Before the Storm (World of Warcraft)

Once again, Christie Golden knocks it out of the park. She does such a great job at character development! I could not put this book down! Just a few chapters in and I had to re-sub to World of Warcraft. No spoilers, but this book doesn't have a whole lot of action. Which, would normally bum me out, but Christie does such a good job with the writing that I honestly didn't care and it didn't dawn on me till I was well over halfway through the book. Whether you are either a fan of Horde, Alliance or both, like I am, and have once cared about Warcraft, this book is for you. Being an alliance player mainly, and having always hated and never cared about the undead, this book changes that 100%. Buy this. You will not regret it.

As the author notes at the conclusion of the book, this is her first novel as a Blizzard employee, and even though she had nearly endless and quick access to The Lore, I’m not sure it helps this story.

Earlier works provided a deeper look at events leading to the next chapter in the World of Warcraft universe. I don’t know if the book was rushed to publication, or if her employers fenced in where she could take the story. Either way, I was left wanting more.

This is the lead-in bloodletting up the Battle for Azaroth expansion. It explains what some of the lore in the expansion will come from.

As a player of World of Warcraft, the story fills in some gaps and gives us a look into both Anduin and Sylvanas. The book is well written and balanced between factions.

When I started playing World of Warcraft a few weeks before its official release many years ago, I expected a well-crafted game, in the vein of the Warcraft strategy games that I had played prior to it, but only that. I scarcely could have imagined that I would become invested in the characters and stories of these video game characters. Christie Golden has written a wonderful book that reminds me, once again, that “video game” places an unnecessary qualifier on “characters,” for that is what they are. Fully formed and compelling, these are *characters* in a narrative that is enhanced by having played the games all these years, but by no means hindered by it. It is a wonderful read, and I thank Ms. Golden for writing it.

I loved every second of this book. Without spoiling I feel they did a good job documenting Anduin's troubles as king and Sylvanas's mindset. Definitely worth a read and don't be surprised if you catch feels some parts. This is enjoyable for both Alliance and Horde players.

I’ve always loved Christie Golden’s books for their writing style, and this one is no different.

It was an absolutely stellar addition to her collection of works and hopefully filled in any required gaps in the story between Legion and Battle for Azeroth!

Christie does it again: drawing you in with characters you love and then... Excellent work! For those who are obsessed with WoW lore, this is a must read with far, far greater insight into Varian, Greymane, the Windrunners, the priests of The Light.... Fantastic moral messages for those with ears to hear...

Many thanks From Xuldune of Dunemaul

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve been horde for at least the last 9 years (I started as alliance). This book added to my dislike of Sylvanis. Why do we, as the horde, repeatedly get bad leaders? Can we put Sylvanis on trial too?

In full disclosure, I rarely read books anymore. As a long time World of Warcraft (and Warcraft lore) nerd, I felt obligated to give this one a try.

It really embodies the spirit of the universe and there were MANY moments where I smiled as I came across a small Easter egg reference from the game.

If, like me, you are waiting anxiously in anticipation of the Battle for Azeroth expansion, this book will give you some much needed backstory into the underlying events leading up to the 8.0 patch.

It’s a definite “must read” in my opinion.

It is by no means a literary masterpiece, however, for fans of World of Warcraft, it is an entertaining story that sums up the end of Legion and sets the stage for Battle for Azeroth. I would recommend this book to any WoW player.

As a long time fan of the Warcraft universe , this was a lovely novel with good writing and fast paced story . I was literally unable to put down and read in one setting . The converging story’s definitely make me want more bfa content

Christie Golden is a fantastic fantasy author and I have enjoyed most of her past novels, but there are just a one major criticism I have and it is mainly due to the preview. After reading the preview I was hoping there was something more, but it basically spoiled the entire book for me. The actual novel does obviously add more character development, but the main events were already in the free preview.
If you want to get the most out of this most definitely DO NOT read the preview chapters.

As a die hard Alliance player since vanilla who despises the horde with a fiery hot passion this book actually made me feel sympathetic to one particular group in the horde. I actually even remember crying near the end of the book when reading it. The main arc of the story was very interesting and even though the side arc was kind of left at a cliffhanger the main story of the book had me interested and kept me reading non-stop.

I actually just stopped playing all my games including wow for 2 days straight as i plowed through this book because i was so immersed in it.

The story from the Alliance point of view (in my opinion) shows a very strong and powerfully united Alliance force and although at first I really hated Anduin's character before this book (always wished to this day Varian was still alive) he turns out to be far more of an adult by the end of the book.

As far as the Horde goes there definately shows some points of unity within their faction as well, but just like the 7.3.5 post legion victory cinematic showed some obvious questioning of trust there was also some feelings of mistrust in this book as well. The horde to me feels like it is run by a generic comic book villian with the whole "muhahaha i will take over the world!" going (aka Sylvanas) and though I thought Anduin at first to be very boring and unlikable after this book i went from hating but admiring Sylvanas for being a cunning and intelligent leader to downright just saying "ok she is clearly is Garrosh 2.0. Hey horde wanna depose another leader?"

Overall though I was still pleased with the story and in my opinion it is a must buy (it is also important to note that there may be some changes to characters that i didn't want to spoil in this review that may catch you unaware if you did not read this book. Blizzard loves making story changes in their novels and leaving it out of their games for some reason).

I personally thought this novel was excellent. While this book lacked much of the wars and battles that other World of Warcraft novels thrive on. This book weaves a thoughtful and often saddening tale that shows the true colors of the Alliance & Horde. While some may not like where the story leads it is without a doubt a necessary read for anyone who loves the Warcraft universe.

Any fan of Warcraft in it's varrious forms should enjoy this book. It helps create some depth that these characters sorely needed, and sets us up for events not in the next WoW expansion but the one after that. I enjoyed this story throughly.

The book overall is decently written, and an enjoyable and easy read/listen. The emphasis on the side characters brought a close-to-home and relatable feel to the storytelling. Though overall not much time was spent with them you could easily sympathize to their situations. I found myself in tears several times as a result. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to all the side characters. The Tanaris excerpts, come across very cartoony and break immersion. I'm not sure if this is due to the author's perception of these races; which are I'll admit quirky, or if it was meant to be comedic relief in a predominantly somber tone. But it came across in such a way that I felt like I was listening to a young adult novel. In contast, the internal monologues of Anduin and Sylvanas are superb in addition to their interactions with other characters. Anduin's character development was beautifully furthered and I now feel I have slightly increased insight into Sylvanas' personality. The book is a bit biased towards The Alliance in terms of focus, and I say this as an Alliance player. Horde players looking for more lore on their side from this book will unfortunately likely be left wanting.

The narration, by Josh Keaton - Anduin Wrynn's voice actor was well done and appropriate considering how much time the book spends following him. Keaton's acting of other characters was overall satisfactory. I was thoroughly impressed by several characterizations, wondering if the hadn't brought in other in-game voice actors. About the only one I had trouble with was his narration of Sylvanas. He went for a raspy enunciation, and it didn't quite fit. Her bell-toned undead commanding echo of a voice is what we've grown accustomed to, computer enhanced reverb and all. So that makes it hard to adjust to another interpretation. Blizz would have been wise to spend a tad more money on production just to hire Sylvanas' voice actor for her parts. I am very glad that I chose the audiobook version. I am only disappointed that Whispersync For Voice was not available. I ended up refunding my Kindle version because of this. If you are interested in or are already a fan of Warcraft lore picking up a copy is worth your time. If you enjoy audio books, the narration is also definitely a worthy listen.

Might be the hormones talking but, new Blizzard employee or not, best book of the series so far, as long as you follow the other books and the game. Very heart-wrenching and enthralling, read it all in one night. Couldn't put it down.

This is a perfect prequel to Battle for Azeroth. My only complaint was that it ended!!! I wanted more! I guess I will just have to wait until Aug 14th and BFAs release. The story was very well written and inclusive of WoW lore. If you are s WoWhead - you HAVE to read this!!!

Christie Golden's Warcraft novels are always my favorite; they keep me engaged as soon as I start reading them and I don't put them down often until I finish them and 'Before the Storm' is no different.

This was an excellent addition to the Wow story, I personally feel its a must read/listen for anyone else excited for the BfA expansion. The audible version was so well done as well, the characters felt so alive, and having Anduin read by his voice actor made it all the more immersive to listen to!

This book was billed as a sort of explanation and background for many of the events that leads up to the upcoming xpacs content. While there certainly is content that helps to lead readers to understand some of the context of the content coming up, the real value I found in this book was the more personal attention given to the Forsaken. For too long there has been a lack of actual Forsaken lore in terms of addressing the individual common undead among their ranks. Most Forsaken lore ends up being Sylvanas lore. In this book we get to explore a more human side of the Forsaken, and their tragic status in the world. Sylvanas is further written out to be a fairly nonredeemable bad buy character, who has chances to prove herself better and yet ultimately proves herself to be insecure, and selfish.

This was an excellent addition to the Wow story, I personally feel its a must read/listen for anyone else excited for the BfA expansion. The audible version was so well done as well, the characters felt so alive, and having Anduin read by his voice actor made it all the more immersive to listen to!

This book was billed as a sort of explanation and background for many of the events that leads up to the upcoming xpacs content. While there certainly is content that helps to lead readers to understand some of the context of the content coming up, the real value I found in this book was the more personal attention given to the Forsaken. For too long there has been a lack of actual Forsaken lore in terms of addressing the individual common undead among their ranks. Most Forsaken lore ends up being Sylvanas lore. In this book we get to explore a more human side of the Forsaken, and their tragic status in the world. Sylvanas is further written out to be a fairly nonredeemable bad buy character, who has chances to prove herself better and yet ultimately proves herself to be insecure, and selfish.

This is another great book by Christie Golden. She makes the characters of the World of Warcraft come alive. I find the prelude books like this one to be especially helpful in illustrating the motivations behind key decisions made by the important players.If you're a WoW fan this is a must read.

Was truly an unexpected story, I came in expecting a prelude to battle for azeroth but instead got a deeply personal story involving the most important people in warcraft. Would recommend to anyone who is a fan of the lore and wants an emotional journey that helps set the stage for bfa.

It's unfortunate that the story writing in Warcraft has to be so evenly cut along the middle each and every time something occurs, that it stifles any creativity that could be produced. Imagine Game of Thrones if for every success the Lanisters had the Starks did as well, it just makes boring and uninteresting writing. With that said and in mind author Christine Golden does a great job with what I'm assuming the content she was given to write about. The tragedy is the book could be summarized in 2 pages, this isn't the authors fault this is the fault of Blizzard placating to wow players demanding an ice cream cone for their team losing a soccer game.