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arthurbdd's review
4.0
Interesting experiment in trying to depict a more wholesome form of religion within the context of the Warhammer 40,000 universe which can somehow survive despite the tyrannous inclinations of the Imperial cult. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/the-reading-canary-gaunts-ghosts-second-assault/
trackofwords's review
4.0
Honour Guard is the fourth Gaunt’s Ghosts book, and kicks off the second arc within the series – The Saint. Set on the shrineworld Hagia, birthplace of Saint Sabbat, it sees Gaunt tasked with leading the Imperial liberation efforts, which soon go horribly wrong. With his career in tatters he’s sent on a desperate mission to reclaim the body of the Saint herself – some small measure of personal glory.
Quest stories can sometimes drag as characters plod along on their journey, but Abnett keeps the pace up and provides plenty of variety throughout to minimise that drag, even if the ending when it arrives is perhaps a little sudden. It’s not quite the gut-punch of Necropolis, but it’s still a powerful story that sets things up nicely for the rest of this arc.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/11/28/honour-guard-dan-abnett/
Quest stories can sometimes drag as characters plod along on their journey, but Abnett keeps the pace up and provides plenty of variety throughout to minimise that drag, even if the ending when it arrives is perhaps a little sudden. It’s not quite the gut-punch of Necropolis, but it’s still a powerful story that sets things up nicely for the rest of this arc.
Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2017/11/28/honour-guard-dan-abnett/
jackneighbour's review
5.0
Fantastic book again. Full of tense moments, laugh out loud interactions and a massive set piece battles. Brilliant ending too!
tallblondehandsome's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
recursivehaiku's review
3.0
3 / 5
This might be the worst book in the series so far. It is still an entertaining and quick read, but many of the things that it was going for where botched.
The book tries to humanize Gaunt but does a terrible job at it.
The first half of the book (which is the way too long exposition and setup) felt like a slog.
The second half was full of suspense but was rushed. I kept getting closer and closer to finishing the book and still the endgame had not begun. It was very predictable that the resolution of this book would be VERY rushed.
Apart from that the story overall is very interesting.
Gaunt's development may be a dumpster fire but the rest of the Ghosts grew on me just a little bit more. We also get to know the newly recruited Ghosts from Vervunhive.
As i said, definitely the worst book so far. But for all the misses this book also hits on enough points to still make it an enjoyable quick read.
This might be the worst book in the series so far. It is still an entertaining and quick read, but many of the things that it was going for where botched.
The book tries to humanize Gaunt but does a terrible job at it.
The first half of the book (which is the way too long exposition and setup) felt like a slog.
The second half was full of suspense but was rushed. I kept getting closer and closer to finishing the book and still the endgame had not begun. It was very predictable that the resolution of this book would be VERY rushed.
Apart from that the story overall is very interesting.
Gaunt's development may be a dumpster fire but the rest of the Ghosts grew on me just a little bit more. We also get to know the newly recruited Ghosts from Vervunhive.
As i said, definitely the worst book so far. But for all the misses this book also hits on enough points to still make it an enjoyable quick read.
nooker's review
5.0
While this is truly one of my favorite Ghosts novels, I do wish the ending was set up a little better. It kinda feels like two separate stories that don't exactly connect. Still, they were both good enough that I really like it.
murfman's review
4.0
A great read. Fast-paced, exciting, brutal, everything I've come to love from Dan Abnett and the Waarhammer 40k universe.
beorn_101's review
5.0
If you are 4 books into Gaunt's Ghosts you know what to expect, this is more of the same, but in the best ways possible. My favorite thing in this book is the addition of new recruits from Verghast, which creates a fun dynamic amongst the Ghosts.
smcscot's review
3.0
In a continuation of the Gaunt's Ghosts series Mr. Abnett provides a satisfying sequel and a beginning to a new cycle. As always Mr. Abnett is wonderful in his descriptions of battles. He has a singular ability to make the war seem real, despite the otherworldly (literally) locations. What makes this one particularly interesting is that we learn a little more of the mythology of the Warhammer 40k world. Part of the issue, however, is that Mr. Abnett doesn't conclude the story line. It's almost as though he gets caught in the trap of knowing that he will have another book to write so he can continue on the story line there. For an insignificant plot development, or a character trait this would be OK, however the plot development is a series ending event and it's left dangling. If there was a bit more cohesive storytelling (it's a bit sporadic in the beginning because he separates four different groups) and this plot line was resolved, it would have been a much higher grade. It's worth it however to get the mythology so if you're reading the series, don't skip it.