[darkreever]

Well of course he does get whats coming to him at some point, wouldn't be right if he didn't right?

But you know, there was a point to it all, Abnett doing what he did. He proved, with the 'simple' act of killing off Bragg, that none of the ghosts are immortal or protected by plot armour as some characters tend to be. That despite it all, these are still normal men and women that we are growing attached to, and that their losses are the most painful because he has done such a job in getting us, the readers, to like them.

This isn't like the Ultramarine novels where we follow Uriel Ventris as he overcomes the impossible and will live on to fight again. Not the Space Wolf series where we know that Ragnar Blackmane's destiny will take him far. These books, these characters, are the creation of Abnett who understands that he can make characters we all love or despise and that he can really make us gasp, or weep, or beam with joy, by making sure that not even some of the most major of characters are safe from being killed during the course of the story.


Going into the books from this point on, make no mistake that others may die, and the biggest question for you to ask is who it might be and will you see that death coming when it happens?


When I read Guns of Tanith, I had to ask someone else if that ending really meant what I thought it did. (This would be due to the fact that I read Guns of Tanith when it was the newest of the series, I did not have any others to go onto as people do now.)

 

[darkreever]

Nah, he isn't that kind of character for everyone; I straight up hated him, no love involved. When he got what was coming to him, I wasn't happy about it, instead I had to put the book down and thing about who it cost the ghosts.

For me, the snake doesn't get whats coming to him soon enough; and what he did get was to good for him considered all that he did. Fucker got off lightly in my opinion.

 

[darkreever]

Yeah well I am doing my best to keep what I say vague, as you have no idea when glory day is gonna come or which book its in. Plus, you have absolutely no idea what it is he got in the end, and assuming what that might be is a tad foolish. =D

Lord of the Night, edited out that one bit from your post because when combined with some of the other posts, it will serve to spoil things.

 

[darkreever]

Right, for those who do not currently do it, when your going to post a spoiler please use the spoiler tags to do so. It makes it much easier for someone to read your post without the worry that they might run into you spoiling something for them when they don't want that.

To do this, simply type [ spoiler ] at the start of the spoiler and [ /spoiler ] at the end (remove the spaces between the brackets in order to make them work.) This hides that portion of text and replaces it with a button, that upon clicking reveals the spoiler as I have done in AK74Bob's previous post. (The first one, the second one contains a spoiler that may or may not ruin things for the OP.)

Now this next thing is indeed a spoiler, so unless you don't care or have read up through the entire series do not open it.

Pretty sure that while doc Dorden made it to the end of Blood Pact his days are number, I mean what with the terminal illness giving him all of six weeks or months left and all. Now that is truly a big hit, just like Tona's 'loss' was, and just like Bragg's loss was.

By the way AK74Bob, Gaunt defending Cuu was not in any way stupid. It was actually the right thing to do, and was needed in the end. At the time no one actually knew that he had done it, but if Gaunt had not done everything in his power to save him, to save on of the Verghast ghosts, then it would have sent the message that he holds them below the Tanith ghosts. It would create a rift in the regiment and lead to deaths that should have been avoided.

That the twist of the matter was Cuu actually being guilty, well that was the point. Gaunt acted for the greater good, and look what it cost the ghosts. It was a beautiful setup, and it led to such a monster causing those tragedies. However in the end it will be bigger than that, when everyone learns the truth think about who it would hit the hardest; and do not look for it to impact any one person either.

 

[darkreever]

Yeah but thats the thing, they proved themselves defending their homes. At least they proved themselves as soldiers, or people who would fight given some cause to do so. At the time of Cuu being put on the chopping block, none of their number had been accepted into the sniper or scout cadre's. The Ghosts are essentially defined by those two, and to not have a single member in either of them though it is known that some should works only to hurt morale and alienate part of the regiment. The message it would have sent, had Gaunt not acted on Cuu's behalf, just like he would have any Tanith ghost (something I believe was specifically pointed out to him in the novel), it would have been the final stab in the back and broken them.


Remember, when most regiments start out, they are untrained shinies who have yet to prove their worth. Its all the harder for a group of soldiers to have to do this when they are being mixed in with a veteran regiment. Soldiers like Rawne are quick to forget that fact, but then in his case he is also an awesome, if not scary-effective commander. For those who have read the entire series, you know what I'm talking about.

 

[darkreever]

If the Vergs feel like Cuu is one of their own, what does that say about them? I mean wasn't he showing his psychotic nature before he was tried for murder/rape?

Actually, I believe he may have been noted as being a bit to himself but that was about it. There was no indication of him being crazed or psychotic.


And for the record, remember that Hark is able to be more objective than Gaunt. Its why he was so easily able to see why Cuu needed to be defended and not just left to die. In the end it boils down to what is needed in order to make sure that the newly restructured and reinforced regiment, that needs to stay that way because there is no other choice, does not destroy itself and do the enemy the favour of riding the Imperium of one more good regiment.

What Hark knew that Gaunt needed to do, its nothing different than what you would see in any military force of today, or anything involving a team for that matter.

 

[darkreever]

Going back on topic.. now you see the true evil that is Lijah Cuu.

Sorry but no, thats not the true evil of Cuu, or rather the deep evil he represents.

In the end, Gaunt needed to defend this man or else he would shatter the resolve of his soldiers and not just the new ones. If he set an example, that he cared more for his Tanith ghosts than it would only work to distance both groups from each other, and it would break the bonds of trust he had built up with the regiment after all this time. It would be a betrayal the likes of which the Tanith ghosts had felt once before, and Guant would never be able to get beyond it.


However, the true evil lies in that though Gaunt needed to defend Cuu, Cuu would go on to take that and twist it. He would kill off some of the greatest members of the ghosts. The true evil in this is that because of the Verghast ghosts, Cuu lived and went on to kill Bragg, Muhril, and Corbec. Thats a fact that will have to haunt them forever, the are responsible for those deaths.

 

[darkreever]

If her touch is enough to bring MkVen back frmo the brink, then why not the others?

The brink of death means you still have some life left. Those other Ghosts were not on the brink, they were dead. There is a huge difference between some life and no life.