Written by matthew
|
07 March 2010
Graham McNeill's
A Thousand Sons
All is dust
That's right everyone, its done, I've read it and heres the review. Graham McNeill just whips out masterpieces doesn't he? In all honestly does he even try that hard? I've read and reviewed his work before but honestly, 1000 Sons just tops it all. Thats really all the praise you can give it.
A Thousand Sons is the account of the Horus Heresy through the eyes of Astates and Remembrancers of the 28th Expitionary forces. From Aghoru to Prospero herself, you will follow the 1000 Sons down the very road Horus and so many others are travelling down at the same time. Many popular names pop up, especially Magnus (who is getting a paragraph of his own next) and Ahriman.Theres so much to digest when reading this book its probably good it was about a legion devoted to knowledge, it just corresponds. Pages at a time are given to a mysterious narration on the events that will be going on in the coming chapters, and gives a subtle creepiness that makes the book such a delectable treat for the reader.
Magnus the Red. The Crimson King. Even in classic literature is there a more tragic character? You Space Wolf fans won't like this book as it depicts him as what he truly was, a Hero. Theres not much more to it, his own hand was forced, and his legion began it's march towards Tzeentch.
What is only the sweet, sweet icing on the cake is the perspective from which the story is told. If you want to see the Heresy through the eyes of someone with forewarning, this is the book. If you want to see brother vs brother action, this is the book. If you want to see the twisted forces of chaos win, this is the book. And if you want to see the God Emperor's Wolves hunt down the Chaos foe, This is the book.
While it is by far one of McNeil's best, I would not reccomend it to someone just starting. It is not the battlecrack most 40k readers are used to, meaning it starts off rather slowly. You will go a good 1/5th of the book without any of McNeil's famous battle stories. But when you do...oh boy. The only problem with this book, was my lack of patience for Ahriman's questing. In the rating system, i'm gonna have to add some digits, but A Thousand Sons gets: 999/1000 Sons on my book scale.
