Review: Sabbat War

Sabbat War by Dan Abnett is a fitting and deeply satisfying addition to the Gaunt’s Ghosts saga. Rather than presenting a single continuous campaign narrative, this anthology gathers a sequence of interlinked stories that expand, enrich, and in many cases resolve threads that have run across the wider arc of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. The result is a collection that feels both reflective and purposeful, offering momentum while also taking stock of everything that has come before.

One of the great strengths of the anthology format is the space it creates. Across the main novels, the relentless pace of war often leaves little room to linger on secondary characters or smaller consequences. Here, those moments are given room to breathe. Loose threads that might otherwise have remained dangling are carefully drawn together. Long running tensions are addressed. Character arcs that have simmered in the background are brought into sharper focus. The structure allows Abnett to move between perspectives and tones with confidence, shifting from battlefield intensity to quieter, more intimate scenes without disrupting the overall cohesion.

Equally rewarding is the way the collection provides a home for what might be called side quest stories. These are not trivial diversions, but narratives that explore the margins of the crusade. They highlight actions taking place beyond the immediate spotlight of Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First. By doing so, they broaden the scope of the conflict and reinforce the sense that the Sabbat Worlds Crusade is a vast, many layered undertaking. The cumulative effect is a richer tapestry. Individual missions, personal reckonings, and isolated acts of heroism all contribute to the larger historical sweep.

As always with Gaunt’s Ghosts, the emotional core lies in the characters. Even within shorter formats, Abnett maintains his trademark focus on human reactions to extraordinary pressure. Soldiers carry exhaustion and grief alongside duty. Leaders wrestle with compromise and responsibility. Moments of camaraderie and dark humour punctuate the grim realities of attrition warfare. The anthology structure sharpens these glimpses, allowing single episodes to crystallise the emotional stakes in ways that complement the broader narrative.

The audiobook production enhances this experience significantly. Toby Longworth delivers his customary authority and depth, capturing the grit and weary resilience of the Ghosts with impressive consistency. His voice has become closely associated with the series, and he handles both large scale combat and quiet introspection with equal skill. The clarity of his character distinctions ensures that even in a multi perspective collection, listeners never lose their footing.

Emma Gregory adds further dimension to the performance. Her narration brings nuance and emotional intelligence to the stories she helms, particularly in scenes that hinge on personal reflection or moral tension. The contrast between her delivery and Longworth’s strengthens the anthology’s varied texture, giving each story its own tonal identity while maintaining continuity within the shared universe.

Overall, Sabbat War stands as both a celebration and a consolidation of the Gaunt’s Ghosts saga. By tying off lingering strands and giving space to smaller narratives, it enriches the series as a whole. With strong storytelling and excellent narration, it is an absorbing and rewarding listen for long time readers and newcomers alike.

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Review: Anarch

Anarch by Dan Abnett is a powerful and emotionally charged entry in the long running Gaunt’s Ghosts series. Set against the brutal backdrop of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, it delivers everything readers have come to expect from the saga: ferocious combat, intricate military strategy, and, most importantly, a deep investment in the men and women of the Tanith First and Only.

At this stage in the series, Abnett has long since proven his ability to balance large scale warfare with intimate character work. In Anarch, that balance feels particularly refined. The campaign against the arch enemy known as Urlock Gaur reaches a fever pitch, and the tension is sustained across multiple fronts. Battles are vividly rendered, chaotic yet coherent, and the sense of attrition is palpable. Victories feel costly, and losses carry real weight.

What continues to distinguish Gaunt’s Ghosts from many other entries in the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe is the realism of its characters. These are not unbreakable super soldiers but tired, scarred infantry who have endured years of relentless conflict. In Anarch, their reactions to stress feel profoundly human. There is fear, frustration, dark humour, and sometimes emotional withdrawal. Leadership decisions are second guessed. Grief lingers. Bonds of loyalty are tested under impossible pressure. Abnett gives space to these responses, allowing quiet conversations and private doubts to sit alongside the thunder of artillery. It is this grounding in recognisable human behaviour that gives the novel its emotional force.

I have enjoyed every Gaunt’s Ghosts novel in the series, and Anarch reinforces why that is the case. Yet there is also a sense of approaching finality. Threads that have run for many volumes begin to tighten. Long standing rivalries and destinies edge closer to resolution. While it is bittersweet, I find myself pleased that the series appears to be drawing near to its conclusion. Abnett has sustained this epic for decades with remarkable consistency, and there is something fitting about seeing it build toward what promises to be a meaningful end rather than continuing indefinitely.

The audiobook is elevated further by the narration of Toby Longworth. Longworth has become synonymous with Black Library audio productions, and his performance here is exemplary. He captures the stoic authority of Ibram Gaunt while also differentiating the wide cast of Ghosts with clarity and subtlety. His pacing during battle scenes conveys urgency without descending into confusion, and in quieter moments he allows emotion to surface naturally. The strain in a voice, the hesitation before an order, the subdued tone of a soldier facing overwhelming odds all feel authentic. His narration enhances the sense of realism that Abnett builds on the page.

Overall, Anarch stands as one of the most compelling entries in Gaunt’s Ghosts. It is intense, character driven, and emotionally resonant. For long time readers, it offers both satisfaction and the promise of closure. For listeners, Longworth’s superb performance makes it an experience that is as immersive as it is moving.

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Review: Necropolis

On the shattered world of Verghast, Gaunt and his Ghosts find themselves embroiled within an ancient and deadly civil war as a mighty hive-city is besieged by an unrelenting foe.

Listen to it because: The return of a classic Gaunt's Ghosts novel! The Tanith First deploy to Verghast to help break the Chaos siege of Vervunhive. Tanks clash with daemon engines, Imperial Guardsmen make brave last stands and Colonel-Commissar Gaunt steps up and takes control of the war effort, showing for the first time the command abilities that will go on to make him a legend.

The story: On the world of Verghast, a grinding war between two hive cities - one loyal to the Imperium, the other fallen to the worship of the Dark Gods - is bolstered by the forces of the Astra Militarum, spearheaded by the Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only. But bitter rivalries and treachery threaten to derail the defence of Vervunhive, and it falls to Gaunt to take command of the Imperial forces and forge victory from an almost certain defeat.

Much as I appreciate Abnett's world building skills, and boy does he have them in spades, I feel its a little over-the-top to have almost three hours of scene setting and character building in a ten hour audiobook. Were you paid by the word for this one Dan? It wouldn't be so bad if the characters that were being built up were members of the ongoing series, most of them are just in this one novel to be foils for Gaunt and the Ghosts to combat. That being said once the Ghosts do arrive the action is non-stop with some nice political intrigue to add that spice we all love.

All in all I enjoyed this read of Necropolis as much this time via audiobook as I did reading the original novel almost a quarter century ago. If you're interested in the lore of the Warhammer 40,000 universe and want something more than genetically engineered super-soldiers you won't go far wrong with the Gaunt's Ghosts series and this despite the prologue indulgence is pretty damn good.

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Review: Descent of Angels

Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well here we are volume six of the Horus Heresy and the introduction of the Dark Angels Legio Astartes (or Space Marines to the rest of us). Descent of Angels deals with the childhood of Lion El'Johnson the genetically engineered Primarch of the Dark Angels Legion from his finding, lost, on the medival style planet of Caliban to the first signs of cracks in the Legion's loyalty.

What can I say that others haven't already said about this (at time of writing) thirteen year old novel. Well firstly I think I'm going to be forced to echo the complaint laid by so many at its door. This novel is poor... really poor... Where we should have a swashbuckling, rip-roaring, sci-fi adventure featuring warrior monks fighting eldritch horrors from the darkest recesses of the human mind we get... exposition followed by some more exposition only interrupted by a little exposition and dialogue an eight year old would call "a bit forced". Even Gareth Armstrong's narration feels sleepy and uninterested. I'm really not sure how you can take a story from Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe and make it so dammed boring, in fact this is the first time I've almost nodded off while listening to a story since I was a toddler. Luckily for you, dear reader, this adds nothing to the story so far, and if I recall my 40k lore, nothing to the continuing tale.

Do yourself a favour and just *skip this novel

*Skip in this case means miss out but the option to throw in a skip is still there...

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