# Gaunt's Ghosts: Salvation's Reach



## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

The latest cover-art from Black Library has been released. The next Gaunt's Ghosts novel _Salvation's Reach_ will feature Gaunt himself on the cover, and only Gaunt.

He looks awesome, though I pictured him younger in his early middle ages rather then advanced middle ages as this picture shows.


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## Gromrir Silverblade (Sep 21, 2010)

Dude that is a sweet picture, well he must be at least middle aged by this point, and to be honest as a guard commissar has done bloody well to get to that age. I love the ghosts, I hold Colm Corbec personally responsible for getting me into any warhammer as it was my first exposure to any GW.


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Thats one heck of a picture! Really looking forward to this one...


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Hmmmmm, whilst the picture is great as far as talent goes it's not really Gaunt to me at all. For one he really does look completely different to Gaunt in all the other cover arts, looks far more aged than he should look imo and his hair still looks dark!

Other than that its a good pic, would rather see a Tanith or two at his side as usual though


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

For me this is the only Ibram Gaunt. Tall, middle aged and with sharp features like a hawk.

_The Lost_ shows Gaunt the best, as the all the books have described him.


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## Hooobit (Dec 5, 2010)

He's supposed to look old and middle aged. 
Spoilers...

Don't forget he MIGHT have had his eyes poked out and been messed up so badly that even Eszrah couldn't tell it was him.

So really, I think that looks pretty much spot on. Only issue is that the Sword handle is wrong.


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## Mob (Nov 14, 2010)

Lighten his hair and it's perfect. 
Mind you, I don't think his hair colour's been mentioned for about ten books. 
Maybe he uses Just For Men Do You Want To Live Forever hair dye.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Lord of the Night said:


> For me this is the only Ibram Gaunt. Tall, middle aged and with sharp features like a hawk.
> 
> _The Lost_ shows Gaunt the best, as the all the books have described him.


Completely agree. Gaunt has never been described as looking old, definetly not in the way that picture portrays him, he looks wrinkly, paunchy and stocky. As opposed to tall, powerful and slim with high boned cheeks, a gaunt face as per the name and again with no mention of wrinkled skin and a lack of vitality.

spoilers for the last two books



He may have been tortured and lost his eyes, but he had the very best medicaes Van Voytz could secure to treat him, his eyes are top of the range to the point where from the sounds of it you can't really tell they are augemetics, people in this modern day have been horribly disfigured, but with top of the range plastic surgeons have regained an almost completely normal look. So i don't really buy the excuse of his tortrue completely changing almost every feature previously described


Oh and he's blonde, its mentioned in many of the books, but the cover art never seems to get it right for some reason.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Yeah that Gaunt looks too old for me! But I love the cover none the less. And I agree. _The Lost_ is the best pic on Gaunt so far. I dislike the one on _The Founding_ though. But I wonder what this book will be about. And in the blog they state at least 2 GG books are in place, this being one and Sabbats Worlds anthology nr 2 will be the second one.


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

Actually no the _Sabbat Worlds_ anthology being released next year isn't new. It is the paperback version of the anthology that came out a few months ago.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Well do remember that Gaunt has been fighting in the crusade since around its start. And once given command of regiments, he has been thrust forward into some of the heaviest or most hostile of fighting. At this time he is now in his mid-forties; it should come as no surprise that between all of the stress, all of the fighting, the transitions through the warp, the damage, the torture, and the surgery he has undergone that it would add years.


You can see those effects here these days; so it makes me rather happy to see them doing that for such a man.


Personally, I don't care for the omnibus covers, some of the older covers feel much better.










They all have a do-or-die feel and desperation to them that lets you know the Ghosts don't have it easy and for good reason.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

I understand his age and the stuff he's been through could make him look a bit older, but like i said, he has just gone through top of the range reconstructive surgery. And it's more of how he looks nothing at like Gaunt, just look at all the previous pictures of him and then look at the new one, he looks like a completely different character and has none of the characteristics that are used to describe Gaunt.


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## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Some things even the best surgery available to mid-upper level guard commanders cannot fix or hide. Just cause they say the best does not mean the best in all the Imperium, its the best that can be gotten for who you are. I'm sure if it was Macaroth doing the getting it would have been better just like how if it had been a fellow regimental commander it would have been worse.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Lord of the Night said:


> Actually no the _Sabbat Worlds_ anthology being released next year isn't new. It is the paperback version of the anthology that came out a few months ago.


Oh my bad! The people on the blog expressed themselves as it is the nr 2 anthology, nor version 2 of the 1st.



darkreever said:


> Well do remember that Gaunt has been fighting in the crusade since around its start. And once given command of regiments, he has been thrust forward into some of the heaviest or most hostile of fighting. At this time he is now in his mid-forties; it should come as no surprise that between all of the stress, all of the fighting, the transitions through the warp, the damage, the torture, and the surgery he has undergone that it would add years.
> 
> 
> You can see those effects here these days; so it makes me rather happy to see them doing that for such a man.
> ...


Well thats true! He is getting older. Its just that he looks almost 60 in that pic.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

darkreever said:


> Some things even the best surgery available to mid-upper level guard commanders cannot fix or hide. Just cause they say the best does not mean the best in all the Imperium, its the best that can be gotten for who you are. I'm sure if it was Macaroth doing the getting it would have been better just like how if it had been a fellow regimental commander it would have been worse.


Again, granted, but the main issue i have is that they have completely changed Gaunts features in almost every single way


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

Whilst I'm not a big fan of the 'new' Gaunt it is mentioned in Blood PAct that he's put on a bit of a paunch and is no longer the gaunt (heh) and muscular individual of the previous books- a decade has passed since the first book in the GG series so he's likely to be in his late 40's- early 50's now.


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## Commissar Ploss (Feb 29, 2008)

old people get saggy, end of story. And having been exposed to war as long as he has has aged him all that much faster. What with the paunch addition as well as the fact that he was openly flayed in the last book (fuck spoilers btw. ). I think that would alter your appearance quite a bit. quite a bit. And at first glance you can't tell me you wouldn't have said that was gaunt. If that was on a billboard with no words, you'd have pulled over and said, "Shit! Was that just Gaunt back there!?"

CP


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## Mob (Nov 14, 2010)

Angel of Blood said:


> Again, granted, but the main issue i have is that they have completely changed Gaunts features in almost every single way


But he hasn't really stayed the same-looking throughout, thanks to the differing styles of the artists. He's went from generic commissar to blonde/thin/neat to brunette shouty tramp to langley squinter to this. As he's descibed so sparingly in the books, everyone has differing mental images of him, along a scale.

'My' Gaunt is the one off the first cover of Necropolis; the very, very detailed one where you can see he's blonde, he's thin etc. TBH, that image hasn't been bettered for sticking to how he's described in the books.
The Langley version, much as I love the artist's work, is way too Langley, ie a photorealistic dark haired dirty-looking bloke who looks like he's trying to solve a really difficut mental arithmetic problem.

The Salvation's Reach image, while still not topping Necropolis, is more accurate to how I personally imagine Gaunt to be now; a bit fleshier, older and battered.
Also, it's just a very accomplished illustration and I like it.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Well no, to be fair in almost every single description of him available in all the books he is described as tall, gaunt, lean, powerful, blonde haired and with a well defined face with high boned cheeks aswell if memory serves. The Lost cover apart from the blonde hair really shows the best description of him as Abnett says. All three of the omnibuses all show pretty much the same image and again apart from the hair they are all pretty damn accurate. And even in the cover art for Blood Pact, he still looks mostly the same to a degree, still looks gaunt, lean yet still quite vitalised. This new cover has changed every single aspect of his character, and i gurantee you now when Abnett describes him in Salvations reach he won't suddenly be stocky, wrinkly, heavy set with a grizzled and harsh looking face. Also nowhere in Blood Pact can i find any mentione of Gaunt looking significantly more aged or different than he did before, certainly not to the degree of Salvations Reach, which i'm willing to bet will not be much longer than 6 months after Blood Pact as


theres is no way Abnett will kill Dorden off between books, and he only has about that long left to live 


So yeah, i can understand putting some signs of age or weariness creeping in onto his features. But that picture hasn't even come close to any description abnett has ever given of Gaunt apart from the uniform.



Commissar Ploss said:


> And at first glance you can't tell me you wouldn't have said that was gaunt. If that was on a billboard with no words, you'd have pulled over and said, "Shit! Was that just Gaunt back there!?"


I can genuinely say i wouldn't. I would be like "shit was that a commisar on that billboard?" but i wouldnt link him to Gaunt, at least not until i spotted the camo cape, and even then i would still be dubious, as again, that is not Gaunt, not in anyway, at least not in the way Abnett describes him


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## Mob (Nov 14, 2010)

Angel of Blood said:


> Well no, to be fair in almost every single description of him available in all the books


Ah, in the books. Apologies, I thought you were referencing the other illustrations of him, which show little consistency between artists, other than most of them thinking he has dark hair for some reason.



Angel of Blood said:


> This new cover has changed every single aspect of his character,and i gurantee you now when Abnett describes him in Salvations reach he won't suddenly be stocky, wrinkly, heavy set with a grizzled and harsh looking face.
> So yeah, i can understand putting some signs of age or weariness creeping in onto his features. But that picture hasn't even come close to any description abnett has ever given of Gaunt apart from the uniform.


I'm sorry, I'm not seeing that as a stocky, heavy-set guy. Perhaps the perspective of the picture may give that impression? I'd even argue that he does indeed have a slender face; cheekbones and a pointed chin. Considering pretty much all Abnett says of Gaunt in BP (IIRC) is that he's got a slender face and disturbing eyes, I think this picture captures those aspects. 
The additions of effects derived (presumably) from age and battle, sure, they are a change, but what I and I think others are saying is that we *approve* of this artistic decision. If you don't, that's cool, we are discussing personal interpretations in the main after all.
Sure, he probably won't be described as looking older and battered in the novel, but I'm not going to find that a problem - he also isn't described as having black or brown hair, so I guess that Commissar on the front of every book since the first version of Honour Guard is actually someone else - as this pic goes someway towards fitting my personal mental image of the character, more so than any interpretation since Martin Hanford's version on Necropolis.

I like Langley's art, I have his artbook! But I like this version of Gaunt as well.

Saying all that, I'm going to laugh when it turns out that it's not actually a picture of Gaunt after all!


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## ribbons69 (Mar 6, 2010)

"Larkin! Why the feth are you wearing my uniform you mad old fool?"


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## Roninman (Jul 23, 2010)

Best image of Gaunt so far, earlier versions were more like cheap comicbooks, i mean look for example at Necropolis? Cover artists have been getting better and better over the years, even first two HH novel covers were just awfull.

Gaunt should look like that i believe. Years under stress, scars, middle-aged he cant be silksmooth skinned. If you looking for posterboy think Cain is closer to that.

Some people also dont understand that these are artistic views of particular characters. I have no problems if few things have changed from artists to another as long as image is pleasing to eye. How can anyone honestly say that there has been more detail to face of Gaunt on earlier covers before this? This is the most detailed drawing of his face that we have so far and i like it.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Yet its completely changed all other versions which were all mostly similar and its again completely different to every previous description of Gaunt. Gaunt is generally accepted to be quite handsome, the man in that picture is not handsome at all. That would be a brilliant picture for Hark however.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

We now know in which environ a lot of _Salvation Reach_ will be taking part in- ship board combat.

Also apparently the Snipers will have a much larger, if not central, role in the next GG book.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Which core snipers we got now? Larkin, Neesa are the only main ones i can think of. Few others that fade in and out like Raess. Anyone think Merrt will ever get his aim back with some deus ex machina


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

Dan said he'd be bringing characters who before may have only been a name before into a more 'recurring character' style position so we'll probably get to know some 'new' snipers that haven't been touched on before.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Likely the Belladons then, seeing as we only really have Bask, Maggs, Cant and Kolosim as proper recurring Belladon Characters. 

I still want to know why Dan just completely dropped Sergeant Bray out of the mix, for a good few books he was mentioned in a supporting role, shown to be a very good reliable Sergeant and was even said to be in the 'front five' squads that made up the elite of the Ghosts along with Mkoll, Rawne, Soric and Corbec. But he hasn't featured in about 5 or 6 books now, which is a pity as for whatever reason he was one of theose recurring characters i really liked to see mentioned and hoped he would rise to a main character in time.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

Save me regurgitating everything Dan has to say... (Video- 27th Nov 2010)


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Might have to try and send him a question asking about Bray then, chance it might get picked. Interesting that it sounds like we could potentially see Mkvenner again. Always hoped he would being almost as bad ass as Mkoll, if not as good


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## Orbital (Apr 18, 2010)

Cannot wait and Gaunt looking good as per normal


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## World Eater XII (Dec 12, 2008)

War burns the soul out.


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## Diatribe1974 (Jul 15, 2010)

Now that's a sweet cover.


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## Mezistar (Mar 1, 2011)

_*From Amazon online store -*_


Salvations Reach
*Product Description:*

The Tanith First-and-Only infiltrate an Imperial underwater ship and must wrestle it from Chaos cultists in the thirteenth book of this popular Imperial Guard series.


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## Duke_Leto (Dec 11, 2010)

Mezistar said:


> _*From Amazon online store -*_
> 
> 
> Salvations Reach
> ...


UNDERWATER!!!!!!!!!! I was expecting SPACE COMBAT from what Dan Abnett had been saying. Hmmm bet this will be sweet!


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