# which Imperial Guard books are good?



## Commisar Karif

I have read some of the 40k books. I wasnt very interested with Space Marines because they are too damn strong. It doesnt make for a interesting book to me when 1 guy can take on hundreds by himself. so i started reading some imperial gaurd books like fifteen hours, rebel winter, and death world. and found it more intresting because they have much more trouble which leads to a better story. So im curious if anyone knows of some good Imperial Gaurd books i should read? I usually dont like to trust the summary that they put on the back of the book over the opinion of someone who has read the book. 


The Emperor Protects,

Commisar Karif


----------



## Capt.Al'rahhem

I am currently reading Gunheads and I like it but I'm a serious IG TREADHEAD! I also enjoyed Desert Raiders but once again that's the kind of guard I play, so I am bias. Allot of people around here have been putting down the guard books because of the simplistic charactors and storylines. I find them to be light fun reading and normaly finish them too fast and end up reading them again but once again IG is pretty much all I play and care about in 40k.


----------



## RecklessFable

The Guants Ghosts series by Dan Abnett are the quality leaders for IG novels.
The Cain series by Sandy Mitchel are great humor, and frankly, my favorites.


----------



## Wiccus

Gaunts ghosts novels are some of the best I've ever read. Wait till you read the third book "Necropolis" sooooooo freaking epic!


----------



## Capt.Al'rahhem

Darn, how could I forget Guants Ghosts and the Cain books. I 3rd that those are great too. I kinda got bored in the middle of the Ghosts sires but have a friend who has read them all and loves them. I'll probably pick the back up at some point. The Cain books are great, with lots of humor and great guard action.


----------



## ChaplinWhulfgar

The Last chancers novels are pretty good.
Gaunts ghost are all good
Cains are good


----------



## Commisar Karif

Thanks for the list. Gonna have to start buying some of them.


----------



## slaaneshy

Def go for Gaunt. The mortality of a guards man is all to obvious, loads of deaths and of main character too!


----------



## Creon

All the Guard Novels I've read are good. I liked Ice Guard, Desert Raiders and Gunheads very much. except the End of Desert raiders. Just EW! No spoilers, though.


----------



## Commisar Karif

I went to Barnes and Nobles today and decided to get a Gaunts Ghosts omnibus, since pretty much everyone who replied mentioned it. I grabbed the only one they had and when i brought it back home i realised that its not the first omnibus. I was wondering if it mattered if i read them in order or if it was just a collection of stories that had no real tie to the last? 

P.S. Thank you for the posts really helps with not wasting money on books that are boring. :biggrin:


The Emperor Protects,
Commisar Karif


----------



## Wiccus

I would say you should read them in order. They make references to past books. You especially need to read the first two first as they really let you know who the ghosts are and what they are all about.


----------



## Leaf

Desert Raider was good. I thought it gave a sence of how scary the tyranids really are. One of my Favorites

15 hours is ok boring at times 

Death world was interesting a little silly at times and not believable

Rebel winter Very good read gives a good insight to the sons of vostroya

Bringers of Death not to bad has a good commissar Cain Story also a story that picks up where 15 hours leaves off

Gunheads a good book it really shows off the the upper leaders of the imperial Guard are incompetent and gives a insight to the life of tankers and Cadians 

I am still working on reading all of the Ciaphas Cain novels what Ive read so far is good. 
I
have not read the Guants ghost novels as of yet

I am waiting for Ice Guard to come in the mail


----------



## ckcrawford

if you think they are too strong (space marines) youll like the books more
its funny but most of the books especially horus heresy show how the strongest are yet the most volnerable. They also have a good amount of imperial characters. I recommend Storm of Iron. It has some good imperial gaurd characters in there that turn out to be heros.


----------



## General. Gray Wolf

I'd say gunheads, it's a fantastic book!


----------



## dark angel

what exactly is gunheads about?


----------



## Creon

Imperial Tank Battalion sent to retrieve the Fortress of Arrogance.


----------



## Toten

Last Chancers and Gaunts Ghosts, definitively!

I´ve read the Last Chancers book 6 times or so, its completely worn out, so I´ve gotta buy a new copy ;(

Gaunts Ive read once, borrowing books is good yes, and I´d recommend reading them in chronological sequence


----------



## Inquisitor Einar

I recently read the Cain series ( the first omnibus and the 2 books following after it ), and I had a jolly good time reading them. Cain is definitely one hell of an awesome character to read about. ( and ofcourse his odorous aide, Jurgen ).
Though the last book definitely shattered my vision of Sisters of Battle 
Which is good, because it means that my sister convent isn't as different as a regular one.


----------



## Lioneljohnson510

I just finished deathworld and liked it alot so was 15 hours the first 5 to 10 chapters were boring but they were both really good books


----------



## Psychocamel

The Last Chancers Rule!!!


----------



## Khorne's Fist

All of the above are very good, but you are doing yourself a disservice by wholly dismissing SM novels. The HH novels (most of them) are some of the best 40k novels out there, the Smurf series with Uriel ventris is very good, and the new Salamander novel promises for a great series. 

So, read the Guard novels, but don't write off SM novels. If you do read them you'll soon see they are not completely invulnerable and infallable.


----------



## Creon

I actually very much like the Grey Knights novels. A human face on the Inquisition.


----------



## sonofchaotica

gaunts ghosts is definetly the cream of the crop here (so good i passed out at college a few weeks ago due to not sleeping just reading for 2 solid nights)
and i cant wait for the paperback of bloodpact to come out. ciaphas cains are good to but i must say i didnt really enjoy cains last stand the most recent in the series, it didnt really pull me in at any point and i found myself skimming through just to finish it. That being said it doesnt really detract from the others in the series, which really are great, kinda reminds of what blackadder would be like if he was a commissar


----------



## forkmaster

Gaunts ghosts have already been mentioned more than one time but I highly recommend Cadian Blood by the new author (cant recall his name right now) but it was awesome.

You said you didn't like the Space Marines novels cause they were far too superiour. Read the Horus Heresy novels and you will see they have negative sides as well.


----------

