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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.
Also it tells where the Draenei came from.I loved it so much I sent my sister a copy. As a WoW player that has never liked the Horde, this book inspired me to roll an Orc Shaman. We all think of the Orcs as mindless beast. well this book gives us insight into how the Shamanistic Orcs got to be the Horde.
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