A Thousand Sons
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Our view
“A Thousand Sons” is a tragic, ambitious “Horus Heresy” novel that follows Magnus the Red and his sorcerous Legion towards their fall. Graham McNeill writes the primarch as a scholar and a leader with a human side, which gives the downfall real weight. Some readers need a while to settle into it before the story takes hold of them.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Censured at the Council of Nikea for his flagrant use of sorcery, Magnus the Red and his Thousand Sons Legion retreat to their homeworld of Prospero to continue their use of the arcane arts in secret. When the ill-fated primarch foresees the treachery of Warmaster Horus and warns the Emperor with the very powers he was forbidden to use, the Master of Mankind dispatches fellow primarch Leman Russ to attack Prospero itself. But Magnus has seen more than the betrayal of Horus – and the witnessed revelations will change the fate of his fallen Legion, and its primarch, forever.
Reading order · The Horus Heresy
Full order & progress →- Horus RisingStart here
–Not ranked yet - False Gods
7.97.9 / 10 - Galaxy in FlamesGalaxy in Flames–Not ranked yet
- The Flight of the EisensteinThe Flight of the Eisenstein–Not ranked yet
- Fulgrim
7.77.7 / 10 - Descent of AngelsDescent of Angels–Not ranked yet
- Battle for the AbyssBattle for the Abyss–Not ranked yet
- Mechanicum
7.77.7 / 10 - Fallen AngelsFallen Angels–Not ranked yet
- A Thousand SonsThis book
8.08.0 / 10 - NemesisNemesis–Not ranked yet
- The First HereticThe First Heretic–Not ranked yet
- Prospero Burns
–Not ranked yet - The Outcast DeadThe Outcast Dead–Not ranked yet
- Deliverance LostDeliverance Lost–Not ranked yet
- Know No Fear
–Not ranked yet - Fear to TreadFear to Tread–Not ranked yet
- Angel ExterminatusAngel Exterminatus–Not ranked yet
- BetrayerBetrayer–Not ranked yet
- Vulkan LivesVulkan Lives–Not ranked yet
- The Unremembered Empire
–Not ranked yet - Vengeful SpiritVengeful Spirit–Not ranked yet
- The Damnation of PythosThe Damnation of Pythos–Not ranked yet
- DeathfireDeathfire–Not ranked yet
- PharosPharos–Not ranked yet
- Angels of CalibanAngels of Caliban–Not ranked yet
- The Master of MankindThe Master of Mankind–Not ranked yet
- GarroGarro–Not ranked yet
- The Crimson KingThe Crimson King–Not ranked yet
- RuinstormRuinstorm–Not ranked yet
- Old EarthOld Earth–Not ranked yet
- WolfsbaneWolfsbane–Not ranked yet
- TitandeathTitandeath–Not ranked yet
- The Buried DaggerThe Buried Dagger–Not ranked yet
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.4 across 74 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 33% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 5 | 7% |
| Hardcover | 8.4 | 69 | 93% |
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Science fiction — and a score of 8.0, the closest to this book.
