Ghost Warrior

Rise of the Ynnari #1

by Gav Thorpe

When the long-lost craftworld Ziasuthra reappears, Iyanna Arienal and Yvraine of the Ynnari lead an expedition to it in hope of retrieving the last cronesword.

Still reeling from the advent of the Great Rift and the ravages of the tyranids, the aeldari inhabitants of Iyanden are shocked when they receive a message from a long-lost craftworld. Missing for millennia, the craftworld of Ziasuthra has suddenly reappeared from its sanctuary in the warp, and its denizens wish to make contact. Led by the Spiritseer Iyanna and Yvraine, the Emissary of Ynnead, a small force of craftworld aeldari head to Ziasuthra to open negotiations with their brethren. Behind their surface desire to help, however, Iyanna and Yvraine have a stronger they are seeking the final cronesword, which could lie hidden behind ancient web portal on this craftworld. But how co-operative will the mysterious Ziasuthrans prove to be, or do they too have their own agenda?

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Action, Ebooks

368 pages, Paperback

Published May 15, 2018

About the author

Gav spent 14 years as a developer for Games Workshop, and started writing novels and short stories in the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 when the Black Library imprint was launched in 1997.

He continues to write for Black Library, and his first 'homegrown' novel series The Crown of the Blood has been released via Angry Robot.

Currently living in Nottingham, Gav shares his home with his loving and very understanding partner - Kez, and their beautiful little boy - Sammy.

Reviews

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the first chapter, there are 4 Writer Deadly Sins.

First, Gav uses the sentence "(the protagonists) find themselves unexpectedly in trouble."

Gav then spends the next few pages talking about how awesome the protagonists are and how they aren't really in trouble. Aside from the general rule of 'Show, don't tell', it's just bad writing.

The climax of the first chapter involves several hundred dangerous people trying to take down the protagonists who only have 3 warships and an army of elite operatives. This is not a 'climax'. If you write about how the Bloods and the Crips team up together and then pit them against the protagonists who have an army of Delta Force commandos as well as full-on Naval destroyers, that is not a good fight.

The final sin was rather than just say 'The antagonists lost bad because several destroyers were arrayed against a few tough hombres', Gav went on to excruciating detail about the fight. Again, telling how awesome the protagonists were and generally high fiving each other about how great they are.

The writing was smarmy and self-important, the characters were the worst sort of tripe.

This book was so terrible, I returned it after the first chapter because I found myself being irritated by the sheer magnitude of how bad it was. It was essentially 12 year old fan-fiction written by someone once told they were talented by their mother.

If you like badly written fan-fiction, I would suggest you write your own. It certainly can't be worse than this and maybe you'll end up getting a Black Library contract.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ynnari are an interesting bunch of Aeldari. Instead of keeping their souls in spirit stones or become a snack for Slaneesh, they found a third way- the Aeldari God of Death- Ynnead. If they are able to resurrect Ynnead then the Aeldari can go to a peaceful death instead of becoming spirits or morsels.

The Ynnari are comprised of a variety of Aeldari, including Dark Aeldar, that follow Ynnead. This story focuses on the return of a craftworld. But all is not well and the craftworld is not what it all seems. It turns out another xenos species has infiltrated the craftworld. More than that I shall not say.

An interesting story with some truly interesting characters. The concept of worshipping Ynnead is an interesting one and something that will have an enormous effect on the typical Aeldar possibilities after death. I look forwards to seeing where more of the Ynnari seek out the God of the Dead.

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read the full review over at my blog:

https://shadowhawksshade.wordpress.co...

There have been so many changes to the Warhammer 40,000 with the release of the Eighth Edition of the tabletop rules that sometimes it can be hard to keep track of them all. One of the more major changes has been the fact that the Eldar have been renamed to be the Aeldari, in order to give Games Workshop a better copyright on their space-faring Elves. And their evil counterparts, the Dark Eldar, are now the Drukhari. And with the coming of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the two broken halves of their society, those of the space-faring craftworlds and those of the Hidden City of Commoragh, have in many ways come together to safeguard the future of their species as followers of the God of Death, Ynnead.

in Gav Thorpe’s first novel for the new “Dark Imperium” era, we find that the Ynnari have learned of a long-lost craftworld that has returned to the galaxy. Spiritseer Iyanna and Yvraine set out with their army of fanatical Ynnari to bring back Zaisuthra in the larger fold of the Aeldari, and their journey is certainly fraught with dangers of all kinds. In Ghost Warrior, Gav does what he did with his previous Eldar novels, show off in detail the bickering and politicking of the Aeldari. It makes for one hell of a read and it left me wanting more for the Ynnari are a fascinating faction, steeped deep in the old lore of Warhammer 40,000.

The Ynnari are a new faction of the Aeldari race, which is a composite of the Craftworld Aeldari, the Drukhari and the mysterious Harlequins of the Laughing God Cegorach. The Ynnari believe that only by bringing all Aeldari into the embrace of the Death God Ynnead can their race be saved from its impending doom, reborn into a new universe with a new role. Spiritseer Iyanna of House Arienal and Yvraine of the Dark City are their spiritual and military leaders, two aeldari with great influence among the rest of their dwindling race. Ghost Warrior was my first proper introduction to the Ynnari and I absolutely enjoyed Gav’s exploration of their leadership and beliefs.

As I mentioned above, this new shift in focus for the Aeldari is something that has long been a part of the lore and while we’ve only gotten fleeting glimpses of it before, now it is a full-on deluge of revelations one after another. Iyanna and Yvraine are both excellent characters with a lot of depth and I got the feeling that even though Gav gave us so many details about these two spiritual sisters, that there was still a lot left unsaid. Which is all well and good for it can be the basis for another story in the future. And by all the gods, Chaos and otherwise, I definitely want another novel with these characters. Their strengths and weaknesses, whether as individuals or as a team, are what highlight the entire story and them coming together for the mission to Zaisuthra was an eye-opening experience.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unexpectedly elegant and action packed story about the Ynead confronting a long lost Aeldari Craftworld in order to recover a magical artifact to fulfill a nascent god’s destiny. There was some backstory that was presented and although I did not read most of it, presented in previous short stories and supplements, I did not find it a hindrance in appreciating the novel. The characters are tragically flawed and incomplete but they work well together to solve the mystery at the heart of the narrative. The main protagonist is a surprise and delightful juxtaposition to the Ynead.

[Shell Kolberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

It actually pains me to give this book one star; I really wanted to like it and it's the first I've read from the Black Library that didn't knock my socks off. I was very eager and excited when I saw that Ghost Warrior had been released but maybe I held the bar too high. The opening scene was fantastic, beginning a story in Grandfather's garden was a sure-fire way to grab the reader, and for all the ostentatious pomposity of the Eldar (relevant to character building for those unfamiliar with this particular universe), I really enjoyed the contrast of the battle-come-escape from Nurgle's putrescent horde. The next chapter switches to Iyanna in her peaceful yet ghostly corridor of the departed, speaking with spirits and souls; this sets the scene for the tale but sadly, also the pace for the remainder of the novel save for a brief battle scene which was leaning more to the sublime and ceremonious than grizzly. Gav Thorpe is an eloquent writer, and that is not to be mocked but this book was far too slow for me, insofar as to say I grew bored. I am, however, living in hope that it's just setting the scene and the follow up will be a bit more action packed but in the meantime it's back to The Horus Heresy for me.

[Tim Van Lipzig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of the Rise Of The Ynnari series by Black Library veteran Gav Thorpe deals with the new faction amongst the aeldari, the Ynnari, followers of the God of the Dead Ynnead. They form around the 'Triumvirate of Ynnead': Prophet and champion Yvraine, her mysterious bodyguard the Visarch as well as the Yncarne, physical manifestation of the God of the Dead. The novel both an action-packed, entertaining showcase for the new faction as well as a characterful exploration of aeldari culture in general, especially their relationship with their dead and death itself.

These themes also find themselves in the way that Craftworld Iyanden is integrated in the story. Being the homeworld to several secondary characters and Yvraine's sister-in-death Iyanna, it's a Craftworld steeped in death from various past catastrophes, a world where the dead outnumber the living. Iyanna in particular deals with personal trauma and has an intimate relationship to death and those that have parted.

I really like that the novel feels so fresh in a lot of ways. It's narrated with a sharp, witty tongue (supposedly by one of the minor characters). The cast consists of a wide variety of aeldari - the Ynnari are a place for all kinds of people, from Craftworlders, Commoraghans to Harlequins. This allows Thorpe to delve into various aspects of aeldari culture and lore, a refreshing change from the usual Imperium- and Chaos-centric novels.

The series itself seems to be very much a Xenos-series; both Ghost Warrior as well as it's sequel Wild Rider concentrate on the various alien factions of 40k, with the Imperium pretty much absent and Chaos being a looming threat rather than the centre of the story.

The novel is also very fun. Fighting for an alternative to the established aeldari lifestyles, the Ynnari aren't as rigid and bound to stereotypes as the Craftworlders, Commoraghans and Exodites. The mix of various backgrounds is a fertile ground for conflict and the struggle to form a working team, which lends itself to entertaining dymamics and 'culture clashes'. It's a surprisingly hopeful story.

There are some aspects of the story that could have been handled with more finesse and I felt a tad underwhelmed by the very end of the novel - the last few pages feel somewhat tacked on and rushed, especially when contacted with the pleasantly careful, measured pacing with which Thorpe handles most of the book. Most of the time, though, Thorpe shows a skilled hand in varying between characterful interaction, intriguing mystery, interesting mythology and entertaining action.

All in all, this is a very promising start to a voyage into parts of the 40k-cosmos that are still underrepresented and underused in the novels. It certainly motivated me to read up on some Aeldari lore and to realize that Aeldari are, well, pretty damn cool after all.

[Glyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read though I found the writing style slightly off putting to begin with.

Gav Thorpe is a proven writer of the Eldar/Elves for Black Library and he brings a pleasing otherness to them. A fine mix of close enough to human to be relatable alongside an alien superiority and where necessary an arrogance to them. This suits the standard third person writing approach, and for much of the book this applies, the oddity is and this thankfully becomes less common as the novel progresses is that occasionally he hints at an omniscient narrator with references to "the next actor in our play" and "we find so and so". Such an approach is not bad in and of itself but here it seems a needless pretence to my mind

The novel is clearly designed to cement the new Eldar faction t"the Ynnari" into the revitaised WH40K lore and Thorpe achieves the goal admirably. The newly founded cult of the "Whispering God" the Eldar God of the Dead Ynnead travel first to the Craftworld of Iyanden and then on to the recently returned Craftworld of Zaisuthra, lost since the fall of their Empire and the creation of Slaanesh, she who thirsts and bane of the Eldar. On arrival it becomes clear that Zaisuthra is not your normal Craftworld, nor are they particularly scared of Slaanesh. Thorpe deos a good job of creating a different kind of Eldar, in the Zisuthrans to any we have previously encountered.

This being Black Library, of course the only solution to any problem is all out war! Here too Thorpe delivers quite powerfully and the battle scenes are decently handled,with all the credibility that is to be expected when avatars of Gods are laying into each other at several points of the narrative. I would not say this has the best described battles in Black Library but they are solid and workmanlike. As a whole the book is a succcess, it develops the characters that need to be developed , sets up the second novel and has an interesting and Imperium deviod tale to tell. I remove a star for the battle scenes being good but not great and the narrative flourishes I alluded to earlier.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gav Thorpe’s Ghost Warrior is the first book in the Rise of the Ynnari series detailing the exploits of Yvraine and her Ynnari, whose goal is to bring forth the aeldari god of the dead, Ynnead. When the Iyandeni are confronted with the return of the long-lost craftworld Zaisusthra, spiritseer Iyanna Arienal’s path intersects with Yvraine’s. Iyanden needs allies to survive, while the Ynnari see an opportunity to find and claim the last of the once-lost Croneswords, which they need to bring about the awakening of Ynnead. The question is, what does Zaisuthra want, and why has it returned now?

Gav cleverly inserts little bits of exposition here and there through the careful application of a knowing, slightly snarky narrator, contributing to an unusual but highly satisfying tone of voice. A scathing deconstruction of Ahriman’s trials and tribulations early on is almost worth the asking price alone. The narrative weaves in lots of different viewpoints and while the focus is primarily shared between Yvraine and Iyanna, it’s nicely balanced out by various other characters. With lots of characters, and quite a lot of world-building to do for locations and concepts, pacing-wise it’s often relatively slow – but that’s a good thing, as it gives the story room to breathe. The action and excitement when it arrives is characterful and used to good effect and the final third or so of the book gradually ramps up to a brilliantly epic conclusion.

This is undoubtedly a real change of pace compared to the usual Imperium-focused 40k novels, and might not be to everyone’s taste. Gav’s writing really suits this sort of story, however, so go with the flow and there’s loads to enjoy in a book that’s packed full of character and depth.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2018/09/...

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last books about Eldar I read were from the same author, very good Path Of... series. These were first books about this enigmatic race that actually tried to flesh their culture and [cliche but I don't know any better term] way of life.

This book does not disappoint in that venue.

Main protagonists are Ynnari, wandering colony of Eldar, made of various rogue elements like corsairs and rangers, but also people from various worldcrafts and even Dark Eldars. They all follow mysterious Yvraine. Surrounded by her loyal bodyguard Visarch she travels the stars seeking potent weapons that will give the final birth to Ynnead, Eldar god of death. This deity is the only way out of the clutches and soul-hell of Slaanesh. And in this search they Ynnari will come across even more ancient worldcraft carrying gateway to realm where Ynnari's so much sought treasure lies. But what they will find is something so terrifying that I truly wonder who will be left standing at the end of times.

Entire story is excellently told, we follow what I never thought would be preoccupation of Eldar - death, afterlife and rebirth. Very interesting main characters and people following them. Story reminds me so much of Elric of Melninbone (Visarch is such a tragic character, it is like he also hails from daemon infested and burdened misty land of dragon riders).

Highly recommended to all fans of W40K and epic blend of SF and fantasy.

[Johannes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since it took me almost 2 years to finish this book - big pause in the middle - I can't really give it more than 2 stars. It's not bad, certainly better than many other books in the 40k universe, but I've come to the conclusion that one of the central pillars of stories in this universe are just unsatisfying to me. Everything gained is a pyrrhic victory. Every step taken forward is accompanied by somewhere between 0,95 - 7 steps back. This is the universe that more or less spawned "grimdark" as a concept, so it is perhaps to be expected. That, unfortunately, doesn't make it any more appealing to me.

[Oliver Eike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great book, but it still had points of interest.

Yvraine and Illyana were interesting characters and they went through interesting things, but it became clear in chapter 1 that none of the main characters would ever be in any danger. So i ended up reading the book for lore, rather than the story.

And the lore bits is plenty interesting, but there are large sections of the book where nothing really happens. So if you are looking for a book of equal to the Phoenix Lord ones, this is not it.

But still worth a read if you find the Eldar interesting.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really about two thirds of a book. It continues on from a audio-only story, and ends extremely abruptly, without wrapping up any of the significant plot points. There is some interesting emotional arcs, and the concept of the lost Craftworld is interesting, but it isn't enough to make up for a plot that doesn't really ever get better then "okay."

[Santino Llamas · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was beyond a boring. And for one main reason. Over explaining everything. And this is coming from someone who has read an insane amount of Warhammer. And enjoys the plot heavy books. But this one was way to bland. The worst offense being the Spirit seer portions. So I would take a pass on it personally. But if you want to know every bit of lore. Theres something here for you

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Up until this novel I'd had pretty good luck with my Warhammer 40K reads, but this is the first one I've made it through that's fallen into the whole "masses of overwrought fluff and messy padding" stereotype that everyone likes to joke about... A rite of passage, I suppose. At least the Eldrad's Stuff Collection part was fun.

[Wing Ham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Xenos? Read it. Like Eldar? Definitely read it. Like weird things at the edge of the galaxy? My friend, you know what to do.
Beautifully written, well put together, and you won't see it coming when it hits you.
No Imperials, no bolters, just weird events & Xenos at the edge of the galaxy.

[Michael Brunner]

Slow at the beginning

The book is slow at the beginning and the ending is not that great. Not the best book about the Eldar that I've read. Some of the text is in very flowery, overly dramatic language.

[Giovanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. The Ynnari and Gav Thorpe are seemingly a controversial subject, and the casualties to the Eldar throughout his works are an annoyance. Well written with interesting characters and plot!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this was just a classic Emily book. A good amount of action, but not too much. Some character driven moments. Badass ladies that aren't just high on themselves. I liked this book a lot.

[Henric Wiktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fleshes out the Ynnari a bit more and is interesting with nice enviromental descriptions and a bit of action. Not great literature but a nice bit of amusement for lazy vacation days

[75338 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pompous prose profligates. Some very interesting elder expositions that suffers from “telling, not showing” but also some very nice seam setting. By far not his best.

[Станислав · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мир-корабль эльдар пораженный культом генокрадов? Очень необычно. Две зарубленных аватары Кхейна? Вполне обычно. Не много действие в середине, но загадка Зайсутры заставила поломать голову.

[Brett Ohler · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable story that brings light to the lore of the Aeldari in the 40K universe.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Carl-philip Demeyere · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much potential wasted. This is my first Gav Thorpe book and I must say that I both dislike and like his very distinctive writing style.

The really bad stuff first: the ending is unsatisfactory. The goal of the quest: to retrieve a Cronesword, fails. In fact, you could say everything fails. There is no pay-off. Not grand ending to make it all worth it. I also understand that the Eldar are an enigmatic, alien race. However, they all seem to be written as exceptionally uptight humans that are at the same time more automaton than alive. In fact, I liked the very few words spoken by the automatons in the book far more engaging than those of say: Yvrainne. This combined with the excessive prose made this book quite annoying to read.

So now for the good: The worldbuilding is, quite honestly, fantastic. For once I fully understood just how massive certain places are. I loved the exploration of Iyanden and the lore behind the Ynnari. It really made me feel like the environment was human but crafted by aliens with near magic-like technology. This combined with the expansive prose in places really shapes a very vivid image of any location.

In the end, I give it 3 stars. Which it only narrowly earned.

[Nightshade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book as it has drukari and harlequins which are the 40k armies I play. However, I struggled to get into the story, putting it down twice for extended periods of time before finally pushing through to the end.

I found the writing style really odd. There's a lot of description rather than action. It is very much told not shown. With lines such as "Imagine the scene: [proceeds with lengthy description]." +It's bad when the best bit of action of the entire book was the two pages focused on the protagonist's pet gyrinx.

So far I've had really good experiences with Warhammer novels, so this one was a bit of a disappointment. I do want to find out what happens next, but am not sure if I can face the second book any time soon.

[T R Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of the 'Rise of the Ynnari' series, 'Ghost Warrior' starts of by finishing off the storyline from the Hand of Darkness audio book. While it is nice to get the end of that story, I don’t think it really adds anything to the plot of this book and I would have preferred it to have been incorporated into that audio book, or at least released as a short story, and had an more standalone opening for this novel.

The novel itself is very good with entertaining action as well as some nice character moments. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the novel that focused on the famous Spiritseer Iyanna Arienal as they gave a great look at her everyday life on Iyanden, as well as exploring her psyche a little. The book also adds a little bit to the mythology of the Aeldari with the Tomb of Eldanesh

While I did find the plot a little predictable, I still enjoyed it especially as it gave us a look at a version of the Aeldari that is rarely seen (Aeldari Genestealer Cults). I also quite liked the ending to the novel, even though I thought it could have used a bit of an epilogue.