World of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 1

World of Warcraft Chronicle #1

by Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 is a journey through an age of myth and legend, a time long before the Horde and the Alliance came to be. This definitive tome of Warcraft history reveals untold stories about the birth of the cosmos, the rise of ancient empires, and the forces that shaped the world of Azeroth and its people.


This beautiful hardcover features twenty-five full-page paintings by World of Warcraft artist Peter Lee, as well as a cosmology chart, half a dozen maps charting changes through time, and other line art illustrations by Joseph Lacroix, and marks the first in a multipart series exploring the Warcraft universe; from the distant past to the modern era.




From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fantasy, Warcraft, World Of Warcraft, Fiction, Gaming, Games, Video Games

165 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2016

About the author

Blizzard Entertainment is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard.

The company is well known for creating the Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch franchises, and regularly publishes related novels, comics, and art books.

Reviews

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started playing WoW at a very young age which led to me not really paying attention to the story. As I grew older and as the game progressed, I found myself lost in the world I didn't understand.

However, if you're just trying to understand the recent plots, this isn't the book for you because it only tells about the events before the Dark Portal and the history behind Azeroth.
It was overall an enjoyable read, even though it took me a long while to finish it. The art incorporated was more than mesmerizing and I wish there was more of it.

[rowanthorn ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so nerdy oh my goodness
For the Horde!
Lok'Tar Ogar!
Meet me in Dalaran!

I promise I'm not nerdy!!!

(I am. I totally am.)

ANYWHOOO. This book was 100% awesome. But a small warning: it's not for the casual WoW player, or for someone who is looking for a traditional "story." In short, this is the history of Azeroth from the VERY beginning - literally before the universe was formed - and it goes DEEP. It is more a solid history book than anything, but if that's what you want (it was what I wanted) then it is amazingly well done.

What I liked: It is EXTREMELY detailed. For me, who read this book as an almost everyday WoW player and someone who truly wanted to delve deep into the lore of the world, this was perfect. The illustrations were absolutely breathtaking!

Not so much: I wish there had been more illustrations, even just little ones! The photos were so gorgeous I wanted more of them.

RECAP: DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF LORE! WORLD OF WARCRAFT! BATTLES! EMPIRES RISE AND FALL! ELVES AND HUMANS AND TITAN-FORGED! AZEROTH!

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an impressive tome covering the mythology, prehistory, and history of the Warcraft universe (with a solid focus on its most important setting, the world of Azeroth). The backstory of Warcraft has always been a rather tenuous and patchy tapestry made of multiple sources - the various video games (Warcraft I through III, followed by World of Warcraft) as well as several tie-in novels, anthologies, and graphical series. "Chronicle" is an attempt to basically bring all this information together into one place and tie it all together; creating a linear timeline and history for its fictional universe.

While this is done in a reference approach the narrative is clean and colorful, beginning with a background on the universe's fantasy cosmology and ending with the start of modern era of the story. All the high points are detailed clearly, all though not given the same breadth and scope as their companion material would (e.g. the War of the Ancients is explained in terms of its historical significance and a rough overview of events, but not to the same extensive details as the "War of the Ancients" trilogy of novels). Most important, at least to me, is an account of the universe's prehistory including the rise of the Titan Pantheon who serve as the Warcraft universe's creator demigods.

One element I feel needs to be covered, primarily for those with a strong interest in the Warcraft story, is the issue of the retcon." The term retcon generally means a development or change in a given story that forces the complete re-evaluation of previous information - in essence a retirement of previous continuity (which is where the term is derived). "Chronicle" does include a few smaller retcons, but mostly it is an expansion and refinement of existing story elements into a cohesive narrative. The expansion of scope, addition of detail, and creation of background is not itself a retcon.

Sorry for the professorial tone there, but as it is the book's most frequent criticism I felt it should be addressed. At the end of the day I consider "Chronicle" a great book, and a definite must-read for fans of the Warcraft universe.

[Trang Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

YASS Who thought World of Warcraft will save my day ?! LOL The stories are just so interesting. I've always loved The Blizzard Trailers for their stories and art. BUT THIS ONE OMG. <3 It's everything I've ever wanted!

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

There's something truly magical about Warcraft as a series. I think I can speak for many people when I say Azeroth often feels more like home than my actual home in real life. Experiencing this world on the daily basis and having so many fond memories of it, I do consider it a big part of my life at this point. As I read this book, I found myself going "ohhh, I get why that thing is there now!" or "I've seen that!" quite a few times, and it was great.

This book is the first volume of a lore series that summarizes the entire history of Warcraft. This volume in particular begins... well, at the very beginning. From the creation of Azeroth to the origins of the races we know and love, as well as the tremendously epic events that lead to the state of the world as we know it today.

As with any lorebook, I'd say there's no real point bothering with it unless you're legitimately passionate about World of Warcraft not just as a game, but as a universe. Just like someone probably wouldn't enjoy The Silmarillion unless they're a huge Tolkien enthusiast, I don't think this would be a particularly fun read for anyone who simply enjoys WoW in a more casual way without really thinking much about the backstory.

The only reason I'm not giving this a full five stars is because some parts of it were admittedly a bit too slow and dry even for me, and keep in mind this is coming from a major lore aficionado.

Excellent lore, gorgeous illustrations, and a must-have for anyone who would like to experience Warcraft's history in a perfectly chronological manner. I hope there will be a lot more volumes!

[Nikolay Nikolaev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Хроники World of Warcraft — собранные в хронологическом порядке истории из видеоигр, антологии рассказов и графических новелл.
Из первого тома хроник узнаём о макроистории и политике, внимание будет уделено только ключевым действиям и персонажам, повлиявших на глобальный ход событий. В этой части быстро пробегаем всю историю Азерота от сотворения вселенной и образования Пантеона до появления Медива. Не стоит ожидать детализированных описаний, глубоко прописанных персонажей, конфликтов и приключений, поэтому в попытке протолкнуть сюжет книга изобилует историями в формате: «Тёмные силы озлобили сердце героя, и тот предал свой народ», хотя для меня неожиданной стала история Локена, который испугался непонимания и неодобрения за свои дела, начал ошибаться и принимать неправильные решения, усугубляющие ситуацию.
Иллюстрации в хрониках красочные, но, как и синематиков, их хочется больше. Особенно их не хватает при перечислении рас и существ без малейшего описания.
К сожалению, книга далека от хорошего обособленного произведения, она очень сухая и поверхностная и не вовлечёт неподготовленного читателя в инфраструктуру Варкрафта, при этом я очень рекомендую её к прочтению тем, кто хочет больше узнать о лоре, и фанатам вселенной.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I have mixed thoughts on this one. As a fan of Warcraft I found aspects in this, and the history it shares, that I really enjoyed. On the other hand, it was very technical and extremely bland in context. If it wasn't for the fact that the subject interested me so much, there is no way I would have plowed through this. There was no personality behind this at all. Very, very dry.

This is not a book to read if you are just curious about Warcraft. No. This is for the fans. If I had not played the games, read a couple of the books, etc. I would be a bit lost. This is not a novel. this is a history book, set for a fantasy world. Mind you, a dull history book. Still the facts are interesting and the concepts did broaden the world created. As a fan, I was able to appreciate what it offers.

Now the artwork is another story! I wanted more than the few images provided! They are fantastic! It is one thing Blizzard never fails to deliver. They have some superb artists on their team!

I also recommend a print version of this book. The kindle ebook doesn't to the art and edging justice and if you read it on your PC it pulls that correctly, but the font is tiny! The print edition is just about right!


*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair, honest review.

[Ricardo Noronha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing! I entered the Warcraft Universe via Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. It is its lore that still keeps me playing World of Warcraft to this day. So I had high expectations when I started reading this book, so I was very happy to find out that not only were these expectations met but also this is everything I ever wanted to know more about Warcraft's history. The first chronicle goes from the start of the Universe up until Medivh reaches adulthood. It's my least favourite and least known part but it was still amazing to know how everything came to be. You can really see the amount of effort Blizzard and Dark Horse put into this, with the hard cover, the illustrations, the index, etc... Everything is chronologically organized and simple enough to pass from one part of the story to another without losing track of what's happening to Azeroth. I can't wait to read the other two chronicles!

[Vratislav Müller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chtělo by to to trochu víc artu, ale jinak to bylo skvělý ❤️

[Athena (OneReadingNurse) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the early history of the world!

I always had trouble putting a WoW timeline into my head and this is pretty clear and concise.

Also I love all the full page artwork and maps.

That said, it's like fictional nonfiction and a little dry in some places but overall, definitely recommend checking it out for an explanation of everything from the cosmos to the guardians

[Kristína · Rating 4 out of 5]

No na to, že ja a Warcraft sa vôbec nepoznáme a bližšie sa už asi ani nespoznáme, to nebolo také zlé. :D

[Irena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential for understanding the WoW lore. A wonderful read <3

[Maud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love playing WoW but as someone who joined the game relatively late (Mists of Pandaria) I just always felt a bit overwhelmed by the world and I never felt like I could really grasp it or understand its history. To help me with this, my boyfriend was kind enough to gift me this book (he might also have done this a bit for himself, as a massive WoW fan).

Reading this book definitely helped me to understand the world a bit better. The first chapter is all about the creation of this universe, which I can find at times to be a bit dull in other books, which was pretty interesting. After that we get to learn about the many gods and creatures that influence the world of Azeroth and the struggles the experience. In between these stories are the most amazing drawings which I could honestly look at for hours.

I really enjoyed this book though I don't think it will be my favourite in the series once I have read the others. I freaking love the Horde and Sylvanas so I can't wait to be introduced to them (and I obviously think and hope that that volume will be my favourite!).

I would recommend this book to people who are like me, and would like to get a better grasp of the world of Azeroth. I would also recommend this to the WoW fans who started playing way before me because it is such a gorgeous book with such lovely details that I think you can't even learn when you just play the game. Really a book for all kinds of WoW players and fans!

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1994, gamers were first introduced to the Warcraft universe with Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, a real-time strategy (RTS) game; however, it was on the tenth anniversary that World of Warcraft (also known as WoW) was released as a massive, multiplayer, online role-playing game (MMORPG). In the intervening years, several expansion sets have been released, with a sixth expansion announced last August and anticipated to drop later this autumn. As of late last year, a Forbes article reported that World of Warcraft had 5.5 million subscribers, a Guinness World Record achievement that marked World of Warcraft as the most popular MMORPG among subscribers. Spawning books, board games, trading cards, and comics over the past twenty years, the mythos of the Warcraft world set in Azeroth was in need of a definitive tome. Filling that gap is Dark Horse Books' World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume 1, which releases this week.


Epic is a word that could be used to described this first volume....Please read my entire review at Fanboy Comics: http://www.fanboycomics.net/index.php...

[Tomáš Kratochvíl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, it actually makes sense now! Can't believe Blizzard actually managed that after all those... not fitting piecies of a children puzzle. As the translator to Czech language I quite enjoyed the book while reading (and translating) it.

[Bokkjellden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeg begynte å spille World of Warcraft høsten 2008 da den andre utvidelsen, Wrath of the Lich King, var på vei til massene. Å bli hekta på et spill som fersk student var kanskje ikke det lureste jeg gjorde, men jeg ble skikkelig dratt inn i spillet og hele det fantastiske universet Blizzard har laget. 15 år og hele syv utvidelser etterpå spiller jeg fortsatt, dog ikke hekta lengre og ei heller spiller jeg så mye. Jeg ble fort engasjert i the lore – historien til hele Warcraft, og jeg har brukt en del tid på å google og lese om karakterer og hendelser siden jeg begynte å spille.

Jeg fikk denne boka for lenge siden, og det er veldig merkelig at jeg ikke har åpnet den før.

World of Warcraft Chronicle-serien gir leseren historien til Warcraft-universet. Det er hittil gitt ut tre bøker, og jeg har lest volume 1 nå i høst og vinter. Volume 1 er skrevet av Matt Burns, Robert Brooks og Chris Metzen. Metzen er vel den mest kjente her. Han har blant annet stemmen til den mektige orken Thrall. Boka er illustrert av Peter Lee og Joseph Lacroix. Bøkene skal gi oss dypere innblikk i historien til Azeroth og Draenor. De er skrevet for å regulere og oppklare uklarheter som har kommet siden Warcraft: Humans & Orc i 1994. Siden den tid er det gitt ut en haug med bøker, spill og grafiske romaner.

Denne boka gir deg et dypere og innblikk i hva som skjedde ved Azeroths begynnelse. Vi får bl.a. kosmologi, skapelsesfortellingen om hvordan titanene letet etter beboelige planeter i De store mørket, historiene om De gamle gudene, hvorfor landmassene på Azeroth ser ut som de gjør nå og videre til den første krigen mellom mennesker og orkene, og helt til den store trollmannen Medivh (illustrert på omslaget).

Denne serien kan vel sammenlignes litt med historiebøkene til George R.R. Martin, men bare at denne serien ikke er skrevet av en til tider upålitelig lærd person. Dette er nemlig ikke for alle og kan være tørr for de som ikke interesserer seg særlig for historiebøker eller Warcraft-historie.

Dette var fascinerende lesning. Historien er på episk skala med store kriger og enda større guder og karakterer. Herlig! Teksten virker ikke særlig tørr for meg og jeg fikk bare lyst til å logge på og besøke stedene som blir beskrevet. Husk å lese oppdragteksten! Illustrasjonene passer tekstene med tanke på det estetiske og episke, bare så synd det ikke er enda flere illustrasjoner.

Jeg må nok skaffe meg både volum 2 og 3.
Full pott!

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for those interested in the world of Azeroth and its history. It maps the lore from the very beginning up until the opening of the Dark Portal. It is very detailed, but sometimes confusing, especially when narrating history of civilizations and races that players don't generally get to meet in the games. On the other hand, it does a very good job at putting together the pieces of information that players get from quests, giving it chronological order and making sense of it.

I generally don't follow any lore articles or videos on youtube, so I was really happy that I got answers to some questions, i.e. what is the difference between protodrakes and dragons, what happened with the Titans, what is the origin of the curse of flesh and more. I had known some bits and pieces, but didn't know how to connect them. This book was very helpful with that and I can't wait to read other volumes.

The only disapointment was the Czech translation. It wasn't bad, but I do wish they chose to do some things differently.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've played World of Warcraft since the Wrath of the Lich King expansion and this is a fantastic review of the story. I've known bits of the history from playing it but it's hard to try to go back and quest through the story since so much has happened since I began. I'm ready to read on and get the remainder of the lore!!

[Emmanuel Manolidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much history and lore in WoW and it’s so easy to go through the game not knowing any of it. This first book gives a lot of background into the two most recent expansions, Legion and BFA, since it talks at length about the titans, burning legion, old gods, and the Zandalari Trolls. It does a decent job of covering the history of Azeroth from creation up until the dark portal. It does jump around a lot, since there is a ton going on (it is a whole planet after all), but the timestamps keep it together and easy to follow.

[Добромир Иванов · Rating 4 out of 5]

World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume 1 is really good book if you are already fan of the Warcraft universe. It answers a lot of questions on how the universe was created and who are the moving actors of the whole saga. It lays the foundations of what is to come.
I must admit that at some point there are a lot of "extra" information that is kind of boring, but i guess thats the cost of having a detailed introduction to the world.

[Mememiguelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué pasada de libro. Si el libro de historia de España fuera así hubiera sacado matrícula de honor. Menudo world building que han ido desarrollando con los años y está genial plasmado en este libro, que solo abarca los inicios del universo hasta Medivh. Además viene con unas ilustraciones que son una gozada y super bonitas. Si te encanta el WoW, no lo dudes y leete este libro pero ya!

[Morry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a lore nerd so, naturally, this was a very enlightening, exciting and entertaining read through.

I took a picture of every illustration (because they are so very beautiful).

Looking forward to starting Vol. 2

Also this is the first book I managed to read from start to finish in over 16 months... I am proud of me ❤️ slowly making it out of this horrendous reading slump :)

[Josip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary summary of events in world of Azeroth from creation up to the 1st game, accompanied by wonderful illustrations. Vast lore "compressed" in one (of 3) book, must read for all the fans of the Blizzard's masterpiece.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all World of Warcraft lore fans, the art are amazing and the history just ties up all the loose ends.
First book talks about the creation of pantheon and ended off with the last guardian of Azeroth: Medivh.

[Alen Andrić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Savršena knjiga ako želiš bolje upoznati warcraft priču.

[Steven Youngbauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first game I ever bought when I was 7 was Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. I've been a mega fan ever since and this book is incredible. Concise and gripping, this is a must read for any Warcraft fans.

[Jabes · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is how and this is where it all begin. Amazing story telling and I was hooked by this. Amanthul and Sargeras and many more stories. Ahhhh... Just read it and experience the story. Titans!

[Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ngắn gọn, súc tích nhưng không kém phần hấp dẫn

[Truly · Rating 4 out of 5]

information heavy, but written in a story-telling voice that made the lore feel alive

[Guilherme Noronha · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 um absurdo