Before the Storm: A Novel

THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL.-----------------------------------------------------------Let me first preface this review with two things: I am a die-hard member of the Horde and I did not find this book at all offensive. I thought it very well portrayed the fact that Anduin has ALWAYS strove for peace between the Horde and Alliance whereas Sylvanas wants nothing more than to destroy the Alliance for reasons.-----------------------------------------------------------I thought this book would cover why the Alliance was attacking Lordaeron in the BFA trailer, but it didn't really.  Instead, this book tied into the homecoming of tired soldiers, Sylvanas dealing with being a ruler to the Forsaken as well as Warcief to the Horde, and the incident in Silithus with Azerite.I think this book actually finally made me really hate Sylvanas.  Her story arc has been written in such a way that the longer she's alive, the more insane she's getting and the more despot/tyrant-like she is.  The first few chapters of this book reveals that her grand plan to capture the val'kyr in Stormheim during Legion was so that any time a Forsaken died, she could bring them back and that person would be immortal.  She also stated that her plan was to attack Stormwind while it was weak, to slaughter as many humans as she could, so that the Forsaken would never die.  The irony is that a lot of the Forsaken don't care and want to die.  They don't want to live forever.  Her crusade to keep bringing them back and making more is turning her into the Lich King.Unsurprisingly, Sylvanas wants to use Azerite to make weapons where the general Horde people want to use it to make useful things like better homes, medicine, and armor, and the Alliance wants to either lock it up or use it for those same things.  Only Sylvanas wants to create weapons of mass destruction.One of the questions I've had for the longest time was FINALLY answered in this book, and that was why are the Alliance (specifically humans) so racist towards the Forsaken when the majority are exactly as they were before they died (minus their looks), and what would happen if human families were to meet their Forsaken family members.  This whole family arc was both heartbreaking and super sweet.  I absolutely DESPISED what Sylvanas did in the end.  She killed every Forsaken who were able to reconnect with their family, and I can't even imagine how the family members felt when they were finally able to see their sons, wife, best friend, etc. only to have the person shot down in front of them.  Sylvanas' ridiculous hatred against the Alliance allowed her to justify killing her own loyal people who would have helped foster a temporary peace between herself and the Alliance.  Instead, she further degraded herself and made herself a despicable individual.Also super interested to see where the story of Calia Menethil.  I was not expecting her to pop back up in WoW lore.  I truthfully thought she was dead, but she showed up and is now some sort of Light-born Undead person which is cool but really weird and confusing.Considering all of the information in this book deals with current events, I highly recommend for any WoW fan who is interested in seeing what is coming up in the game and the buildup to the new expansion.

The book overall is decently written, and an enjoyable and easy read/listen. The emphasis on the side characters brought a close-to-home and relatable feel to the storytelling. Though overall not much time was spent with them you could easily sympathize to their situations. I found myself in tears several times as a result. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to all the side characters. The Tanaris excerpts, come across very cartoony and break immersion. I'm not sure if this is due to the author's perception of these races; which are I'll admit quirky, or if it was meant to be comedic relief in a predominantly somber tone. But it came across in such a way that I felt like I was listening to a young adult novel. In contast, the internal monologues of Anduin and Sylvanas are superb in addition to their interactions with other characters. Anduin's character development was beautifully furthered and I now feel I have slightly increased insight into Sylvanas' personality. The book is a bit biased towards The Alliance in terms of focus, and I say this as an Alliance player. Horde players looking for more lore on their side from this book will unfortunately likely be left wanting.The narration, by Josh Keaton - Anduin Wrynn's voice actor was well done and appropriate considering how much time the book spends following him. Keaton's acting of other characters was overall satisfactory. I was thoroughly impressed by several characterizations, wondering if the hadn't brought in other in-game voice actors. About the only one I had trouble with was his narration of Sylvanas. He went for a raspy enunciation, and it didn't quite fit. Her bell-toned undead commanding echo of a voice is what we've grown accustomed to, computer enhanced reverb and all. So that makes it hard to adjust to another interpretation. Blizz would have been wise to spend a tad more money on production just to hire Sylvanas' voice actor for her parts. I am very glad that I chose the audiobook version. I am only disappointed that Whispersync For Voice was not available. I ended up refunding my Kindle version because of this. If you are interested in or are already a fan of Warcraft lore picking up a copy is worth your time. If you enjoy audio books, the narration is also definitely a worthy listen.

Victory for Sylvanas!i ;_____; <3 yes I love her. Dont want to spoiler anythingm this book was so very chef kiss!

Christie Golden floreando mais ainda o magnífico universo de Warcraft com uma história sobre o preconceito e a reconciliação da horda e a aliança e o preço que isso custará para ambos. Muito bom!

Read this book over the course of a week and enjoyed every single word written on every page. Christie Golden really knocked this one out of the park. Having read most of the Warcraft library thus far, this one really had some intense emotion and raw feelings in the book. Great read for any Warcraft fan and even more so for those who are still playing World of Warcraft and are ready to hop into the new expac!

Tout est parfait

The current lore is a bit complicated to understand if you follow the game alone but if you read this you'll understand why there are tensions between both factions. Plus Christie Golden is just too amazing with the emotions portrayed throughout the book. 10/10 love the book