This is the first of the Gaunts Ghosts novels, which are part of the Warhammer 40,000 series.
It introduced the Ghosts, and their homeworld Tanith, along with a lot of the characters that I'm sure will feature in the rest of the series.
The battle scenes were well described, but it almost felt like a bunch of short stories. The final story/chapter was the best, and introduced Lilith & the Eldar, which I hope reappear later.