The Founding: A Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus

Very good read.

I picked this book up on a whim and boy was I happy that I did. I heard about the character, Commissar Gaunt, from a YouTube video I watched about Warhammer 40k and he was mentioned briefly. I looked into him and found that there was a book series written by Dan Abnett. Mr. Abnett can write a fantastic Warhammer 40k novel and this was no exception. Basically the stories, three in this collection, tell of the character Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his unit: the Tanith First and Only. They become attached to the Sabbat Worlds Crusade under Warmaster Slaydo and it becomes a great tale of heroism, loss, death, comradery and more. The third book has parts of the story written like it was taken out of an After Action Report on specific battles and tactics used to win a war. I found those particular parts to be descriptive and well done (Former Army Grunt). The characters, beside the main one, are well fleshed out and you find yourself rooting for them and what they go through. The Tanith are tasked with scouting and forward observance of the enemy and they seem to get themselves put into the very worst battles and situations, losing men along the way. Then as they go through their time in the theater of war, they pick up friends and allies in other units and civilians along the way. Jealousy is also felt by the other unit commanders and they go out of their way to humiliate and degrade the Tanith scouts and their commanding officer. Through sheer tenacity, and a bit of luck, Gaunt and his Ghosts make this series of books a definite read for anyone that loves to look at the page and read about regular humans and the battles they fight and the lives they lead. Tanith First!

Fast paced, well thought out, exactly what you want from a military sci-fi novel! I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

The Founding is my first attempt to get into Warhammer 40k after being recommended to the franchise by many of my friends. I was fascinated with the premise of Warhammer 40k but couldn’t afford the game itself, so I was told to start with the founding and see what I think from there. At the moment I'm roughly a fourth of the way through the book and so far It's been a real page turner for me. If you’re new to the series as much as I am, if you like the Gears of War franchise, The Mass Effect series, World War I stories, and syfy in general, then you’ll love The Founding as its filled with that kind of stuff. The book can take a while to read (which really depends on how fast of a reader you are.) Other than that it’s a very good book and I highly recommend getting it.

The Gaunts Ghosts series is legendary for a reason, and the books are a great jumping off point for people new to the universe of Warhammer 40k. These books are intense, well written works of military science fiction, and offer an excellent view of the life of ordinary soldiers and citizens of the 41st millennium. Space Marine books can be a little too grandiose and epic - this is gritty and dark, the action is brutal and fast, and the worlds are hostile and alien. I gave it four stars instead of five for two reasons: one, at least in this first omnibus, the enemy is always Chaos. I understand that this is the primary antagonist in the series, and Necropolis does a good job of shaking things up as far as the enemy being a properly armed hive defense force rather than yet another random chaos cult on some random world, but still. There's a whole universe of stuff to kill out there, guardsman! Second, while there are tons of casualties, named troopers dying left and right, it never really feels like any of the main five characters are ever going to really die. Major plot armor vibes, but again this is just the first omnibus.

Fantastic finale for the trilogy A perfect way to see the world of warhammer from a standard imperial guards view!

My second warhammer book but wow. Amazing series and characters. Not just good warhammer but good sci fi period. I read somewhere somebody said it was warhammer band of brothers and after reading it, I’d say that was spot on.

The book arrived quickly and in great condition. This is a fantastic collection of stories from one of my favorite series.

Sure, there are things that might be questionable in the 40k universe with our modern lens (no drones) but it is the 40k universe and the author has to stick to canon. He does a great job and it is quite a page turner. Overall, the human point of view (imperial guard) makes things more relatable and the action is very visceral, reminding me of some of the actions we’ve seen taking place in Europe in 2022-23.

The 40k setting is a brutal and fast universe and yet Abnett brings out some genuine human interaction and a level of maturity that you don't much see in other action SF books. The story works at its own pace and leaves you reeling at the scale and death of conflict, primarily because Brett masterfully creates real characters with relatable personalities. A must for fans of 40k and fans of Sci Fi as well

Yes, the cover isn't the best quality but does the job. Great book to start in the 40k universe.

Purchases as a birthday gift for a family member and new Warhammer 40K fan. He enjoyed the novel. It arrived in pristine condition, no knicks or damage to the cover or pages.

It's a long read, but it's good if you are into the W40K universe. I was about to suggest to use it as a door stopper once you are done with the book due to how thick it is, but I feel the inquisitors gonna come knocking my door if I do something like that.