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World of Warcraft #14
Illidan
Behind the legend stands a being hungry for justice and vengeance as the adventure, intrigue, and heroism of World of Warcraft, the global phenomenon, rise to a new level.
You are not prepared.
Illidan Stormrage is one of the most powerful beings ever to walk the lands of Azeroth. He is also one of the least understood. Behind his legend, beneath his enigmatic mission, lies a brilliant mind whose machinations are comprehended by few—and trusted by even fewer. Illidan’s righteous reign of justice and vengeance has begun.
Long ago, the night elf sorcerer Illidan infiltrated the demonic Burning Legion to ward off its invasion of Azeroth. Instead of hailing him as a hero, his own kind branded him the Betrayer, questioning his intentions after he appeared to aid the demon lords. For ten thousand years, he languished in prison—vilified, isolated, but never forgetting his purpose.
Now the Legion has returned, and there is only one champion who can truly stand against it. Released from his bonds, Illidan prepares for the final confrontation in the alien realm of Outland, gathering an army of grotesque fel orcs, serpentine naga, cunning blood elves, and twisted demon hunters to his side. He alone knows what deeply hidden motives guide his hand; he alone understands the price that must be paid to defeat the enemies of creation. Yet as before, he is assailed by those who see his schemes as a cynical quest for power, including the night elf Maiev Shadowsong, his former jailor. Warden Shadowsong and her Watchers have pursued the Betrayer to Outland to exact retribution for his crimes, and she will not rest until Illidan is in her custody . . . or in his grave.
You are not prepared.
Illidan Stormrage is one of the most powerful beings ever to walk the lands of Azeroth. He is also one of the least understood. Behind his legend, beneath his enigmatic mission, lies a brilliant mind whose machinations are comprehended by few—and trusted by even fewer. Illidan’s righteous reign of justice and vengeance has begun.
Long ago, the night elf sorcerer Illidan infiltrated the demonic Burning Legion to ward off its invasion of Azeroth. Instead of hailing him as a hero, his own kind branded him the Betrayer, questioning his intentions after he appeared to aid the demon lords. For ten thousand years, he languished in prison—vilified, isolated, but never forgetting his purpose.
Now the Legion has returned, and there is only one champion who can truly stand against it. Released from his bonds, Illidan prepares for the final confrontation in the alien realm of Outland, gathering an army of grotesque fel orcs, serpentine naga, cunning blood elves, and twisted demon hunters to his side. He alone knows what deeply hidden motives guide his hand; he alone understands the price that must be paid to defeat the enemies of creation. Yet as before, he is assailed by those who see his schemes as a cynical quest for power, including the night elf Maiev Shadowsong, his former jailor. Warden Shadowsong and her Watchers have pursued the Betrayer to Outland to exact retribution for his crimes, and she will not rest until Illidan is in her custody . . . or in his grave.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2016
550 people are currently reading
3645 people want to read
About the author
William King
350 books712 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews
October 20, 2017
"You are not prepared."
Illidan is the best Warcraft book published since Rise of the Horde. This one provides excellent background for Legion by describing all the events that took place in the background during Warcraft III and the Burning Crusade.
Illidan Stormrage is my favourite character in the Warcraft universe, no doubt about it. There is something extremely compelling about his betrayal-filled and dark existence as an elf living constantly in the grey areas between good and evil.
As a tie-in novel, more specifically a Warcraft one, it's obviously not high literature in any way. It should only be read by fans of the franchise invested in Illidan as a character or in the current storyline. But for those people, it will be an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
Illidan is the best Warcraft book published since Rise of the Horde. This one provides excellent background for Legion by describing all the events that took place in the background during Warcraft III and the Burning Crusade.
Illidan Stormrage is my favourite character in the Warcraft universe, no doubt about it. There is something extremely compelling about his betrayal-filled and dark existence as an elf living constantly in the grey areas between good and evil.
As a tie-in novel, more specifically a Warcraft one, it's obviously not high literature in any way. It should only be read by fans of the franchise invested in Illidan as a character or in the current storyline. But for those people, it will be an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
May 3, 2016
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/05/03/...
You have to hand it to Blizzard—when it comes to creating the coolest and most badass villains, they sure know their craft. Even those who are only peripherally aware of their wildly popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft should be familiar with Illidan Stormrage, also known as “The Betrayer”, but just in case a reminder is needed, we’re talking about this cheerful gentle-elf right here:
In a nutshell, Illidan is the story of how our eponymous character earned his epithet and his resulting release after 10,000 years of imprisonment, after which he then went on a tour of Outland, vowing to drive back the Burning Legion. But of course, his methods leave a lot to be desired, especially to those disturbed by Illidan’s recruitment of fel orcs, naga, blood elves, and other twisted undesirables to his cause. The self-proclaimed Lord of Outland even goes as far as to train his own elite army of Demon Hunters, putting aspirants through a number of grueling and barbaric tasks to weed out the best of the best. Illidan may be the only one who can stand against the Legion, but there’s also nothing to hold him back once he sets his eyes on a goal.
Of those who have never trusted Illidan and believe that letting him out of his lightless prison was the worst mistake the Night Elf leaders could ever make, Maiev Shadowsong is perhaps his greatest and most bitter detractor. Formerly his jailer, Maiev is utterly convinced that Illidan is orchestrating another power grab, so she starts amassing her own army of Broken and other denizens of Outland in order to put the Betrayer down once and for all.
Fans of World of Warcraft will probably recognize this description as the sequence of events leading up to and surrounding the game’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade (which, in my opinion, was the best WoW xpac). For a scatterbrained individual like myself though, who is frequently fuzzy on the lore and is forever forgetting a bunch of details behind the characters, timeline, and major happenings in the game because its world is just so damn big, these kinds of books are actually amazing in terms of providing a full and expressive narrative. That said, if you are new to the Warcraft universe, this might not the best place to start picking up the books. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a quick crash course on the history of Illidan and his army of Demon Hunters to get ready for the impending expansion Legion, then this is the perfect novel for you. Admittedly, the desire to know more about the story behind the upcoming new hero class was what spurred my own motivation to pick up this book. “You are not prepared”? Whatevs, I’m trying.
Illidan by William King pretty much does for the Betrayer what Arthas by Christie Golden did for the Lich King. Basically, we may already know the gist of the story, but the novelization gives us a deeper insight into the minds and deeds of WoW’s greatest big baddies. I got to know the character a lot more, and even when I didn’t agree with his warped ideals, at least I felt like I was given a reason to care and understand why he did the things he did. I also liked the portrayal of Maiev Shadowsong, whose hatred for Illidan is practically legendary. The fact is though, Maiev and Illidan may have more in common than she would like to admit. While it isn’t exactly a new idea, I thought this book did a really good job depicting their relationship by painting them as two sides of the same coin.
As far as I know, this is the author’s first novel in the Warcraft universe, and it was also my first experience with his writing. I was impressed, especially given that my expectations for media tie-in novels are higher these days. Even though I thought the prose was somewhat clunky at first, it smoothed out as the book progressed, and King also writes excellent fight scenes and gives those big battles the epicness they deserve. Illidan might actually be the best World of Warcraft book I’ve read in years, probably since The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, and I certainly enjoyed it more than a lot of the recent “character-focused” novels like Vol’jin: Shadows of the Horde, Wolfheart, or even the book about Illidan’s own twin, Stormrage.
In the end though, I suspect what will interest readers most about Illidan is the wealth of background information into the forthcoming Demon Hunter class. In this novel is a character arc about a Night Elf recruit named Vandel who is made to go through a horrifying and very brutal process to become a Demon Hunter. Are they giving us a glimpse into some of the content and quest lines we’ll be seeing in Legion, perhaps? There’s no doubt I’ll be rolling one, so I guess we shall all soon see.
You have to hand it to Blizzard—when it comes to creating the coolest and most badass villains, they sure know their craft. Even those who are only peripherally aware of their wildly popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft should be familiar with Illidan Stormrage, also known as “The Betrayer”, but just in case a reminder is needed, we’re talking about this cheerful gentle-elf right here:
In a nutshell, Illidan is the story of how our eponymous character earned his epithet and his resulting release after 10,000 years of imprisonment, after which he then went on a tour of Outland, vowing to drive back the Burning Legion. But of course, his methods leave a lot to be desired, especially to those disturbed by Illidan’s recruitment of fel orcs, naga, blood elves, and other twisted undesirables to his cause. The self-proclaimed Lord of Outland even goes as far as to train his own elite army of Demon Hunters, putting aspirants through a number of grueling and barbaric tasks to weed out the best of the best. Illidan may be the only one who can stand against the Legion, but there’s also nothing to hold him back once he sets his eyes on a goal.
Of those who have never trusted Illidan and believe that letting him out of his lightless prison was the worst mistake the Night Elf leaders could ever make, Maiev Shadowsong is perhaps his greatest and most bitter detractor. Formerly his jailer, Maiev is utterly convinced that Illidan is orchestrating another power grab, so she starts amassing her own army of Broken and other denizens of Outland in order to put the Betrayer down once and for all.
Fans of World of Warcraft will probably recognize this description as the sequence of events leading up to and surrounding the game’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade (which, in my opinion, was the best WoW xpac). For a scatterbrained individual like myself though, who is frequently fuzzy on the lore and is forever forgetting a bunch of details behind the characters, timeline, and major happenings in the game because its world is just so damn big, these kinds of books are actually amazing in terms of providing a full and expressive narrative. That said, if you are new to the Warcraft universe, this might not the best place to start picking up the books. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a quick crash course on the history of Illidan and his army of Demon Hunters to get ready for the impending expansion Legion, then this is the perfect novel for you. Admittedly, the desire to know more about the story behind the upcoming new hero class was what spurred my own motivation to pick up this book. “You are not prepared”? Whatevs, I’m trying.
Illidan by William King pretty much does for the Betrayer what Arthas by Christie Golden did for the Lich King. Basically, we may already know the gist of the story, but the novelization gives us a deeper insight into the minds and deeds of WoW’s greatest big baddies. I got to know the character a lot more, and even when I didn’t agree with his warped ideals, at least I felt like I was given a reason to care and understand why he did the things he did. I also liked the portrayal of Maiev Shadowsong, whose hatred for Illidan is practically legendary. The fact is though, Maiev and Illidan may have more in common than she would like to admit. While it isn’t exactly a new idea, I thought this book did a really good job depicting their relationship by painting them as two sides of the same coin.
As far as I know, this is the author’s first novel in the Warcraft universe, and it was also my first experience with his writing. I was impressed, especially given that my expectations for media tie-in novels are higher these days. Even though I thought the prose was somewhat clunky at first, it smoothed out as the book progressed, and King also writes excellent fight scenes and gives those big battles the epicness they deserve. Illidan might actually be the best World of Warcraft book I’ve read in years, probably since The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, and I certainly enjoyed it more than a lot of the recent “character-focused” novels like Vol’jin: Shadows of the Horde, Wolfheart, or even the book about Illidan’s own twin, Stormrage.
In the end though, I suspect what will interest readers most about Illidan is the wealth of background information into the forthcoming Demon Hunter class. In this novel is a character arc about a Night Elf recruit named Vandel who is made to go through a horrifying and very brutal process to become a Demon Hunter. Are they giving us a glimpse into some of the content and quest lines we’ll be seeing in Legion, perhaps? There’s no doubt I’ll be rolling one, so I guess we shall all soon see.
April 22, 2017
I expect to love this book since Illidan is one of my favorite WoW bosses/villains (I even named a cat after him). Parts of the story were good (like the process of becoming a demon hunter), but I found big chunks of it to be boring. The characters didn't have much depth to them. I guess I just expected more.
August 21, 2021
Questo libro è un insieme di cliché, mazzate, arroganza e tamarraggine, condito da personaggi superficiali che pensano solo ad uccidere e prendersi a botte. Ovviamente ci sono anche dei difetti, ma di poco conto🤪🤪🤪
July 25, 2016
I've been a fan of the World of Warcraft game for quite a while now, and inevitably my fandom led me to exploring the lore a bit more in depth. I got my start in the game during the Burning Crusade era, so reading this book was a bit like returning to my game origins, for it is the novelization of the events in Outland of that entire expansion. However, it is so much more than that. What this book does is ties the events that occur in Outland during the Burning Crusade era to the upcoming events in Legion, through a sub-plot involving the Night Elf Vandrel and his quest for vengeance against the Burning Legion.
What I found most interesting was the fact that no one actually took the time to sit down with Illidan and discover what his true motivations were. Basically, here he is, the one unique person that can describe the Legion's plans in detail and his own plans for defending Azeroth, and yet every person on the planet and in Outland hated his guts! He wasn't the Betrayer, he just was trying to defend his homeworld. It makes him the most misunderstood Villain in the game.
To me, this was well worth the read. Makes me really want to go back to Outland, quest through the zones, see the sights that were discussed in the book, then run the raids to see how this all wove together. I hope we see more of this lore to come!
What I found most interesting was the fact that no one actually took the time to sit down with Illidan and discover what his true motivations were. Basically, here he is, the one unique person that can describe the Legion's plans in detail and his own plans for defending Azeroth, and yet every person on the planet and in Outland hated his guts! He wasn't the Betrayer, he just was trying to defend his homeworld. It makes him the most misunderstood Villain in the game.
To me, this was well worth the read. Makes me really want to go back to Outland, quest through the zones, see the sights that were discussed in the book, then run the raids to see how this all wove together. I hope we see more of this lore to come!
February 26, 2016
"Imprisoned for ten thousand years. Banished from my own homeland. And now you dare enter my realm? "
Illidan is, simply put, one of the best-ever villains and I'm pretty sure all Warcraft fans out there would agree with me. To me he's one of the most emblematic characters Blizzard ever created. And now we get to experience the story, most of us already knew from the games, through his eyes. This book gives us an insight on his thoughts, plans and intentions.
"Betrayer... In truth, it was I who was betrayed. Still, I am hunted. Still, I am hated. Now, my blind eyes see what others cannot: that sometimes the hand of fate must be forced! Now go forth... unleash the tides of Doom... Upon all those...who would oppose us."
After being imprisoned for ten thousand years in a lightless dungeon, Illidan can barely remember the outside world. Califax and a contingent of night elves lead by Maiev Shadowsong keep constant guard over his cell. Nine steps, that's all he can make before reaching the other wall. But then comes an unexpected opportunity. Tyrande slays his guards and releases him. She hopes Illidan can help them fight the Scourge, that has returned to Azeroth once again. Lead by his love for Tyrande, feelings so strong that even milennia of imprisonment couldn't wash away, Illidan agrees to help. But he is not known for following orders, nor listening to someone else's ideas. Illidan has his own ways of fighting the Scourge. Ways that one might find disturbing, even treacherous.
"You are not prepared!"
Illidan: World of Warcraft is exactly what Blizzard would want out there to kindle our interest before the upcoming big events this year - the first Warcraft movie and the new World of Warcraft expansion centered around Illidan himself. William King did a great job turning an already famous story into something new and way more comprehensive. Most of the story happens from Illidan’s point of view, which is absolutely brilliant. Discovering his point of view on the events that took place in the game is something every fan looked for. The story, even though really fast-paced, develops smoothly. People who are not aware of what Warcraft is (do those even exist anyway?) might feel the world a bit confusing as William King doesn't really bother explaining much of it.
I loved the book. It brought memories of staying up all night and having great fun. The additional insight we get is, well, priceless. Ten minutes after finishing the novel I went straight to my Battle.NET account and pre-ordered the next expansion. Yeah, Illidan does things to you mind.
Hooray to Blizzard for giving us more Illidan.
You can find the Bulgarian version of this review here: http://pekazh.com/illidan-world-of-wa...
Illidan is, simply put, one of the best-ever villains and I'm pretty sure all Warcraft fans out there would agree with me. To me he's one of the most emblematic characters Blizzard ever created. And now we get to experience the story, most of us already knew from the games, through his eyes. This book gives us an insight on his thoughts, plans and intentions.
"Betrayer... In truth, it was I who was betrayed. Still, I am hunted. Still, I am hated. Now, my blind eyes see what others cannot: that sometimes the hand of fate must be forced! Now go forth... unleash the tides of Doom... Upon all those...who would oppose us."
After being imprisoned for ten thousand years in a lightless dungeon, Illidan can barely remember the outside world. Califax and a contingent of night elves lead by Maiev Shadowsong keep constant guard over his cell. Nine steps, that's all he can make before reaching the other wall. But then comes an unexpected opportunity. Tyrande slays his guards and releases him. She hopes Illidan can help them fight the Scourge, that has returned to Azeroth once again. Lead by his love for Tyrande, feelings so strong that even milennia of imprisonment couldn't wash away, Illidan agrees to help. But he is not known for following orders, nor listening to someone else's ideas. Illidan has his own ways of fighting the Scourge. Ways that one might find disturbing, even treacherous.
"You are not prepared!"
Illidan: World of Warcraft is exactly what Blizzard would want out there to kindle our interest before the upcoming big events this year - the first Warcraft movie and the new World of Warcraft expansion centered around Illidan himself. William King did a great job turning an already famous story into something new and way more comprehensive. Most of the story happens from Illidan’s point of view, which is absolutely brilliant. Discovering his point of view on the events that took place in the game is something every fan looked for. The story, even though really fast-paced, develops smoothly. People who are not aware of what Warcraft is (do those even exist anyway?) might feel the world a bit confusing as William King doesn't really bother explaining much of it.
I loved the book. It brought memories of staying up all night and having great fun. The additional insight we get is, well, priceless. Ten minutes after finishing the novel I went straight to my Battle.NET account and pre-ordered the next expansion. Yeah, Illidan does things to you mind.
Hooray to Blizzard for giving us more Illidan.
You can find the Bulgarian version of this review here: http://pekazh.com/illidan-world-of-wa...
March 9, 2018
WARNING: This contains spoilers. Read the book first if you care about that.
As a huge fan of the character Illidan from the Warcraft universe, I was excited to get my hands on this book and read it. Was it worth it? NO.
This book, to put it simply, has some of the worst pacing, POV switching, and direction I have ever seen in a novel published under a recognizable franchise. I get that it's based off a video game series, but this is no excuse for its lackluster style and numerous flaws.
Perhaps the most glaring problem with the book itself is the title. A book called Illidan should have some strong emphasis on its titular character, but he is not as strong a focus as you would think. A better title would be something like Before the Fall so we wouldn't be mislead into thinking that Illidan is the main POV and focus of the story. It's so misleading because a good chunk of the book actually takes place in the POV of this author's original character, a Demon Hunter named Vandel.
Vandel is, what I assume to be, an anchor for players to follow, especially those interested in Demon Hunter class lore. Some of the better written parts of the book are when Vandel changes into a Demon Hunter. King goes into some intense and gory details of the process which I appreciate. However, rather than use a preexisting Demon Hunter lore character like Altruis the Sufferer, Varedis Felsoul, or even Leotheras the Blind, we are instead meant to sympathize and focus on an OC that adds absolutely nothing to the original story presented in the games. Demon Hunters characters fans of the games WOULD recognize are simply name-dropped and not given the proper fleshing out that would be appropriate for this kind of novel. To add salt on the wound, King loves his OC so much that he ends the novel in Vandel's POV. VANDEL'S? Are you serious, Mr. King? This hilarious Gary Stu is so bad that King even ends the book with Vandel disappearing into the night. Vandel is so utterly useless in the grand scheme of things that he gets demoted to just being a scout in the plot that's continued in the game. When you hype a character this much only for them to be a throwaway in the main story canon, you know you've made a really bad character. I find it rather hilarious too that he has him face off with Maiev one-on-one, gets his skull cleaved by her blade, and still manage to live and walk away like it wasn't such a big deal. Did he leech off something to heal like a Demon Hunter in-game and in-lore would do? NOPE. Well done, Mr. King. You didn't reach Med'an levels of bad, but this is still pretty bad regardless.
Other characters in liege with Illidan are also pretty glossed over and not fleshed out. This includes his Blood Elf council. Hell, King cares so little about them that near the end of the book when Illidan is preparing the portal to Mardum, the pacing goes from them talking to Illidan to being dead by the next paragraph. There is no big battle or anything to show what the hell happened, only that they were slaughtered.
Now while I make it seem that King completely ruined the characters, this is actually not entirely the case. I was actually engrossed by the parts where Maiev and Akama conversed because it fleshed them out as characters, and these are interactions we do not see in the games. King also does a rather fair job at showing Illidan's inner weaknesses such as how he refuses to outwardly express vulnerability so that he can maintain a mask of strength to command his followers. This works with his character and does add to the overall character of Illidan fans of the series would already know.
Unfortunately, the awful pacing and POV switching really hampers the story. There are giant leaps in the time from one event to another, and in many cases King resorts to simply telling us what happened rather than showing the events unfold. This method of storytelling is so bad that I physically couldn't will myself to continue the book for weeks on end. I found roleplayers on the game's infamous Moon Guard server to be much more compelling storytellers. The poor pacing and POV switching are especially evident in the big final battle at the end of the book. He spends around ten pages on the Illidan battle but hardly anything on the other aspects of the fight. For example, one unfamiliar with the games would have no idea who the Aldors or Scryers are, and if someone gets into the games after reading the books, they will be surprised to see how much William King completely glossed over. Events of Warcraft III to the Burning Crusade SHOULD have been deeply fleshed out in Illidan's POV and expanded on, but alas, King missed this opportunity.
I haven't read any of William King's other works, but the style he uses in this book is really aggravating to read. King uses the pluperfect a LOT in his sentences, leading to a lot of missed instances where he could have resorted to active verbs instead to make the scenes much more compelling. He also tends to go into third person limited way too often RIGHT after a POV switch. This is especially evident near the end of the book with the battle of Maiev and Vandel. It's an action sequence–we don't need to know their thoughts after what just happened! It's just completely unnecessary and breaks the tension of the scene.
With all that said, is the book worth reading? If you're a fan of Illidan and Demon Hunters, then I would say it's worth checking out just to say you read it. Vandel's experiences prior to him becoming a Gary Stu and seemingly one of Illidan's favorites are really useful for crafting the background of a Demon Hunter roleplay character. Some of the parts King did expand on, like the whole siege of Nathreza, are also useless for people interested in the lore, and as mentioned previously, the exposure of Illidan's inner weaknesses helps to make him a more sympathetic antihero. However, I would say you can pretty much gain all this knowledge by simply reading up on the important details in the Wiki pages rather than slog through this mess of a book just to get the important bits. I really can't recommend it unless you're prepared for a book that missed a perfect opportunity to flesh out more aspects of the stories and characters the games already introduced to us. I will admit such a feat would likely have resulted in more than one volume, but I would have preferred that over this single volume disaster.
As a huge fan of the character Illidan from the Warcraft universe, I was excited to get my hands on this book and read it. Was it worth it? NO.
This book, to put it simply, has some of the worst pacing, POV switching, and direction I have ever seen in a novel published under a recognizable franchise. I get that it's based off a video game series, but this is no excuse for its lackluster style and numerous flaws.
Perhaps the most glaring problem with the book itself is the title. A book called Illidan should have some strong emphasis on its titular character, but he is not as strong a focus as you would think. A better title would be something like Before the Fall so we wouldn't be mislead into thinking that Illidan is the main POV and focus of the story. It's so misleading because a good chunk of the book actually takes place in the POV of this author's original character, a Demon Hunter named Vandel.
Vandel is, what I assume to be, an anchor for players to follow, especially those interested in Demon Hunter class lore. Some of the better written parts of the book are when Vandel changes into a Demon Hunter. King goes into some intense and gory details of the process which I appreciate. However, rather than use a preexisting Demon Hunter lore character like Altruis the Sufferer, Varedis Felsoul, or even Leotheras the Blind, we are instead meant to sympathize and focus on an OC that adds absolutely nothing to the original story presented in the games. Demon Hunters characters fans of the games WOULD recognize are simply name-dropped and not given the proper fleshing out that would be appropriate for this kind of novel. To add salt on the wound, King loves his OC so much that he ends the novel in Vandel's POV. VANDEL'S? Are you serious, Mr. King? This hilarious Gary Stu is so bad that King even ends the book with Vandel disappearing into the night. Vandel is so utterly useless in the grand scheme of things that he gets demoted to just being a scout in the plot that's continued in the game. When you hype a character this much only for them to be a throwaway in the main story canon, you know you've made a really bad character. I find it rather hilarious too that he has him face off with Maiev one-on-one, gets his skull cleaved by her blade, and still manage to live and walk away like it wasn't such a big deal. Did he leech off something to heal like a Demon Hunter in-game and in-lore would do? NOPE. Well done, Mr. King. You didn't reach Med'an levels of bad, but this is still pretty bad regardless.
Other characters in liege with Illidan are also pretty glossed over and not fleshed out. This includes his Blood Elf council. Hell, King cares so little about them that near the end of the book when Illidan is preparing the portal to Mardum, the pacing goes from them talking to Illidan to being dead by the next paragraph. There is no big battle or anything to show what the hell happened, only that they were slaughtered.
Now while I make it seem that King completely ruined the characters, this is actually not entirely the case. I was actually engrossed by the parts where Maiev and Akama conversed because it fleshed them out as characters, and these are interactions we do not see in the games. King also does a rather fair job at showing Illidan's inner weaknesses such as how he refuses to outwardly express vulnerability so that he can maintain a mask of strength to command his followers. This works with his character and does add to the overall character of Illidan fans of the series would already know.
Unfortunately, the awful pacing and POV switching really hampers the story. There are giant leaps in the time from one event to another, and in many cases King resorts to simply telling us what happened rather than showing the events unfold. This method of storytelling is so bad that I physically couldn't will myself to continue the book for weeks on end. I found roleplayers on the game's infamous Moon Guard server to be much more compelling storytellers. The poor pacing and POV switching are especially evident in the big final battle at the end of the book. He spends around ten pages on the Illidan battle but hardly anything on the other aspects of the fight. For example, one unfamiliar with the games would have no idea who the Aldors or Scryers are, and if someone gets into the games after reading the books, they will be surprised to see how much William King completely glossed over. Events of Warcraft III to the Burning Crusade SHOULD have been deeply fleshed out in Illidan's POV and expanded on, but alas, King missed this opportunity.
I haven't read any of William King's other works, but the style he uses in this book is really aggravating to read. King uses the pluperfect a LOT in his sentences, leading to a lot of missed instances where he could have resorted to active verbs instead to make the scenes much more compelling. He also tends to go into third person limited way too often RIGHT after a POV switch. This is especially evident near the end of the book with the battle of Maiev and Vandel. It's an action sequence–we don't need to know their thoughts after what just happened! It's just completely unnecessary and breaks the tension of the scene.
With all that said, is the book worth reading? If you're a fan of Illidan and Demon Hunters, then I would say it's worth checking out just to say you read it. Vandel's experiences prior to him becoming a Gary Stu and seemingly one of Illidan's favorites are really useful for crafting the background of a Demon Hunter roleplay character. Some of the parts King did expand on, like the whole siege of Nathreza, are also useless for people interested in the lore, and as mentioned previously, the exposure of Illidan's inner weaknesses helps to make him a more sympathetic antihero. However, I would say you can pretty much gain all this knowledge by simply reading up on the important details in the Wiki pages rather than slog through this mess of a book just to get the important bits. I really can't recommend it unless you're prepared for a book that missed a perfect opportunity to flesh out more aspects of the stories and characters the games already introduced to us. I will admit such a feat would likely have resulted in more than one volume, but I would have preferred that over this single volume disaster.
April 21, 2016
Това ревю съдържа само някои незначителни спойлери.
Уилиам Кинг е нов автор за Warcraft Вселената. Затова подходих към книгата с известен скептицизъм. Предишният път, когато беше представен нов автор - Майкъл Стакпол - Волджин - Сенките на Ордата, беше абсолютен провал. Уилиам Кинг обаче се е представил доста добре. Естествено, че има някои гафове - например в книгата добиваш впечатление, че елфският град Дарнасус винаги е съществувал (което не е така). Но Кинг като цяло е успял да опише добре характерите на всички основни герои с всичките им там нюанси - Илидан, Маиев, Акама. Въведен е и нов, непознат за играчите герой - ловецът на демони Вандел. Надявам се, че ще го видим в World of Warcraft : Legion.
Книгата е АБСОЛЮТНО ЗАДЪЛЖИТЕЛНА за ролплеъри. В нея ще разберете цялата история за това как възникват ловците на демони и защо те са толкова важни за предстоящия експанжън. Просто не виждам как тази история може да бъде разказана в играта. Не можете да я изиграете. Можете само да я прочетете и да си я представите. А повярвайте ми, историята на ловците на демони е много мрачна. Ловците на демони преминават през ужасяващ ритуал. Кинг определено се е постарал в описанието на този ритуал. Няма да излъжа ако кажа, че от всички публикувани досега романи за Warcraft вселената, този е най-мрачен от всички.
В романа "Илидан" няма добри и лоши герои. Светът на Warcraft е изключително несправедлив. Всички са гадняри. Илидан е обичан от много играчи на World of Warcraft защото неговата крайна цел като цяло е добра - да унищожи демоните от Пламтящия легион, но действа на принцип "целта оправдава средствата" и поради това почти никой не иска да работи с него. Действително той е стигнал много далече в борбата срещу Легиона. Много, много по-далече от всеки друг. Неговите Ловци на демони, които в новия експанжън ще се присъединят към Алианса и Ордата, са абсолютно ключови за окончателната победа. Без тях победа не е възможна. Книгата ще ви разкрие защо.
В последните глави е представено шокиращо видение за пътя, по който Илидан ще поеме в бъдеще. Няма да ви разкривам какво е то - ще трябва да прочетете книгата. Мога само да ви загатна, че е един от най-най-най радикалните обрати в Warcraft.
Книгата е встъпление към новия експанжън, но не е преход между Warlords of Draenor и Legion. Нито едно от действията не се развива в алтернативния Дренор от експанжъна Warlords of Draenor. Книгата е преход между Burning Crusade и Legion. Действието се развива в разрушения, стар, наш Дренор, който наричаме Аутленд. Няма да видите конфликт между Алианса и Ордата. Действието се развива по времето, когато двете фракции все още работиха заедно в името на общата цел да убиват гадове.
Някои неща, които ще разберете за Warcraft вселената след прочитането на книгата:
-Действително има много светове, простиращи се в различни измерения и в различни времеви линии. Легионът обаче наистина е един (както беше разказано още в Warlords of Draenor) и той желае унищожението на ВСИЧКИ светове и ВСИЧКИ времеви линии.
-Пламтящият легион не е окончателния враг в World of Warcraft - Близард ще ни мъчат с още много експанжъни занапред. Свети Лич Кинг да ни е на помощ. Е, няма да ви кажа кой е следващият велик враг след Легиона - ще трябва да прочетете книгата.
-Все още не можеш да схванеш кои са Наару-тата и какво желаят.
-"Счупените" Дренеи имат някакви шантави магически способности, които не знам откъде са ги добили. Не ми приличат на шаманизъм.
С една дума да напиша нещо като заключение? Епично!
С две думи: Заслужава си!
С три думи: Горещо препоръчвам книгата!
Уилиам Кинг е нов автор за Warcraft Вселената. Затова подходих към книгата с известен скептицизъм. Предишният път, когато беше представен нов автор - Майкъл Стакпол - Волджин - Сенките на Ордата, беше абсолютен провал. Уилиам Кинг обаче се е представил доста добре. Естествено, че има някои гафове - например в книгата добиваш впечатление, че елфският град Дарнасус винаги е съществувал (което не е така). Но Кинг като цяло е успял да опише добре характерите на всички основни герои с всичките им там нюанси - Илидан, Маиев, Акама. Въведен е и нов, непознат за играчите герой - ловецът на демони Вандел. Надявам се, че ще го видим в World of Warcraft : Legion.
Книгата е АБСОЛЮТНО ЗАДЪЛЖИТЕЛНА за ролплеъри. В нея ще разберете цялата история за това как възникват ловците на демони и защо те са толкова важни за предстоящия експанжън. Просто не виждам как тази история може да бъде разказана в играта. Не можете да я изиграете. Можете само да я прочетете и да си я представите. А повярвайте ми, историята на ловците на демони е много мрачна. Ловците на демони преминават през ужасяващ ритуал. Кинг определено се е постарал в описанието на този ритуал. Няма да излъжа ако кажа, че от всички публикувани досега романи за Warcraft вселената, този е най-мрачен от всички.
В романа "Илидан" няма добри и лоши герои. Светът на Warcraft е изключително несправедлив. Всички са гадняри. Илидан е обичан от много играчи на World of Warcraft защото неговата крайна цел като цяло е добра - да унищожи демоните от Пламтящия легион, но действа на принцип "целта оправдава средствата" и поради това почти никой не иска да работи с него. Действително той е стигнал много далече в борбата срещу Легиона. Много, много по-далече от всеки друг. Неговите Ловци на демони, които в новия експанжън ще се присъединят към Алианса и Ордата, са абсолютно ключови за окончателната победа. Без тях победа не е възможна. Книгата ще ви разкрие защо.
В последните глави е представено шокиращо видение за пътя, по който Илидан ще поеме в бъдеще. Няма да ви разкривам какво е то - ще трябва да прочетете книгата. Мога само да ви загатна, че е един от най-най-най радикалните обрати в Warcraft.
Книгата е встъпление към новия експанжън, но не е преход между Warlords of Draenor и Legion. Нито едно от действията не се развива в алтернативния Дренор от експанжъна Warlords of Draenor. Книгата е преход между Burning Crusade и Legion. Действието се развива в разрушения, стар, наш Дренор, който наричаме Аутленд. Няма да видите конфликт между Алианса и Ордата. Действието се развива по времето, когато двете фракции все още работиха заедно в името на общата цел да убиват гадове.
Някои неща, които ще разберете за Warcraft вселената след прочитането на книгата:
-Действително има много светове, простиращи се в различни измерения и в различни времеви линии. Легионът обаче наистина е един (както беше разказано още в Warlords of Draenor) и той желае унищожението на ВСИЧКИ светове и ВСИЧКИ времеви линии.
-Пламтящият легион не е окончателния враг в World of Warcraft - Близард ще ни мъчат с още много експанжъни занапред. Свети Лич Кинг да ни е на помощ. Е, няма да ви кажа кой е следващият велик враг след Легиона - ще трябва да прочетете книгата.
-Все още не можеш да схванеш кои са Наару-тата и какво желаят.
-"Счупените" Дренеи имат някакви шантави магически способности, които не знам откъде са ги добили. Не ми приличат на шаманизъм.
С една дума да напиша нещо като заключение? Епично!
С две думи: Заслужава си!
С три думи: Горещо препоръчвам книгата!
July 1, 2016
Books based on video games can be a hit or miss proposition, more often than not trending towards miss. Gladly this is not the case with Illidan. The author, Mr. King, is a veteran of writing Warhammer 40K stories and this experience serves him well in this book.
Illidan is one of the most powerful sorcerers to have ever existed. On his homeworld of Azeroth, he decides to oppose the invasion of the demonic forces of the Burning Legion by infiltrating them. This earns his the implacable hatred of his peoples and he becomes known as Betrayer. But, Illidan's plan works and the Burning Legion is turned back in its invasion of Azeroth, but the Betrayer is imprisoned for millennia.
But, the threat of the Burning Legion is not over. Thus, freed from his prison-Illidan goes to the world of Outland and begins his quest to become something more than just a mortal sorcerer. As he ingests demonic blood he is transformed into a powerful demon lord himself. Sadly, he does not explain his actions and many are the people who distrust him. As he recruits more followers, he uses the demonic ritual to create an elite band of warriors known as Demon Hunters. With these soldiers he plans to invade the demon homeworld and destroy it once and for all. Meanwhile, Maiev Shadowsong is determined to bring him to justice for his actions of Azeroth.
What follows is a tale of dark magic, betrayal and all out war. A multitude of forces ranging from elves to human to orcs band together to fight the nearly limitless forces of the Burning Legion. This story is filled with some great characters from Illidan himself to the Demon Lords like Magtheridon and Kil'jaeden. The alliance of forces also have their interesting characters from Maiev to Akama. The author is able to show the undercurrent of distrust and sometimes outright hatred that fuels this epic tale.
So why a 4 and not a 5? The story assumes some working knowledge of the world of Warcraft. But, the author doesn't give the casual reader much in the way of information. Perhaps a brief summary or even a dramatis personae would have helped. I was sometimes wondering who was whom and why they hated each other. Still, all things considered this was an entertaining tale and well told. If you are a fan of the Warcraft world then this is a must read for you. If you are unfamiliar, or like myself vaguely familiar- then this is still a good story, but there are parts that could have been fleshed out more. Nonetheless, Mr. King has written a great fantasy tale filled with powerful heroes who are morally ambiguous (there seem to be no true good guys per se) and the Demon lords who epitomize evil.
Illidan is one of the most powerful sorcerers to have ever existed. On his homeworld of Azeroth, he decides to oppose the invasion of the demonic forces of the Burning Legion by infiltrating them. This earns his the implacable hatred of his peoples and he becomes known as Betrayer. But, Illidan's plan works and the Burning Legion is turned back in its invasion of Azeroth, but the Betrayer is imprisoned for millennia.
But, the threat of the Burning Legion is not over. Thus, freed from his prison-Illidan goes to the world of Outland and begins his quest to become something more than just a mortal sorcerer. As he ingests demonic blood he is transformed into a powerful demon lord himself. Sadly, he does not explain his actions and many are the people who distrust him. As he recruits more followers, he uses the demonic ritual to create an elite band of warriors known as Demon Hunters. With these soldiers he plans to invade the demon homeworld and destroy it once and for all. Meanwhile, Maiev Shadowsong is determined to bring him to justice for his actions of Azeroth.
What follows is a tale of dark magic, betrayal and all out war. A multitude of forces ranging from elves to human to orcs band together to fight the nearly limitless forces of the Burning Legion. This story is filled with some great characters from Illidan himself to the Demon Lords like Magtheridon and Kil'jaeden. The alliance of forces also have their interesting characters from Maiev to Akama. The author is able to show the undercurrent of distrust and sometimes outright hatred that fuels this epic tale.
So why a 4 and not a 5? The story assumes some working knowledge of the world of Warcraft. But, the author doesn't give the casual reader much in the way of information. Perhaps a brief summary or even a dramatis personae would have helped. I was sometimes wondering who was whom and why they hated each other. Still, all things considered this was an entertaining tale and well told. If you are a fan of the Warcraft world then this is a must read for you. If you are unfamiliar, or like myself vaguely familiar- then this is still a good story, but there are parts that could have been fleshed out more. Nonetheless, Mr. King has written a great fantasy tale filled with powerful heroes who are morally ambiguous (there seem to be no true good guys per se) and the Demon lords who epitomize evil.
April 16, 2016
For ten thousand years, he languished in prison—vilified, isolated, but never forgetting...
Demons. Sorcerers. Betrayals. Oh yes, this is so me.
I don't read many Warcraft novels; preferring to immerse myself in the game instead BUT there's something about Illidan... Ever since those infamous words had me quaking in my boots:
YOU ARE NOT PREPARED*.
Goodness, this was an amazing read.
Illidan was a night elf sorcerer—the finest the night elves ever produced. To save his people, he infiltrated the demons—(how better to know your enemy than become the enemy?) but despite his sacrifice, the night elves called him Betrayer, and imprisoned him for 10,000 years. That's a long time to dwell on anger and hate. In the space of his tiny prison cell—nine steps wide—he's fumed for those long years, until the elf he once loved frees him.
He hates his people, but luckily for them, he hates demons more.
The only person who could equal the hate, is perhaps Maive Shadowsong, his jailor of 10,000 years who's bent on seeing Illidan imprisoned once more. And she'll stop at nothing to get her revenge.
This is so much more than a story about sacrifice; it's a story about revenge, about perception, and the fact there's always another side. Illidan knows he'll be branded a Betrayer again. He'll go to any lengths (including infecting other night elves with demons) to win this war. Just as Maive will sacrifice the lives of her faithful followers to see Illidan brought to her 'justice'.
Both are right, and wrong—both blinded by vengeance.
It's brilliant storytelling that anyone can enjoy (not just fans of the games).
I sincerely hope this isn't the last we've seen of Illidan.
(Note: If you've never heard of Illidan, or you have no clue what WoW (World of Warcraft) is: check out this trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBHL_... You're welcome.)
*Best opening sequence ever!
**Except maybe Wrath of the Lich King
Demons. Sorcerers. Betrayals. Oh yes, this is so me.
I don't read many Warcraft novels; preferring to immerse myself in the game instead BUT there's something about Illidan... Ever since those infamous words had me quaking in my boots:
YOU ARE NOT PREPARED*.
Goodness, this was an amazing read.
Illidan was a night elf sorcerer—the finest the night elves ever produced. To save his people, he infiltrated the demons—(how better to know your enemy than become the enemy?) but despite his sacrifice, the night elves called him Betrayer, and imprisoned him for 10,000 years. That's a long time to dwell on anger and hate. In the space of his tiny prison cell—nine steps wide—he's fumed for those long years, until the elf he once loved frees him.
"My people need me? My people left me to rot!" His throat constricted with rage, choking off more words. The demons had returned, as he had always known they would, and his people wanted his aid. Molten anger blazed through him, creating a great void in its wake, and more power closed in to fill the emptiness.
He hates his people, but luckily for them, he hates demons more.
The only person who could equal the hate, is perhaps Maive Shadowsong, his jailor of 10,000 years who's bent on seeing Illidan imprisoned once more. And she'll stop at nothing to get her revenge.
This is so much more than a story about sacrifice; it's a story about revenge, about perception, and the fact there's always another side. Illidan knows he'll be branded a Betrayer again. He'll go to any lengths (including infecting other night elves with demons) to win this war. Just as Maive will sacrifice the lives of her faithful followers to see Illidan brought to her 'justice'.
Both are right, and wrong—both blinded by vengeance.
It's brilliant storytelling that anyone can enjoy (not just fans of the games).
I sincerely hope this isn't the last we've seen of Illidan.
(Note: If you've never heard of Illidan, or you have no clue what WoW (World of Warcraft) is: check out this trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBHL_... You're welcome.)
*Best opening sequence ever!
**Except maybe Wrath of the Lich King
August 12, 2016
The book basically recaps, fleshes out, and retcons the Illidan-related events of WoW: Burning Crusade and mentions events to a small extent of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne, and from 10000 years ago.
It puts quite a fair bit of flesh on those bones, most importantly, it explains how the demon hunters were created, and gives a glimpse into what the Burning Legion is, what Illidan's plans are.
I had a really hard time when the pages shifted into Maiev's perspective, as she is a pretty one-dimensional, bigoted, blind and biased ragekid character. All her thoughts revolve around killing or capturing Illidan, no matter the consequences. Illidan dramatically tells her with his dying breath that without the prey the hunter is nothing. Yes. Without Illidan Maiev is nothing. I hope she will get some character in the expansion pack.
Other major characters aren't much better either:
Akama is a blind religious fanatic.
Illidan is completely incapable of diplomacy or communication. His "You are not prepared" is overused like a cheesy comic book catchphrase.
Arguably one of the book's coolest characters, the demon hunter protagonist, Vandel is a bit one-dimensional as well.
This story could have been written much better. It could have given the characters justice and more depth.
Maybe the most important thing about the story is the one-page long revelation that the Burning Legion is not the final foe, the biggest bad of the Warcraft Universe, but something called the Void. Which is probably the opposite of the Light. An elder naaru gives Illidan a vision of the future where he is the redeemed champion of the Light, and leads the fight against the Void, wielding a pair of Light-imbued warglaives and people looking up to him in respect and whatnot.
I haven't played the beta, but WoWHead and wiki articles suggest that the book's original characters will not be incorporated into the expansion pack's story. If that's the case I will revisit my rating and change it to a 2. But for now, I'm going with a 3.
It puts quite a fair bit of flesh on those bones, most importantly, it explains how the demon hunters were created, and gives a glimpse into what the Burning Legion is, what Illidan's plans are.
I had a really hard time when the pages shifted into Maiev's perspective, as she is a pretty one-dimensional, bigoted, blind and biased ragekid character. All her thoughts revolve around killing or capturing Illidan, no matter the consequences. Illidan dramatically tells her with his dying breath that without the prey the hunter is nothing. Yes. Without Illidan Maiev is nothing. I hope she will get some character in the expansion pack.
Other major characters aren't much better either:
Akama is a blind religious fanatic.
Illidan is completely incapable of diplomacy or communication. His "You are not prepared" is overused like a cheesy comic book catchphrase.
Arguably one of the book's coolest characters, the demon hunter protagonist, Vandel is a bit one-dimensional as well.
This story could have been written much better. It could have given the characters justice and more depth.
Maybe the most important thing about the story is the one-page long revelation that the Burning Legion is not the final foe, the biggest bad of the Warcraft Universe, but something called the Void. Which is probably the opposite of the Light. An elder naaru gives Illidan a vision of the future where he is the redeemed champion of the Light, and leads the fight against the Void, wielding a pair of Light-imbued warglaives and people looking up to him in respect and whatnot.
I haven't played the beta, but WoWHead and wiki articles suggest that the book's original characters will not be incorporated into the expansion pack's story. If that's the case I will revisit my rating and change it to a 2. But for now, I'm going with a 3.
January 10, 2019
I have been playing World of Warcraft (WoW) since it first came out way back in 2004/5 and love it just as much today as I did back then (mainly because I get to go on fabulous virtual adventures with my WoW/reading/real life bestie. So this poor bestie has had to listen to me go on and on and on about my virtual girl crush on Illidan for a while now and how I stalk him in Argus because he is just beautiful :-P. So when we saw this book in the shop we got each other a copy and decided to do a buddy read.
Even though I play WoW and love the really rich lore that the game is based on, I have never read one of the books so it really took me a while to get into this. I struggled a little with the writing - which I felt was quite flat and because Maiev was just so damn unlikable so I found her POV chapters very bland. However, by the end of the book I was so on board and engrossed in the story/lore, that I didn't really notice the writing anymore (and Maiev getting imprisoned certainly helped improve my reading).
For those who know the world, this book is set at the start of the first XP (when Illidan is in the black temple) and creating his demon hunter army. It, for me at least, really helped me get my head around legion (as the book was set up for the legion XP), but also the world of Outlands. Now I have a really strong need to go back to Outlands and do all those dungeons again just to continue the saga and at long last create a demon hunter char :-). There were lots of things I never picked up in game that the book really helped me get my head around - so I think I will see the Outlands world very different now when I re-visit it.
I will definitely pick up more of these books - but these books are ONLY for those familiar with the game/lore. If you aren't, then this book would make ZERO sense to you :-)
Even though I play WoW and love the really rich lore that the game is based on, I have never read one of the books so it really took me a while to get into this. I struggled a little with the writing - which I felt was quite flat and because Maiev was just so damn unlikable so I found her POV chapters very bland. However, by the end of the book I was so on board and engrossed in the story/lore, that I didn't really notice the writing anymore (and Maiev getting imprisoned certainly helped improve my reading).
For those who know the world, this book is set at the start of the first XP (when Illidan is in the black temple) and creating his demon hunter army. It, for me at least, really helped me get my head around legion (as the book was set up for the legion XP), but also the world of Outlands. Now I have a really strong need to go back to Outlands and do all those dungeons again just to continue the saga and at long last create a demon hunter char :-). There were lots of things I never picked up in game that the book really helped me get my head around - so I think I will see the Outlands world very different now when I re-visit it.
I will definitely pick up more of these books - but these books are ONLY for those familiar with the game/lore. If you aren't, then this book would make ZERO sense to you :-)
February 21, 2017
The Burning Crusade will forever be my favourite WoW expansion, so this book gave me so much pleasure. Almost entire book took action in Outland. I knew every single location that was mentioned. I think that for that reason only this is so far my favourite WoW related book. But if you strip away all of this and focus on plot and characters it turns out that this book is simply boring. Plot is super chaotic, Illidan and Maiev for being 10 thousand years old creatures are suprisingly dumb. So, all I can say is this - if you are a World of Warcraft fan and especially if you know Outland well - read this. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did. But if you are not familiar with this world, feel free to skip this one. There are lots of much, much better books out there.
As a side note: If you are going to read this book, a recommend reading War of the Ancients trilogy (The Well of Eternity is the first one). You will know Illidan much better, for example why he was imprisoned in the first place (plus doing quest in Mount Hyjal is 1000 times more fun when you know the entire history behind this place)
As a side note: If you are going to read this book, a recommend reading War of the Ancients trilogy (The Well of Eternity is the first one). You will know Illidan much better, for example why he was imprisoned in the first place (plus doing quest in Mount Hyjal is 1000 times more fun when you know the entire history behind this place)
November 22, 2016
Without reservation, with his huge flaws, Illidan is the greatest hero in the Warcraft universe. We get to see his journey start from being a talented young elf who struggles to find his place in night-elf society. This period isn't well fleshed out, so you might want to read more about it in the War of the Ancients and/or on YouTube.
A number of things has strongly affected Illidan. Firstly, the rejection of his love, Tyrande. She seems to be the last thing he ever had feelings of love and compassion for. Those feelings have never surfaced elsewhere in his life since. Secondly, his encounter with Sargeras, who showed him what The Burning Legion was about. I think it's fair to say that Sargeras solved his confusion and lack of purpose in life. He became a 'demon hunter' the moment he understood what the burning legion was.
A number of things has strongly affected Illidan. Firstly, the rejection of his love, Tyrande. She seems to be the last thing he ever had feelings of love and compassion for. Those feelings have never surfaced elsewhere in his life since. Secondly, his encounter with Sargeras, who showed him what The Burning Legion was about. I think it's fair to say that Sargeras solved his confusion and lack of purpose in life. He became a 'demon hunter' the moment he understood what the burning legion was.
May 6, 2016
YOU ARE NOT PREPARED
Nice read while I'm/we're eagerly awaiting WoW: Legion. What I've liked in the book is the fact that the author didn't try to idolize Illidan, but present him the way he is - sort of a grey type of hero with all his virtues and flaws.
We also get to experience what it means to become a demon hunter and what's that drives them in their quest for vengeance.
Can't wait to see what happens with him in the upcoming expansion!
Nice read while I'm/we're eagerly awaiting WoW: Legion. What I've liked in the book is the fact that the author didn't try to idolize Illidan, but present him the way he is - sort of a grey type of hero with all his virtues and flaws.
We also get to experience what it means to become a demon hunter and what's that drives them in their quest for vengeance.
Can't wait to see what happens with him in the upcoming expansion!
December 12, 2016
Con grande difficoltà ho dovuto leggerlo TwT, ma alla fine merita tutte le cinque stelle , ho conosciuto un personaggio di un gioco davvero stupendo , che ancor oggi è favoloso.
December 1, 2020
Quando giochi a WoW da una vita è ovvio che il tuo approccio a questa serie non possa essere imparziale: in un modo o nell'altro la divoreresti comunque, anche solo per il piacere di rivivere gli eventi e le avventure di quel mondo, quindi dichiaro fin dall'inizio che sarò di parte.
Illidan, poi, per quel che mi riguarda fa storia a sé! Da sempre è stato il mio personaggio preferito, verso il quale ho nutrito un'insana attrazione. Perché lui è il cattivo-non-cattivo per eccellenza, quel personaggio che riesce a essere talmente grande da superare i concetti di bene e male: un principe machiavellico di un mondo demoniaco, insomma, terribile e affascinante.
Diciamolo subito: in questo libro non ho trovato il coinvolgimento provato durante la lettura della trilogia della Guerra degli Antichi. Quei volumi rimangono per me di spessore superiore. Illidan soffre, a mio parere, dell'ammodernamento subito in generale da tutto il mondo di Warcraft: un passo narrativo più sbrigativo, linguaggio più semplice e piano, minore approfondimento psicologico dei personaggi e tanta, tanta azione. Per carità, per molti tutti questi elementi saranno pure delle qualità, ma io preferivo di più l'old style. Anche perché è stata proprio l'attenzione alla psicologia dei personaggi che, nella Guerra degli Antichi, mi ha fatto innamorare di Illidan.
Tuttavia, proprio per questo, Illidan andava letto. Per devozione, diciamo. E nonostante quelle caratteristiche elencate sopra, che hanno prodotto in me una lettura più fredda e senza troppe passioni. La potenza evocativa del personaggio e la sua profonda contraddittorietà, alla fine, sono quelle che fanno il libro:
"Traditore. Ecco come lo chiamavano. Ecco come sarebbe stato ricordato. Se avessero avuto la fortuna di sopravvivere e ricordare qualcosa, sarebbe stato perché lui li aveva salvati, e loro non l'avrebbero mai saputo. Quel pensiero gli diede un momento di tetro piacere.
Raddrizzò le spalle, fletté le ali e uscì a grandi passi dalla sala senza guardarsi indietro."
Subito prima della Caduta, comunque, una scena è riuscita davvero a toccarmi il cuore. Da fan sfegatata di Illidan non potevo non commuovermi. E niente, io ho solo sorriso e ho avuto un unico pensiero: "Adesso posso finire il libro in pace... qualsiasi cosa accada da adesso in poi non importa".
PS: purtroppo continuo a non sopportare la traduzione in italiano dei nomi dei personaggi e dei luoghi... ogni volta devo fare uno sforzo per capire di chi o cosa stanno parlando... perché tradurli? perché?
Illidan, poi, per quel che mi riguarda fa storia a sé! Da sempre è stato il mio personaggio preferito, verso il quale ho nutrito un'insana attrazione. Perché lui è il cattivo-non-cattivo per eccellenza, quel personaggio che riesce a essere talmente grande da superare i concetti di bene e male: un principe machiavellico di un mondo demoniaco, insomma, terribile e affascinante.
Diciamolo subito: in questo libro non ho trovato il coinvolgimento provato durante la lettura della trilogia della Guerra degli Antichi. Quei volumi rimangono per me di spessore superiore. Illidan soffre, a mio parere, dell'ammodernamento subito in generale da tutto il mondo di Warcraft: un passo narrativo più sbrigativo, linguaggio più semplice e piano, minore approfondimento psicologico dei personaggi e tanta, tanta azione. Per carità, per molti tutti questi elementi saranno pure delle qualità, ma io preferivo di più l'old style. Anche perché è stata proprio l'attenzione alla psicologia dei personaggi che, nella Guerra degli Antichi, mi ha fatto innamorare di Illidan.
Tuttavia, proprio per questo, Illidan andava letto. Per devozione, diciamo. E nonostante quelle caratteristiche elencate sopra, che hanno prodotto in me una lettura più fredda e senza troppe passioni. La potenza evocativa del personaggio e la sua profonda contraddittorietà, alla fine, sono quelle che fanno il libro:
"Traditore. Ecco come lo chiamavano. Ecco come sarebbe stato ricordato. Se avessero avuto la fortuna di sopravvivere e ricordare qualcosa, sarebbe stato perché lui li aveva salvati, e loro non l'avrebbero mai saputo. Quel pensiero gli diede un momento di tetro piacere.
Raddrizzò le spalle, fletté le ali e uscì a grandi passi dalla sala senza guardarsi indietro."
Subito prima della Caduta, comunque, una scena è riuscita davvero a toccarmi il cuore. Da fan sfegatata di Illidan non potevo non commuovermi. E niente, io ho solo sorriso e ho avuto un unico pensiero: "Adesso posso finire il libro in pace... qualsiasi cosa accada da adesso in poi non importa".
PS: purtroppo continuo a non sopportare la traduzione in italiano dei nomi dei personaggi e dei luoghi... ogni volta devo fare uno sforzo per capire di chi o cosa stanno parlando... perché tradurli? perché?
July 2, 2018
I hammered through this one in about two days. Can't say that I liked it as much as the other Warcraft books, but it was alright. The story filled in some blanks that the game left behind, and Illidan's internal struggle to do what he thought was right was interesting to experience from his perspective.
March 27, 2024
Kocham Wowa zacznę od tego. Mimo, że pisarstwo nie było na wysokim poziomie. To magia Wowa zawsze mnie wciąga nawet nie wiem dlaczego. Po prostu przyciąga mnie ten świat.
July 3, 2024
(3.7) does a great job of making Illidan’s POV sympathetic…
May 4, 2022
This was decent lore for World of Warcraft, and the rise and fall of Illidan is intriguing, as was the development of the new race/class Demon Hunters. However, this book needed editing, so many sections were repetitive about how awful the Burning Legion was, or how Maiev was uniliterally dedicated to hunting down Illidan. Otherwise a cool read.
September 21, 2016
With this novel being released some weeks before Legion, I kinda expected it to be a story about what happened to Illidan Stormrage after his fall at Black Temple. Turned out it's exactly the opposite. It starts with a prologue of when Illidan has been freed from his prison by Tyrande Whisperwind, continues with the years of Illidan's preparation to strike against The Burning Legion and ends with the events of The Burning Crusade and Illidan's ultimate fall at Black Temple.
So you think you already know Illidan's story? Well, this novel is still worth reading.
Illidan isn't the only person who we gain insight into. In fact, the first half of the book is mostly written from the view of both Maiev Shadowsong and Akama and their thirst to bring Illidan down. Besides Illidan, Maiev and Akama, there's also a fourth character introduced: a nightelf named Vandel who seeks out Illidan and becomes one of his most trusted demon hunters.
I enjoyed all of these different perspectives, it made the novel much more interesting as it wasn't exactly focused on Illidan only. I actually enjoyed Vandel's parts the most, not only because he's a character that never appeared in the game but also because he gave a deep insight into the demon hunters themselves; a topic we got far too less information from the game (at least before Legion).
While this novel didn't capture my attention quite as much as other World of Warcraft novels I've read before, it was still a very good read. If you do not already love Illidan, you definitely have to love him after you read this book. His actual good side has never been shown so well before.
So you think you already know Illidan's story? Well, this novel is still worth reading.
Illidan isn't the only person who we gain insight into. In fact, the first half of the book is mostly written from the view of both Maiev Shadowsong and Akama and their thirst to bring Illidan down. Besides Illidan, Maiev and Akama, there's also a fourth character introduced: a nightelf named Vandel who seeks out Illidan and becomes one of his most trusted demon hunters.
I enjoyed all of these different perspectives, it made the novel much more interesting as it wasn't exactly focused on Illidan only. I actually enjoyed Vandel's parts the most, not only because he's a character that never appeared in the game but also because he gave a deep insight into the demon hunters themselves; a topic we got far too less information from the game (at least before Legion).
While this novel didn't capture my attention quite as much as other World of Warcraft novels I've read before, it was still a very good read. If you do not already love Illidan, you definitely have to love him after you read this book. His actual good side has never been shown so well before.
May 23, 2016
Was going to travel out of country and in luck found myself with some reading material, the book mostly details what Illidan felt and what he did behind the scenes and whenever he was off screen in the popular Warcraft franchise from when he was freed from his imprisonment all the way up to his fall in Outland at the hands of two dozen strangers accompanied by Maiev.
The book is a fairly easy read, you can probably read it all in but a couple of hours given time (such as a long bus ride and waiting at airports). The book also follows what Maiev did whilst she was hunting Illidan in Outland, so we go into her inner thoughts and her actions when she attempted to find allies in the alien land in her hunt. In addition to both Illidan and Maiev we also follow the story of Vandel, a night elf who lost it all and has lost himself to his burning hatred towards the Demons. Which in turn gives us a lot of insight just what it entails to be a Demon hunter and their bizarre rituals and combat doctrine.
All in all I would recommend this book to any who is a big fan of the Warcraft franchise. I would not however recommend it without having any previous knowledge of the franchise as previous plot events serves as a reference for nearly everything mentioned within the book.
The book is a fairly easy read, you can probably read it all in but a couple of hours given time (such as a long bus ride and waiting at airports). The book also follows what Maiev did whilst she was hunting Illidan in Outland, so we go into her inner thoughts and her actions when she attempted to find allies in the alien land in her hunt. In addition to both Illidan and Maiev we also follow the story of Vandel, a night elf who lost it all and has lost himself to his burning hatred towards the Demons. Which in turn gives us a lot of insight just what it entails to be a Demon hunter and their bizarre rituals and combat doctrine.
All in all I would recommend this book to any who is a big fan of the Warcraft franchise. I would not however recommend it without having any previous knowledge of the franchise as previous plot events serves as a reference for nearly everything mentioned within the book.
April 25, 2018
Right in the feels
As a World of Warcraft player who started shortly before the release of The Burning Crusade, this book struck a very nostalgic chord in me from good times with good friends. Without going into spoilers, the book often mentions places and people from the expansion, including events that happened. When the fall of Lady Vashj and her Serpentshrine Cavern or Kael'thas and Tempest Keep are mentioned, I smiled. I was there.
The Black Temple quest chain is mentioned. He even describes the progress of a group of "Azerothian Adventurers" as they make their way through the temple and battle Illidan. I was there too! The details in the book show the amount of research that went into its creation.
The characters are very well written and believable. They fit as portrayed in the game. The story of the demon hunters and the truth of Illidan Stormrage was well told. I had a hard time putting this book down.
I hope William King writes more Warcraft books. For Warcraft fans, this is a must read that goes right on the shelf with the War of the Ancients trilogy.
As a World of Warcraft player who started shortly before the release of The Burning Crusade, this book struck a very nostalgic chord in me from good times with good friends. Without going into spoilers, the book often mentions places and people from the expansion, including events that happened. When the fall of Lady Vashj and her Serpentshrine Cavern or Kael'thas and Tempest Keep are mentioned, I smiled. I was there.
The Black Temple quest chain is mentioned. He even describes the progress of a group of "Azerothian Adventurers" as they make their way through the temple and battle Illidan. I was there too! The details in the book show the amount of research that went into its creation.
The characters are very well written and believable. They fit as portrayed in the game. The story of the demon hunters and the truth of Illidan Stormrage was well told. I had a hard time putting this book down.
I hope William King writes more Warcraft books. For Warcraft fans, this is a must read that goes right on the shelf with the War of the Ancients trilogy.
February 11, 2017
As a Warcraft lore fan since Warcraft III, I enjoyed this book very much.
It started a bit slow, and, in the first pages, I was a bit bored and it didn't catch my attention.
But, as the story went on, it became more and more interesting. From page 100 and on it was hard to put the book down.
The only problem that I felt was that the characters were short of shallow, I expected to see more depth (like Durotan has in the book "Rise of the Horde"), the dialogues were also too short and didn't allow for a progression. As the book went on, it got better, we got a chance to know more about Illidan, but I think it could have been stronger in that point.
WoW fans will love this book, specially because the author was actually concerned in passing the game to the book, and not only get the names and places and create a completely alternative story. You get the chance to see many places of Outland and meet characters from Burning Crusade.
If you are a WoW player, I strongly recommend you read it, specially if you are planning to play the new expansion, Legion, since the book has much to do with it. 5/5
It started a bit slow, and, in the first pages, I was a bit bored and it didn't catch my attention.
But, as the story went on, it became more and more interesting. From page 100 and on it was hard to put the book down.
The only problem that I felt was that the characters were short of shallow, I expected to see more depth (like Durotan has in the book "Rise of the Horde"), the dialogues were also too short and didn't allow for a progression. As the book went on, it got better, we got a chance to know more about Illidan, but I think it could have been stronger in that point.
WoW fans will love this book, specially because the author was actually concerned in passing the game to the book, and not only get the names and places and create a completely alternative story. You get the chance to see many places of Outland and meet characters from Burning Crusade.
If you are a WoW player, I strongly recommend you read it, specially if you are planning to play the new expansion, Legion, since the book has much to do with it. 5/5
April 19, 2016
If you come into this book as a newbie to the Warcraft Universe you will be utterly and completely confused.
If you come into this book as a fan of the Warcraft universe, be prepared to let all the pieces fall into place!
The writing itself wasn't the best. At times, I felt the author used some bad word choices. "Awesome" may mean awe inspiring but with its overuse in current culture it doesn't hold the same point. Also describing the evils of demons to then describe them as "evilly" doing something was kinda... strange and could have been worded better.
This was great insight into The Betrayer and his motivations. Upon reflection of the MMO Expansion this was set in, the story actually makes sense from this perspective with what we had experienced.
The "holy shit" moment was just that. It ties into the new expansion that is slated for release later this year. It will be interesting how blizzard handles this.
Overall it was a fun and fast read but the language could have been better.
If you come into this book as a fan of the Warcraft universe, be prepared to let all the pieces fall into place!
The writing itself wasn't the best. At times, I felt the author used some bad word choices. "Awesome" may mean awe inspiring but with its overuse in current culture it doesn't hold the same point. Also describing the evils of demons to then describe them as "evilly" doing something was kinda... strange and could have been worded better.
This was great insight into The Betrayer and his motivations. Upon reflection of the MMO Expansion this was set in, the story actually makes sense from this perspective with what we had experienced.
The "holy shit" moment was just that. It ties into the new expansion that is slated for release later this year. It will be interesting how blizzard handles this.
Overall it was a fun and fast read but the language could have been better.
March 13, 2017
"You are not prepared"
Illidan is one of my favourite villains in the whole of Azeroth let alone the literary world. William King does an excellent job of weaving the story of his trials and tasks since Tyrande Whisperwind released him from the Watchers' shackles.
While mad old Maive and the rest of the shortsighted forces of the Horde and Alliance obsess over destroying his empire in Outland, he is the only one to see the bigger picture, and he has no eyes! He takes the war to the Legion with his newly born Illidari army and sews the seeds of fear into the minds of the most dangerous creatures in the universe.
Ah I love him, and simply can't wait for the next book (assuming there will be one) telling the tale of what happens now the Huntress has nothing to hunt and how the Legion will bring their final invasion of Azeroth to fruition.
Illidan is one of my favourite villains in the whole of Azeroth let alone the literary world. William King does an excellent job of weaving the story of his trials and tasks since Tyrande Whisperwind released him from the Watchers' shackles.
While mad old Maive and the rest of the shortsighted forces of the Horde and Alliance obsess over destroying his empire in Outland, he is the only one to see the bigger picture, and he has no eyes! He takes the war to the Legion with his newly born Illidari army and sews the seeds of fear into the minds of the most dangerous creatures in the universe.
Ah I love him, and simply can't wait for the next book (assuming there will be one) telling the tale of what happens now the Huntress has nothing to hunt and how the Legion will bring their final invasion of Azeroth to fruition.
August 4, 2018
The book wants me to scratch my eyes out. I dont know what William King intends as he’s trying so hard to make both ends meet. He Is Not Prepared. How he narrates seems too linear and his characters is without depth. No goosebumps factor. No rush of excitement. No nothing. Linear. You cannot grasp the story not unless you played World of Warcraft (I’ve played World of Warcraft for almost all my life but this still bored me to death).
Every chapter goes:
Four years before the fall.
Three tears before the fall.
Two years before the fall.
(Kept me thinking: Where the F am I now?)
Etcetera.
I’m so glad to finish the book (for the sake of just finishing it) just to bury it somewhere where it would lie undisturbed (probably forever), or if possible to throw it in the crater of that fel mountain Hand of Guldan.
William King should be the one hunted and chained by Maiev for such travesty.
Every chapter goes:
Four years before the fall.
Three tears before the fall.
Two years before the fall.
(Kept me thinking: Where the F am I now?)
Etcetera.
I’m so glad to finish the book (for the sake of just finishing it) just to bury it somewhere where it would lie undisturbed (probably forever), or if possible to throw it in the crater of that fel mountain Hand of Guldan.
William King should be the one hunted and chained by Maiev for such travesty.
February 15, 2017
Really interesting story, showing the perspective of Illidan throughout the events of the burning crusade expansion. This brought back some good memories from those days and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend to anyone, even if they haven't played the game back then, but simply enjoy the story. Well written.
February 23, 2018
Even tho I knew how it will end, it was still sad for me :/ In the end all great heroes remain underappreciated
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