Gaunt's Ghosts — The Tanith First and Only

Who Are Gaunt’s Ghosts?

Gaunt’s Ghosts are the Tanith First and Only — a regiment of the Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) in Warhammer 40,000 and the subjects of Dan Abnett’s legendary long-running novel series. Across fifteen books spanning two decades of real-world publication, the Ghosts have become one of the best-loved units in all of Warhammer fiction, and the series is regularly named among the finest Black Library has produced.

The Ghosts are unique among Imperial Guard regiments for several reasons. They are the last survivors of their homeworld, Tanith, which was destroyed by Chaos forces on the night of the regiment’s Founding. They are masters of stealth and infiltration — woodsmen and scouts who fight with camo-cloaks and “straight silver” warknives rather than the massed firepower favoured by most Guard regiments. And they serve under one of the most unusual commanding officers in the Imperium: Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, a man who holds both command rank and the authority of a political officer.

The series is remarkable for its willingness to develop individual soldiers as real characters with personalities, relationships, fears, and flaws — and for its willingness to kill them. No one in Gaunt’s Ghosts is safe, and the series’ most powerful moments come from the loss of characters that readers have known and loved for multiple books.

Ibram Gaunt — The Colonel-Commissar

Ibram Gaunt is the heart of the series — a man who holds the unusual dual rank of Colonel-Commissar. As a Colonel, he commands the Tanith First and Only. As a Commissar, he has the authority to summarily execute any soldier for cowardice or disloyalty. This combination creates a fascinating tension: Gaunt must balance his duty to push his men forward and maintain discipline with his genuine care for the soldiers under his command.

Gaunt is not a typical Commissar. In most 40k lore, Commissars are feared political officers who enforce loyalty through terror — they shoot retreating soldiers and are hated by the troops they oversee. Gaunt is different. He leads from the front, fights alongside his men, and has earned their respect and loyalty through competence and courage rather than fear. This does not mean he is soft — he will execute a soldier if necessary — but he treats his Ghosts as comrades rather than expendable resources.

The Colonel-Commissar’s backstory is gradually revealed across the series, particularly in Ghostmaker and later flashbacks. He is haunted by the destruction of Tanith: he gave the order to withdraw the newly founded regiment rather than stay and fight a battle it could not win, saving the soldiers but leaving the world to die. Some of his men never forgive him for it, and his determination to make the regiment’s survival mean something drives much of his character.

The Tanith First and Only

The Tanith were a forest world — a planet of vast, ancient woodlands where the human population lived as skilled woodsmen, hunters, and trackers. When the Sabbat Worlds Crusade required new Imperial Guard regiments, Tanith was chosen for a founding, with Gaunt assigned to command it.

On the night of the Founding, Chaos forces attacked and destroyed Tanith utterly. Gaunt made the agonising decision to evacuate the troops who had already embarked rather than fight a hopeless battle. Only a few thousand soldiers escaped; the rest of the planet’s people, and the world itself, were lost.

The survivors became the Tanith First and Only — “the Only” because they were the sole regiment from a world that no longer existed. They were Ghosts in a very real sense: men without a home, fighting for a planet that was already dead. This gives the regiment a unique identity among Guard units — a melancholy, tightly bonded group of soldiers who know they are the last of their kind.

The Tanith’s military speciality is stealth and reconnaissance. Their camo-cloaks let them blend into almost any terrain, and their woodcraft makes them natural scouts. They are masters of infiltration, scouting, and guerrilla warfare, able to operate behind enemy lines and strike from unexpected directions. In a military culture that typically values massed firepower and overwhelming force, the Ghosts are surgical precision instruments.

Later in the series, the regiment absorbs soldiers from other worlds — notably Verghast and Belladon — creating tensions between the original Tanith soldiers and the newcomers. This integration becomes a major theme of the middle and later books, as the regiment’s identity evolves from purely Tanith to something broader and more complex.

The Sabbat Worlds Crusade

The Sabbat Worlds Crusade is the military campaign that forms the backdrop for the entire Gaunt’s Ghosts series. It is a massive Imperial Crusade — a sector-wide offensive involving hundreds of Guard regiments, Space Marine Chapters, and Navy fleets — aimed at liberating the Sabbat Worlds cluster from Chaos domination.

The Crusade is led by Warmaster Macaroth (successor to the original Warmaster Slaydo, who died early in the campaign) and involves some of the most complex combined-arms warfare depicted in 40k fiction. Abnett uses the Crusade as a setting to explore every aspect of Imperial military operations: front-line combat, rear-echelon politics, intelligence operations, logistics, and the human cost of fighting a war that spans decades and consumes millions of lives.

The Ghosts move from world to world as the Crusade advances, and each novel typically takes place on a different planet with a different type of campaign. This structure allows Abnett to vary the tone and setting dramatically — from urban warfare to jungle fighting to siege defence to covert operations — while maintaining continuity of characters and ongoing plot threads.

Key Characters

One of the great strengths of the Gaunt’s Ghosts series is its deep roster of supporting characters. These are not cardboard cutouts — they are fully developed individuals with distinct personalities, relationships, and character arcs that span multiple books.

Major Rawne

Elim Rawne is the regiment’s third-ranking officer (behind Gaunt and Corbec) for much of the early series and, for much of the series, Gaunt’s most dangerous internal enemy. Rawne blames Gaunt for the destruction of Tanith — he believes Gaunt should have stayed and fought — and he harbours a simmering hatred for his commanding officer that threatens to boil over into murder. Despite this, Rawne is an exceptional soldier: cunning, ruthless, and utterly fearless. His gradual, grudging acceptance of Gaunt’s leadership is one of the series’ most rewarding character arcs.

Sergeant Mkoll

Oan Mkoll is the regiment’s chief scout and arguably the most skilled individual soldier in the Tanith First. A former woodsman and tracker on Tanith, Mkoll’s stealth abilities are legendary — he can move through any terrain without being seen or heard, and his scouting has saved the regiment more times than anyone can count. Quiet, modest, and utterly lethal, Mkoll is a fan favourite.

Colonel Corbec

Colm Corbec is the regiment’s senior Colonel and the spiritual heart of the Tanith. A big, gregarious man with a booming laugh and an infectious optimism, Corbec is beloved by the troops and serves as a stabilising influence on the sometimes fractious regiment. His relationship with Gaunt is one of mutual respect and genuine friendship.

Try Again Bragg

“Try Again” Bragg is the regiment’s largest soldier, a massive man who carries heavy weapons that would normally require a tripod. His nickname comes from his terrible aim — despite being assigned heavy weapons, he cannot hit a target to save his life. He compensates by simply firing more, and his cheerful, gentle personality makes him one of the regiment’s most loveable members.

Mad Larkin

Hlaine Larkin (known as “Mad Larks”) is the regiment’s finest sniper — a neurotic, twitchy, half-mad marksman who can put a round through a keyhole at a thousand metres but is barely able to function in normal social situations. Larkin’s mental fragility and extraordinary skill make him one of the series’ most compelling characters.

Tona Criid

Tona Criid is one of the Verghastite soldiers who joins the regiment after the Siege of Vervunhive. A tough, determined woman from the underhive, Criid rises through the ranks on pure merit and becomes one of the regiment’s most reliable squad leaders. Her relationship with fellow soldier Caffran and her adoption of two war orphans adds emotional depth to the later books.

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Book Reading Order

The Gaunt’s Ghosts series is divided into several story arcs. Here is the complete reading order:

The Founding

First and Only (1999) — The Ghosts’ early campaigns and a conspiracy reaching into the Crusade’s high command
Ghostmaker (2000) — Linked short stories exploring individual Ghosts, framed by a current mission
Necropolis (2000) — The Siege of Vervunhive, widely considered one of the best 40k novels ever written

The Saint

Honour Guard (2001) — The Ghosts escort a holy relic through enemy territory
The Guns of Tanith (2002) — An airborne assault and urban warfare
Straight Silver (2002) — Trench warfare inspired by World War I
Sabbat Martyr (2003) — The reincarnation of Saint Sabbat and a desperate defence

The Lost

Traitor General (2004) — A covert mission behind enemy lines
His Last Command (2005) — Gaunt returns from Gereon and fights to reclaim his regiment
The Armour of Contempt (2006) — The Ghosts face suspicion of Chaos taint after Gereon
Only in Death (2007) — A haunted fortress and one of the series’ darkest installments

The Victory

Blood Pact (2009) — An intelligence thriller on a rear-echelon world
Salvation’s Reach (2011) — A commando raid on a Chaos space station
The Warmaster (2017) — A return to large-scale warfare
Anarch (2019) — The most recent novel, and a climactic confrontation

Start with First and Only and read in order. If you want to sample the series, Necropolis works as a standalone but is best appreciated after the first two books. For more recommendations, see our best Warhammer books guide.

Why Gaunt’s Ghosts Is the Best 40k Series

Bold claim? Perhaps. But Gaunt’s Ghosts is a fixture at or near the top of fan recommendations for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and for good reason.

First, Dan Abnett is simply one of the finest writers to work in the Black Library. His prose is clean, evocative, and professional — a notch above much of the franchise’s output. He understands how to write military fiction that is exciting without being gratuitous, emotional without being sentimental, and dark without being nihilistic.

Second, the series treats its characters as real people. In a setting where individual humans are often depicted as insignificant, the Ghosts are vividly alive. You care about them, you fear for them, and when they die — and they do die, frequently and permanently — it hurts. Abnett earns his emotional moments by investing in his characters over multiple books.

Third, the series covers an enormous range of military scenarios. Siege warfare, jungle fighting, trench warfare, covert operations, airborne assaults, intelligence gathering, convoy defence — Abnett draws on the full spectrum of military fiction traditions and applies them to the 40k setting with skill and creativity.

Finally, the series gets the feel of 40k right. The Imperium is shown as a vast, brutal, uncaring machine that grinds up ordinary people — but within that machine, individual courage and decency still matter. The Ghosts are not heroes in a traditional sense; they are soldiers doing their best in an impossible situation, and that fundamental humanity is what makes the series resonate.

If you are interested in the Astra Militarum as a faction, Gaunt’s Ghosts is essential reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I read Gaunt’s Ghosts?

Read them in publication order, starting with First and Only. The series is designed to be read sequentially, with character development and plot threads building across multiple books. Omnibus editions collecting three or four books are available and offer good value.

Is Gaunt’s Ghosts good for beginners?

Excellent for beginners. You do not need any prior knowledge of Warhammer 40k to enjoy the series. Abnett explains the setting organically through the narrative, and the focus on human soldiers rather than Space Marines makes it accessible to readers who are not familiar with the wider lore.

Do characters die in Gaunt’s Ghosts?

Yes. Major characters die throughout the series, and Abnett does not pull punches. This is one of the series’ greatest strengths — it creates genuine tension because no one is safe — but it can be emotionally difficult. If you become attached to a character, be prepared for the possibility that they will not survive.

Is Necropolis the best book?

Necropolis is frequently cited as the best individual book in the series and one of the best 40k novels ever written. Its depiction of the Siege of Vervunhive is extraordinary — a sprawling, character-rich siege narrative that captures the horror and heroism of urban warfare. However, Traitor General and Sabbat Martyr are also strong contenders for the best in the series.

Will there be more Gaunt’s Ghosts books?

Dan Abnett has said the series is not finished and that more books are planned. However, publication schedules for Black Library novels can be unpredictable, and Abnett works on multiple projects simultaneously. Check Black Library’s website for the latest announcements.

When does Tona Criid first appear in Gaunt’s Ghosts?

Tona Criid first appears in Necropolis, the third book, during the Siege of Vervunhive. She is a Verghastite underhive ganger who fights through the siege and joins the Tanith First when the regiment absorbs Verghastite survivors. Her relationship with Caffran and her adoption of two war orphans, Yoncy and Dalin, begin in that book.

How many Gaunt’s Ghosts books are there?

There are 15 books in the main Gaunt’s Ghosts series, from First and Only (1999) to Anarch (2019), split across four arcs: The Founding, The Saint, The Lost and The Victory. Ghostmaker is a linked short-story collection rather than a straight novel. There are also several short stories and novellas set in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.

What is straight silver in Gaunt’s Ghosts?

Straight silver is the Tanith name for their long, straight-bladed warknives, which double as bayonets. The order to fix straight silver means fix bayonets, and the blades became a symbol of the regiment and its stealthy, close-quarters fighting style. The phrase also gives its name to the sixth book, Straight Silver.

What are Tanith Guardsmen known for?

Tanith Guardsmen are known for stealth, scouting and infiltration rather than massed firepower. Raised on a forest world of woodsmen and trackers, they wear camouflage cloaks, carry straight silver warknives and excel at moving unseen behind enemy lines. After Tanith was destroyed, the survivors became the Tanith First and Only, the last regiment of a dead world.

Gaunt’s Ghosts — The Tanith First and Only