What do You think about First And Only (2002)?
This was a pretty good introduction for me to the Warhammer 40k lore universe. For those like myself who have wanted to start reading the novels but were thrown off by there not really being a good starting point I hear you. 40k does not subscribe to a timeline of any sort really or at least there isn't one that I have found yet so you the reader essentially must pick a starting point and jump it. The difficulty however much like the game is that you jump right into the middle of a campaign and with so many sides to choose from that also can be overwhelming. There isn't a clear introduction so much of the terminology is rarely explained so you need to pay attention and piece things together...again you really must have a desire to read this otherwise you will probably toss this stuff away.With all that said, this was and interesting look at military strategy in a truly sci fi world which rarely is ever done especially at this level. Abnett sets us in the military company known as the Ghosts as pulls you along through a campaign that exists in extreme chaos. Very exciting, and interesting from tactical perspective that once you understand the weaponry and setting you will be fully drawn into. Excellent read.
—Shawn Fairweather
I picked this up after being impressed with the high rating on goodreads. Unfortunately, "First and Only" never even came close to living up to all it's hype. The book starts off with Gaunt and his Ghosts being deployed as ground forces against the enemy shriven. This goes on for a third of the book without Abnett even making the slightest effort at developing even one character among the entire ensemble, thereby creating a huge waste of time. The book does improve after this battle, but not by alot. The main character, Ibram Gaunt, is offered a covert mission to uncover the ultimate weapon on a planet the Imperium is planning on attacking. The only thing Gaunt has to worry about is being killed for the information before he completes his mission.
—Flint
Ibram Gaunt was a warrior. His Father was a warrior, too, killed in battle when Ibram was school age (I think eight (8) years old). After his father died, he was sent to a military boarding school, trained in the arts of war. He grew into higher and higher command. The structure of the Galaxy at the time was that it was ruled by a king who had lived for 10,000 years, and would rule for however much longer he wished to. The military was sent out to conquer and protect the various interests of the imperiam. Sometimes there were rebels, sometimes there were invasions, sometimes there were coup attempts, etc., etc., so the military was kept busy saving the Empire for the king.tThe story bounces around to various events that create the situation Ibram is to take care of. His troops are from a world that was destroyed, hence the name, First and Only (from that planet), nicknamed, Gaunt's Ghosts. They are fiercely loyal to Ibram and are put into the worst situations, and always seem to win through.tIbram gets a message, seemingly from the Gods or something, that every so often guides him to do the right thing. The story starts with a starship getting a message through the psychic medium, who passes it on to another in another place. Ibram and his troops are fighting, somewhere, and are sent off somewhere else to fight some more. Eventually they are sent off to pick up the message and act upon it.tI found the structure of the plot a bit daunting, but not truly unfathomable. This was a pretty good story.
—Joey Brockert
