCH IS MY FAVORITE SO FAR. THE ACTION IS GREAT THE STORY LINE HAS TAKEN A TURN FOR THE BETTER. THE NEW CHARACTERS THAT ARE INTRODUCED ARE INTERESTING. MY HOPE IS THAT DAN ABNETT KEEPS THIS SERIES GOING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. IN FACT I LIKE IT SO MUCH I WOULD NOT BE COMPLETELY MORTIFIED IF WHEN MR. ABNETT TIRES OF GAUNT AND HIS GHOSTS HE ALLOWS ANOTHER AUTHOUR TO TRY THEIR HAND WITH THEM. IT MAY BE A BIG RISK TO SOME BUT I THINK IT IS A RISK WORTH TAKING TO KEEP THE GHOSTS ALIVE. THATS IT, GREAT READ PICK IT UP.

I first came across Dan Abnett's 40K writings in the Eisenhorn Trilogy. Amazing writing, in my opinion one of the very best 40K series ever written. Thankfully for us sci-fi (and 40K) fans, Mr. Abnett has been prolific in his output for war-filled grim universe of the 40th millennium. The story of Tanith's First-and-Only regiment, and its legendary command Colonel-Commissar Gaunt, has been a mainstay of the 40K literature for years, there being some twelve volumes released so far. A few years ago Games Workshop started re-releasing the earlier books in omnibuses. This omnibus, The Lost, is the third omnibus, consisting of four complete titles, as follows: Book 8: Traitor General Book 9: His Last Command Book 10: The Armor of Contempt Book 11: Only in Death The book itself consists of 1,016 pages, and for those who haven't read any of the titles contained, is obviously a good value compared to each individual title costing around $8-9 each. I won't give away any spoilers or plot here, but I found the books to be compelling read. Mr. Abnett's writing is, simply, so much better than the vast majority of other 40K authors. The characters' actions seem plausible, reasonable, and the glimpses we get into their inner turmoil are gripping and realistic. So many of the 40K novels are two-dimensional blood and gore, each vying with other to top the graphic violence and chaos. Not so Mr. Abnett's books. His description of the battlefield and the ebb and flow of combat is superb. I highly, highly recommend this omnibus. And when you're done with it, go and check out the Eisenhorn Trilogy--you won't be disappointed.

Dan Abnett once again has a wonderful addition to the Black Library (or, more correctly, the omnibus edition at a great price), in the form of The Lost. The overall pace is quite different from the other books in the series, focusing more on the more famous individuals, rather than the more Ghosts-centric & squad based approach of the other books. However, this has helped make things more personal, and even at times reaches the level of individualization reached by Glen Cook in Chronicles of the Black Company or the Eisenhorn (A Warhammer 40,000 Omnibus) books. I would recommend it highly for anyone who is a fan of the WH40k universe or Dan Abnett. There is even a clean enough break where those new to the Ghosts could drop into the series with The Lost and not be entirely at a disadvantage.

Every bit as riveting as The Founding and The Saint! Abnett's grasp of warfare not only on a frontline/hand-to-hand level, but on broad theater-wide tactical and logistical scale; and his ability to make the reader sympathize with so many diverse characters are what hooked me from square one, and he delivers flawlessly in The Lost. A power-house addition to any collection!