Thursday, December 23, 2010

Review - The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm (World of Warcraft) by Christie Golden



TITLE:    World of Warcraft: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm
AUTHOR/EDITOR:     Christie Golden
INFO:    Hardcover, Fiction, 328
PUBLISHED:   Gallery, 2010
ISBN#:   978-1-4165-5074-7
HOW'D I GET IT:   Received from Gallery for Review

FROM BACK COVER: 
***Thrall, wise shaman and the warchief of the Horde, has sensed a disturbing change . . . Long ago, Azeroth’s destructive native elementals raged across the world until the benevolent titans imprisoned them within the Elemental Plane. Despite the titans’ intervention, many elementals have ended up back on Azeroth. Over the ages, shaman like Thrall have communed with these spirits and, through patience and dedication, learned to soothe roaring infernos, bring rain to sun-scorched lands, and otherwise temper the elementals’ ruinous influence on the world of Azeroth.

Now Thrall has discovered that the elementals no longer heed the shaman’s call. The link shared with these spirits has grown thin and frayed, as if Azeroth itself were under great duress. While Thrall seeks answers to what ails the confused elements, he also wrestles with the orcs’ precarious future as his people face dwindling supplies and growing hostility with their night elf neighbors.

Meanwhile, King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind is considering violent action in response to mounting tensions between the Alliance and the Horde, a hard-line approach that threatens to alienate those closest to him, including his son, Anduin. The conflicted young prince has set out to find his own path, but in doing so, he risks becoming entangled in political instability that is setting the world on edge.

The fate of Azeroth’s great races is shrouded in a fog of uncertainty, and the erratic behavior of the elemental spirits, troubling though it is, may only be the first ominous warning sign of the cataclysm to come.  

MY TAKE:   As a former WOW (World of Warcraft) player, I was really looking forward to reading this book.  I hadn't read any of the books written about this fantastical game world and I wasn't disappointed.  Author Christie Golden captures the feel and spirit of the game while also telling a fast-moving and colorful story.  I don't think a person has to be a fan of the game to enjoy the book, although there are several references that a non-gamer might not understand.  

The characters, while not Golden's own creations, are well written and engaging.  I used to play on the side of the Alliance which is the "enemy" of the Horde leaders who are the center of this story.  I learned a lot about the members of the races that make up the Horde itself.   The reader is drawn into their world and traveling along with them around Azeroth.  This book definitely made me want to go back to playing the game ~ alas, we don't have fast enough Internet out here in the boonies... 

I recommend this book to fans of adventure and fantasy, especially those readers who are WOW players.  It's an engrossing read no matter which way you approach it.  I think it would also make a great gift for gamers!


MY RATING:    3.5/5

WHERE TO BUY IT:    Amazon, The Book Depository, IndieBound, Powell's Books

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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

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