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  • First and Only

  • Gaunt's Ghost, Book 1
  • Written by: Dan Abnett
  • Narrated by: Toby Longworth
  • Length: 10 hrs
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (366 ratings)

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First and Only cover art

First and Only

Written by: Dan Abnett
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
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Publisher's Summary

A Warhammer 40,000 audiobook.   

In the Chaos-infested Sabbat Worlds, Imperial Commissar Gaunt must lead his men through as much in-fighting amongst rival regiments as against the forces of Chaos.   

Listen to it because: First and Only was one of the first books published by Black Library and is the most read Warhammer 40,000 novel ever, an absolute classic. This story begins the saga of Colonel Commissar Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only that has since grown into a multi-novel epic. It all starts here.  

The story: For a thousand years, the Sabbat Worlds have been lost to the Imperium, claimed by the dread powers of Chaos. Now, a mighty crusade seeks to return the sector to Imperial rule. And at the forefront of that crusade are Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the Tanith First and Only - better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts. Trapped in the grinding trench warfare of Fortis Binary, the Ghosts find themselves drawn into a conspiracy to assassinate the crusade’s leader, Warmaster Macaroth. 

With enemies all around them and no one to trust, Gaunt and his men must find a way to save the warmaster and prevent the Sabbat Worlds Crusade from falling into anarchy - even if it means waging war on their supposed allies.

©2019 Games Workshop Limited (P)2019 Games Workshop Limited

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What listeners say about First and Only

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The story of a regiment from many points of view

The book is set on the front lines of a fight against Chaos forces in a couple different arenas. It's told across multiple perspectives of various soldiers and officers from the same regiment.

The multiple points of view took getting used to. Overall it was a little hard to get into. Besides multiple points of view there are also a few time jumps back to things that happened in the past, and it isn't always smooth to follow.

Despite all that it's another fun Warhammer 40K book. The writer does action well. The main characters are quickly established as underdogs and are easy to root for.
Ibram Gaunt is a much different type of hero than Ciaphas Cain. He is more of a straight up hero than an anti-hero type. To me that was less interesting, although still enjoyable in a different way.

3 people found this helpful

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Love it!

I’m coming off the Eisenhorn series and this is a great follow up in the 40k universe.
Fast paced while still building conspiracy and political intrigue.

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Buy it

Written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Toby Longworth.
(if you're new here that means it's a banger and you should buy it)

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Lupercal!!! - Slaanesh

Thought I was C.C. Gaunt, I can't wait to Finish the Series and contiue the Imperium's Story.

13/01

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New Reader

A very strong start to the series. Gaunt is an interesting protagonist. Though the cast is huge, many introduced don't last very long. Abnett had a very detailed and exciting narrative flow. The performance was incredible by Toby Longworth.

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Many scenes to repeat, but remain as good

I quite overall agree with Marcus' assessments in regards to the many POVs of characters. It is seldom difficult in certain parts of the scene and is required to read two or three times to fully understand the events.

What makes this story so well revered by fans alike is how Abnett have fully fleshed out these characters, made them almost believable to root for them. Another thing besides that of Guant and his regiment is other regiments and their way of war that contrast from one another.

If I have to choose a favorite moment in the novel, it would be the two characters, Milo and Commissar Blenner. Milo as a young able aide to Guant from every situation, and Commissar Blenner's 'diplomatic' skill in the world of Pyrites.

First and Only is a simple, very 'in your face' read with moderate actions to sate your thirst for conflict. It is quite difficult to follow the story as there are many characters in the book and is required to repeat several times before understanding the rest of it. Additionally, it is also quite addictive to listen to as Toby Longworth had done an excellent performance into voicing each characters.

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Terrific 40k story

At times I found the imagery difficult to picture but overall this story creates a beautiful universe.

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lbram Gaunt...

l love the ghosts the kick ass. Awesome book great stories 40k universe rocks...Thanks to Dan Abnett

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Brilliant

One of the best 40k novels. Really captures the vibe and tone of the genre. Phenomenal narration, too

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Very Enjoyable

Narration was the highlight for me. The 1st section of the book was very good, it sort of lost its luster after they left Fortis Binary but I was always excited to pick it up again. Would recommend.

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  • Richard James
  • 2019-11-11

About Fething Time!

As an avid fan of 40k fiction and tabletop, Gaunt's Ghosts has always be a favorite. The opening book of the series is an excellent story filled with intrigue, action and most importantly, character development. If you are looking for the first book in a masterpiece of a series(And the first ever Black Library book ever), you should take a listen. Toby does a fantastic job portraying what Abnett has written on the pages. What are you waiting for you Feth stains!?! Get this book!

19 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2019-11-07

Shut up and take my money!

But seriously, Abnett's writing is on point as always. A lot of credit needs to go to Toby Longworth, the narrator. He has an amazing range as a voice actor, able to bring dozens of characters to life simultaneously. I highly recommend this and his rendition of Abnett's other work Brothers of the Snake.

9 people found this helpful

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  • Will
  • 2019-11-05

Great Listen

Disclaimer: I love the Gaunt’s Ghosts books. I have bought them all at least 3 separate times at this point. Hardcover, paperback, and ebook for all and I’m looking forward to getting more.
I won’t bore you with a review of the story as there are countless others out there. This is a faithful and exacting recreation in audio form. The performance is also great. The only bad part is that of the 4 GG audiobooks available as of this review, there are 3 different narrators. This can make it slightly confusing book to book as they pronounce names differently and give some main characters different voices. It’s still a great listen and I really hope they decide to do the others books as well.

7 people found this helpful

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  • Sam Breitenbauch
  • 2019-11-21

Glad that I chose this one to try.

Perfection of both story and narration in one great literary work of dark military science fiction fantasy

6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Agent Filthy
  • 2019-11-07

Loved It

I read this series years ago and have been waiting for an audiobook for quite some time. I'll be impatiently waiting for the next one in the series.

6 people found this helpful

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  • Berserk
  • 2019-11-14

I've been begging for this for years

This is the first book in a truly epic series. This transcends the 40k universe and makes 40k amazing.

3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Drew
  • 2019-11-11

great book

loved the book and the performance although I prefer the narrator of salvation's reach. hope they make the rest of the series.

3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Wanderer
  • 2020-01-31

I'm a fan.

I got this on a whim and it is now one of my favorite Warhammer 40k Novels. Definately getting the next book.

2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Joshua
  • 2019-11-20

Thank the Emperor

So glad this is finally on here!!! Lets get the rest of the series and you can have my money!

2 people found this helpful

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  • Takar
  • 2023-02-07

Couldn’t even finish it.

I don’t understand how anyone can like this book. The author labels paragraphs chapters, no character has any depth, and there is no reason to care about any of them. It skips back and forth between sprinting through Guant’s backstory and the sprinting through the present day.

We meet Gaunt’s mentor for three paragraphs, then in the next flashback he is dead and its explained in two sentences. In the present it starts a battle then skips to several hours in. The book largely introduces characters that don’t have models for the game just so they can be killed off next “chapter.”

To top it all of the voice acting is cliche. Really, the regiment called “Tanith” are Scottish, and their leader is Victorian styled British? Yikes.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Client d'Amazon
  • 2023-03-16

Flawless

Absolutely brilliant ! The atmosphere, the voices (Toby is always perfect), the story, everything. It’s amazing

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2022-06-03

Best warhammer book I've read

Amazing book. It could easily have been written as a generic sci fi or war novel and it would still hold up, but I'm happy it is warhammer related. The lore related info is so deep and well researched. Dan Abnett is a beast, but also Toby Longworth is one of my favourite voice actors on audible. He seems to have unlimited voices. 100% worth reading.

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  • harel
  • 2021-02-20

great great and great again

love the author, live the narrator, what else is there to say? definitely recommend it