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Wolfheart

(World of Warcraft #10)

Richard A. Knaak (Goodreads Author)

3.87 · Rating details · 2,274 ratings · 112 reviews

In the wake of the Cataclysm, conflict has engulfed every corner of Azeroth. Hungering for more resources amid the turmoil, the Horde has pressed into Ashenvale to feed its burgeoning war machine. There, acting warchief Garrosh Hellscream has employed a brutal new tactic to conquer the region and crush its night elf defenders, a move that will cripple the Alliance's power ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published September 13th 2011 by Gallery Books

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Jan 19, 2016 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, war, adventure, 21th-century, pdfs, games, warcraft

Wolfheart (World of Warcraft #10), Richard A. Knaak
In the wake of the Cataclysm, conflict has engulfed every corner of Azeroth. Hungering for more resources amid the turmoil, the Horde has pressed into Ashenvale to feed its burgeoning war machine. There, acting warchief Garrosh Hellscream has employed a brutal new tactic to conquer the region and crush its night elf defenders, a move that will cripple the Alliance’s power throughout the World of Warcraft. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز نوزدهم ماه ...more

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Mar 09, 2015 Markus rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, warcraft, 2016

Garrosh Hellscream, newly appointed Warchief of the Horde, is preparing a grand invasion of Ashenvale while Tyrande Whisperwind is desperately struggling to preserve the unity of the Alliance. The induction of the worgen of Gilneas is under threat by the unforgiving animosity of Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind.

Wolfheart might just be the best book I've read from Richard A. Knaak. The writing is better and it provides an insight into many minor aspects of Warcraft lore that I'm glad to have.

And ...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, gaming, world-of-warcraft, shapeshifters, media-tie-in

I'm sure I've said before that I would never read another World of Warcraft book by Richard A. Knaak, and yet here we are once again. I guess I just never learn my lesson.

Of course, I had my reservations, but my interest in the game's lore and characters won out in the end, especially since I discovered from the title and description that this book was going to be focused on King Varian Wrynn. I never really cared much for him as an in-game NPC, but after reading the World of Warcraft comics he ...more

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Jul 17, 2014 Allie rated it it was ok

The title's a bit misleading, as I was expecting the story to revolve around the worgen, when in fact this was a very heavily Night Elf-based story..even though it's technically about King Varian Wrynn.

I'm mixed on whether I actually liked this novel, versus liking it purely because of its rich involvement of the Night Elves (of whom I'm very fond of). While I enjoyed the overall concept of the story, I feel Knaak majorly lacked ability at portraying the characters' personalities. Being a ...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: warcraft

Another audible.com audio book here. Yay!

When you see the title Wolfheart, coupled with piercing human eyes, you think "My name is Varian Wrynn, but I am also Lo'Gosh." And you would be right, except Varian's story is not the plot of this book. The plot is the Horde's encroachment into the Night Elves' Ashenvale led by Garrosh Hellscream. Varian is a major player and even the key to saving Ashenvale, but he is in the book much less than one would think. Varian's story is more focused on his ...more

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Aug 30, 2013 Dottie rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 26, 2012 Book rated it really liked it

Shelves: audible

I like Varian Wyrnn much better after this book.

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Jan 27, 2018 Esmée van der Weide rated it really liked it

“My name is Varian Wrynn, but I am also Lo’Gosh.”

This book actually has a funny story behind it. I wanted to give my boyfriend a copy of this book for our one-month anniversary as I knew he wanted this book for a while yet. Ofcourse, as a fellow Warcraft fan, I ordered a second copy for myself with it. My idea was that when we both finished reading, we could talk about the plot and details and more. This was well over a year ago and he still hasn’t read it, though I don’t blame him as he isn’t a

“My name is Varian Wrynn, but I am also Lo’Gosh.”

★★★★✩

This book actually has a funny story behind it. I wanted to give my boyfriend a copy of this book for our one-month anniversary as I knew he wanted this book for a while yet. Ofcourse, as a fellow Warcraft fan, I ordered a second copy for myself with it. My idea was that when we both finished reading, we could talk about the plot and details and more. This was well over a year ago and he still hasn’t read it, though I don’t blame him as he isn’t a reader like me. (He loved getting it though, and that is what counts for me!) But yeah, this is the reason I postponed reviewing it until I outright forgot it (oops!). Better late than never, right?

The story takes place in the wake of the Cataclysm. Though the title Wolfheart refers to Variann Wrynn, the king of Stormwind and leader of the Alliance, the book is more focussed on the Night Elves. First there is a summit in their capital for a vote that the Worgen may join the Alliance and later the Night Elves have to defend their land in Ashenvale against the Horde looking to farm resources in the zone. At first, the title may be a bit misleading, but the character arc of Varian Wrynn is very interesting and important in this book, but not the main plot. But that doesn’t matter, as the book itself is quite good.
I am a Horde player myself, so I often don’t get the experience the Alliance side of the story of certain events, which made me enjoy this book even more. Though it was a bit of a bummer this book was so Alliance centered and the Horde was portrayed as a real evil and the Alliance as the good guys, while they obviously aren’t. It felt a bit unrealistic. I understand the perpective of the Alliance towards the Horde may portray them as such, but when a chapter is a Horde POV, it shouldn’t be that way. In the World of Warcraft, neither of the factions is bad or good and when one is portrayed as one, it is usually on character or a small group that go rogue or become evil, but that doesn’t define the whole factions. Feels a bit like bad writing from that point of view and I think this book could have been so much more if this wasn’t the case.

I absolutely loved reading this book, as I don’t know too much detailed lore from older zones in the game and this book tells the story of Ashenvale beautifully. You don’t have to read any previous books in the Warcraft series to understand and enjoy this book, aslong as you have some basic knowledge about king Varian, the Night Elves, the Worgen and the Horde under Garrosh’s reign. I do think that reading them all before this one will make you understand more things, but it is absolutely not needed. Most important things get addressed so the reader, even without too much knowlegde, understand what is happening and why.
The story itself was really a good and action packed. It wasn’t full of just fighting scenes, but also really strong and important conversations between various leaders and scenes with important events happening. This kept me hooked throughout the entire book and I really enjoyed these sorts of actions. The best thing is how the characters stayed really true to their in-game counterparts, which made everything feel really familiar.

I would really recommend this book, as it is really informative about certain events in the World of Warcraft. I gave it four stars as the title is a little misleading over the story, as it is more centered around the Night Elves, than on king Varian and sometimes the writing was a bit bumpy or hard to follow, but not too often that it was really a bother. Overall, a really enjoyable read and I look forward to read more Warcraft novels in 2019!

Read more reviews on my blog:
https://ezziesbookshelf.wordpress.com ...more

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Apr 05, 2017 Nate rated it it was amazing

This is the best book that that I have read that is also a game. The Warcraft book series have always been one of my favorite and what got me into trying the game and I have played the game since 2008. Wolfheart is my favorite because it has all of my favorite races of the game in it, the night elves, humans, and worgens. This book is for people that have played the game and want to know more about it and for the people that haven't played the game and find an interest to from this book.

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Sep 22, 2011 Mohamed rated it it was amazing

While the World of Warcraft books never really set the bar (or even approached it) when it comes to fantasy writing, this one is amongst the better, more engaging ones. It really speaks volumes when someone who's a big fan of the Horde such as I would be engrossed in the happenings of the war in Ashenvale and cheering for the hapless Night Elves. A most worthwhile read.

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Jan 29, 2012 Shirosaki Ogihci rated it it was amazing

I thought it was intresting that they brought the worgan in as the enemy at first, not giving many hits that it really was a worgan. Though I wish they would've spent less time focusing in on the night elves, overall, it was a rather enjoyable book.

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Jun 07, 2012 Khristie rated it it was amazing

Richard A. Knaak did not lose my interest w/ this novel. :)

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Aug 11, 2011 Candace rated it it was amazing

Another good book I read entirely too fast.

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Mar 29, 2012 Dana rated it it was amazing

Loved this book. My first WoW lore book and I have to say it was really interesting delving into the lives and history's of the characters I've come to know by name only.

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Apr 23, 2012 Sarah - Exploring All Genres rated it really liked it

Shelves: world-of-warcraft, dusty-2013

Better than I expected it to be.
Full review to come.

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Jul 16, 2013 Jack Leone rated it it was amazing

Great Warcraft book, Nice to finally see Varian King of Storwind in all his glory.

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Nov 20, 2017 Astrid rated it it was amazing

I read this book on recommendation from a huge Varian Wrynn fan [so huge, that she's since quit the game after his untimely demise on the Broken Shore in-game]. I have to say I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, other than it featured him at some point [she was clear he wasn't around from the off], however, I really did enjoy reading it. I enjoyed reading all the Night Elven bits, and picked up a few tidbits of information that I didn't realise [such as Shandris Feathermoon being in love ...more

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Aug 06, 2019 Jaime ( Chicken Mama ) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: world-of-warcraft

I just love audiobooks, I can listen while I am at work.

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Jan 28, 2020 Răzvan Balașov II rated it really liked it

Following Malfurion's drugged odyssey in Stormrage, this Varian Wrynn -almost- full head-on action is just exactly what I needed.

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Nov 26, 2017 Chad Kosch rated it really liked it

So, I am not a fan of Alliance themed stories, but I can't deny that this book had it's highlights. Set in the era of the Cataclysm, this book focus's on the growth of King Varian as a king, Genn Greymane and the Worgon coming into the Alliance, as well as the night elves coming to terms with being mortal. Overall this was a four star book. :)

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Dec 18, 2019 Ryan Cunningham rated it really liked it

Wolfheart, by Richard A. Knaak is a fantasy novel and a great book to read. Instead of the usual action-based approach this series takes, the main plot of this story is a mystery. Of course, there is still some fight scenes inside the book but it is not the main plot. This story follows the night elves, who are struggling to hold back the Horde in Ashenvale as they chop down the forest to harvest wood for themselves and dealing with a mysterious assassin who is killing highborne, former high ...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Mostafa rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

When Thrall left the horde to heal the world, Garrosh, son of Grom HellScream became warchief and start an attack to Ashneval. Furion and Tyrande was trying to gather the alliance and re-unite them, but Varian Wrynn, king of Stromwind denied joining Worgen of Gilneas to the alliance.

There is no much history about this clan, but it seems that they were infected by forsaken (Sylvanas) and became wolves. Then they found a way to control their anger and found tranquility, with the help of Furion, When Thrall left the horde to heal the world, Garrosh, son of Grom HellScream became warchief and start an attack to Ashneval. Furion and Tyrande was trying to gather the alliance and re-unite them, but Varian Wrynn, king of Stromwind denied joining Worgen of Gilneas to the alliance.

There is no much history about this clan, but it seems that they were infected by forsaken (Sylvanas) and became wolves. Then they found a way to control their anger and found tranquility, with the help of Furion, they hoped to be able to join alliance.

In the gathering, Velen, the prophet of the draenei was also there and talked with Anduin, son of King Varian and then Anduin decided to leave his father and go with Velen to learn more about holy light.

Velen is my favorite character in this series, one of the oldest creatures who denied sargeras's offer to join his legion and escaped, while his comrades, Archiomand and Kil'jadan accepted.

On the other hand, Jarod Shadowsong, after years of absence, returned to the society of the elves seeking Tyrande's help to cure his wife, but it was late. They understood that they are aging and their immortality is fading.

It was mentioned in this book that his sister, Maiev, managed to hunt Illidan and kill him, but no detail was provided here. Now she was training her watchers for better protection of the elves, but in fact, she was using them as a troop to overcome Malfurion and kill the highborns who wanted to come back to their society, Although she killed several high born and imprisoned Malfurion, she didn't succeed because of Jarod.

King Varian, was suffering from his past, loosing his father in first war with orcs, then poisoned and lost his memory and lived as a gladiator and then regained his memories and returned to his kingdom, all had made him so angry person who easily lost his control. With help of Worgen, he found his tranquility and agreed to fight beside them. He was the wolfheart.

Priestess Tyrande took the position of leader in defending Ashneval, but Garrosh was so smart and his tactics were so successful in disabling Tyrande from doing any magic and was almost defeating her, but suddenly, King Varian with worgens joined the battle and defeated Garrosh. This part was not very pleasant that without any especial tactic, Varian managed to defeat the horde. ...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Kae rated it liked it

Definitely one of Knaak's better Warcraft novels. The prose seems less flowery and the characterizations a bit more dimensional. The action scenes were too long in some cases but not as bad as usual.

I wasn't expecting this novel to be so focused on the night elves, given the title of "Wolheart". I found it interesting seeing the night elves begin to deal with their mortality. The entire battle setup in Ashenvale rather bored me though.

This novel brought together almost all the Alliance leaders ...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Jeremy rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Warcraft Universe fans

My opinion on this book is somewhat divided. I enjoyed the exploration of the Night Elves shift in culture on the heels of becoming mortal after thousands of years of relative immortality (never sickening or growing frail due to age and infirmity, with only violence possibly ending their lives). It was interesting seeing how they coped with the first death due to age and infirmity amongst their race, this on the heels of a cultural shift ending their self-imposed exile from the world at large.

On ...more

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Sep 25, 2014 Dustin Ogan rated it really liked it

I think this book is great for a very particular audience. That being those that play or have played World of Warcraft the past couple of years. Being familiar with the main characters and their depictions made it a lot easier to follow and visualize what was going on or who was speaking. Because they all have in game representations a google search can give you most of the creatures and figures mentioned.

The book itself has 3-4 slightly related plot lines going on. A brother and sister ...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Michael Alexander rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, video-games

I tend to really enjoy the Warcraft books. The game world, by design, has to be rather static, to enable everyone to experience the same content. The books are nice because you get to see the story of WoW actually moving forward.
This particular book dealt mainly with the Night Elves, and an Orcish incursion into Ashenvale. After watching Thrall lead the Horde for so long with a message of peace and tolerance, it is kind of hard to get used to Garrosh Hellscream's much more militant approuch. To ...more

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Jan 22, 2016 Nicole rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Wolfheart was packed full of lore with lots of characters and action. It took me almost a month to read Wolfheart which surprised me since I am pretty up to date on World of Warcraft lore however I had to look up several minor characters to keep up with everything going on. This kind of annoyed me at times so I would put down Wolfheart and not go back to it for several days.

I wanted more about King Varian and from the title I assumed he would take center stage but I was mistaken. Instead the ...more

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Nov 13, 2014 Theresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, adventure

Richard A. Knaak are you trying to kill me? I feel sure more people than I have said that to him. Some of them probably to his face.

Goodness, this whole entire book was filled with calamity. Everything was going wrong in monstrous proportions. The Horde was killing everyone in sight. Varian Wrynn was angry enough for an entire army. The Highborne were being hunted and slaughtered. Ugh. It was a pretty rough read for me.

Then Anduin left.

Anyone who has ever read a Richard A. Knaak book knows the ...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Kevin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I think I gave this book a higher rating based solely on the fact that it wasn't the book I had just previously finished reading. That said, this was an enjoyable book. Sure, it's an easy read, but it's exactly what I wanted and expected when I picked it up. There were some parts of the book that bothered me: (view spoiler) ...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Ken rated it really liked it

As a WoW player, I love reading how things tie in together. Whether it's lore of how things came to be long ago, stories of current important characters, or information leading up to why things are changing, it all makes the game more enjoyable. To be able to immerse yourself further into a book, because you are more familiar with places and characters, makes it that much more enjoyable for me.

I loved the writing style of Richard Knaak in this story. New characters were very well developed, old ...more

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About Richard A. Knaak

Richard A. Knaak

1,137 followers

Richard A. Knaak is the bestselling author of Dragonlance novels, the Dragonrealm and Black City Saint series (his own creations), six novels for Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, and six works in the Warcraft universe. He has also written several non-series fantasy books.