Honour Guard

Gaunt's Ghosts #4

by Dan Abnett

Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts return to action on a mission to a distant shrine world to bring back a priceless spiritual relic, the remains of an ancient saint who first led humankind to the stars, but the forces of Chaos will do anything to stop them. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Military Fiction, Military Science Fiction

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 5, 2001

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another stellar entry in Gaunt's Ghosts series. After the losses and so forth the unit has experienced to date, after the victory on Vervunhive, the Ghosts were augmented by many survivors of the hive, and yeah, some tensions about that. Several months have passed, however, and on to a new battle. At first, it seems like a milk run-- a Shrine world, Sabbat no less, the home of Saint Sabbat, has been infested with Chaos. The mission-- smoke them out and save the holy relics.

Well, lets say complications ensue. It seems the Chaos warriors have a plan-- leave the cities since they will lose them in any case, but infest the country side. Worse for the Imperials, a warning in Warp space went off and in just a few weeks, a massive Chaos fleet will descend on the planet. The general in charge, a new brasshole, wants to evac the planet ASAP and sends Gaunt and company on an Honour Guard to the Shrine dedicated to the Saint herself, to collect the monks and the relics. Well, the Chaos forces seem to have the same idea...

Some killer action sequences here between armor-- Abnett seems to really enjoy those and I really enjoy reading them. So, good action, some nice tension among the Ghosts and their new recruits (which even include some women!), some nasty political intrigue among the brass, and a new side of Gaunt. Good stuff, and the start of a new story arc. 4 saintly stars!!

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-En varios sentidos, un volumen de transición.-

Género. Ciencia ficción.

Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro Guardia de Honor (publicación original: Honour Guard, 2001) La Cruzada de los Mundos de Sabbat continúa y los Fantasmas de Gaunt, con nuevas incorporaciones pertenecientes a La Colmena Vervun de su último campo de batalla en Verghast, luchan ahora en el planeta Morlond por la liberación de Doctrinópolis y, en concreto, por la toma de la sagrada Ciudadela de la ciudad, un lugar especial en el culto a la legendaria y santísima Santa Sabbat. El desarrollo de los acontecimientos los llevará, como escolta de los sacerdotes y reliquias de la santa, hasta el remoto Santuario de la Santa Sabbat en las montañas. Cuarto libro de la serie Los Fantasmas de Gaunt.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...

[Simon Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honour Guard is probably no one's favourite entry in the Gaunt's Ghosts series, but for me it's definitely one of my top five. There's something about the setting of 40k in the space Himalayas, prayer flags and all, that scratches a particular itch in my brain. More than that though, Honour Guard quietly sets in motion a lot of the story to The Saint arc, introducing characters and themes which are successfully referred back to again and again over the next four novels.
The story in the book itself is straightforward enough - a rescue mission of a holy site with a ticking clock of an enemy fleet approaching, and Gaunt's career hanging in the balance. It's a well set up, well executed little story with some fun little details - in particular you get the impression that Abnett really enjoys writing armour clashes. As with most books in the series, it does suffer from a lack of compelling mid-level villains to be overcome, and very few of the characters feel like they're in genuine peril. But Abnett really nails the introduction of the holy characters, and there are lots of wonderful little details, like Gaunt adding a measure of sacra to the officer's caffeine to ward off the cold, that add to the setting in a way that no other BL author quite manages.

It's no Necropolis, but it's a fine addition to the series and particularly significant in setting up a lot of what it to come. Good work Abnett.

And, as always, feth you Lijah Cuu.

[Μιχάλης · Rating 3 out of 5]

O Abnett είναι ωραίο αναγνωστικό πασατέμπο: ξέρεις τι θα διαβάσεις από αυτόν και στο δίνει στο πιάτο, με γαρνιτούρα και 2-3 εξτραδάκια που τον κάνουν να ξεχωρίζει από τους ομοίους του.

Έτσι κι εδώ, πιστός στο μοτίβο που ξεκίνησε από το First and Only o Κομισάριος-Συνταγματάρχης Gaunt και τα Φαντάσματά του πρέπει να κάνουν τα αδύνατα δυνατά σε μία αποστολή επειδή κάποιος άχρηστος χαρτογιακάς στρατηγός τα έχει κάνει μαντάρα.
Πολλές πολλές μάχες και μία δόση από ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες που, για πρώτη φορά στη σειρά, αρχίζουν να έχουν προσωπικές υποπλοκές που θα συνεχιστούν και στα επόμενα βιβλία. Η γραφή συμπαθητική, αλλά θα διαβάσετε για πολλές μάχες πεζικού και τεθωρακισμένων στο δυστοπικό μέλλον της 40ης χιλιετίας, οπότε ίσως να μην αντέξετε αν θέλετε περισσότερη ανάπτυξη χαρακτήρων (οι μάχες όμως είναι καλές) και, επίσης, ελπίζω να μην έχετε αλεργεία στους από μηχανής θεούς (και δεν εννοώ τον Αυτοκράτορα του σύμπαντος του Warhammer 40Κ).

Τίμιο βιβλίο, σύντομα θα πιάσω και το επόμενο της σειράς

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, when laid up with illness, nothing cheers the soul more than reading about men with big blasters shooting evil enemies into a bloody pulp. So, there I was, so ill with flu that for three days I couldn't even read, but lay curled up in a ball that alternately sweated and shivered. When I eventually recovered enough to reach for a book I had no doubt what I wanted: Abnett!

It's one of life's great discoveries that a writer for hire - as Abnett is, plying his trade within the invented universes of Warhammer 40k, Tomb Raider, Dr Who and whichever other franchise willing to pay him - can still be a supreme craftsman and, frankly, a far better writer than the vast majority of authors writing the stuff of their dreams. (In fact, on the couple of occasions I've read Abnett's original works, I've not found them as good as his work in pre-existing universes.) Honour Guard is no exception and, as I slowly recuperated, I settled once again into the dystopia of the 41st millennium - and thoroughly enjoyed myself. As I mentioned at the start of this review, there really is nothing more cheering than reading about blokes with bolters blasting the forces of vile Chaos into steaming piles of flesh and bone.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this one, and now im tempted to immediately start reading book 5 lmao

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There definitely wasn't as much fighting as in the previous book, but it was almost entirely about tanks. There was more said about tanks than about the actual plot or the general plot twist, which, like the climax of the entire story, only came up in the last ten pages. I'm still giving it four stars, though, because the scenes with the secondary characters were genuinely interesting, emotional, and exciting.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this, and I have to say it was the best Ghosts story so far. Abnett went ahead and turned war into a pilgrimage, and I am being absolutely literal about this here. Any more would be spoiler, though.

The cast of characters was easier to manage, and the branches of individual narratives quickly merged into one, so it has been overall less challenging to read, which may have complemented the entertainment factor.

All in all, I really loved this one. I wasn't sure before, but now I think I can really get in love with this series.

[Set Sytes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needs less tank battles and mostly-ordinary fighting and more "Chaos madness. Fething Chaos madness".

Bit of a deus ex machina at the end. Weakest of the GG stories I've read so far, but still GG, so still very good. I liked the giant tortoises.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blistering no holds barred slugfest of a tale. Huge battles, hopeless odds, desperate situations, and grim humor. Everything you've come to love and expect from Gaunt's Ghosts!

[Angel Miralles · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Mostro el emplazamiento en su mapa
- Aquí está el ganador. Un asalto lateral. Tal vez cuatro o cinco tanques entrando desde el este. El objetivo es el templo para abrirse camino a continuación hasta los depósitos de combustible. Las baterías Hydra dispararán desde la carretera, desde aquí.
-¿Y que hay de los civiles?- preguntó Hark.
-Yo no he traído ninguno ¿y usted?
Risas generalizadas "

Este es el meu “plaer culpós”, per tant cap comentari es pot fer, perquè hi ha dies que vols reflexionar e intentar entendre al món que ens envolta, però d'altres sols vols destrucció a nivell continental on no hi ha bons i dolents, sols ordres a seguir i objectius quasi impossibles per a assolir.

P.D. Frase extra que m'ha agradat

" Si el camino es fácil, es que el destino no vale la pena. "

[Konstantinos Amvrazis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Άλλο ένα εκπληκτικό βιβλίο της σειράς! Δράση, αγωνία, χαρακτήρες. Είχε απ'όλα το τέταρτο μέρος και πάμε φουλ για τη συνέχεια. Military fantasy με Grimdark στοιχεία για τους λάτρεις του είδους και όχι μόνο!

[Luke Lybert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan abnett is the king a short quick action tank battles. I loved this book the whole way through. The ending felt really rushed and was rather unsatisfying.

[Adrian Dumitru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! One of my favorites - just one little problem i did not see the chaos army as a chaos more like another human army but still top shelf material.

[Dr. Txusma · Rating 3 out of 5]

De moment… el pitjor. No reconec el mateix Gaunt, ni la relació amb els seus fantasmes. No em crec els motius que es donen (ni a qui els hi dona LOL).

Però les últimes 80 pàgines molen un punyao.

[Alexandre St-Amant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le livre aurait pu être un 5 étoiles, le meilleur de la série jusqu'à présent, si ce n'était de la fin expéditive et du Deus ex machina qui fait que tous les antagonistes meurent parce que.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is every entry in this series good? What do I say when they’re all as good as each other?? Where do we go when we die???

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, if not great like the rest of the series.

Gripping story as ever, great description and dialogue.

A rushed ending again, but I think it’s partially because he can afford it given it’s a series.

[Jack Neighbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book again. Full of tense moments, laugh out loud interactions and a massive set piece battles. Brilliant ending too!

[Conor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing, in a word. After the excellent first three books of the series, it seems Abnett lost momentum with this one.
It has some interesting aspects and plot threads, but the bulk of what Abnett focuses on is mediocre.
The novel opens with the Ghosts in a methodical combat operation against a heavy cultist presence on the Shrine World Hagia, sacred in the Sabbat System, as the birth planet of Saint Sabbat, a woman who Gaunt himself idolised. Not a bad premise, and I’m sure the other books will keep up with this idea of the Sabbat Martyr – after all, the second omnibus is called The Saint -- but for several reasons this entry in the series didn’t work. The main one is that the central plot relies on not one, but two Deus Ex Machina’s. The first occurs when following the orders of the Lord Commander Lugo, who’s impatient with Gaunt’s methodical leadership in taking back the shrine world, Gaunt is forced to push men forwards. The cultists are on the run, and on the verge of a total massacre, a unit of guardsmen finds themselves the victims of a warp-driven Chaos device which sucks their souls and turns Hagia into a beacon for an immense warp-bound Chaos Space Marine fleet. Lugo blames this on Gaunt, a convenient scapegoat, and a planet-wide evacuation is planned.
The novel ends with the Ghosts and allies in what appears to be their last fight, with absolutely no hope, holed up on Hagia’s shrine monument to the martyr. And how does Abnett resolve this. Pretty simply, actually, another Deus Ex-Machina warp device which annihilates the cultist forces and waylays the encroaching Chaos force. Sure, the Ghosts have to work for the Deus Ex Machina, but it feels contrived, and is fundamentally why the novel fails.
I have hope that the next novel will be a return to form of Abnett. There are some interesting threads set up in this one. Gaunt’s descent into alcoholism and despair, his loss and return of faith, being a big one. Sergeant Gol Kolea realising his children, who he thought killed on Vervunhive, did survive, and are in the care of Caffran and Tona Criid, who’ve become surrogate parents of a kind. Gol might even have a potential love interest in the medic Ana Curth, and Commisar Hark is a good addition to the cast – another honourable commissar who pays respect to Gaunt. Rawne’s vengeance is still coming, and Bragg, well, he’s in bad shape, but I think he’s alive. At least for now.
Then there’s Larkin, one of the best characters in a sense, who in this book’s been dealing with the borderline-psychotic Cuu and competition from the female Vervunhiver who’s name escapes me.
All in all, a mediocre entry for the series, but it sets up some significant plot lines, so I am content.

[Andrew Ziegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

You really have to read this things in the omnibus books for the full effect. Abnett does a really nice job introducing them, and characters in them. He also mentioned that this book Honour Guard is the first book in this four part series which is in the Saint, and it is in the Saint where the readers and fans must learn to say farewell and goodbye.



With that daunting statement hanging in the air you plunge into Honour Guard that has Gaunt being force fed his first "defeat" under a Lord General that want this to be his only defeat and the end of the commissar's career. Gaunt set's out on one final mission with the newly minted and mixed Ghost's regiment which is not only starting to tear itself apart because it is now formed of Tanith men and the Vergast displaced, but it also might be dissolved because its glorious leader is disgraced and falling apart.



Honour Guard is full of action and you can tell it is round 1 of a potentially heartbreaking story arch.

[Cloak88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Abnett's best effort in this series.

After a defeat due to the arrogance and incompetence of his superiors, Gaunt and the Tanith are send to retrieve a precious artifact by the Saint Sabbath. This however means going into enemy territory, under armed, far from support, with time against them, and the disdain of their superiors. (Read: go on a suicide mission and don't come back)

This isn't a bad book by any means, just not up to Abnett's usual level. The beginning dragged and only picked up near the end after the dour tone ebbed away. Don't get me wrong. This is still Abnett we are taking about and any book by him is worth a look at. Just don't start with this one, it doen't quite do the series justice.

Quickly on to book #5. I hear its better. (Spoiler: It defensively is!)

[Fairul · Rating 2 out of 5]

The deus ex machina really came out of nowhere. Gaunt acted out of character, getting drunk and brooding because of some failure.. and later people forget about it like it was no big deal. The pilgrimage of Corbec and Co felt similar to the weird useless journey of the 'heroes' in the end of SK The Stand. I meant, in both cases, they really do not do anything other than being there (with tremendous effort no doubt), and poof, granted deus ex machina because higher power (or warp science?) pleased with their journey (?). The epilogue does not provide satisfying ending. I really hope Corbec didn't die, he is my fav character so far

[Calyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet again, with the start of the omnibus, i did feel a bit, lets use the word disappointed, but again it was wrong reaction, no books by abnett is written the same as one before it, its pacing or its narrative style is a bit different from others and yet i still liked it once i accepted it, once more thank you mister Abnett.

[Iri · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Číst tuhle knížku v době, kdy vyšla a nevědět, jak to s Gauntem a Duchy dopadne, asi si ukousnu ruku a přidám se k Chaosu. Takhle jsem si díky odstupu a vědomí, že pár dalších knih už existuje, užívala skvělé momenty, hlášky a příběhy oblíbených postav. Ale i tak mě safra zajímalo, jak to celé skončí. Protože to napětí... To napětí bylo silné jak warp.

[Adam Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the epic Battle of Vervunhive and his impressive achievements during it, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt's star has risen and he and his unit, the Tanith First and Only, are tasked with a glorious mission, liberating the shrineworld of Haiga, homeworld of the Saint Sabbat in whose name the entire Sabbat Worlds Crusade is being fought. Unfortunately, the final assault on the planet's major city goes awry and Gaunt finds himself disgraced and out of favour once more.

Gaunt now has only one chance to redeem himself: to travel through enemy-infested countryside and mountains to the Shrinehold of Saint Sabbat and evacuate her relics and remains safely from the planet. For the Ghosts and their allies, the Pardu tank regiment, this will turn out to be one of their most dangerous and desperate missions...

Honour Guard is the fourth novel in the Gaunt's Ghosts series and the first in its second 'story arc'. The action picks up a few months after Necropolis and sees the Tanith First and Only bolstered by new recruits from the scratch companies who defended Vervunhive so bravely during the battle there. This leads to a minor storyline where the fresh Vervunhive troops find themselves trying to integrate with the older, more established Tanith troops with mixed results. The main focus is on the road trip mission, however, with Abnett deciding to base each novel in this arc around a different kind of military mission (the book following this one, The Guns of Tanith, is an airborne drop, for example) to keep things fresh. Another of Abnett's decisions is to focus on large-scaled armoured action, with massive tank battles the order of the day here, although the Ghosts are still right in the thick of the action.


What sets the Gaunt's Ghosts books apart from most military SF is the characterisation, with a number of well-drawn central characters and many supporting ones whom Abnett is only able to paint briefly, but still come across as fully-rounded figures. With this fourth book Abnett is also showing increasing proficiency at inverting or dismissing cliches, with Commissar Hark a notable new character whose motivations and goals are not quite as clear-cut as they first appear. Most startling, however, is this book's focus on spirituality. The Warhammer 40,000 setting's religion - which sees the immortal Emperor venerated as a god and his greatest generals and tacticians as saints - is pretty ludicrous, but here Abnett makes it work. For the first time the reasons for the colossal scale of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade become clear, and we get a better appreciation of Gaunt and his own sense of faith.

Honour Guard (****) is well-written, briskly-paced, well-characterised and brings some new tricks to the Gaunt's Ghosts series, showing that Abnett is not resting on his laurels. The book is perhaps not quite as gripping as Necropolis, but is still a solidly entertaining slice of military SF. The book is available as part of The Saint omnibus, in the UK and USA.

[Cody Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep wanting to like 40K books but every time I end the book feeling a little disappointed. Part of that disappointment is likely from me wanting the books to be something they're not. I heard from fans about the deep lore of the 40k universe, and I want to enjoy that universe. The books, however, always remind me of The Magic Treehouse; fun little adventures like kind of tie into each other in a larger story but can be better understood as each book being their own self-contained thing.

Honour Guard can be understood as the first "sequel" in the Gaunt's Ghosts series. The first two books were a collection of short stories stapled together with a bit of editing to make them a 'book'. Necropolis was the first book that was meant to be a coherent book and it worked. The Ghosts save the day and kill a bunch of space monsters in the process. In Honour Guard you get a few consequences of the last book, the Ghosts have some new recruits they picked up from before but that's about all you'll miss if you just jump into this book without reading any of the other books before this.

Gaunt is ordered by command to make some questionable calls and gets reprimanded because of them. The book then follows the Ghosts as they go on a "one last ride" mission to recover the relics of Saint Sabbat, the name's sake of this sector, before Gaunt is stripped of his command and the Ghosts are scattered to the winds. The Ghosts go up mountain roads and abandoned tows fighting off the forces of chaos, this time with tank support! And that parts fun, and if you go into the book not wanting anything more, then this will hit the spot.

The ending: The ending a great example of a 'deus ex machina' After fighting off the great enemy through long mountain roads, the Ghosts arrive at the shrine of Saint Sabbat. They tell the priests their orders are to take the bones and relics of the saint off world before chaos takes the whole planet. But wait! That can't happen! There's a prophecy that says Sabbat will rest on this world forever. Apparently this prophecy is known to everyone who knows about the saint. Gaunt knew about this, supposedly the high command that setup this mission knew about this. But high command gave this order anyway and Gaunt just went with it. But wait, there's more! Apparently Gaunt's mentor, and Gaunt by proxy, was extremely devout this saint above all others. And that's why the crusade to retake the Sabbat worlds is so important to him. Gaunt decides to disobey his orders. Rather than take the relics back to central command, he digs in for a last stand, to defend the shrine to the last man. But wait, there's still more! Turns out, there's a super psychic weapon hidden in the mountain that can kill all the forces of chaos on the planet! The Ghosts make a last-ditch effort to hold out until they can activate the weapon, kill all the chaos forces, and live to be heroes!

All of this together makes the ending really forced. The cascade of information the characters apparently knew this whole time, but the reader never knows cheapens the end. And the magic "win the day weapon" added in the last minute is, just...whatever.

All in all, go into the book with the right expectations and it'll be fine.

[Unseen Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating of 4.5.

For this week’s Throwback Thursday I’m still in a Warhammer 40,000 mood, so I decided to dive even further into Dan Abnett’s classic Gaunt’s Ghosts series with the fourth book, Honour Guard.

Throughout the extended, system-spanning Sabbat World crusades, the men of the Tanith First and Only have fought against the dark forces of Chaos in every way imaginable. Led by their heroic commander, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, the Tanith soldiers, known colloquially as Gaunt’s Ghosts, have had many victories, but few failures. So, when fighting on the holy Shrine World of Hagia, the Ghosts are devastated when they trigger a disastrous enemy trap that destroys a holy city and creates a psyker beacon that will draw a massive Chaos fleet down on their position.

Troubled by his failures to protect one of the most important planets in the Sabbat Worlds and made a scapegoat by his commander, Gaunt is left a broken man. His one chance to save his career and his regiment is to lead the Tanith and an armoured company as an honour guard to a sacred shrine to recover the holy relics of Saint Sabbat. If he can recover the relics and evacuate them from the planet before the Chaos fleet arrives, he may be able to keep the Ghosts under his command.

Beginning the arduous pilgrimage, Gaunt and his men soon discover that the road to the shrine isn’t as clear as their intelligence indicated. A vast enemy army lies in wait for them, and the Ghosts will have to fight every step of the way to secure their objective and make their escape. However, there are far more mysterious forces at work behind the scenes as Gaunt and some of his men soon find themselves being driven on by religious visions of Saint Sabbat herself. Is the holy saint talking to them, or is something more sinister manipulating them?

Honour Guard was another epic science fiction military adventure that I powered through in no time at all. Skilfully continuing the intriguing Gaunt’s Ghost story, Abnett has produced a thoughtful and intense read that throws the protagonists into a captivating action-packed scenario that really showcases the gritty nature of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2023/04/21/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[John Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another excellent entry in the Gaunt's Ghost's story.

Saint Sabbat is one of the holiest of saints for the Empire of Man, and her homeworld has been invaded by the spawn of Chaos. Gaunt and his men have been charged with purging the world, and after taking the Citadel of the capital, they discover that the enemy had set a trap, to lure them into setting off a beacon to call more forces of Chaos to the world.

In an effort to stop the enemy fleet, the General in command orders the world evacuated, and orders Gaunt and his men to recover the body of Sabbat, and to escort it to the space dock with full military honours.

However, the enemy have been waiting in ambush, and after several fights, the Ghosts make it to where the holy Saint Sabbat's remains lie. Springing their ambush, the enemy attack, and are almost at the stage of destroying the Ghosts, and fulfilling a prophecy that says if the Saint falls, then all of the worlds she conquered will fall with her.

Meanwhile, 10 of the Ghosts, men who had all been having dreams telling them they needed to come to the Saint's stronghold, have made the journey there, arriving just before the enemy attack. It turns out that there had been a device built to psychically destroy any armies of Chaos on the planet, but it would only respond when the time was right, and only when soldiers and not priests were summoned.

Just as all seems lost, they discover the weapon, and one of the 10 men sacrifices himself to save them all, and the world as well.

I liked this book. It's got some great action scenes in it, and you enjoy watching the characters struggle and succeed in their battles. Dan Abnett writes well, and isn't afraid to kill off characters either, although you always suspect that the main ones will usually survive.