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Dawn of The Aspects #1-5
World of Warcraft: Dawn of the Aspects
Uncertainty plagues Azeroth’s ancient guardians as they struggle to find a new purpose. This dilemma has hit Kalecgos, youngest of the former Dragon Aspects, especially hard. Having lost his great powers, how can he - or any of his kind - still make a difference in the world?
The answer lies in the distant past, when savage beasts called proto-dragons ruled the skies. Through a mysterious artifact found near the heart of Northrend, Kalecgos witnesses this violent era and the shocking history of the original Aspects: Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, Neltharion, and Nozdormu.
In their most primitive forms, the future protectors of Azeroth must stand united against Galakrond, a bloodthirsty creature that threatens the existence of their race. But did these mere proto-dragons face such a horrific adversary alone, or did an outside force help them? Were they given the strength they would become legendary for . . . or did they earn it with blood? Kalecgos’s discoveries will change everything he knows about the events that led to the...
The answer lies in the distant past, when savage beasts called proto-dragons ruled the skies. Through a mysterious artifact found near the heart of Northrend, Kalecgos witnesses this violent era and the shocking history of the original Aspects: Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, Neltharion, and Nozdormu.
In their most primitive forms, the future protectors of Azeroth must stand united against Galakrond, a bloodthirsty creature that threatens the existence of their race. But did these mere proto-dragons face such a horrific adversary alone, or did an outside force help them? Were they given the strength they would become legendary for . . . or did they earn it with blood? Kalecgos’s discoveries will change everything he knows about the events that led to the...
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2013
114 people are currently reading
1901 people want to read
About the author
Richard A. Knaak
282 books1,477 followersRichard A. Knaak is the bestselling author of Dragonlance novels, the Dragonrealm and Black City Saint series (his own creations), six novels for Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, and six works in the Warcraft universe. He has also written several non-series fantasy books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
June 7, 2025
Just awful…I’ve made clear why I’m slowly reading these and this is the worst of the bunch. Over written, full of background lore that’s already known, a protagonist trapped in the mind of an earlier story where the reader already knows the outcome, and finally an endless array of battling dragons that never seem to get our heroes…
Oh, and choking on a stone? Really?
Oh, and choking on a stone? Really?
December 31, 2013
No! Why?! WHYYYYY??? In my opinion, this was the worst way to tell the story of the Aspects! If I was Knaak, I would have sobbed, balled up in a corner while trying to tell this story. The delivery is horrendously slow and painfully repetitive. 1) The majority of the story is told by present-day Kalecgos while trapped inside the proto-drake version of Malygos. Kalecgos is merely watching events unfold. You are reminded ONE HUNDRED MILLION times that Kalec is trapped inside Malygos and powerless. Oh--and that Kalec is struggling to no end and going insane. 2) Some of the proto-drakes have only recently become sentient, which means THEY TALK LIKE CAVEMEN! Annoying! MALYGOS, NO FLY TO BAD PLACE! IT BAD! IT BAD! It's almost bearable at first, but by the end you'll want to claw your own eyes out. The only bright spot is Jaina, maybe. Jaina saves Kalec's sanity, but for what? The most dead-fish-like relationship in all the World of Warcraft? BORING! In the words of Lindsey Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor, "I'm bored! I'm SO BORED!!!" I love Warcraft novels and lore, but this was a stinker! Couldn't someone have invented some other way for Kalec to give his fellow former Aspects a slap in the face?! Come on!
December 6, 2013
I read a few books a month and normally dive into epic fantasy, but between those really like to move to something lighter and less heavy. I went through looking at the newer books that were out there and decided on this one. I played WOW for a few years and thought this would be something lighter and just an enjoyable read.
I struggled from the start. Huge names, tossing locations around right and left. I expected them to use some familiar names and references, but most books still take the time to fill people in on that unknown information. Even series that are 20 books long tend to spend a little time on explaining surroundings that you see regularly. This one did not. It dove into it deep.
Sadly there was little to no character building, and when you did they gave everything the mentality and thoughts of a human. Why? These are dragons that have lived thousands of years? Why would the feelings be so short term as to worry about some things.
I was also disturbed by the dragons when they were in the protodragon form. They were always talking about the protodragons. "They looked about and saw the other protodragons coming towards them" They would never refer to each other as a proto dragon, it is like saying I am a pre-homo superior. Use real names and terms, this just bugged me.
They were also supposed to be pretty dumb. Stick with that or not, but it makes an odd read and an odd story.
The other issue is how slow it started. I got into it 1/3rd the way and said to my self. What is the goal? What are they doing? The real time guy is bouncing in and out of the ancient dragons past self. Kind of like watching history through George Washington's eyes and thoughts. Yet the history view had no purpose, why were they showing these things, why were the dragons doing. There was to quest for the ring, or race to survive. That did come, but not after I almost put it down 2-3 times and gave up.
Too many holes if you are a smart reader. They make the giant dragon seem too huge, only to make him seem smaller a few minutes later. I was asking myself "He was huge enough to knock the peaks off of mountains, how could a small dragon small enough to be eaten whole do X damage to him" Then it would follow with the dragons attacking being bigger in the story.
Then I felt that I was cheated out of the ending. Too often the present day character would say, "No wait this is not where X dies, it is not right." or something similar. Then things I really wanted to see, like how they became aspects and the charges they were given along with that acceptance seemed cut off. I remember thinking "oh crap is that were it was ending" The second ending was no better, and it just left me frustrated and annoyed.
In the end if you have not just played in the Nexus recently, battled and know the aspects and their stories from WOW walk away, no run away from the book. It filled in some holes for me, but left more, and was a horrible read. Boring, pointless for most the book. I am still debating one or two stars. I liked a few of the battle scenes, but not enough. In the end it is a turkey, I will never come back to it.
I struggled from the start. Huge names, tossing locations around right and left. I expected them to use some familiar names and references, but most books still take the time to fill people in on that unknown information. Even series that are 20 books long tend to spend a little time on explaining surroundings that you see regularly. This one did not. It dove into it deep.
Sadly there was little to no character building, and when you did they gave everything the mentality and thoughts of a human. Why? These are dragons that have lived thousands of years? Why would the feelings be so short term as to worry about some things.
I was also disturbed by the dragons when they were in the protodragon form. They were always talking about the protodragons. "They looked about and saw the other protodragons coming towards them" They would never refer to each other as a proto dragon, it is like saying I am a pre-homo superior. Use real names and terms, this just bugged me.
They were also supposed to be pretty dumb. Stick with that or not, but it makes an odd read and an odd story.
The other issue is how slow it started. I got into it 1/3rd the way and said to my self. What is the goal? What are they doing? The real time guy is bouncing in and out of the ancient dragons past self. Kind of like watching history through George Washington's eyes and thoughts. Yet the history view had no purpose, why were they showing these things, why were the dragons doing. There was to quest for the ring, or race to survive. That did come, but not after I almost put it down 2-3 times and gave up.
Too many holes if you are a smart reader. They make the giant dragon seem too huge, only to make him seem smaller a few minutes later. I was asking myself "He was huge enough to knock the peaks off of mountains, how could a small dragon small enough to be eaten whole do X damage to him" Then it would follow with the dragons attacking being bigger in the story.
Then I felt that I was cheated out of the ending. Too often the present day character would say, "No wait this is not where X dies, it is not right." or something similar. Then things I really wanted to see, like how they became aspects and the charges they were given along with that acceptance seemed cut off. I remember thinking "oh crap is that were it was ending" The second ending was no better, and it just left me frustrated and annoyed.
In the end if you have not just played in the Nexus recently, battled and know the aspects and their stories from WOW walk away, no run away from the book. It filled in some holes for me, but left more, and was a horrible read. Boring, pointless for most the book. I am still debating one or two stars. I liked a few of the battle scenes, but not enough. In the end it is a turkey, I will never come back to it.
August 20, 2017
Ahhh I love these books - I am such a sad-fan on Warcraft mythology so its not a surprise really.
While I accept that not many people are fans of Knaak's writing style - he is very repetitive which can be irritating, sometimes its best to assume your reader is paying attention so you don't have to bombard them with the same piece of very obvious information every chapter! - I still enjoy his characters and story telling :p
This was very much "day of the dead" but with dragons. I was excited to learn about Galakrond after staring at his bones on my runs through Dragonblight during ICC and wasn't disappointed by the tale which unfolded. It provided a logical explanation as to the alteration of the Aspects from their previous state into protectors of the world; showing why they were chosen, how they earned such a rise in status. It also showed that Neltharion was sadly already hearing the whispers from the Old Gods before he even became an Aspect.
I really enjoyed this book - I was saddened greatly by the departure of the dragons after the in-game Cataclysm expansion and so it was nice to fly with them once again and be offered the chance of their return in the future.
4/5 because I think he's done better!
While I accept that not many people are fans of Knaak's writing style - he is very repetitive which can be irritating, sometimes its best to assume your reader is paying attention so you don't have to bombard them with the same piece of very obvious information every chapter! - I still enjoy his characters and story telling :p
This was very much "day of the dead" but with dragons. I was excited to learn about Galakrond after staring at his bones on my runs through Dragonblight during ICC and wasn't disappointed by the tale which unfolded. It provided a logical explanation as to the alteration of the Aspects from their previous state into protectors of the world; showing why they were chosen, how they earned such a rise in status. It also showed that Neltharion was sadly already hearing the whispers from the Old Gods before he even became an Aspect.
I really enjoyed this book - I was saddened greatly by the departure of the dragons after the in-game Cataclysm expansion and so it was nice to fly with them once again and be offered the chance of their return in the future.
4/5 because I think he's done better!
June 14, 2016
This story takes place almost immediately after the in game events of the Dragon Soul raid. I found it rather interesting to see the apathy that the remaining three aspects had about remaining in Azeroth. Yet the story wove to bring them back together was a very repetitive one, caused partially by the fact that this book was originally published as a serial with 5 parts.
There were some interesting developments toward the end of the book that I would have liked to seen pursued, but to my knowledge has not been done. I found it interesting to see what led the Aspects into being. I would definitely recommend this to any WoW fan that enjoyed the Dragon Soul raid as required reading!
There were some interesting developments toward the end of the book that I would have liked to seen pursued, but to my knowledge has not been done. I found it interesting to see what led the Aspects into being. I would definitely recommend this to any WoW fan that enjoyed the Dragon Soul raid as required reading!
January 5, 2014
This book was poorly written, too easy to read, and there was nothing at stake in the story. The whole story is based in the past and we already know the outcome of the protagonist's adventures, so none of the danger is real.
I gave this two stars because I learned things about Azeroth I didn't know before (WoW lore is my favorite thing), but otherwise it was really boring and not challenging.
I gave this two stars because I learned things about Azeroth I didn't know before (WoW lore is my favorite thing), but otherwise it was really boring and not challenging.
March 9, 2017
This is by far the best book Richard Knaak has ever written. Even though I read this book in their separate parts, this book contains a never before published prologue worth reading alone!
May 18, 2019
All-in-all, this is yet another fanatic entry from Richard A. Knaak.
First, as is my wont, let's discuss the narrator. I'm sure anyone who's ever listened to a Scott Brick audiobook knows to expect complete awesomeness.
And he does not disappoint. He has great voices with a range of emotional inflections and his tempo is always perfect.
My one complaint is the very one I have about most naturally deep-voiced male narrators: the female voices. I do prefer Scott's approach (just a slightly softer voice than the men) to the alternative, but I find myself wishing he was paired with a great female narrator (like Gabrielle De Cur or Kate Reading).
The story is thoughtful and intriguing, well thought out, and relatively free of holes. The characters are well defined and, at least based on my limited knowledge, consistent with established lore. As always, Richard's writing is powerful, vivid, and clear.
I have just 2 criticisms.
The first is a bit of a continuity problem: why do the proto-dragons refer to themselves as proto-dragons? There's no way they could possibly know dragons will eventually exist but that isn't what they are.
In fact, my thinking tends toward one of two things: either they should call themselves dragons, as that could easily be how they think of themselves, or they should not even know the word "dragon."
And second, the climax was a bit of a letdown. We had this MASSIVE buildup to the final confrontation and I feel that the way it all plays out just doesn't quite do it justice.
In the end, I'm left with a question.
Just how big was Galacrond, exactly?
We know that by the end he was many times the size of the proto-dragons, who are smaller than true dragons, but how big, exactly? From some of the descriptions, it seems like he was MILES in length, yet when talking about his skeleton in the "present" of the book, it seems more like maybe a few thousand feet at most.
I'd love to have a specific answer.
When all is said and done, I enjoyed this book immensely. Despite a couple of weaknesses, it was a great experience and added a wealth of depth to the lore of the Warcraft universe.
I would definitely recommend this as required reading for anyone who loves dragons or the Warcraft books or games.
First, as is my wont, let's discuss the narrator. I'm sure anyone who's ever listened to a Scott Brick audiobook knows to expect complete awesomeness.
And he does not disappoint. He has great voices with a range of emotional inflections and his tempo is always perfect.
My one complaint is the very one I have about most naturally deep-voiced male narrators: the female voices. I do prefer Scott's approach (just a slightly softer voice than the men) to the alternative, but I find myself wishing he was paired with a great female narrator (like Gabrielle De Cur or Kate Reading).
The story is thoughtful and intriguing, well thought out, and relatively free of holes. The characters are well defined and, at least based on my limited knowledge, consistent with established lore. As always, Richard's writing is powerful, vivid, and clear.
I have just 2 criticisms.
The first is a bit of a continuity problem: why do the proto-dragons refer to themselves as proto-dragons? There's no way they could possibly know dragons will eventually exist but that isn't what they are.
In fact, my thinking tends toward one of two things: either they should call themselves dragons, as that could easily be how they think of themselves, or they should not even know the word "dragon."
And second, the climax was a bit of a letdown. We had this MASSIVE buildup to the final confrontation and I feel that the way it all plays out just doesn't quite do it justice.
In the end, I'm left with a question.
Just how big was Galacrond, exactly?
We know that by the end he was many times the size of the proto-dragons, who are smaller than true dragons, but how big, exactly? From some of the descriptions, it seems like he was MILES in length, yet when talking about his skeleton in the "present" of the book, it seems more like maybe a few thousand feet at most.
I'd love to have a specific answer.
When all is said and done, I enjoyed this book immensely. Despite a couple of weaknesses, it was a great experience and added a wealth of depth to the lore of the Warcraft universe.
I would definitely recommend this as required reading for anyone who loves dragons or the Warcraft books or games.
November 12, 2017
It's an okay story that does what it set out to do but it suffers from Superboy Syndrome.
Back in the mid-1980s, after the Crisis On Infinite Earths reset the DC Comics universe, John Byrne wrote the revamped Superman series. He was asked at one point if he would ever do a story featuring Superboy. He said no because, to his mind, Superboy stories lacked any kind of real tension. No matter what danger you put the character in you know he's going to survive because he becomes Superman.
And that's the problem with this story. It concerns the early lives of the five Aspects. Dragons who held power over the five elemental forces that defined the world of Azeroth. It gets there fairly economically and there is some tension in the story of Kalecgos, the former Aspect of Magic. However, Richard Knaak tries his best to make the reader feel that the beings in the past are in real danger and it usually falls flat. The real problem is that stories of this nature never work out well because the reader already knows the outcome.
Overall it's a decent story and if you're a Warcraft lore fan you'll find some interesting information here, but it is predictable.
Back in the mid-1980s, after the Crisis On Infinite Earths reset the DC Comics universe, John Byrne wrote the revamped Superman series. He was asked at one point if he would ever do a story featuring Superboy. He said no because, to his mind, Superboy stories lacked any kind of real tension. No matter what danger you put the character in you know he's going to survive because he becomes Superman.
And that's the problem with this story. It concerns the early lives of the five Aspects. Dragons who held power over the five elemental forces that defined the world of Azeroth. It gets there fairly economically and there is some tension in the story of Kalecgos, the former Aspect of Magic. However, Richard Knaak tries his best to make the reader feel that the beings in the past are in real danger and it usually falls flat. The real problem is that stories of this nature never work out well because the reader already knows the outcome.
Overall it's a decent story and if you're a Warcraft lore fan you'll find some interesting information here, but it is predictable.
November 6, 2022
Overall pretty solid with no glaring errors/criticisms. I'm dropping a star because this is yet another book told in two timelines (one current, one past) in which the split adds nothing to the story what so ever. In my opinion this book would be more or less the same if the current time were not part of it. This is not to say that section of the story was bad--I did enjoy it--however the focus of this story is clearly on the past timeline and the current one becomes something of a mildly irritating interruption that disrupts the overall pacing and adds nothing.
September 7, 2013
I enjoyed it, waited for all 5 to be released on amazon before i stared the read. Knaak does the best Warcraft books, hands down..
September 23, 2022
While most people would suggest you stay away from Knaak’s books when diving into the lore of Warcraft, Dawn of the Aspects is certainly worth the read. It dives back in to the past with characters of which their future is well known but there past is shrouded in mystery. If you want to know more about the past of some of Azeroth’s biggest threats, definitely give this book a try.
April 7, 2025
Around 3 stars.
It wasn't bad, but all the usual flaws of Knaak's writing are there, there's a couple of things that don't withstand scrutiny and the framing device was entirely unnecessary.
Worse, I'd argue without the framing device this would have been a lot better.
Biggest plus are definitely Malygos and Neltharion, who actually have chemistry and personality here, unlike in WotS and in-game come DF.
It wasn't bad, but all the usual flaws of Knaak's writing are there, there's a couple of things that don't withstand scrutiny and the framing device was entirely unnecessary.
Worse, I'd argue without the framing device this would have been a lot better.
Biggest plus are definitely Malygos and Neltharion, who actually have chemistry and personality here, unlike in WotS and in-game come DF.
January 10, 2025
Een intrigerende duik in de lore van World of Warcraft.
Helaas was het verhaal enorm langdradig en repetitief. Ondanks dit is het wel een waardevolle toevoeging voor liefhebbers van Azeroth.
Helaas was het verhaal enorm langdradig en repetitief. Ondanks dit is het wel een waardevolle toevoeging voor liefhebbers van Azeroth.
July 17, 2018
If you know anything about me, you know if I get sucked into a bookish/video game world that has a bunch of books that I will read and study every lick of Lore that exists. World of Warcraft is one of those, and I think I scare my family sometimes with the fact that I can talk about the Burning Legion in relation to Azeroth and the Old Gods for close to three days before I stop spouting lore and theories.
That being said, I was so excited for this book and HAH (sorry was that out loud) it sucked.
WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. But it's OK because you shouldn't read this book anyway.
I was nice and gave this book two stars because I like dragons and it added interesting concepts to the lore. If this had not been a book where I was emotionally invested in the world, then it would have been DNFed within the first five chapters and deleted from my computer.
So I got this book via most likely illegal website that I was using to download school books (yay for saving money), so now I don't have to spend the $14 to buy this junk.
What makes no sense about this book is that Richard Knaak is a GOOD author. He's AMAZING at writing (hello, War of the Ancients Trilogy), but this was just so so bad.
Theories: The repetitive writing was put in because the book was written as a 5 part ebook. Kinda like in a TV series where they keep repeating stuff that happened in previous episodes because humans typically have short attention spans and forget things (unless you're me and you religiously study everything). Annnnnddd....that's the only theory I have.
My problems with the book started with the repetitive writing. As the plot progressed, it got so weird. What was the point of this story being told from Kalec's perspective? None. In the book, Kalecgos (blue dragon/Aspect), finds a magical artifact when the other Aspects got huffy and crabby and left the meeting (also confused about that), and suddenly the artifact pulls him into a story of the Proto Drakes. The entire story is then told from Kalec's perspective through Malygos's eyes because Kalec is stuck in the other dragon's body.
Why not just tell the entire story from Malygos's perspective instead of this roundabout way to throw in a magical artifact that is "evil" but not but they use it to cheer the other Aspects up?
I had no idea when the story of Galakrond/proto drakes took place. I thought we were in Northrend the entire time because Galakrond's skeleton is there and, well, that's literally the only place you see Proto Drakes in the game but somehow the story took place in Kalimdor?? Which reminded me that Galakron and everything happened before The Sundering, sooooo that made sense but WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SAY ANYTHING.
The biggest issues with this was that a really cool/creepy story was told in a way that diminished the impact of it. If you went into this and were not a huge lore junkie and didn't really know the Aspects' names or who Galakrond was, this would have been AMAZING, hanging-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, who-might-be-eaten-and-turned-undead book. But it wasn't because Kalec within Malygos reminded you every time someone was in danger that, oh, hey, those guys are OK because they are alive today. There was no tension. I didn't care what happened to the main dragons because we knew they would be alive.
HOW TO REWRITE THIS
- Proto Drakes tell the freaking story themselves
- More explanation on how some of the drakes are more intelligent than the others
- CHANGE PEOPLE'S NAMES (woulda been cool to have shortened or simplified versions of dragons' names so that at the end when the proto drakes get changed into dragons you're screaming because you know who they are and can't believe they survived
- Raise the freaking stakes; add a main character who gets killed off and becomes an undead
- SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT CONTINENT WE ARE ON
Don't bother reading the book. Go on WoWwiki or WOWHead and read the info from there. Save your money and your time.
That being said, I was so excited for this book and HAH (sorry was that out loud) it sucked.
WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. But it's OK because you shouldn't read this book anyway.
I was nice and gave this book two stars because I like dragons and it added interesting concepts to the lore. If this had not been a book where I was emotionally invested in the world, then it would have been DNFed within the first five chapters and deleted from my computer.
So I got this book via most likely illegal website that I was using to download school books (yay for saving money), so now I don't have to spend the $14 to buy this junk.
What makes no sense about this book is that Richard Knaak is a GOOD author. He's AMAZING at writing (hello, War of the Ancients Trilogy), but this was just so so bad.
Theories: The repetitive writing was put in because the book was written as a 5 part ebook. Kinda like in a TV series where they keep repeating stuff that happened in previous episodes because humans typically have short attention spans and forget things (unless you're me and you religiously study everything). Annnnnddd....that's the only theory I have.
My problems with the book started with the repetitive writing. As the plot progressed, it got so weird. What was the point of this story being told from Kalec's perspective? None. In the book, Kalecgos (blue dragon/Aspect), finds a magical artifact when the other Aspects got huffy and crabby and left the meeting (also confused about that), and suddenly the artifact pulls him into a story of the Proto Drakes. The entire story is then told from Kalec's perspective through Malygos's eyes because Kalec is stuck in the other dragon's body.
Why not just tell the entire story from Malygos's perspective instead of this roundabout way to throw in a magical artifact that is "evil" but not but they use it to cheer the other Aspects up?
I had no idea when the story of Galakrond/proto drakes took place. I thought we were in Northrend the entire time because Galakrond's skeleton is there and, well, that's literally the only place you see Proto Drakes in the game but somehow the story took place in Kalimdor?? Which reminded me that Galakron and everything happened before The Sundering, sooooo that made sense but WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SAY ANYTHING.
The biggest issues with this was that a really cool/creepy story was told in a way that diminished the impact of it. If you went into this and were not a huge lore junkie and didn't really know the Aspects' names or who Galakrond was, this would have been AMAZING, hanging-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, who-might-be-eaten-and-turned-undead book. But it wasn't because Kalec within Malygos reminded you every time someone was in danger that, oh, hey, those guys are OK because they are alive today. There was no tension. I didn't care what happened to the main dragons because we knew they would be alive.
HOW TO REWRITE THIS
- Proto Drakes tell the freaking story themselves
- More explanation on how some of the drakes are more intelligent than the others
- CHANGE PEOPLE'S NAMES (woulda been cool to have shortened or simplified versions of dragons' names so that at the end when the proto drakes get changed into dragons you're screaming because you know who they are and can't believe they survived
- Raise the freaking stakes; add a main character who gets killed off and becomes an undead
- SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT CONTINENT WE ARE ON
Don't bother reading the book. Go on WoWwiki or WOWHead and read the info from there. Save your money and your time.
October 14, 2017
Estoy escribiendo un blog sobre literatura y videojuegos desde febrero. Si bien estoy manteniéndome constante con los post, por alguna extraña razón no se me ocurrió la idea de traer un post que mezclara las dos facetas del blog hasta ahora. Hoy voy a hablar de el audiolibro de El Alba de los Aspectos, un libro basado en la historia de Warcraft pero que me resultó demasiado raro a la hora de disfrutarlo.
Antes de empezar, quiero ubicar temporalmente el libro en la línea del tiempo del juego. Para los que no saben, en el blog tenemos una línea temporal con la historia de varios juegos y uno de ellos es Warcraft. Este libro está ambientado en dos momentos puntuales. El primero es unos meses antes de la expansión Mist of Pandaria y el segundo se ubica varios miles de años en el pasado. Con esto en mente empecemos a hablar de la historia de esta novela.
El libro empieza de una forma atípica. En la expansión Cataclismo de este juego, debemos derrotar a Alamuerte. Alamuerte fue una vez un dragón muy poderoso que se comprometió en proteger el mundo de Azeroth. Gracias a la influencia de unos seres muy poderosos (y malignos) el dragón se corrompió y se volvió malo. Esta expansión termina con una guerra entre los dragones buenos, los mortales y Alamuerte. El problema es que para derrotar a Alamuerte los dragones buenos deben dar su inmortalidad y perder sus poderes. Si bien este libro empieza antes de la pelea con Alamuerte, la historia toma forma después de la batalla con los dragones reconsiderando su papel en el mundo. Al haber perdido sus poderes, los dragones dejan de ser protectores de la vida en Azeroth y pasan a ser unos simples mortales. Este cambio hace que la mayoría de los vuelos (grupos en los que se organizan los dragones) dejen sus misiones ancestrales y abandonen sus responsabilidades.
Pueden encontrar el resto del review en:
https://diariodefriki.com/2017/09/29/...
Antes de empezar, quiero ubicar temporalmente el libro en la línea del tiempo del juego. Para los que no saben, en el blog tenemos una línea temporal con la historia de varios juegos y uno de ellos es Warcraft. Este libro está ambientado en dos momentos puntuales. El primero es unos meses antes de la expansión Mist of Pandaria y el segundo se ubica varios miles de años en el pasado. Con esto en mente empecemos a hablar de la historia de esta novela.
El libro empieza de una forma atípica. En la expansión Cataclismo de este juego, debemos derrotar a Alamuerte. Alamuerte fue una vez un dragón muy poderoso que se comprometió en proteger el mundo de Azeroth. Gracias a la influencia de unos seres muy poderosos (y malignos) el dragón se corrompió y se volvió malo. Esta expansión termina con una guerra entre los dragones buenos, los mortales y Alamuerte. El problema es que para derrotar a Alamuerte los dragones buenos deben dar su inmortalidad y perder sus poderes. Si bien este libro empieza antes de la pelea con Alamuerte, la historia toma forma después de la batalla con los dragones reconsiderando su papel en el mundo. Al haber perdido sus poderes, los dragones dejan de ser protectores de la vida en Azeroth y pasan a ser unos simples mortales. Este cambio hace que la mayoría de los vuelos (grupos en los que se organizan los dragones) dejen sus misiones ancestrales y abandonen sus responsabilidades.
Pueden encontrar el resto del review en:
https://diariodefriki.com/2017/09/29/...
February 23, 2014
The origin story of the Aspects. If you are unfamiliar with the dragon's lore in Warcraft you would feel lost in this book . I think this book would have been more enjoyable if it was written from Neltharion's point of view , or even his origin story. I enjoy reading Kalec & Jaina prospects but this seems forcefully written.
January 18, 2016
Richard Knaak's Dawn of the Aspects tells the story of how the Aspects came to be. Threatened by the father of dragons, Galakrond threatens the existence of the world. Watch the Aspects come together to fight this threat. A good book with plenty of action. 5 out of 5 stars.
January 29, 2025
It felt like it was way longer than needed. Sometimes, I was seriously bored and annoyed because the repetitivness was high
February 27, 2024
When I started this, I thought I'd give it 1 star. Then I moved it up to 2 stars and in the end I decided to be slightly generous (I was reminded earlier today of how truly terrible literature can be).
Having no WoW background, the prologue was barely comprehensible. Names were dropped left and right, all sorts of things were referenced and very little made sense. The story there had little bearing on the main plot, but... whatever. I found out that some dragons can take human shapes, that some are Aspects, that the Aspects have colors and govern certain facets of reality, that they have names, and that they also have nicknames. There are a small number of Aspects (later figured it out: five). One went bad, and one will have gone bad in the future, which will have been a problem.
But the confusion I felt is probably on me: I didn't take the time to find out anything about the universe before diving in.
The main story in the volume is a lot less chaotic. We meet the dragons in the prologue again; a lot of time has gone by, a war's been won (but at what cost?!!), the Aspects have lost their extraordinary powers and the three who survive want to retire. But our hero, a newbie (former) Aspect, thinks they still have a lot to do in the world. However, his plans to convince the others to stick around and fight the good fight are dashed when he comes across a mystical artifact that keeps having him relive bits of the past, as seen through the eyes of a dead Aspect.
My main issue with the book isn't the plot; an ancient, long-forgotten battle between proto-dragons and a lich proto-dragon and his horde of undead is pretty exciting, as is the framing device of a hero who's getting sucked into the past and might die as a result. My issue is with the style.
There's a lot of infodump in the beginning, occasionally referencing things we don't need to know at the worst times - at one point, the main character is contacted by a love interest and spends all of five seconds talking to her before being sucked into the past, but we get to find out who she is, how she got her titles, how she felt when she got her titles, who her grandfather was, and a few other things that never come up again and have no relevance to the rest of her actions in the book. Post-infodump, however, we rarely get new information of any sort. The book is one long dragon fight after another, with the situation being equally dire from beginning to end.
It's also a bit annoying to have ancient not-quite-dragons referred to as "proto-dragons" constantly, even by themselves. Why are they calling themselves that? Is our main character translating their language automatically to himself? If yes, why is their grammar so bad that it sounds caveman-like? (Or cavedragon-like, I suppose.)
But, all in all, it's not as bad as I initially thought it'd be. It's got an interesting solution to an undead problem at the end, which I feel was a good payoff. Sure, it's very optimistic and it explicitly had a moral that's "fighting together makes us strong", which kind of figures for an MMORPG. But, well. It's a decent book.
Having no WoW background, the prologue was barely comprehensible. Names were dropped left and right, all sorts of things were referenced and very little made sense. The story there had little bearing on the main plot, but... whatever. I found out that some dragons can take human shapes, that some are Aspects, that the Aspects have colors and govern certain facets of reality, that they have names, and that they also have nicknames. There are a small number of Aspects (later figured it out: five). One went bad, and one will have gone bad in the future, which will have been a problem.
But the confusion I felt is probably on me: I didn't take the time to find out anything about the universe before diving in.
The main story in the volume is a lot less chaotic. We meet the dragons in the prologue again; a lot of time has gone by, a war's been won (but at what cost?!!), the Aspects have lost their extraordinary powers and the three who survive want to retire. But our hero, a newbie (former) Aspect, thinks they still have a lot to do in the world. However, his plans to convince the others to stick around and fight the good fight are dashed when he comes across a mystical artifact that keeps having him relive bits of the past, as seen through the eyes of a dead Aspect.
My main issue with the book isn't the plot; an ancient, long-forgotten battle between proto-dragons and a lich proto-dragon and his horde of undead is pretty exciting, as is the framing device of a hero who's getting sucked into the past and might die as a result. My issue is with the style.
There's a lot of infodump in the beginning, occasionally referencing things we don't need to know at the worst times - at one point, the main character is contacted by a love interest and spends all of five seconds talking to her before being sucked into the past, but we get to find out who she is, how she got her titles, how she felt when she got her titles, who her grandfather was, and a few other things that never come up again and have no relevance to the rest of her actions in the book. Post-infodump, however, we rarely get new information of any sort. The book is one long dragon fight after another, with the situation being equally dire from beginning to end.
It's also a bit annoying to have ancient not-quite-dragons referred to as "proto-dragons" constantly, even by themselves. Why are they calling themselves that? Is our main character translating their language automatically to himself? If yes, why is their grammar so bad that it sounds caveman-like? (Or cavedragon-like, I suppose.)
But, all in all, it's not as bad as I initially thought it'd be. It's got an interesting solution to an undead problem at the end, which I feel was a good payoff. Sure, it's very optimistic and it explicitly had a moral that's "fighting together makes us strong", which kind of figures for an MMORPG. But, well. It's a decent book.
October 24, 2024
World of Warcraft has always been more than just a game—it’s a universe with rich lore and deep history, and this book does a phenomenal job of bringing that universe to life. From the moment I started reading, I felt transported back into Azeroth, and the author masterfully captures the essence of what makes this world so special. The character development, the exploration of various factions, and the way the storylines weave together reminded me of why I fell in love with WoW in the first place.
One of the things that struck me the most while reading this book was how much it resonated with my own experience as a player. I’ve spent countless hours exploring dungeons, completing quests, and, of course, participating in some intense raid nights. The way the book describes those epic encounters felt so familiar, almost like I was reliving some of my most memorable in-game moments. There’s something particularly satisfying about reading detailed descriptions of raids that mirror your own experiences as you gear up, strategize with your team, and finally take down a tough boss. It made me think of my last Mythic raid, where we barely managed to defeat the final boss after hours of attempts. The coordination, the adrenaline, the celebration afterward—it was all there in the pages of this book.
For anyone who’s ever been part of the Mythic raiding scene, the challenge and excitement are real. But I’ll be honest, sometimes life gets busy, and it’s hard to find the time to dedicate to progressing through these difficult encounters. That’s where Mythic Boost WoW (https://wowvendor.com/shop/wow/dungeons/) have really helped me out. I remember the first time I decided to try it—I had a busy workweek, but I didn’t want to miss out on raid progression. With the boost service, I was able to get the rewards I needed without sacrificing all my free time. It was a game-changer, allowing me to keep up with the fast-paced raid environment without the pressure of having to grind non-stop.
What I also appreciate about this book is that it doesn’t just focus on the battle mechanics but also dives into the lore that surrounds them. For example, I’ve always loved the stories behind each raid boss and zone. The book does a fantastic job of fleshing out these backgrounds, giving readers a deeper understanding of the motives and histories of key characters. It’s that kind of depth that keeps me invested in the game even years after I first started playing during Legion.
Finally, I have to say that reading this book was a nostalgic journey. It made me want to log into WoW and relive some of those epic experiences. If you’re someone who’s enjoyed the game at any level, or if you’re just curious about the world of Warcraft, this book is definitely worth picking up. It strikes the perfect balance between storytelling and honoring the in-game experiences we all know and love. And if, like me, you sometimes need a little help along the way, don’t hesitate to check out services like the Mythic Boost to keep enjoying every aspect of the game without burning out!
One of the things that struck me the most while reading this book was how much it resonated with my own experience as a player. I’ve spent countless hours exploring dungeons, completing quests, and, of course, participating in some intense raid nights. The way the book describes those epic encounters felt so familiar, almost like I was reliving some of my most memorable in-game moments. There’s something particularly satisfying about reading detailed descriptions of raids that mirror your own experiences as you gear up, strategize with your team, and finally take down a tough boss. It made me think of my last Mythic raid, where we barely managed to defeat the final boss after hours of attempts. The coordination, the adrenaline, the celebration afterward—it was all there in the pages of this book.
For anyone who’s ever been part of the Mythic raiding scene, the challenge and excitement are real. But I’ll be honest, sometimes life gets busy, and it’s hard to find the time to dedicate to progressing through these difficult encounters. That’s where Mythic Boost WoW (https://wowvendor.com/shop/wow/dungeons/) have really helped me out. I remember the first time I decided to try it—I had a busy workweek, but I didn’t want to miss out on raid progression. With the boost service, I was able to get the rewards I needed without sacrificing all my free time. It was a game-changer, allowing me to keep up with the fast-paced raid environment without the pressure of having to grind non-stop.
What I also appreciate about this book is that it doesn’t just focus on the battle mechanics but also dives into the lore that surrounds them. For example, I’ve always loved the stories behind each raid boss and zone. The book does a fantastic job of fleshing out these backgrounds, giving readers a deeper understanding of the motives and histories of key characters. It’s that kind of depth that keeps me invested in the game even years after I first started playing during Legion.
Finally, I have to say that reading this book was a nostalgic journey. It made me want to log into WoW and relive some of those epic experiences. If you’re someone who’s enjoyed the game at any level, or if you’re just curious about the world of Warcraft, this book is definitely worth picking up. It strikes the perfect balance between storytelling and honoring the in-game experiences we all know and love. And if, like me, you sometimes need a little help along the way, don’t hesitate to check out services like the Mythic Boost to keep enjoying every aspect of the game without burning out!
February 13, 2024
Overall this is a really average book, average only because the storyline was set up from World of Warcraft. Had this been independent I would not be so kind. Sadly and without spoilers, the part you want to read about the Aspects is not in this book.
The book can be separated into thirds: the first is dragon's hunting/ other dragon behaviour, the second is dithering and fighting, the third is dithering and a rushed ending. There are too many wasted pages in this book. I love dragons and I loved learning about the dragon and proto-dragon lore, but some of the most fundamental parts of the story are skipped.
This author has no clue what pronouns are and it degrades the level of writing from teenage to preschool. For example, he will write 'Malecgos said'. The next sentence will clearly be Malecgos's action but the author will refer to him as 'the icy-blue male'. It is not once, he will use this reference without pronouns or a name repeatedly in the same paragraph and up to six times per page per dragon. He does this with every dragon, 'fire-orange female'. I counted hardly any pronoun usage. He does not refer to other dragons with pronouns, he will refer to them by colour and gender.
As an example (not quoted from the book) this is what the writing style LOOKS like: 'It's cold today,' said Malecgos. The icy-blue males stretched his wings and took to the skies. He spotted Ysera, the yellowish female up ahead. The icy-blue male soared after her. 'Hello!' said the icy-blue male to the yellowish female. 'How are you today?' said the icy-blue male.
Ysera, the yellowish female said, 'I am great!' the yellowish-female stretched her wings. 'How fair you, Malecgos?'
'I am hungry,' said Malecgos, the icy-blue male. The icy-blue male spotted prey on the ground and glanced to the smaller female. 'Let's hunt!' said the icy-blue male.
It's worth the read if you know nothing about the dragons, or you're a fan of WoW and the books. It's not a terrible book, I enjoyed it especially in the later parts but as I said in the beginning, I would rate it a 1-2 stars if it wasn't World of Warcraft and I didn't jump into it with at least an idea of who I'm reading about.
The book can be separated into thirds: the first is dragon's hunting/ other dragon behaviour, the second is dithering and fighting, the third is dithering and a rushed ending. There are too many wasted pages in this book. I love dragons and I loved learning about the dragon and proto-dragon lore, but some of the most fundamental parts of the story are skipped.
This author has no clue what pronouns are and it degrades the level of writing from teenage to preschool. For example, he will write 'Malecgos said'. The next sentence will clearly be Malecgos's action but the author will refer to him as 'the icy-blue male'. It is not once, he will use this reference without pronouns or a name repeatedly in the same paragraph and up to six times per page per dragon. He does this with every dragon, 'fire-orange female'. I counted hardly any pronoun usage. He does not refer to other dragons with pronouns, he will refer to them by colour and gender.
As an example (not quoted from the book) this is what the writing style LOOKS like: 'It's cold today,' said Malecgos. The icy-blue males stretched his wings and took to the skies. He spotted Ysera, the yellowish female up ahead. The icy-blue male soared after her. 'Hello!' said the icy-blue male to the yellowish female. 'How are you today?' said the icy-blue male.
Ysera, the yellowish female said, 'I am great!' the yellowish-female stretched her wings. 'How fair you, Malecgos?'
'I am hungry,' said Malecgos, the icy-blue male. The icy-blue male spotted prey on the ground and glanced to the smaller female. 'Let's hunt!' said the icy-blue male.
It's worth the read if you know nothing about the dragons, or you're a fan of WoW and the books. It's not a terrible book, I enjoyed it especially in the later parts but as I said in the beginning, I would rate it a 1-2 stars if it wasn't World of Warcraft and I didn't jump into it with at least an idea of who I'm reading about.
August 3, 2018
I liked the plot that the author came up with. Not historical, but instead a present character going back in time though visions that merge him with his ancestor/predecessor. The problem this presented, though, was that the description of thought was often very convoluted, having to describe the thoughts of two characters at the same time and whether they agreed with one another or not.
Another problem I had with this book was that it was constantly referring to the characters by in my opinion unnecessary descriptions, such as "the fire orange female" instead of just Alexstrasza. The book suffered from a lot of these and negatively impacted my enjoyment of the book. I didn't like having to constantly think about which character the author is mentioning instead of it being obvious (like it should be, imo).
The present former Aspects seemed a lot less "wise" than I expected them to be, with the whole "our existence is meaningless now" vibe they were giving early on.
I liked the plot and the concept. I really felt myself living in the moment together with the Proto-Dragons, constantly wondering what was going to happen next and how they would ever prevail.
Being pulled back into the present didn't always feel very pertinent, though I feel like this was necessary to stress that this wasn't a history book but instead a present character diving into the past. If we only ever got back to the present for significant plot progression it might have only been a few times, and the frame would have been somewhat lost. Perhaps this is another problem posed by this form of narrative, although an erratic artifact seems like a good enough solution to me.
I enjoyed reading about the history of the dragonflights and the Aspects, as well as about Kalec and his budding relationship with Jaina.
Another problem I had with this book was that it was constantly referring to the characters by in my opinion unnecessary descriptions, such as "the fire orange female" instead of just Alexstrasza. The book suffered from a lot of these and negatively impacted my enjoyment of the book. I didn't like having to constantly think about which character the author is mentioning instead of it being obvious (like it should be, imo).
The present former Aspects seemed a lot less "wise" than I expected them to be, with the whole "our existence is meaningless now" vibe they were giving early on.
I liked the plot and the concept. I really felt myself living in the moment together with the Proto-Dragons, constantly wondering what was going to happen next and how they would ever prevail.
Being pulled back into the present didn't always feel very pertinent, though I feel like this was necessary to stress that this wasn't a history book but instead a present character diving into the past. If we only ever got back to the present for significant plot progression it might have only been a few times, and the frame would have been somewhat lost. Perhaps this is another problem posed by this form of narrative, although an erratic artifact seems like a good enough solution to me.
I enjoyed reading about the history of the dragonflights and the Aspects, as well as about Kalec and his budding relationship with Jaina.
December 18, 2020
Das Buch
Das Zeitalter der Drachen ist vorüber…
….und Azeroths uralten Wächter tragen schwer an der Aufgabe, eine neue Bestimmung zu finden. Vor allem Kalecgos, der jüngste der ehemaligen Drachenaspekte, leidet sehr unter diesem Umstand. Wie soll er – oder überhaupt einer seiner Art – noch etwas bewirken, jetzt, da die Aspekte ihrer unermesslichen Kräfte beraubt wurden?
Die Antwort darauf liegt tief in der Vergangenheit verborgen, in einer Zeit, in der wilde Bestien – die sogenannten Protodrachen – den Himmel beherrschen. Mithilfe eines mysteriösen Artefakts, das im Herzen Nordends gefunden wurde, gelingt es Kalecgos, einen Blick in jene gewalttätige Epoche zu werfen und Zeuge der schockierenden Geschichte der ursprünglichen fünf Aspekte zu werden: Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, Neltharion und Nozdormu.
In ihrer urtümlichsten Form mussten sich die zukünftigen Beschützer Azeroths gegen eine blutrünstige Kreatur namens Galakrond behaupten, die die Existenz ihrer ganzen Art bedroht. Doch stellten sich diese einfachen Protodrachen einem derart übermächtigen Gegner wirklich alleine oder wurden sie durch eine Macht von außerhalb unterstützt? Wurden ihnen ihre legendären Kräfte einfach so verliehen oder mussten sie sich diese erst durch Blut verdienen?
Kalcgos Entdeckungen werden alles radikal verändern, was er je zu wissen glaubte über den…
Untergang der Aspekte
Meine Meinung
Das war mein erstes Buch von World of Warcraft, welches ich gelesen habe. Ich hatte mich zuvor etwas schlau gegooglet, mit welchem Buch man am besten anfangen sollte. Dieses wurde mir dafür vorgeschlagen. Und ich denke es war auch eine gute Wahl. Das Buch handelt vor der ganzen Word of Warcraft Geschichte, und erzählt die Anfänge der Aspekte. Das Buch wechselt immer wieder die Sicht zwischen den fünf Protodrachen und Kalecgos, der die Geschichte durch das magische Artefakt als Malygos hautnah miterlebt. Immer mehr der damaligen Protodrachen sterben durch den riesenhaften Drachen Galagrond und die späteren fünf Aspekte versuchen, den übermächtigen Feind aufzuhalten.
Das Buch war als WoW Einsteiger wirklich spannend zu lesen, auch wenn dieses Buch mit dem Spiel an sich eher weniger zutun hat. Auch diesen Teil kann man ohne weiteres ohne Vorkenntnisse als Fantasy Buch lesen. Ich fand es spannend, wie sich die damaligen Protodrachen zu den späteren Aspekten entwickeln. Das Buch hat meiner Meinung nach einen kleinen Cliffhanger, allerdings weiß ich nicht, ob sich dieser im laufe der weiteren Bücher noch auflöst.
Fazit
Tolles Fantasy Buch in der World of Warcraft. Es lies sich super gut lesen, und hat mich dazu gebracht, mehr aus der WoW zu lesen und ab und zu auch mal zu spielen. Einige Orte kommen einem schon aus dem Spiel bekannt vor, was ich sehr passend finde.
Das Zeitalter der Drachen ist vorüber…
….und Azeroths uralten Wächter tragen schwer an der Aufgabe, eine neue Bestimmung zu finden. Vor allem Kalecgos, der jüngste der ehemaligen Drachenaspekte, leidet sehr unter diesem Umstand. Wie soll er – oder überhaupt einer seiner Art – noch etwas bewirken, jetzt, da die Aspekte ihrer unermesslichen Kräfte beraubt wurden?
Die Antwort darauf liegt tief in der Vergangenheit verborgen, in einer Zeit, in der wilde Bestien – die sogenannten Protodrachen – den Himmel beherrschen. Mithilfe eines mysteriösen Artefakts, das im Herzen Nordends gefunden wurde, gelingt es Kalecgos, einen Blick in jene gewalttätige Epoche zu werfen und Zeuge der schockierenden Geschichte der ursprünglichen fünf Aspekte zu werden: Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, Neltharion und Nozdormu.
In ihrer urtümlichsten Form mussten sich die zukünftigen Beschützer Azeroths gegen eine blutrünstige Kreatur namens Galakrond behaupten, die die Existenz ihrer ganzen Art bedroht. Doch stellten sich diese einfachen Protodrachen einem derart übermächtigen Gegner wirklich alleine oder wurden sie durch eine Macht von außerhalb unterstützt? Wurden ihnen ihre legendären Kräfte einfach so verliehen oder mussten sie sich diese erst durch Blut verdienen?
Kalcgos Entdeckungen werden alles radikal verändern, was er je zu wissen glaubte über den…
Untergang der Aspekte
Meine Meinung
Das war mein erstes Buch von World of Warcraft, welches ich gelesen habe. Ich hatte mich zuvor etwas schlau gegooglet, mit welchem Buch man am besten anfangen sollte. Dieses wurde mir dafür vorgeschlagen. Und ich denke es war auch eine gute Wahl. Das Buch handelt vor der ganzen Word of Warcraft Geschichte, und erzählt die Anfänge der Aspekte. Das Buch wechselt immer wieder die Sicht zwischen den fünf Protodrachen und Kalecgos, der die Geschichte durch das magische Artefakt als Malygos hautnah miterlebt. Immer mehr der damaligen Protodrachen sterben durch den riesenhaften Drachen Galagrond und die späteren fünf Aspekte versuchen, den übermächtigen Feind aufzuhalten.
Das Buch war als WoW Einsteiger wirklich spannend zu lesen, auch wenn dieses Buch mit dem Spiel an sich eher weniger zutun hat. Auch diesen Teil kann man ohne weiteres ohne Vorkenntnisse als Fantasy Buch lesen. Ich fand es spannend, wie sich die damaligen Protodrachen zu den späteren Aspekten entwickeln. Das Buch hat meiner Meinung nach einen kleinen Cliffhanger, allerdings weiß ich nicht, ob sich dieser im laufe der weiteren Bücher noch auflöst.
Fazit
Tolles Fantasy Buch in der World of Warcraft. Es lies sich super gut lesen, und hat mich dazu gebracht, mehr aus der WoW zu lesen und ab und zu auch mal zu spielen. Einige Orte kommen einem schon aus dem Spiel bekannt vor, was ich sehr passend finde.
June 5, 2020
I'm a World of Warcraft fan, and play the game way too much and have read several of the books associated with it. This book is entirely different. While it *technically* takes place in Azeroth, these are not the characters as we know them, not the adventures we expect to encounter. This is a book entirely about dragons. There's some magic in the margins, some of the characters fans know, but this is not a World of Warcraft as we know it book. The story takes place after the fall of Deathwing, but that is a minor setting in the story. Ultimately it follows the blue dragon Kalecgos, who through a found artifact experiences events prior to the creation of the dragon aspects.
We see the five aspects as they were before they were given their dragon powers, as stages of proto-dragon evolution. They speak in halting tones, with little vocabulary. They know only hunting and fighting, things required for survival. In meeting these characters we learn of a threat that can not be imagined, the beast Galakrond, who threatens the entire proto-dragon existence.
Despite knowing most of the story of the characters in Azeroth, this book left me wondering at the turn of every page how these five dragons, without their future powers, would ever defeat this creature. Even at the climax when the solution is presented, I, alongside Kalecgos who is along for the ride, have no idea if it is going to work.
This story was so well written, it kept me entirely enthralled through out, right until the last page. With most of the other WoW books, I would only recommend them to fans. But this one is different. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, a fan or not.
We see the five aspects as they were before they were given their dragon powers, as stages of proto-dragon evolution. They speak in halting tones, with little vocabulary. They know only hunting and fighting, things required for survival. In meeting these characters we learn of a threat that can not be imagined, the beast Galakrond, who threatens the entire proto-dragon existence.
Despite knowing most of the story of the characters in Azeroth, this book left me wondering at the turn of every page how these five dragons, without their future powers, would ever defeat this creature. Even at the climax when the solution is presented, I, alongside Kalecgos who is along for the ride, have no idea if it is going to work.
This story was so well written, it kept me entirely enthralled through out, right until the last page. With most of the other WoW books, I would only recommend them to fans. But this one is different. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, a fan or not.
February 6, 2018
As a dragon fan girl who bawled at the end of the Val'sharah quest line, I really enjoyed reading a story about how the dragon aspects came to be, especially since three of the five originals are now gone. The story was surprisingly suspenseful and, like Kalec, I found myself worried for the characters even though I know how it all turned out. After finishing the book, I visited key places from the book in the game and that was super fun.
That said, Knaak's writing style is incredibly distracting and it frequently took me out of the moment. I don't know how many times I counted the use of the words "tableau" or "in turn" (he loves to use "in turn") in successive paragraphs. And at one point, the proto-dragon aspects referred to themselves AS proto-dragons, but that makes NO sense, since that implies they somehow already knew they were a less intelligent version of the dragons yet-to-come. This stuff probably seems nit-picky, but it totally took me out of the story.
I also feel like this story could have been told a different way and not through the eyes of Kalec, or at least not using the very convenience plot device that Knaak used.
I finished the book satisfied, and I'd give Knaak's other Warcraft stories a try, but I don't think I'd read anything by Knaak that is not about a universe in which I'm already deeply invested.
That said, Knaak's writing style is incredibly distracting and it frequently took me out of the moment. I don't know how many times I counted the use of the words "tableau" or "in turn" (he loves to use "in turn") in successive paragraphs. And at one point, the proto-dragon aspects referred to themselves AS proto-dragons, but that makes NO sense, since that implies they somehow already knew they were a less intelligent version of the dragons yet-to-come. This stuff probably seems nit-picky, but it totally took me out of the story.
I also feel like this story could have been told a different way and not through the eyes of Kalec, or at least not using the very convenience plot device that Knaak used.
I finished the book satisfied, and I'd give Knaak's other Warcraft stories a try, but I don't think I'd read anything by Knaak that is not about a universe in which I'm already deeply invested.
December 27, 2019
I enjoyed this story. It basically tells the tales how the 5 Dragon Aspects came to be. It takes place on Azeroth before the lesser races come to be and at a time when Proto-dragons rule Azeroth. It also tells the tale of Galakrond, who we have previously known as a huge dragon skeleton in the Dragonblight of Northrend. Since I stopped playing World of Warcraft right around the time this book was originally written and have only really delved back into it now because of the WoW Classic Server experience, I've feel like reading the books during this period of time and the books that come after are providing me a lot of continuity to go along with the gameplay. Because the retail version of the game today and the gameplay is much different than it was back when this was published. This book, plus the WoW Classic options are getting me back into the World of Warcraft. And it's funny because I didn't realize how much time elapsed from when I was reading/playing and so into this universe and so deeply involved and today, where I have to re-discover everything.
Knaak does a good job telling the story here. It was just a bit drawn out and repetitive, but if you've ever played World of Warcraft, this should be of no consequence. This book is a great read for any fan of World of Warcraft!
Knaak does a good job telling the story here. It was just a bit drawn out and repetitive, but if you've ever played World of Warcraft, this should be of no consequence. This book is a great read for any fan of World of Warcraft!
October 21, 2020
Dawn of the Aspects covers the beginnings of some of my favourite Warcraft characters - the Dragon Aspects. Their lore has always fascinated me, and while this book is a very fun and thrilling ride, there's so many small issues and inconsistencies that become very, very distracting whilst reading it.
The first, as mentioned by another reader, is that the characters refer to themselves as 'proto-dragons'; being creatures at the beginnings of self-awareness and sentience, who speak in broken sentences and only the simplest of words, this terminology is fairly immersion shattering. I would be curious what they originally thought themselves as; regular dragons? Some other term? Did they even have a true grasp of their own species?
The other is the repetitiveness of certain words; it became a sort of mental drinking game every time I read the word 'hissed' or 'alighted'. A thesaurus wouldn't go amiss.
All in all, it's a good place to start when you're looking for lore on the Aspects, but definitely not the end-all.
The first, as mentioned by another reader, is that the characters refer to themselves as 'proto-dragons'; being creatures at the beginnings of self-awareness and sentience, who speak in broken sentences and only the simplest of words, this terminology is fairly immersion shattering. I would be curious what they originally thought themselves as; regular dragons? Some other term? Did they even have a true grasp of their own species?
The other is the repetitiveness of certain words; it became a sort of mental drinking game every time I read the word 'hissed' or 'alighted'. A thesaurus wouldn't go amiss.
All in all, it's a good place to start when you're looking for lore on the Aspects, but definitely not the end-all.
November 28, 2023
Disclaimer: I'm rating this book against other Warcraft books, not all books in existence.
With that disclaimer in mind...it still sucked. It's just a slog. There are two stories being told in parallel, one in the present, one in the past. There is supposed to be a sense of peril in both. However, the book fails to build that tension in either time.
On top of that, it doesn't seem to share that much in the way of interesting lore or worldbuilding about the Warcraft universe. It's billed as telling the story behind the defeat of Galakrond and the beginning of the Aspects rise to power, but it spends 300+ pages just telling you that those things happened. There are details, sure, but they're not interesting. None of it adds to your understanding of any of it.
Unless you want to have read every Warcraft book in existence, you should give this one a pass.
With that disclaimer in mind...it still sucked. It's just a slog. There are two stories being told in parallel, one in the present, one in the past. There is supposed to be a sense of peril in both. However, the book fails to build that tension in either time.
On top of that, it doesn't seem to share that much in the way of interesting lore or worldbuilding about the Warcraft universe. It's billed as telling the story behind the defeat of Galakrond and the beginning of the Aspects rise to power, but it spends 300+ pages just telling you that those things happened. There are details, sure, but they're not interesting. None of it adds to your understanding of any of it.
Unless you want to have read every Warcraft book in existence, you should give this one a pass.
April 13, 2024
This was a slow burn to get through. I like the majority of Knaak's other work, especially the Dragonrealm stuff, and I though this would be closer to that kond of story, just set in World of Warcraft lore. I was wrong. Kalecgos is a good character, but I struggled to care about what was going on as he "shared" Malygos' body. I did like seeing Neltharion before he fell to madness. The "romance" between Kalec and Jaina Proudmoore feels forced. And you can tell this stpry takes place well before anything was done for the lore in The Dragon Isles expansion, seeing as there is no mention of Valdrakken or the Oathstones. In fact, the last half of the book takes place in what ends up to be Northrend, specifically Dragonblight, but the world feels bigger than just a single continent during the story. The book was good, but really I only read this one because it was next in the series...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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