|
Only one clan stands apart, the Frostwolves; their leader Durotan watches helplessly as the orcs are corrupted by demons. The additional background detail it provides will delight any Warcraft player; this is one of my favorite novels based on the universe - I've read all of them, and read them all multiple times. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction from Thrall, the current chief of the new Horde. The story is known, especially if one is a Warcraft player; but Golden fleshes out the story very nicely. World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde, by Christie Golden"Rise of the Horde" is what a Warcraft book should be.
How many Warcraft players have visited Durotar, or Orgrimmar. The story of the orcs starts with a noble race, living peacefully on Draenor. The figures these places are named after, Durotan and Orgrim, are key characters in this book. 5/5. Golden depicts this tale with plenty of emotion; I felt for Durotan's situation. Most of us have, I'm sure.
The book is enjoyable, the plot is pretty solid, and the characters are spot on. The orcs have coexisted with the draenei for hundreds of years, ever since the draenei arrived on Draenor fleeing from their ancient enemies. "The Rise of the Horde" details just that, the rise of the horde that descended upon Azeroth, intent on taking the world for their own. In the author biography, Golden states that she is a World of Warcraft player and it shows - there are little things thrown in that any Warcraft player will appreciate. How many of us have watched someone do something we know is wrong, but we can't change their minds. But all that changes when the Burning Legion turns a key orc to their side, and he leads the orcs on a terrifying descent into madness.
He is writing the history of the old Horde, the Horde that destroyed their own world and invaded Azeroth, the Horde that perpetuated genocide on the draenei and slaughtered the humans. While the orcs take pleasure in hunting animals and bloodlust, they are not killers and have a culture, family groups, a belief system.
like "How did Lordaron fall." or "What happened to Karazhan" - things of that nature. I am an avid WoW player and over the years I have played I have become more and more interested in the "why" and "how" of what I am doing. All-in-all this was a fun and enjoyable read. This was the first WoW book I have ever read and I have to say that I was pretty happy with it. It wasn't the best book I have ever read but it was very entertaining and I always enjoy background stories for things that I am interested in.
For me, though, it keeps me from putting this book in with others that I would rank 4- or 5-star works. Hard for me to put my finger on what I'm trying to convey here, suffice to say that when any character in a book -- particularly an Orc -- responds to a question with the word, "nay," instead of a simple "no" and the dialogue is peppered with "shall" in place of "will," I start to get turned off. So, any book that can drive that kind of real-life (if playing the game equates to real life) behavior change must be pretty decent.The plot itself kept me interested, and I nodded my head in recognition of the in-game bits such as descriptions of how the warlocks summon their minions and how those minions look and behave, etc. Three stars isn't bad from me, though; oh nay, verily I sayeth that it be not. I can't personally give it more than three stars because Christie Golden's style is just a little off for me. Don't get me wrong, this book served its purpose of giving me a fairly entertaining download of the backstory behind WoW.
In fact, my Draenei (my only ally toon, actually) has seen a lot more playing time since I read this book, and I went so far as to delete my level 40 warlock based on a RotH-inspired dislike of warlocks. Minor complaint, and I'm more critical than most when it comes to an author's "voice," so most fans of the WoW universe will probably not be the least put off by it. It was a bit more graphically violent than I anticipated, though I can live with that. I like fantasy books, I just don't really like when they are written in "fantasy" style to the point where it feels forced. ;) If the intended effect was that I feel anger and revulsion toward the orcs and sympathy for the Draenei, the butchery certainly achieved that.
I found myself wanting to read it, to see what was going to happen, so yes, it was a good book and worth the money.
The book is filled with touching, and emotional scenes, mostly concerning the main character, whom most of the book talks about, Durotan, as he finds himself stuck between duty to his people and what he knows is right in his heart. He watches as Orcs kill Dranei men, women, and children, and Golden's writing really shows here the pain this character feels is heart as he watches this happen and when he has to do it himself. I got this book a few weeks ago, mostly just for something to read while on Amtrak going home for break. SPOILER: One of the most particularly well written scenes in this book is when the horde overruns the Dranei city of Telmor, and Durotan see's the brutality of the new orcs and the wrongs they are doing but he knows in his heart he must obey orders or die because of Gul'dan's orders. By far the best Warcraft book I have read, and probably one of my all time faves ever as well. Basically I just wanted to read something quick and easy, and most of these "Based off of." books are quick reads, so i thought I pick this one up and to my pleasant surprise this was a DAMN good book. The author Christie Golden, whom wrote another Warcraft book I enjoyed, Lord of the Clans, writes this great and tragic story of how a Noble race fell from grace and became a force of destruction because of their own inability to think for themselves and to be led blindly.
Capital idea if I may say so.") made by the key players. Oshu'gun, the Temple of Karabor (aka the Black Temple) are just a few places covered.With periodic narrations by Thrall and featuring characters like Velen, Durotan, Orgrim Doomhammer and Kil'Jaeden, it's chock full of Warcrafty goodness.The characterizations were largely solid, though one may find themselves questioning the validity of some decisions ("Why yes, I think we shall imbibe of this demon blood. Of course, with a continuity mostly in place prior to being written, the author had to work with and around what was already established as canon.Regardless of that hiccup, this book is a mandatory read for anyone interested in Warcraft lore, especially time periods preceeding the "World of Warcraft" game's setting. A fantastic Warcraft-lore read. It gives insight into not only the history of the orcs and the origins of the Horde, but the Draenei as well (and their flight from Argus).Seeing Draenor/Outland prior to the events in the "World of Warcraft" was a treat as well.
|
