Is this the end? Quite possibly.
Gaunt's Ghosts has been running for well over a decade now, and with this latest turn of events, the finale to The Victory arc of the series has brought a multitude of ongoing plot threads to an end. While it may not be the definitive ending, it is a closure to a major stage within the series. As with the end to The Saint arc, it's clear that should anything follow, it will be dramatically different than what preceded it. With the catastrophic death toll among the characters and a string of major revelations which alters the source of the crusade, Anarch is a book which actually delivers on the old promise that "Nothing will be the same ever again."
The Synopsis
With the initial attempt to kill Warmaster Macaroth thwarted, Ibram Gaunt is pushed into fulfilling both his new duties and commanding the defense of the Imperial lines at Urdesh. With the Tanith First and Only stretched thin and other regiments pressed hard in various regions, the world has become a flashpoint for a battle which could reshape the entire crusade. Yet even as the Ghosts attempt to gain the other hand, Chaos elects to destroy them from within. As they combat a massed force of elite assassins, a terrifying mistake from their past comes back to haunt them. A mistake none of them even realised that they had ever made.
The Good
Anarch treats itself as an ending above all else, and it does everything it can to bring back as many past elements as possible. Everything from Straight Silver onward shows up in some way, or is reflected upon and referred back to in every way. This comes in the form of character reflections, motivations or even referring back to how events have changed the regiment's leadership over the years. That and more than a few people show up. This helps the book to feel like a definitive ending to this chapter of the story, and to solidify its placement for future arcs. That or, should anyone wish for it to be that, their ending for the Ghosts' story.
However, Anarch is less its own book than it is Warmaster: Part 2, or arguably even Salvation's Reach: Part 3. The trio of books are so tightly interconnected that it has brought about more major shifts to characters than the past six combined. This is especially true of Gaunt, as we see him trying to adapt to a very different role within the military. It would be easy for Abnett to brush this promotion under the rug, but the issue of his sudden rise is directly addressed time and time again. In fact, it's the crux of many of his scenes, and even plays a major role within the finale. At the same, the secrets within the Ghosts' darkest elements crop up and factor into the development of three major figures within the book. How, however, might be a little surprising. Perhaps the character who benefits the most from this direction is Mabbon Etogaurm as we are given a few answers to long-standing questions. The book ultimately fulfills his character arc and offers a great deal of closure to one of the series' most interesting characters.
After the action of Warmaster's finale, the scale of Anarch's events shifts drastically once again. While readers might have expected something which was going to be Necropolis taken to the Nth degree, what we end up with is something equal parts Only In Death and Blood Pact. There is a substantial amount of character-driven desperation which is core to the story, and much of it takes place behind allied lines with no small amount of horror. Horror itself has always been one of Abnett's most underrated talents as a writer, so to have entire scenes with him showing off this skill is a welcome return once again. The book is easily at its strongest when it allows these moments to play out, and the creativity behind these descriptions works in its favour. It's not what Abnett shows the reader in half of them, but what he doesn't in many cases, creating a total sense of the unknown and utter bleakness filled with brief horrific segments.
Even with its focus on events in relatively safe environments, there are no small number of firefights to fall back on. This is executed thanks to the presence of multiple assassins which are thrown at the Ghosts from unexpected vectors, none of who go down easily. Also, before you think that this might be a rehash of the Nine, it instead goes off in a very different direction. If anything, the actual choice of assassins here are far more interesting than those sent to decapitate the Saint several books back. The firefights are extremely well described as you might expect, but the variety of environments and sudden shifts in threats keeps it engaging. There isn't the clear divide between one fight and the next you might expect as - especially in the case of the Suicide Kings - a few minor plotlines turn into running battles against multiple half-seen opponents. It's the kind of entertaining mix of melees which is notoriously hard to pull off, but it keeps things very interesting.
The book also balances one story against the other, as while Gaunt is following through with his new duties and the regiment continues its role, another his carrying out his own task. The issues and reasoning behind this are covered in more detail below, but while it has its problems it does lead to a very strong ending. In fact, two of the story's best scenes (and a genuinely hilarious moment) stems from how things play out there. Interestingly, the book also offers a bit more of a chance to see the inner workings of Chaos thanks to this, especially in terms of its officers. While prior stories did offer glimpses into their lives, this further cements their status within the Sabbat Worlds and the oddly more "civilized" nature compared with more overt examples elsewhere.
Most importantly, however, Anarch also offers a rare take on corruption which other series have rarely accomplished. It's not executed in an overt manner, nor even in the form of failing in one's duties, but by overlooking something so simple. This leads back into something from the series' earliest books, and while reading it you could easily see this as a story involving secondary characters elsewhere. You know the kind, the sort where self-assured figures overlook the something obvious to the plot, requiring the actual heroes to get involved. It's a good example of just how insidious Chaos truly is, and how it can infiltrate others' lives even while they guard against its every act. If anything, it is far more terrifying than those which feature daemonic possession.
The Bad
The story is notably bloated. There's no way around this, as Anarch sees the return of more or less every living character who could show up in the series. While it certainly skips a few - and there are others who only get a passing mention - it tries to give every character possible a glory moment or chance to close out their arc. As a result of this, the narrative is rather clunky in the second act, and it relies on a few questionable turns to accomplish its goals. Even then, there are a multitude of characters who end up being heavily underutilized in the story. Gaunt himself is largely kept out of events - something which might be excusable given his new position - but others aren't quite so justifiable. While Warmaster sets up a few massive turns for Blenner, he ultimately contributes little to the plot and does not undergo any major character shifts. Equally, while Felyx does benefit from more time in the spotlight, he feels as if he is being pulled along rather than at the helm of his own story.
Another issue is how the tale is split into two segments, and this alone undermine's a major surprise from the last book.
Early chapter spoilers in 3... 2... 1...
Mkoll is alive. Not only was he taken captive, but he was taken captive by the Sons of Sek, but he was taken to exactly the place he needed to inflict the most damage possible. The opening chapter features him single-handedly fighting his way clear of a bunch of the Sons, and then turning the entire situation to his advantage. As such, the entire B plot of the book might as well be titled Metal Mkoll Solid given how it shapes up, and it seriously stretches credulity at times. Yes, admittedly, if anyone in the Ghosts would pull his stunts off it would be him, but even with some surprising assistance it passes "Okay, that was awesome" into "Oh come the hell on" fairly quickly. It's a shame, as it's more or less a grander version of his story in Guns of Tanith, which accomplished the same thing but did so far more effectively. That said, it does somewhat bounce back, and the finale does help to warrant this particular turn of events.
A further problem is how the book seems to rely on certain requirements to pull off key events. Perhaps the single greatest one is how it utilises an irritating pet peeve which might as well be titled "The Mechanicus Have Never Invented Firewalls" where a MacGuffin is used against their coding. Most books can do this and pull this off, with Graham McNeill's Chapter's Due and Mechanicus being the big examples, but this example cuts so many corners that it is irritating. This is an already overused trope within M41 and for it to show up yet again - even with a Dark Age of Technology excuse attached - is simply tedious. This might have been forgivable if there was some greater direction being it or a possible plot element, but it simply exists to make things more dangerous for the heroes.
Early chapter spoilers end in 3... 2... 1...
Yet perhaps what fans will have the greatest trouble getting to grips with is a major plot twist involving two background characters. While it cannot be fully discussed for those who have yet to read Warmaster or Anarch itself, the story utilises a retcon to create a new threat within the Ghosts' ranks. The problem is, depending upon how you view it, it will either make the forces of Chaos seem extremely intelligent, or quite possibly borderline insane in the worst way. No, not in the glorious gribbly Chaos way, in the stupidly evil way. The sort which goes past having plans within plans, and right into questioning how in the hell anyone thought that this would work.
When the twist does take place it leads to some of the book's best moments, but the choices made in getting there are still highly questionable. Part of it certainly works fine, but the other half crosses over into feeling as if it cheated the reader with little to no foreshadowing. It's less an intelligent and well-delivered surprise moment than it is an abrupt edit and new direction for a well-established character. The events surrounding it work, but the moment itself fails to properly work with the narrative structure of the story.
The Verdict
While it doesn't reach the heights of some past stories, Anarch is a great read overall. With a good mix of action, horror, quiet drama scenes and major narrative developments, it's an installment no fan should miss. While its weaknesses do lie in two key areas above all others, Black Library has published works with far more dubious developments in the past, and they are flaws rather than outright failings. Given the scale of what Anarch required, you might even be willing to completely overlook them.
So, should you get this book? Not if you have yet to catch up with events. At the very least, you should read Only In Death or Salvation's Reach and move on from there to avoid losing context for events. However, if you are up to date as a Ghosts fan, this is a must buy.
Verdict: 7.5 out of 10
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