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138-738: Gaunt's Ghosts is a series of military science fiction novels by Dan Abnett , set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It was inspired by the Sharpe series of books written by Bernard Cornwell . As of 2019 , the series spans 16 novels which document the efforts of the Tanith First, a highly skilled yet unappreciated light infantry regiment of the Imperial Guard , during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. The protagonist

276-578: A Strategic Defense Initiative in which satellites would be set up to shoot at nuclear missiles. The two authors were Larry Niven , the author of the Ringworld series, and Jerry Pournelle . Along with like-minded colleagues, they formed a committee to lobby the United States on space issues and influence Reagan's space policies. Pournelle advocated a "robust, technocratic military state". In addition to Pournelle's science fiction writing, he wrote

414-555: A court-martial when he punches Colonel Ortiz, the Ketzok commander, but is let off when Ortiz claims that his injuries were caused by his Basilisk artillery vehicle's recoil. He proceeds to level a threat at General Sturm. Fortis Binary is described as a forge-world, a planet-wide factory that fell to Chaos. First and Only describes how the Ghosts manage to sabotage a Chaos ritual after Lord Militant General Hechtor Dravere orders them on

552-457: A "more disciplined and more realistic notion of the kind of armies which might fight interplanetary and interstellar wars, and the kinds of weapons they might use". In many stories, the usage or advancement of a specific technology plays a role in advancing the plot, such as deploying a new weapon or spaceship. Some works draw heavy parallels to human history and how a scientific breakthrough or new military doctrine can significantly change how war

690-556: A "paper for the Air Force on stability's role in national security". President Reagan read the space advice that Niven, Pournelle, and their colleagues prepared, which influenced Reagan's 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative . "Niven and Pournelle saw an opportunity to shape the great void in their political image, and Reagan viewed space as yet another tool to defend America against the communist superpower...". Science fiction authors such as Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov criticized

828-490: A Bolt Pistol Hotshot. Ephrael Stern and Silas Hand are also used as part of an introductory article explaining the background of the Witch Hunters army list, called "Villainy & Infamy." The article is "report" produced by an "unknown" source which describes the history of Silas Hand's investigation from an in-universe perspective. Lone Wolves is a graphic novel by Dan Abnett and Karl Richardson which describes

966-652: A Bolt Pistol Hotshot. He deals extra damage and has a strong defense based on his Space Marine power armour. Daemonifuge , originally published in Warhammer Monthly , is a series of Trade Paperbacks about the life of Ephrael Stern , a member of the Adepta Sororitas , and is collected as Daemonifuge: Heretic Saint . The two books of the series are Daemonifuge , by Kev Walker and Jim Campbell, and Daemonifuge: The Lord of Damnation , by Kev Walker, Gordon Rennie, and Karl Richardson. In addition to

1104-464: A blessed sword (wounded daemons easily, negated invulnerable saves, and destroyed enemy leadership), a jump pack, general bonuses against daemons and is not allowed to receive "faith" based bonuses standard for the Sisters of Battle . She could not join a unit with her fellow Sisters or an army containing any Inquisitor besides Silas Hand (with Silas, she counted as a "henchman". Silas Hand was armed with

1242-548: A bolter (using "Psycannon bolts", psychically charged weapons used against daemons) and a force field for defense. He could only include Ephrael Stern in his retinue. In the Warhammer 40,000 "visual combat game", Warhammer Warriors , the gaming book Warhammer Warriors #3 was created for Ephrael Stern. She equipped with many Sisters of Battle-based weapons, such as a powersword, bolter and a flamer, but also has new weapons designed for Warhammer Warriors , like Photon Flares and

1380-609: A captain, and are armed with semi-automatic rifles . Eventually, as science fiction became an established and separate genre, military science fiction established itself as a subgenre. One such work is H. Beam Piper 's Uller Uprising (1952) (based on the events of the Sepoy Mutiny ). Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers (1959) is another work of military science fiction, along with Gordon Dickson 's Dorsai (1960), and these are thought to be mostly responsible for popularizing this subgenre's popularity among young readers of

1518-537: A crime case involving several Ghosts highlights this divide. The Phantine XX Fighter Corps introduced in The Guns of Tanith appear in a spin-off novel – titled Double Eagle , also by Dan Abnett. Still under the command of Van Voytz, the Tanith First is deployed as part of the Imperial Expeditionary Force to Aexe Cardinal, where a deadlocked land war has been raging for forty years between

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1656-541: A daemonic infestation. Inquisitor Silas Hand originally was sent to identify if she was tainted by Chaos and if that was the reason for her survival. While being locked up and awaiting the Inquisitor's arrival, Stern was attacked by possessed individuals. She removed the demons from the individuals, and these actions combined with Silas Hand's investigation's inability to psychically look through her mind and detect traces of daemonic taint upon her lead to no conclusion. Hand

1794-584: A diorama base and entering into combat against the Daemons of Chaos. In the Warhammer 40,000 game, Ephrael Stern is a Seraphim of the Witch Hunters and Silas Hand is an Inquisitor for the Daemonhunters army. While they no longer have "canon" rules, they can be used as their generic equivalents. Their original rules accompanied the production models. Ephrael Stern was armed with a standard bolter,

1932-660: A disastrous loss for the Imperium, Lord-General Van Voytz re-considers his approach on the Ouranberg invasion. A number of Ghosts are hand-picked to form specialist kill-teams, placed in a regime of additional jump-training and covertly deployed into Ouranberg prior to the invasion. Codenamed Operation Larisel , their mission is to kill Sagittar Slaith; the Chaos commander of the Blood Pact holding Ouranberg. Doing so will break

2070-535: A fictional book called A History of the Later Imperial Crusades , which briefly explains the situation in which the Ghosts have been deployed. These extracts are written in a past tense, implying that they were written after the Sabbat Worlds Crusade ends, and do not normally refer specifically to the Tanith First. First and Only is the first novel in the series (and, in fact, was Abnett's first published novel), introducing Gaunt, his regiment, and

2208-480: A form of faster-than-light travel in order to facilitate the enormous scale of interstellar war . The long spans of time (e.g., decades or centuries) required for human soldiers to travel interstellar distances, even at relativistic speeds, and the consequences for the characters, is a dilemma examined by authors such as Joe Haldeman and Alastair Reynolds . Other writers such as Larry Niven have created plausible interplanetary conflict based on human colonization of

2346-527: A future mercenary tank regiment . Drake's series which "helped initiate a fashion for sf about mercenaries", including The Warrior's Apprentice (1986) by Lois McMaster Bujold . A twist was introduced in Harry Turtledove 's Worldwar series depicting an alternate history in which WWII is disrupted by extraterrestrials invading Earth in 1942, forcing humans to stop fighting each other and unite against this common enemy. Turtledove depicts

2484-453: A galactic empire is sometimes a "core world," such as a planet relatively near a galaxy's centrally-located supermassive black hole, which has advanced considerably in science and technology compared to current human civilization. Characterizations of these empires can vary wildly from malevolent forces that attack sympathetic victims, to apathetic or amoral bureaucracies, to more reasonable entities focused on social progress. A writer may posit

2622-517: A hand-picked team of Ghosts to Gereon; a Chaos-held world where Sturm is undergoing an agonising ordeal to recover his memory. The insertion team is tasked with killing Sturm to prevent him from yielding critical intelligence that would endanger the Crusade war effort. The group links up with the loyalist resistance on Gereon to locate Sturm and evade the heretical forces pursuing them. With countless fanatical soldiers and foul warp-beings standing between

2760-458: A law enforcement setting. Some examples include Richard Morgan 's Takashi Kovacs book such as Altered Carbon (2002) and Elizabeth Bear 's Jenny Casey books, such as Hammered (2004). Precursors for military science fiction can be found in "future war" stories dating back at least to George Chesney 's story " The Battle of Dorking " (1871). Written just after the Prussian victory in

2898-606: A lengthy series of fantasy and science fiction novels. Their first art book, Inquis Exterminatus was published in May, 1999. Black Library's catalogue now runs to well over two hundred titles, with a Warhammer and a Warhammer 40,000 novel appearing every month. In October 2003 BL Publishing started a sister imprint, Black Flame , which applied the same pulp styling to novels featuring New Line Cinema characters such as Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees , and 2000 AD comics' Judge Dredd and others. In 2006, Black Flame produced

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3036-650: A limited quantity of 500 miniatures sculpted by Mark Bedford. In the Warhammer 40,000 game, Captain Leonatos is a Captain of the Space Marine's chapter, the Blood Angels. While he, and his men, no longer have "canon" rules, they can be used as their generic equivalents. Their original rules accompanied the production models. He did not deviate in equipment from that available for a standard Captain, as with his men. Captain Leonatos and his men also paralleled

3174-678: A long time feud about which is the superior chapter. Ragnar Blackmane is a special character for the Space Wolves Space Marines chapter. He is unique in the fact that he has a limited edition promotional model produced by the Black Library and a standard piece produced by Games Workshop. The model produced for the Black Library pits Ragnar Blackmane against the Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marine Madox. Ragnar Blackmane, in

3312-521: A long-time, trusted member of Eisenhorn's inner circle. Eisenhorn was made as an official model for the Inquisitor spin-off game. Unlike Inquisitors for the main Warhammer 40,000 game, the Inquisitor version of Eisenhorn is equipped with many beyond the normal standard items: he is equipped with a Power Sword, a special "rune" staff, a "duelling" pistol, grenades and flak armour. He also has

3450-530: A military science fiction story can speculate about war in the future, in space, or involving space travel, or the effects of such a war on humans; at the other, a story with a fictional military plot may have relatively superficial science fictional elements. The term "military space opera" may occasionally denote this latter style, as used for example by critic Sylvia Kelso when describing Lois McMaster Bujold 's Vorkosigan Saga . Examples that feature aspects of both military science fiction and space opera include

3588-470: A mysterious space hulk known as Salvation's Reach . According to the turncoat Mabbon Etogaur, the Sons of Sek, a breakaway faction within the Blood Pact commanded by the warlord Anakwanar Sek, have secretly been using Salvation's Reach as an R&D installation; concealing their activities there from all factions, even their overlord, Archon Gaur. Military science fiction A detailed description of

3726-623: A series of trilogies involving the Inquisition, beginning in 2001 with the Eisenhorn trilogy: Xenos , Malleus , and Hereticus . In the omnibus edition, released in 2004, there are two short stories placed between these novels to connect them together. A second trilogy began in 2004, around the time the Eisenhorn omnibus came out, known as the Ravenor trilogy: Ravenor , Ravenor Returned and Ravenor Rogue . The Ravenor omnibus

3864-465: A space colony requiring defense against attack out on the frontier. Gene Roddenberry described Star Trek: The Original Series as a Space Western (or more poetically, as " Wagon Train to the stars"). The TV series Firefly and its cinematic follow-up Serenity literalized the Western aspects of the space Western subgenre as popularized by Star Trek : it features frontier towns, horses, and

4002-452: A subject were collected and marketed as such. The series of anthologies with the group title There Will be War edited by Pournelle and John F. Carr (nine volumes from 1983 through 1990) helped keep the category active, and encouraged new writers to add to it. David Drake wrote stories about future mercenaries, including the Hammer's Slammers series (1979), which follows the career of

4140-572: A suicidal attack on an enemy trench line. This marks the first demonstration of the hatred that Colonel Draker Flense, the commander of the Jantine Patricians who suggested that Dravere give the assault order, has for Colonel-Commissar Gaunt. A death world on the edge of the Menazoid Clasp, Epsilon was the site of three shrines to Chaos, designated Primaris, Secundus and Tertius by Imperial tacticians. Beneath Shrine Target Primaris

4278-461: A visual style evocative of classic John Ford Westerns. Worlds that have been terraformed may be depicted as presenting similar challenges as that of a frontier settlement in a classic Western. Six-shooters and horses may be replaced by ray guns and rockets. A "thematic subdivision" of MSF are works where "ex-military protagonists [are] drawing on their battle experience for tough and violent operations in (more or less) civilian life", typically in

Gaunt's Ghosts - Misplaced Pages Continue

4416-477: Is Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, one of the few political commissars of the Imperium to be officially awarded command of a regiment. Although Gaunt is the primary character, the perspective from which the novels are told shifts regularly to encompass a wider view of events – it is usually told from the Imperial point of view, though the perspective is occasionally seen through the eyes of antagonists. Elements of

4554-465: Is deployed to assault the coastline fortifications known as K'ethdrac'tt Shet Magir, an action which the newly inducted Dalin Criid participates in as part of an RIP (Retraining, Indoctrination and Punishment) detail. Half of the novel follows Dalin's experiences in basic training and his struggle to survive in the chaos of the battlefield. The recently re-instated Tanith First is excluded from this part of

4692-409: Is evident. Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts face opposition from not only the enemy, but also their fellow Guard regiments and the local politicians. Necropolis is a significant point in the series; at the end of the novel, the under-strength Tanith First receives an influx of replacement soldiers from the militia and general populace of Vervunhive. A number of major characters are introduced in

4830-503: Is fairly static, and weapons that would be familiar to present-day soldiers are used, but other aspects of society have changed. Technology may not be emphasized in such stories as much as other aspects of the characters' military lives, cultures, or societies. For example, women may be accepted as equal partners for combat roles, or preferred over men. When the "extravagan[t]" depictions of war in space operas faded along with pulp fiction more generally, military science fiction developed with

4968-427: Is fought, the outcome of a battle, and the fortunes of the combatants. Many works explore how human progress, discovery, and suffering affect military doctrine or battle, and how the protagonists and antagonists reflect on and adapt to such changes. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning fictional empire as a background for the story, or have explored the growth and/or decline of such an empire. The capital of

5106-644: Is given one last chance to redeem himself by the arrogant and pompous Lord-General Lugo: recover the Saint's remains and holy relics from the Shrinehold in the Sacred Hills for evacuation. The Ghosts are appointed as the honour guard of these relics, and together with units from the Pardus armoured regiments they form a convoy and journey into the mountains. However, much of Sin's Infardi horde has pulled back into

5244-608: Is interspersed with short stories (originally published in Inferno! ) in other war zones such as Blackshard, Caligula and Oskray Hive which are used to develop individual characters; for example, the character and leadership qualities of Dermon Caffran are displayed in his actions at Oskray Hive, where he commands an infiltration force which causes the fall of the enemy stronghold, and continue to be exhibited upon his promotion to Sergeant in His Last Command . The beginning of

5382-489: Is not necessarily set in outer space or on multiple worlds, as in space opera and the space Western . Both military science fiction and the space Western may consider an interstellar war and oppression by a galactic empire as the story's backdrop. They may focus on a lone gunslinger , soldier, or veteran in a futuristic space frontier setting . Western elements and conventions in military science fiction may be explicit, such as cowboys in outer space, or more subtle, as in

5520-561: Is science fiction which is written about a military situation with a fundamental understanding of how military lifestyles and characters differ from civilian lifestyles and characters. It is science fiction which attempts to realistically portray the military within a science-fiction context. It is not 'bug shoots'. It is about human beings, and members of other species, caught up in warfare and carnage. It isn't an excuse for simplistic solutions to problems. In 1980 and 1981, two science fiction authors inspired President Ronald Reagan 's vision for

5658-578: Is the true Saint. However, things take a strange turn when Sanian actually does become the host for the Saint's spirit, after Sabbat's true incarnation perishes in the assault. Innokenti deploys nine specialist assassins to the Civitas Beati under the cover of the invasion. Their purpose: kill the Saint and shatter the morale of the Imperials. With the Imperial fleet all but destroyed and surrounded by an enemy who has multiple advantages over them,

Gaunt's Ghosts - Misplaced Pages Continue

5796-475: Is written in a font which resembles handwriting. This style changes slightly at points when Nahum Ludd scribes on Hark's behalf. The novel re-introduces Agun Soric, who was absent from the previous books in the 'Lost' arc. The Iron Star is a short story released as a chapbook . The story forms a coda to Only in Death . It recounts Gaunt's own mentally internalised struggle to survive after being severely wounded in

5934-646: The Battlestar Galactica franchise and Robert A. Heinlein 's 1959 novel Starship Troopers . A key distinction of military science fiction from space opera is that space operas focus more on adventurous stories and melodrama, while military science fiction focuses more on warfare and technical aspects. The principal characters in a space opera are also not military personnel, but civilians or paramilitary . Stories in both subgenres often concern an interstellar war in which humans fight themselves and/or nonhuman entities. Military science fiction, however,

6072-614: The Warhammer Fantasy Battle , Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes . Some of Black Library's best known titles include the Gaunt's Ghosts and Eisenhorn series of novels by Dan Abnett and the Gotrek and Felix series by William King and Nathan Long . The authors of these novels, graphic novels, and comics created original storylines and characters that are based on playable armies in

6210-450: The Black Library detail the interactions of the Warhammer 40,000 armies: Chaos Space Marines , Daemonhunters , Dark Eldar , Eldar , Imperial Guard , Necrons , Orks , Space Marines , Tau , Tyranids , and the Witch Hunters. They are collaborated efforts between the authors of the Warhammer 40,000 game rules and the writers of the background. These works expand on the storylines, characters, armies, and organisations discussed in

6348-685: The Blood Angels , as they struggle first against the Orks and then against the armies of Chaos . Captain of the Blood Angels, Leonatos was given a weapon called "Encarmine," the "Sword of Belarius," as a prize for his prowess as a warrior and for the accomplishments of his men on the battlefield. However, Garshul the Destroyer, an Ork , manages to capture the weapon, causing Leonatos to be dishonoured and then exiled. He wanders with his fellow soldiers as they try to regain their honour by hunting down

6486-508: The Chapter Approved edition for 2003. With the creation of the 4th edition Imperial Guard codex, the previous rules for the Tanith First and Only were removed and they were instead a "variant" army created using "doctrine" (variations to traditional army rules). While Colonel-Commissar was given specific rules in the Imperial Guard codex, the other special characters, according to the official Games Workshop website, still use

6624-542: The Citadel Journal , and for each of their official websites. Later, these evolved into larger novels and other works. A series of Warhammer 40,000 comics were first created for the Games Workshop magazine, Warhammer Monthly as short background filler. In 1999, the first miniature and game tie-in was released as a joint project of Warhammer Monthly and its publisher, the Black Library . This model

6762-475: The Codexes . Combined with contributions to White Dwarf magazine of articles, stories, and rules, and miniature lines produced by both Games Workshop and Forge World , they expand upon the fictional world of the original Warhammer 40,000 game and its other companion games. The column "Chapter Approved" of White Dwarf is a forum for collaborations between authors, model makers, and the rulemakers, allowing for

6900-554: The Franco-Prussian War , it describes an invasion of Britain by a German-speaking country in which the Royal Navy is destroyed by a futuristic wonder-weapon ("fatal engines"). Other works of military science fiction followed, including H.G. Wells 's " The Land Ironclads ". It described tank-like "land ironclads ," 80-to-100-foot-long (24 to 30 m) armoured fighting vehicles that carry riflemen, engineers, and

7038-718: The Space Wolves companion codex to the Space Marines army book, is a "Wolf Lord" ranked Space Marine. He was equipped with a "master-crafted" bolt pistol, a "master-crafted" frost blade (a special weapon used by the Space Wolves), grenades, and special clothing/equipment unique to the culture of the Space Wolves (a wolf tooth necklace, a wolf tail, and a wolf pelt). He can be joined with two wolves that accompany him into battle. Alongside of Ragnar Blackmane and

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7176-707: The Victory arc. After sixteen months of fighting as part of the Gereon Resistance, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and his team escape the Chaos-held world and return to Imperial territory. Instead of praise and acknowledgement of their actions, the Ghosts are met with deep mistrust and abuse. Saved from execution in Camp Xeno on Ancreon Sextus by Junior Commissar Nahum Ludd, Gaunt and the Ghosts are briefly re-united with Lord-General Van Voytz before facing trial by

7314-462: The Warhammer 40,000 game, Poul Marlin a sergeant of the Slovok regiment, an Ice World variant of the Imperial Guard army (similar in design and appearance to the established Valhallan Ice Warriors ), and Skold Greypelt is a Captain of the Space Marine's army, the Space Wolves . While they, and their men, lack specific additional rules, they follow standard rules for equipment and statistics with

7452-442: The Warhammer 40,000 miniatures game. While Warhammer Monthly was discontinued in 2004 (although still listed at the Black Library website), there was a short lived continuation under the title Warhammer Comics . However, with the discontinuation of these magazine projects, the Black Library still continues to produce graphic novels and collections that expand upon the fiction behind the tabletop game. The works produced by

7590-653: The asteroid belt and outer planets by means of technologies utilizing the laws of physics as currently understood. Several subsets of military science fiction share characteristics of the space opera subgenre, concentrating on large-scale space battles with futuristic weapons in an interstellar war . Many stories can be considered to be in one or both the military science fiction and space opera subgenres, such as The Sten Chronicles by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch , Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card , Honorverse by David Weber , Deathstalker by Simon R. Green , and Armor by John Steakley. At one extreme,

7728-413: The " Eye of Terror " Campaign, exploring the "Eye" before the gaming tournament began. In the Warhammer 40,000 "visual combat game", Warhammer Warriors , the gaming book Warhammer Warriors #2 was created for Captain Leonatos. He equipped with many Blood Angels based weapons, such as a chainsword, bolt pistol and a flamer, but also has new weapons designed for Warhammer Warriors , like Photon Flares and

7866-481: The 81st/1st Recon – the merged 81st Belladon and the Tanith First, led by Colonel Lucian Wilder. The regiment is taking part in the campaign to capture the ancient step-city Sparshad Mons, occupied by the Blood Pact and disturbingly warped nocturnal predators. The situation in the Mons is grim; desertion is high, morale is low, and most of the Imperial soldiers are inexperienced grunts. Gaunt is deployed to another section of

8004-672: The Aexe Alliance (a handful of loyal nation-states) and the Chaos-corrupted Shadik Republic. Warmaster Macaroth insists that the Aexe Alliance is to remain in command of the campaign, with strained success. The Alliance employs methods of warfare considered obsolete and inefficient according to the modern standard tactics of the Imperial Guard. Gaunt is quickly frustrated with the brutal strategies and lack of reliable intelligence, and disagrees with

8142-549: The Black Library's first original novel (the book line up until that point consisting of reprints of novels from the pre-Black Library days and anthologies of short fiction taken from Inferno! magazine). The original short pieces subsequently appeared as flashback -chapters in Ghostmaker , the second book. There are also ancillary novels devoted to minor characters in the main series and a mock "historical book" about

8280-472: The Commissariat. However, halfway through the hearings all charges are dropped and the Ghosts are prepared to return to active duty. Gaunt is shocked to learn that the Tanith First has been disbanded and merged with an under-strength regiment; the 81st Belladon. Furthermore, Gaunt is relieved of command status and once again a simple field commissar, but separated from his men. The Ghosts are sent to join

8418-498: The Doctrinopolis – the planet's central city – Gaunt, who has command of the ground forces, is forced into a trap set in one of the most holy structures in the city. A warp-beacon is activated in the process, and a Chaos fleet advances on Hagia to obliterate the Imperial forces. With just eighteen days until the fleet (large enough to wipe out the liberation force even if the fleet were a quarter its current size) arrives, Gaunt

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8556-402: The Ghosts are becoming restless from the lack of combat and purpose. A number of them go as far as turning to petty crime and other bad habits to amuse themselves. Ibram Gaunt himself becomes increasingly idle and distracted, but remains confident that the Tanith First will return to the front again soon. Events turn as Gaunt is summoned to Balhaut's Commissariat headquarters. A senior officer of

8694-584: The Ghosts face one of their most daunting challenges yet. The title Sabbat Martyr is a reference to the psychic message experienced by a number of Ghosts in Honour Guard . Ultimately, it is one of the Ghost's most beloved leaders who becomes a martyr in Sabbat's name, as he gives his life defending her from the final assassin. Lord-General Noches Sturm, the disgraced senior officer relieved of command during

8832-536: The Iron Men. However, the machine was corrupted by Chaos and Commissar Gaunt destroyed it, despite the psychic puppetry of the Inquisitor, who died after his "instrument" – Imperial Agent Fereyd, the man into whom Heldane had extended his consciousness – was explosively killed. Colonel Flense also attempted to get his revenge on Gaunt and the Ghosts, as Gaunt had field-executed Flense's father, General Aldo Dercius, many years previously. The Jantine shock troops annihilated

8970-466: The Ketzok 17th "Serpents" artillery regiment from an ambush by Chaos Space Marines . The Tanith are then ordered to infiltrate and assault the main water-gate and sanitation outfall of Voltis to mine the walls and form a breach for an assault by the Royal Volpone 50th storm troopers, known as the "Bluebloods". The assault on the water-gate is repelled when the traitors open the floodgates and flush

9108-515: The Royal Volpone 50th, and with an inquisitor who had accused Brin Milo of witchcraft. They discover an ancient portal leading to one of the Eldar's craftworlds, self-sustaining cities in space, which the inquisitor, Lilith Abferquan, closes after the alien Farseer guarding the portal dies. At the end of this battle, the Ghosts lost an excellent leader, Sergeant Lerod. Aside from these battles, Ghostmaker

9246-430: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade. While deployed in the theatres of Fortis Binary and Menazoid Epsilon, the Ghosts become embroiled in a plot by an ambitious general officer to supplant Warmaster Macaroth as supreme commander of the Crusade force. Ghostmaker is a collection of short stories originally printed in the short fiction magazine Inferno! , published by the Black Library . Through a series of vignettes, Abnett details

9384-582: The Shadik lines and destroying the enemy's newly developed siege guns. Straight Silver is the first novel in which the Tanith First does not see a campaign through to its conclusion: after successfully taking out the siege-guns in the Seiberq Pocket and repelling a Blood Pact flanking manoeuvre in the Montorq Forest, the Ghosts are withdrawn from the front lines and redeployed to Herodor. At

9522-636: The Space Wolves are members of the Imperial Guard army, the legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus , Inquisition, and the Space Marines. Bloodquest: Eye of Terror Trilogy , by Gordon Rennie and Colin MacNeil, is a collection of three works titled Bloodquest , Bloodquest: Into the Eye of Terror , and Bloodquest: The Daemon's Mark . The trilogy involves the founding Space Marines chapter,

9660-401: The Strategic Defense Initiative. After the 9/11 terrorism attacks, a group of sci-fi authors called Sigma, including Pournelle and Niven, advised the "Department of Homeland Security on technological strategies for defeating terrorist threats." In 2021, Worldcrunch reported that the French military has hired fiction writers to develop futuristic warfare scenarios, including situations that

9798-428: The Tanith First training to take part in the airborne assault on Cirenholm, a dome-city perched above Phantine's toxic Scald. The archenemy's elite Blood Pact have captured the city, which the Imperial forces plan to use as a staging ground for their campaign to reclaim Ouranberg, one of Phantine's largest cities and a major source of promethium. After the Ghosts successfully infiltrate the Blood Pact's defences and prevent

9936-575: The Tanith Seventh platoon commanded by Sergeant Blane, but were themselves killed to a man by Gaunt's allies, the Vitrian Dragoons. Gaunt stabbed Flense to death beneath Target Primaris, before escaping along with his men. The jungle world of Monthax is the setting for the end of Ghostmaker , when Gaunt and his men encounter the alien Eldar as they struggle to wipe out a Chaos infestation. The Ghosts have to co-operate once again with

10074-540: The Tanith out; however, Sergeant Cluggan leads a successful attack on the sanitation outfalls, creating a breach for the armoured assault. As the Ghosts withdraw, General Noches Sturm of the Royal Volpone and his adjutant, Major Gilbear, both of whom were disdainful of Gaunt and his "low-born" soldiers, order the Ketzok to bombard the Tanith as they fall back to their base. Three hundred men, including Sergeant Cluggan, are killed and another two hundred wounded. Gaunt almost faces

10212-406: The Tanith was "[his] last command". Wilder issues his last command to a platoon of Belladon soldiers participating in a suicidal rearguard for the rest of the regiment, of which Gaunt assumes leadership. The Fifth Crusade Army, led by Lord-General Van Voytz, finally advances to reclaim Gereon from the forces of Chaos after over two thousand days of brutal occupation. The majority of the Crusade force

10350-569: The Vietnam War's influence can be seen indirectly in novels such as Joe Haldeman 's The Forever War (published in Analog over 1972–1975) and Lucius Shepard 's Life During Wartime (1987). The Vietnam War resulted in veterans with combat experience deciding to write science fiction, including Joe Haldeman and David Drake . Throughout the 1970s, works such as Haldeman's The Forever War and Drake's Hammer's Slammers helped increase

10488-581: The Zoicans fire the opening salvos. Much of Vervunhive is plunged into panic and thousands perish in the first few days, and aid from the Imperial Guard is called for. The Tanith First-and-Only is deployed as part of the reinforcement army sent by Warmaster Macaroth. They learn that Ferrozoica, whom Vervunhive had fought in the Trade War ninety years before, had silenced communications with its neighbours in recent months and began arming. The influence of Chaos

10626-742: The ability to use telepathy . While the main Warhammer 40,000 games does include two inquisitorial armies (Daemon Hunters and Witch Hunters) official rules for the Alien Hunters of the Ordo Xenos to which Eisenhorn belongs have not been published. Rules for him and Daemonhosts are included in the official Inquisitor rulebook, and generic rules for him and Daemonhosts are included in the Daemonhunters army codex. Gaunt's Ghosts are currently collected into three "sequences": The Founding , The Saint , and The Lost . The Founding includes

10764-590: The addition of the "Xeno hunter: Tyranids"/"Preferred Enemy: Tyranids" trait (Skold and his "Lone Wolves" are a Space Wolves version of the Ultramarines 's special "Tyranid War Veterans" unit). From 1997 to 2005, Black Library published Inferno! , a magazine of short stories, artwork, and other features set in the various fictional universes of Games Workshop's fantasy and science fiction games . These initially included Warhammer Fantasy Battle , Warhammer 40,000 , and Necromunda , and later added

10902-404: The arch-enemy has been captured, and refuses to speak to anyone but Gaunt. The Inquisition is attempting to secure custody of the prisoner so that they may handle him their own way. The prisoner insists that he wishes to help the Imperium, but this claim is met with speculation by Gaunt. However, he is forced to protect the prisoner and go to ground in the city when a Blood Pact insertion team storms

11040-490: The army of Tanith from the creation of the Tanith Regiment of the Imperial Guard and its abandonment of their planet before the destruction of it at the hands of invading Chaos legions . The stories follow the many adventures of the Tanith "First and Only" regiment as they seek to prove themselves. Things are complicated by dissension against their commander, Gaunt, for not letting them die alongside their brethren at

11178-530: The assassination squad holding the upper hand over their target's captors. The novel also provides greater detail of Gaunt's past tour on Balhaut during his service with the Hyrkan 8th, before the founding of the Tanith First-and-Only. Following the events of Blood Pact , Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts are returned to active duty, and are given one of their most formidable assignments yet;

11316-438: The author can extrapolate what might have occurred. Traditional military values of courage under fire, sense of duty, honor, sacrifice, loyalty, and camaraderie are often emphasized. The action is typically described from the point of view of a soldier in a science fictional setting of or near battle . Typically, the technology is more advanced than that of the present and described in detail. In some stories, however, technology

11454-573: The battle, and she is now hunted by the Ordo Malleus to be brought in for questioning. Only Stern knows what happened to Silas Hand, what happened to the Daemon, and what the forces of Chaos were doing on the planet. A limited edition of only 1,000 miniatures was released for Daemonifuge . These miniatures were sculpted by Juan Diaz, Mark Harrison & Alex Hedstrom in 2004 and are no longer in production. Portraying Ephrael Stern and Silas Hand on

11592-500: The central Imperial bastion on the planet. It is clear from the start that Gaunt resents these orders. After six days of marching through Jago's desert-like terrain and enduring dust-storms, the Ghosts reach their objective: Hinzerhaus, dubbed the house at the end of the world . As they attempt to secure the fortress, the Ghosts make numerous discoveries. There is no water source on site, the maps that they have been given of Hinzerhaus are inconsistent and incorrect, and strange echoes fill

11730-425: The characters to have their own place amongst Warhammer 40,000 battles. Alongside of the Warhammer 40,000 game was a short-lived game called Warhammer Warriors . The system was created by Rick Priestley and based on the playing style of LostWorlds . Many of the characters released for the miniature game were given rules and a "gaming book" to be used in playing against others. This series ended before many of

11868-566: The conflict, belligerents (which may involve extraterrestrials), tactics and weapons used for it, and the role of a military service and the individual members of that military organization form the basis for a typical work of military science fiction. The stories often use features of actual past or current Earth conflicts, with countries being replaced by planets or galaxies with similar characteristics, battleships replaced by space battleships, small arms and artillery replaced by lasers, soldiers replaced by space marines, and certain events changed so

12006-486: The deployment of the scout-specialist Ghosts as grunts in the trenches. Van Voytz and Count Golke – the Alliance/Imperial liaison – negotiate with Alliance Command and agree to a compromise: one half of the Tanith First is sent to the northern Montorq forests to scout the area, while the other is redeployed to the Seiberq Pocket – the most dangerous section of the war zone – where they are tasked with infiltrating

12144-619: The destruction of their planet. After the success of Gaunt's Ghosts , lines of Gaunt's Ghosts based miniatures were produced by Games Workshop. Unlike the previous models, these were not limited edition sets. The production covered both the main characters of Abnett's works (like the title character Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and also created a generic Imperial Guard variant called the Tanith First and Only . Rules were originally published for these miniatures in "Chapter Approved" column of White Dwarf UK 269/US 268 and later collected in

12282-590: The elements, and the aliens who want to devour them. Joined by the Space Wolves led by Skold Greypelt, the Slavok 10th are able to stand against constant attacks and perform deeds of heroism. Sergeant Poul Marlin, Skold Greypelt, an unidentified Space Wolf and a wounded Slovak soldier were produced as a miniature "diorama" for Warhammer 40,000 in 2003 as "Lone Wolves." This was in a limited quantity of only 500 models sculpted by Martin Footitt and Adam Clarke. In

12420-452: The ending original created by Dan Abnett. In 2004, a flash movie and Official Website was created by the Black Library as a limited edition miniature was produced for sale. The Imperial Guard's division titled the "10th Slavok Regiment" are abandoned on the ice-planet Shadrac, which is currently controlled by a Tyranid invasion. Sergeant Poul Marlin narrates the travels of the remaining squads of soldiers as they struggle against hunger,

12558-611: The events of the previous novel; moments of spiritual communion also establish portents for his future. Only 1200 copies were printed for the release date in September 2008, but it has since been included in the Sabbat Worlds anthology, a background book of short stories, edited by Dan Abnett. After the gruelling events on Jago, the Tanith First is removed from active service for the first time since its founding and sent to Balhaut to perform garrison duties. Two years on, however,

12696-486: The exception of The Iron Star which used a stock image of the Tanith regimental badge. Previously, cover artwork had been created by a variety of artists. The Founding and Saint story arcs have been released as hardcover omnibus editions, with paperback editions which were released in February and August 2007 respectively. The publication of The Iron Star took the form of a 1,200-copy limited edition novelette which

12834-422: The facility in an attempt to silence the prisoner. With heretical witchcraft influencing the populace and a determined hunter pursuing them, who can Gaunt turn to for aid? And what information does the traitor general know that prompts the enemy to openly assault an Imperial stronghold? The plot of Blood Pact somewhat mirrors that of Traitor General , with Etogaur Mabbon in place of Noches Sturm, but differs with

12972-430: The fall of Tanith and the founding of the Ghosts, followed by particular episodes focusing on the lives of some of the noteworthy members of the Ghosts, including Gaunt, Col. Colm Corbec, Maj. Elim Rawne, Sgt. Ceglan Varl, and Privates Larkin, Caffran, and Milo. The book also establishes the Ghosts' rivalry with the "Royal Volpone" guard regiment and their commanding officer, Colonel (later General) Sturm, which plays out in

13110-461: The fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. They act as the secret police of the Imperium, hunting down any and all threats to the stability of the God-Emperor's realm. In the first trilogy, the titular character is Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn, a member of the Ordo Xenos (a division of the Inquisition devoted to hunting aliens, though they also uphold the Inquisition's creed of prosecuting "enemies of

13248-408: The forces of Chaos , although they briefly face orks on Typhon Eight. Up until Guns of Tanith the Ghosts are mainly pitted against heretical rebels armies, but on Phantine and in most of the campaigns following it they face the well-trained and elite Blood Pact. By the end of Only in Death , the Ghosts have been serving in the Crusade for roughly twelve years. Each novel begins with an extract from

13386-678: The gap is not too wide for the humans to bridge. For example, the invaders have more advanced tanks, but the German Wehrmacht's tank crews facing them – a major theme in the series – are more skilled and far more experienced. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction lists three notable women authors of MSF: Lois McMaster Bujold ; Elizabeth Moon (particularly her Familias Regnant stories such as Hunting Party (1993)), and Karen Traviss . Several authors have presented stories with political messages of varying types as major or minor themes of their works. David Drake has often written of

13524-516: The halls. Many of the men become convinced that the place is haunted. These findings only cause more issues when the Blood Pact attempt to storm Hinzerhaus, and the Ghosts are forced to mount a defence against a superior foe. At the same time, strange apparitions begin to eat away at the courage and morale of the men... The title of the novel is part of an old Imperial proverb; only in death does duty end . The beginning of each chapter opens with an extract from Commissar Viktor Hark's field journal, which

13662-488: The hills; leaving the Ghosts with no choice but to fight the heretics while at the same time fighting the elements and navigating the unfamiliar terrain. Honour Guard introduces new characters who become central figures in the Tanith First, as well as those who play a key role throughout the Saint arc, such as Commissar Viktor Hark, Ayatani Zweil, Lijah Cuu and Pater Sin. It also features spectacular armour clashes and reveals more of Gaunt's character. The novel begins with

13800-489: The horrors and futility of war. He has said, in the afterwords of several of his Hammer's Slammers books (1979 and later), that one of his reasons for writing is to educate those people who have not experienced war, but who might have to make the decision to start or endorse a war (as policymakers or as voters) about what war is really like, and what the powers and limits of the military as an instrument of policy are. David Weber has said: For me, military science fiction

13938-507: The interactions of Imperial Guard variant and the Space Marines ' chapter, the Space Wolves , when fighting the Tyranids . The story is broken into seven parts, "The Miracle," "Eaters of the Slain" Part 1 and 2, "Payback" Part 1 and 2, and "Bloodgeld" Part 1 and 2. Prefaced to the story are short essays produced by editor, Christian Dunn, about the nature of heroes and following the story is

14076-570: The invasion and is one of a number of scout/recon regiments inserted deep into the mainland behind enemy lines. As the Ghosts liberate a country town called Cantible, Gaunt is ordered by the Commissariat to make contact with the loyalist resistance in the Gereon Untill, and leads a small team out into the wilderness to do so. However, it becomes apparent that certain individuals have their own agenda for re-taking Gereon. The storyline of The Armour of Contempt shifts at regular intervals, between

14214-491: The main Warhammer 40,000 game and its many spin-offs (such as Inquisitor or Epic ). These works are then promoted with contributions of stories, plot synopses, and rules in the White Dwarf magazine and at the official Games Workshop website. The result is a fusion of tabletop gaming with science fiction and fantasy writing. The publishing company takes its name from the fictional Black Library that appears in

14352-410: The military become "more resourceful." The German military is also using science fiction to help its military but in its approach, they do not hire science fiction writers to develop scenarios. Instead, they "use existing science fiction" to help the army "predict the "world's next potential conflict." The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) hired two science fiction writers to pen short stories about "what

14490-481: The military cannot directly study for "ethical reasons, such as Autonomous Lethality Weapon Systems (ALWS), or augmented humans." The French military says the authors are asked to imagine warfare situations that "destabilize us, scare us, blame, or even beat us", in order to provide the army with a "fresh set of practice scenarios". Military planners use the science fiction authors' scenarios to "prepare for previously unthought of situations", "boos[t] creativity" and help

14628-481: The morale of the Chaos worshippers and enable the Imperial forces to recapture Ouranberg with greater ease. The task is made more daunting with the prospect of thousands of Blood Pact troopers and loxatl mercenaries standing between them and their target. However, the rest of the Tanith First face their own trials as they await deployment; a great unease is brewing between the Tanith and the Verghastite soldiers, and

14766-596: The novel for the New Line Cinema's feature film Snakes on a Plane . In the summer of 2005 BL Publishing announced another fiction imprint, Solaris Books , that will publish original science fiction and fantasy. Solaris Books has subsequently been sold to Rebellion who also own Abaddon Books. Short stories and other pieces of fiction were created for the White Dwarf magazine, for Warhammer 40,000 rulebooks and gaming guides, for other publications, such as

14904-508: The novel is told from many perspectives – ranging from the rich nobility to low-class civilians – and tells of the opening phases of the siege on Vervunhive. The mega-city's neighbouring hive, Ferrozoica, amasses an army and marches on their former rival with an unknown agenda. The Vervun Primary militia prepares to repel the invasion forces, but as Vervunhive's High Master refuses to believe that Ferrozoica has mobilised against them, they are not given permission to arm their defence batteries before

15042-530: The novel. A short story titled In Remembrance directly follows the siege of Vervunhive, and is included in The Founding (the first Omnibus). The Ghosts are sent to the Shrineworld Hagia, religious capital of the Sabbat worlds and homeworld of the revered Saint Sabbat herself, to reclaim the holy world from the clutches of Pater Sin and his so-called Infardi . During their campaign to reclaim

15180-460: The novels First and Only , Ghostmaker , and Necropolis . The Saint includes the novels Honour Guard , The Guns of Tanith , Straight Silver , and Sabbat Martyr . The Lost includes the novels Traitor General , His Last Command , The Armour of Contempt , and Only in Death ,. The planned fourth sequence "The Victory" includes "Blood Pact" and "Salvation's Reach". The Gaunt's Ghosts series follows Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and

15318-563: The novels were published and production of cross-promotional books was discontinued. Most of the stories take place thousands of years after the fall of the Emperor of Mankind at the hands of his favoured son Horus , once loyal but corrupted by Chaos . Many millennia have passed since then but the Imperium is still at war with the Chaos Space Marines , along with many new enemies. The majority of these stories are written in

15456-539: The novels, Wolfblade , and Sons of Fenris (by Lightner rather than King) and Wolf's Honour . The Space Wolves series follows the history of Ragnar Blackmane, a young warrior who has to prove himself in combat who later becomes a fierce leader of the Space Wolves. Not only does he battle against the enemies of the Imperium , he also battles against their fellow Space Marines, the Dark Angels , which stems from

15594-468: The original series, a smaller series was released called Daemonifuge: The Screaming Cage . This series was produced in three parts, and reproduces the original series with additional pages added/edited into the original plot. Ephrael Stern was a Seraphim ranked Sister for the Order of Our Martyred Lady. Mysteriously, she was the sole survivor out of 12,000 that was sent to the planet Parnis in order to battle

15732-434: The perspective of humans, primarily those of the Imperial Guard, the mechanic/scientist-mystics of the Adeptus Mechanicus , the female warriors of the Sisters of Battle , the holy Inquisition, and the superhuman Space Marines, although some have been written from the perspective of corrupt Chaos-worshipping humans, as well as the alien Eldar and Tau races. They span the complete Warhammer 40,000 universe. Dan Abnett began

15870-402: The perspectives of Dalin Criid and the rest of the Ghosts. The novel draws its name from a fictional book called The Spheres of Longing written by Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor, the main character of another series written by Dan Abnett. On the fortress-world Jago, Lord-General Van Voytz addresses the Tanith First personally. He 'asks' the Ghosts to secure an empty stronghold to the east of Elikon,

16008-518: The popularity of the genre. Short stories also were popular, collected in books such as Combat SF , edited by Gordon R. Dickson . This anthology includes one of the first Hammer's Slammers stories, as well as one of the BOLO stories by Keith Laumer and one of the Berserker stories by Fred Saberhagen . This anthology seems to have been the first time these stories specifically dealing with war as

16146-570: The reincarnated Saint is Sanian, an esholi whom the Ghosts encountered on Hagia. Utterly convinced that she is Sabbat, Sanian has clearly lost her mind. Lord-General Lugo – whose career has been unstable since his disgrace at Hagia – plans to use her as propaganda, and does not care that she is an imposter; he believes that he will be forever remembered as the man responsible for a miracle in the Sabbat Worlds. As far as untold thousands of pilgrims, Imperial and archenemy troops are concerned, Sanian

16284-401: The request of the reincarnated Saint Sabbat, the Tanith First-and-Only is summoned to the remote and tactically insignificant world Herodor. The Civitas Beati, a holy city dedicated to the Saint, is under assault from a legion of Blood Pact, led by Enok Innokenti. While the Ghosts prepare to defend the city alongside the local PDF force, Gaunt learns the truth of the situation: the woman posing as

16422-417: The rescue team and their target, Gaunt and his men must not only fight for their lives, but also resist the corruption of Chaos that threatens to overwhelm them. Traitor General introduces Eszrah ap Niht, a partisan of the Gereon Untill. From this novel on, Eszrah becomes a major character within the series. It is also the first appearance of Mabbon Etogaur, a former commander in the Blood Pact who returns in

16560-491: The rules presented in Chapter Approved and provide additional modelling types and rules to create more characters based on the Gaunt's Ghost series. Space Wolf , by William King, with additions from Sons of Fenris , describes the Space Wolves and Ragnar Blackmane in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The Space Wolf Omnibus is a collection composed of Space Wolf , Ragnar's Claw , and Grey Hunter . Space Wolf: The Second Omnibus by William King and Lee Lightner contains

16698-498: The series later reappeared in other series by Abnett, including the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies, and has resulted in two spin-off novels, Double Eagle and Titanicus . The series began as a continuing set of loosely connected short stories in the Black Library magazine Inferno! (issues 4, 8, and 30). The next short piece, entitled "Vermilion Level", was written out to novel length as First and Only and published as

16836-678: The setting of Warhammer 40,000 . The fictional Black Library is where the Eldar race keeps their collected knowledge of Chaos and the Necrons . The Black Library was founded in April 1997 to publish Inferno! magazine, a bi-monthly digest-sized anthology of short stories, comic strips and features from the Warhammer worlds. Black Library began as team at Games Workshop brought together to INFERNO! magazine. Inferno!' s success spawned Warhammer Monthly comic books , and then from September 1999

16974-467: The siege on Vervunhive when caught attempting to desert, is captured by the forces of Chaos while en route to a military tribunal. His memories are bound by a mind-lock, preventing him from revealing vital information about the Crusade. As enemy psykers work hard to remove the mind-lock, the Imperial forces move quickly to stop Sturm jeopardising the entire Sabbat Worlds Crusade. By request of Van Voytz and on his own free will, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt leads

17112-443: The state"), as he begins his descent into radicalism and association with daemonhosts and dark sorcery. The second trilogy is focused around Eisenhorn's former student, Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor, also of the Ordo Xenos, as he battles a powerful nemesis and seeks to defeat a conspiracy involving high Imperial officials. The third trilogy will be centred around Alizebeth Bequin, an "untouchable" (anti-psychic, or psychic blank) who had been

17250-429: The step-city and attached to a regiment from Fortis Binary, accompanied by Ludd and Eszrah Night. The situation deteriorates rapidly as the Blood Pact launch a counter-assault against the Imperial forces. His Last Command introduces troopers from the 81st Belladon, several of whom become key characters in the series. The title refers to both Gaunt and Wilder. When informing Gaunt of his demotion, Van Voytz tells him that

17388-401: The subsequent novel Necropolis . After the fall of Tanith, the book is focused on four main theatres of operation: Voltemond is described in Ghostmaker as a temperate world, similar to Earth , with extensive marshlands around Voltis City, the planetary capital, which was under Chaos control before the events of Ghostmaker . The chapter begins with the Tanith First "Gaunt's Ghosts" saving

17526-450: The sword. This takes them to the world of Eidolon, but they crash land on the wrong side. They are forced to battle the forces of Chaos that control the planet. They must battle against the armies of each Chaos god that control a separate continent in their path so they can finally regain their treasured weapon and their honour so they could be welcomed back once again amongst their brethren. The GamesDay Golden Daemon Award model of 2001

17664-401: The tactics and strategy of this new course of the war in detail, showing how American, British, Soviet, and German soldiers and Jewish guerrillas (some of them historical figures) deal with this extraordinary new situation, as well as providing a not unsympathetic detailed point of view of individual invader warriors. In the war situation posited by Turtledove, the invaders have superior arms, but

17802-751: The time. The Vietnam War led to the "polarization of the sf community", which can be seen in the June 1968 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction , in which one page of pro-war sf authors listed their names and on another page, anti-war sf authors put their names. The Vietnam War has been noted by the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction as having impacted anthologies such as In the Field of Fire (1987) and novels such as The Healer's War (1988) by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough and Dream Baby (1989) by Bruce McAllister . The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction states that

17940-496: The use of Fictional Intelligence ( FicInt ), which they define as "useful fictions". FicInt, a concept developed by Cole in 2015, combines "fiction writing with intelligence to imagine future scenarios in ways grounded in reality." Black Library The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop (formerly a part of BL Publishing ) which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks (and has previously produced art books, background books, and graphic novels ) set in

18078-473: The war in which the books take place, as well as merchandise such as badges, T-shirts, and special editions of the books themselves. The novels fall into a series of four-story arcs, of which three have been completed while publication of the last is still ongoing. After November 2002, the first five novels (from First and Only to The Guns of Tanith ) were reprinted with new cover art by Adrian Smith; Smith has since drawn every cover illustration to date, with

18216-485: The wars of tomorrow will look like." The MOD hired Peter Warren Singer and August Cole to write eight short stories about threats from "emerging technologies" including " artificial intelligence (AI), data modeling, drone swarms, quantum computing and human enhancement" in a battlefield context. The MOD hired sci-fi writers because they have a "unique ability to imagine the unimaginable." As well, both authors know about "security subjects and modern warfare." They advocate

18354-401: Was a Standard Template Constructor, a relic from over ten millennia before the events of First and Only , which made Iron Men, a pattern of robotic warriors; the traitorous General Dravere, assisted by the mutated, radical Inquisitor Heldane, Colonel Draker Flense and his Jantine Patricians attempted to seize power and overturn the commander of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, Warmaster Macaroth, using

18492-475: Was a converted "Captain Leonatos" of Bloodquest , painted by Bobby Wong. Previously, Captain Leonatos was produced as a miniature in 1999 as "Blood Angel Captain Leonatos, Commander of the Exile". This was in a limited quantity of only 1,000 models sculpted by Mike McVey . Cloten and Lysander, Captain Leonatos's troops, were also produced the same year and titled "The Exiles." They came together and were produced in

18630-464: Was forced to return with her to the planet Parnis in order to figure out her role in the destruction of her Sisters. During the return, their vessel's navigator was possessed by Chaos destroyed their ship the "Hammer of Thor." Escaping, both Hand and Stern were able to land upon the surface, but they were the sole survivors. Shortly after landing upon the planet, they were soon confronted the Daemon Q'tlahsi'issho'akshami. Only Stern managed to live through

18768-480: Was only available for purchase at the 2008 UK Games Day and the 2009 Games Day in Germany. A prequel novel, titled The Vincula Insurgency , was released in June 2022. The series follows the exploits of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and his regiment of scouts and recon specialists, the Tanith First-and-Only (nicknamed Gaunt's Ghosts ), as they serve in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. Their battles are normally against

18906-580: Was released in 2009, also with two connecting short stories. Abnett revealed in the foreword to the Ravenor omnibus that he was planning a "trilogy of trilogies", and the third set, its title confirmed in an interview with Abnett as the Bequin trilogy - will begin in October 2012 with Pariah: Ravenor Versus Eisenhorn . The Inquisition (The Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition) is an organisation in

19044-402: Was the bounty hunter Kal Jerico of the "Specialist Game" Necromunda . Including rules and a certificate of authenticity, the Black Library created many more limited edition miniatures and expanded the small comics into larger collections while adding many new ones. These novels and graphic novels are accompanied by cross-promotional articles that connect the characters from the novels to

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