A follow-up short story to Salvation’s Reach, book thirteen in Dan Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Killbox sees Scout Sergeant Mkoll of the Tanith First and Only prowling the quiet, forgotten depths of the Highness Ser Armaduke. Down amongst the dust and the punishing heat, something is tracking him…hunting him. Even among the stealth specialist Ghosts, however, Mkoll is a peerless huntsman, and knows better than any the relationship between hunter and hunted. In the forgotten darkness of the old ship, a game of cat and mouse develops.
While the novels tend to be ensemble pieces, this – like most of the Gaunt’s Ghosts short stories – is much more focused. There’s a simple pleasure to be had in following a character so skilled and single-minded as Mkoll, especially in a story entirely focused on him absolutely in his element. This isn’t about character development – in terms of Mkoll genuinely growing and changing – but rather exploration, as he pits his skills against an opponent equally, if not more dangerous. If you’ve read Salvation’s Reach you’ll enjoy looking around the Armaduke more, and while the story’s direction is pretty clear from the off, it’s a pleasure – as always – to spend time with Mkoll.
