Gaunt's Ghosts 3: NECROPOLIS by DAN ABNETT | Warhammer 40k Book Club

It's time for EPISODE 3 of the Gaunt's Ghosts series and the book everyone except Mira agrees is the best one of this trilogy - NECROPOLIS!
NOTE: Podcast version should be up soon! I'm currently going through and uploading all the old episodes so they're in the right order!
Mira's interview with Dan Abnett: • Let's Talk...Gaunt's G...
Intro Art by @KCP FARGO
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Copyright: Unless noted in the video, all images © Games Workshop 1987-2022. Title music is 'Black Rainbows' by Karl Casey @White Bat Audio
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[@irishwarlock]

Ian just saying "Sure As Sure" at the end 😂😂 Jesus Christ 😂

[@UnevenFrostgun]

He goes on the bastard scale for that.

[@irishwarlock]

@@UnevenFrostgun what three words traumatize a Gaunts Ghosts fan

[@dekai7992]

😰

[@RaptorShadow]

I know, right! I yelled out loud at that.

[@briochepanda]

Try again.

[@alexsmith7313]

“This comes from, ah, Dan Abnett telling you to read his books.” Is such a surreal sentence to hear Roller-Skater-Guy say to Ray-Of-Anime-Sunshine lol

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Ian: ‘The Bluebloods are c***s.’ Mira: ‘Trade war my bottom.’ 😂

[@ilyana1126]

That was brilliant!

[@miramanga]

🤣

[@frenchy1138]

Something I really noticed about the Ghosts books when these videos inspired me to do a re-read is that, especially in the early books, Chaos feels more like a natural disaster than the primary antagonist. The actual villains are more likely to be politics, senior command and infighting, with the Chaos army being a complicating factor. This shifts a bit in some of the later books, but it's very noticeable in the early ones. The other thing I noticed is that the horrific descriptions of violence are usually reserved for the good guys. Bad guys getting killed will mostly be passed over in a couple of words, while the awful, paragraph-long, lavishly described pain and dismemberment is saved for people we've gotten to know and care about. Because war is hell, and Dan Abnett is a bastard ;)

[@AbenZin1]

I can't believe you talked about the Sharpe paralells without mentioning the most explicit shoutout! "Over the skies and far away..."

[@knightsofn1]

Mira: "I think he's going to survive" Ian: * Muttley laugh *

[@HereticalKitsune]

Mira is Dan's rememberancer, I love that! Sorry to say, my favorite Gaunt's Ghosts book is waaaaaay in the future in the series, it's Blood Pact.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Mine too I think though Anarch is close 🤔

[@HereticalKitsune]

@@HistoritorJimaldus Anarch is also very good, agreed! Very intense, but on a grander scale. Blood Pact is more intimate with the setting overall.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

38:51 he drives the pyramid closer to use the big laser of course!

[@DaSkwire]

👻 if I remember correctly, this book came out when the first Cityfight Codex came out and they complemented each other perfectly.

[@ayyys-u3362]

we are getting dangerously close to Mira finding out about THE MOMENT. 💙

[@ArbitorIan]

Sure as

[@euansmith3699]

"Likes Meccano and killing people." 😄😄😄😄 Mira and Ian are such great guides to these books. 💙

[@3isnotaletter]

Really enjoyed this mini-series of the book club, it's going to be interesting to see Mira's reaction to Lijah Cuu if they continue through the series

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

They’re reading Honour Guard now :)

[@Bensterr23]

Sure as sure

[@Anarcho_slimer]

Fethin Cuu...

[@nick3777]

Sure as sure ya big dumbo!

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Nadzybar was the first Archon, killed at Balhaut by Warmaster Slaydo - the current Archon is Urlock Gaur, but The Anarch (Anakwanar Sek) is a rival to him though technically pledged to him. And then there are a bunch of lesser leaders such as Heritor Asphodel and Pater Sin etc

[@jacobturnerart]

Anakwanar Sek. Did Abnett just want to name this guy Anarchy Wanker?

[@WanderlustZero]

It's up there with Oll Persson the Old Person

[@antduude]

Great series, Necropolis is one of the best GG books, it really kicked off the larger arc of the Sabbat Crusade. I’m in the middle of a re-read of the entire series now that The Victory arc is complete and loving it all over again. Enjoy, guys! 👻

[@dekai7992]

👻 Necropolis is certainly my favourite Ghosts. It expertly weaves through the micro and the makro, has the best villains, all the political intrigue, Ibram romance, Ibram putting his foot down, daemon engines, gorgeous old and new characters major and minor, epic tank battles, bloody melee, and so much world-building. It's certainly the most colourful and efficient of all the Ghosts novels. I love it so much.

[@anlizheng6134]

Merity Chass is totally a Bond-girl name.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Oh god I always pronounced Kolea ‘kuh-lia’ and just realised it’s a miner reference and should be ‘collier’ 😂

[@ArbitorIan]

OH YEAH!

[@miramanga]

🤣@@ArbitorIan

[@asphyxianone]

You have such great chemistry, it's always delightful to listen to you talk about these books. The reading list grows...

[@InquisiteurArax]

Sure as sure, bad things are on the way Always lovely to see your energy and enthusiasm!

[@Anarcho_slimer]

17:49 - One of the things it may help mira to know is that gw themselves represent chaos in the worst way. Its like 5 flavours of space marines and some daemons. Dan abnetts chaos forces in just the ghost books have more variety than the entire gw chaos range. So expect lots of weird chaos guys that dont show up anywhere else.

[@dekai7992]

You're right. But they've got better, with the Cultist and Tormented releases and the Inquisition Kill Team material. Also, they were rather subtle in the late 90s with stuff like Inquisitor (which basically kickstarted Eisenhorn and the Abnetverse).

[@robleesejones]

Ian: "Sure as sure" Everyone watching: "Ooooooooooof"

[@Fliss317]

...your pronunciation of Kolea as Collier makes me realise that it's a mining pun. I've always said it as KOL-ee-A! Also, you used to be able to get a model of General Grizmund from Forgeworld!

[@javierev4994]

I've just finished book 9 (I think) and this one is still one of my favorites, it feels like the point where the series matured and became what it is today. We also got so many new characters, such a great novel.

[@ragnarokivae6136]

For me by far the best gaunts ghost book and also on of the best 40k books. So epic

[@paulmiles9033]

Keep going Mara it gets better and better. Just wait until the Ghosts get to Gereon

[@123darth]

Was my first Warhammer book ever. You both forgot, that Dordens son dies

[@DrSpoon1991]

Poor Dorden.

[@SachikaRomanova]

👻👻👻 It's the battle of Stalingrad in 40k terms. It's a great war novel because it's shockingly brutal, in the same way that good media about Stalingrad is, with the horror juxtaposed with people just trying to get by.

[@kiltedcossack]

These reviews are so good. I mean, the whole channel is great! But when you team up with Mira there's just something extra special. (And these go so well with Mira's interviews with the authors on her own channel.) There are so many, many WH40K channels, but this is one of the very few that I watch without fail. Well done, Arbitor!

[@sleepingbee8997]

Necropolis is my favorite of the Founding arc, but my overall favorite is either Guns of Tanith or Sabbat Martyr. Next favorites are Blood Pact or Salvation's Reach.

[@BlueWasAlreadyTaken]

If I remember right this is where Caffran starts his journey as being 'the best tread-fether in the regiment' when him and Criid are trying to survive

[@Anarcho_slimer]

It is. It really emphasizes from this point that caff knows his way around a missile launcher.

[@IM-xs3uv]

👻 If it wasn't for Necropolis I wouldn't have stuck with the amazing Gaunt's Ghosts series. Thank you to those who suggested reading it. And thanks to Dan for writing it and its fellows.

[@irishwarlock]

Finally, this is my favorite of the original three 👻. I've been really looking forward to this one

[@jaketionary2543]

I swear, if Mira is not narrating the trailers for the Warhammer show, I will summon the Commisariat

[@Retrosicotte]

👻 Necropolis is one of the best in the whole series.

[@TheWookiedan]

It's my favourite 40k book

[@blackheart6697]

Until Traitor General.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

45:59 daemonculaba face 😮😂

[@RedemptiveChief]

Oh no oh no oh no.

[@happyharibo1330]

big yay for Jessi Banda!!!!!

[@edbeckerich3737]

Huge Dan Abnett fan, super pumped about "Only in Death" coming out in audio Oct 7, my fav Gaunts Ghost is "First and Only"!! I listened to it once, loved it so much, I listed again, and have books 1-10 in my Audible Library. Love Gaunts Ghosts

[@SSVNORMANDYSR3]

👻 Cant wait to watch your progress through the series. Love you guys!

[@Dagenham_Swish]

👻 Necropolis is just so immensely, staggeringly good. One of the best in the series and, as always, performed phenomenally by Toby Longworth.

[@nassirahmad4873]

This is also my favorite Ghosts book. It was epic and foundational for the rest of the series. This is when the Ghosts started to feel like part of the family. Loved it! ❤

[@metalloverben]

👻 Necropolis was actually my very first Warhammer book ever. I found it in my high school library, for some weird reason. I don't think the librarians had read it... It's still one of my favorites, too, and I even have the old Forge World General Grizmund tank commander model because of it. Also, great video! Love it

[@benwaardenburg]

43:21 - That's a subtle nod to a character I would like to beat over the head with a steel chair.

[@AbenZin1]

You guys really need to read some Joe Abercrombie. It's not Warhammer related, but I get the feeling you'll love it!

[@refoliation]

I’m up in the troop transport that brought the guard, orbiting the planet, waiting for them to call for a pickup, wondering what’s going on down there? Oh well I’ll just keep polishing the guns up here and waiting for the call.

[@GeekyMcNerdlinger]

👻 Necropolis is my all time favourite Warhammer 40k novel, bar none. I love the way Abnett ramps up the tension throughout - a trick he pulls off very effectively in 'Know No Fear' (no spoilers for when you get to that one in your Heresy read through 😏)

[@negawan]

always great to hear about Gaunt's ghosts

[@FallenEncore]

Straight silver is my favourite but neropolis has a place in my heart as it was the first 40k book I read

[@GekkeGeitjes]

Just finished Anarch last night. Couldn't remember a thing about this one, the action movie summary helped a lot :D After listening for a while :👻

[@aztecjaguar6571]

I read Necropolis about 15 years ago and can only remember Ana Curth, Tona Criid… and the weird meat puppets.

[@benedge2202]

Just got the latest omnibus but it was Necropolis that truely hooked me, I could not put this book down when I first read it and practicaly moved into a local cafe for an hour every morning before work to get through it.

[@John_Curtin]

First of all 👻 Second of all, I'm learning that I pronounce every name different to you guys in this series, maybe because I'm Australian? Either way, great review! I cannot wait to hear about your thoughts on Sabbat Martyr and Traitor General

[@davidpacker7602]

I learnt the names from the audiobooks and about 2/3rds maybe 75% were the same as Ian's pronunciations. definitely some different ones though.

[@Kael660]

Same here, I was reading Gilbert as Jillbert in a posh French way for some reason haha.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

@@Kael660 isn’t it spelt Gilbear?

[@Kael660]

@@HistoritorJimaldus honestly I can’t recall. It’s been a minute haha

[@runswimkick1528]

Sabbat Martyr and Traitor General are my faves with Necropolis as the 3rd... Please read the "Sabbat" collection

[@scottperkins5038]

First and only was the first 40K book I finished but thus book is what really solidified my love of 40k 👻

[@thatdarnsatan]

👻Necropolis is a thrill! I love the whole series but this is the only one I've read (i.e. asked Toby Longworth to read to me while I work or paint) multiple times. I agree with Ian, the sprawling war movie is super appealing.

[@jordanmatondou3144]

Can't wait to see mira read know no fear from the heresy, to my opinion it's the best abnett war story 👻

[@Florfilm]

Ghostmaker is also my favorite of the first three.

[@bobbler42]

8:00 oh, kolea is a homophone of Collier. That’s an audiobook fail. Commissar coal too.

[@poursperfectpints]

I was joking when I commented about Mira reading about the Daemonculaba. But you're actually reading the Ultramarines books??? Oh no...

[@laurencepenfold]

If you're doing Oldhammer, my favourite was Kim Newman (Jack Yeovil) 's "Drachenfels"

[@williammccosh8545]

👻 100% the book that starts of my love of DA's books

[@Ms.Whiskertoria]

👻 Easily my favourite of the first 3 books. I love how it weaves the combat scenes between more personal and intrigue scenes. The Epilogue is one of my favourite parts and it introduces some of my favourite characters Like Criid, Curth and Nessa. I love how adding the Vervunhivers adds so many more opportunities for new narratives to the ghosts, to me their just not the ghosts without them.

[@user-jq1mg2mz7o]

I really wished I'd "forgotten to return" Necropolis to my school library when I graduated high school 😂! they had so many warhammer books! Sure as sure no one else in school was reading the warhammer books back then based on the loan card- and who knows if the school library has thrown them away by now 😢

[@RedemptiveChief]

Can’t wait till Mira starts reading ADB’s work

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

She already read Spear of the Emperor :)

[@RedemptiveChief]

@@HistoritorJimaldus this is true.

[@swaggboiii9528]

While a bunch of the later ghosts books get kind of whatever imo, the one where the gang goes and infiltrates the jungle chaos world is up there for me. Such a neat change of pace.

[@johnnybigbones4955]

I really like Necropolis, it's obviously a great novel and a real page turner. But I dunno...I think I prefer First and Only, overall? I know it's a bit janky in structure, but I'm not really a huge structure person and I often prefer books with a non standard structure. I just really like the plot and the different sequences in it, it really works for me. Need to get back to reading the Ghost Novels. I have to admit I sort of burn out on them at a certain point even though I like them, because I'm more into the war story aspect than the character drama stuff. So I think I've gotten as far as Traitor General. I might give it another go and see if I can follow the series to the end, because I've enjoyed every book to some extent.

[@Memodown]

Book club is my favourite Warhammer content.

[@Tobascodagama]

Of the three you've done so far, I do think this is my favourite. Although my favourite overall is Traitor General, I think. Anyway: 👻

[@PigeonSmythe]

👻, definitely my favourite of ‘The Founding’ not even close to my favourite in the series thus far. Please keep going with these. (Most of my favourites are in ‘The Lost’ arc.)

[@mikeg8564]

Ian, "Sure as Sure", I bet you think you're sooo clever... you are, it was hilarious.

[@MrLigonater]

💙 Specifically I’d like to hear Mira’s reaction to Dead Sky Black Sun. That was my first Warhammer Book years ago.

[@jacobturnerart]

God that's one grim journey of miserableness.

[@dekai7992]

That being your first is... something. 😬

[@BentJacket]

Love these vids so much. Keep up the good work folks. !

[@davidhickey211]

"Sure as sure"!!!!!! lijah fething cuu

[@Exiled_Rouge]

"In a world were life is already pretty tough..." lmao

[@GermanNightmare1976]

Since Mira's reading the Uriel Ventris novels, should we let her know about the Daemonculaba in No3 "Dead Sky, Black Sun"?

[@dekai7992]

On the one hand, we didn't either. On the other, it might actually keep her from reading it, at all.

[@ripwolfe]

👻Because it's the only one I've read. Coincidentally found it a discount bookstore shortly after seeing Ian's video about it, so it was fresh on my mind. Had to pick it up!

[@mikemarcotte5962]

👻 But, ahh...this is as far as I've gotten. A friend let me get first shot at a pile of books he was going to trade in at the second hand book store. Epic 40k haul! I made sure to grab the Gaunt books, but I'm missing #4. Qué lastima. I've been stalled for weeks because I'm cheap, apparently 🙄

[@XCRunningMan95]

Now, will you do #4 or the interlude short story anthology? Also am excited to see what Mira ranks someone who's 'sure as sure' on the bastard scale!

[@bobbler42]

On the disabled Ghosts thing; I remain unconvinced that fascist space grunts aren’t great representation, but with the massive caveat that the empire that will give you crummy robot fingers so you can keep doing racist shooting is mot providing to each according to their need, there is a lovely moment in the Suicide Kings one where the Inquisition’s version of the AstroTERF’s come of silence spell is defeated because the Ghosts can lip read. Take that, non-inclusive Gestapo Proxies.

[@layzerkat]

When Ian said sure as sure 😢

[@gippeus69]

Everyone noticing Ians "Sure as sure" comment and Im here more invested in "And remember, his two surviving SONS, Dalin and Yoncey"

[@stewartthorpe2533]

I gakking love these book club videos 🙂

[@dekai7992]

Fething great!

[@BeepBoopFriendo]

Am I right in thinking the "famous thing" in the Ventris novel is that one thing that rhymes with screaming-in-lava? If so, poor Mira is going to need a big mug of hot chocolate and a therapist on standby.

[@baitbait65]

"In a world..." gets me everytime.

[@Khilkhameth]

I have never heard anyone pronounce Criid like THAT!

[@johnlander2219]

Yes! KZbin’s power couple; ‘miraian’ is back! Rejoice. 🥰

[@DamienJones77]

"There is a LOT OF WAR!"

[@gnomadD_]

👻 Just finished the GG series after over a year btw. Read Anarch this January. Can't wait till you guys catch up to Kolea and his SONS! 😁😁

[@jacobturnerart]

💙 The Uriel Ventris omnibus was my first 40k book... Quite a read.

[@TheOnlyRealIRONicMAN]

Isn't Dead Sky, Dark Sky or whatever it is called in there?

[@jacobturnerart]

@@TheOnlyRealIRONicMAN yep - but to reach it you have to get through some weird, kinky torture porn dark eldar stuff.

[@SynicalHypocrite]

Isn't UV series the one with that bit...? 👻 - but I do think the the first 2 books are really good. "Sure as sure"

[@AdamBusbin]

My fav is Salvation's Reach

[@celestiallions4050]

Looks like it'll be a while before I give up the ghost...

[@user-jq1mg2mz7o]

the lieutenants of the Archon are called Magisters :D

[@keios]

"Daddy Chass"? Ian, are you a secret wrestling fan?

[@1701Emperor]

Isn't the Uriel Ventris novels the ones with the Daemonlucaba? Because that one is pretty darn grim.

[@HistoritorJimaldus]

Yup, third book

[@jobo12345689]

"please patronize us" lol

[@h.vie.363]

Necropolis is my all-time favourite

[@6dragondaddy913]

Can't wait to see Mira's response to the booty call James Bond incident's outcome

[@RufusEggers]

NECROPOLIS ist the first proper book in the series.👻

[@ddrozdov01]

I really enjoyed 1 book ! May favorite maybe in the gaunt's ghosts ! But the best Warhammer novel is fire cast by Peter Fehervary!

[@lcdrfish8633]

What's the lore on whether or not a hive city has a void shield? After reading Necropolis, it blew my mind not to see any shields on Helsreach or the other cities on Armageddon - a planet that had already been invaded twice - in the Armageddon omnibus with Grimaldus.

[@ArbitorIan]

Depends on the hive city. I would imagine there's no hard and fast rule. In Necropolis, Vervunhive has a shield of some sort, but it's not stated if that's normal for that planet or unique to that hive. In Enforcer, the Arbites Precinct House on Hydraphur has one.