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World of Warcraft #11
Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War
The ashes of the Cataclysm have settled across Azeroth’s disparate kingdoms. As the broken world recovers from the disaster, the renowned sorceress Lady Jaina Proudmoore continues her long struggle to mend relations between the Horde and the Alliance. Yet of late, escalating tensions have pushed the two factions closer to open war, threatening to destroy what little stability remains in the . . .
Dark news arrives in Jaina’s beloved city, Theramore. One of the blue dragonflight’s most powerful artifacts—the Focusing Iris—has been stolen. To unravel the item’s mysterious whereabouts, Jaina works with the former blue Dragon Aspect Kalecgos. The two brilliant heroes forge an unlikely bond during their investigation, but another disastrous turn of events looms on the horizon. . . .
Garrosh Hellscream is mustering the Horde’s armies for an all-out invasion of Theramore. Despite mounting dissent within his faction, the brazen warchief aims to usher in a new era of Horde domination. His thirst for conquest leads him to take brutal measures against anyone who dares question his leadership.
Alliance forces converge on Theramore to repel the Horde onslaught, but the brave defenders are unprepared for the true scope of Garrosh’s cunning and deceptive strategy. His attack will irrevocably transform Jaina, engulfing the ardent peacekeeper in the chaotic and all-consuming . . . TIDES OF WAR
Dark news arrives in Jaina’s beloved city, Theramore. One of the blue dragonflight’s most powerful artifacts—the Focusing Iris—has been stolen. To unravel the item’s mysterious whereabouts, Jaina works with the former blue Dragon Aspect Kalecgos. The two brilliant heroes forge an unlikely bond during their investigation, but another disastrous turn of events looms on the horizon. . . .
Garrosh Hellscream is mustering the Horde’s armies for an all-out invasion of Theramore. Despite mounting dissent within his faction, the brazen warchief aims to usher in a new era of Horde domination. His thirst for conquest leads him to take brutal measures against anyone who dares question his leadership.
Alliance forces converge on Theramore to repel the Horde onslaught, but the brave defenders are unprepared for the true scope of Garrosh’s cunning and deceptive strategy. His attack will irrevocably transform Jaina, engulfing the ardent peacekeeper in the chaotic and all-consuming . . . TIDES OF WAR
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 28, 2008
About the author
Christie Golden
160 books1,646 followersAward-winning author Christie Golden has written over thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. She has over a million books in print.
2009 will see no fewer than three novels published. First out in late April will be a World of Warcraft novel, Athas: Rise of the Lich King. This is the first Warcraft novel to appear in hardcover. Fans of the young paladin who fell so far from grace will get to read his definitive story.
In June, Golden’s first Star Wars novel, also a hardcover, sees print. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Omen is the second in a nine-book series she is co-authoring with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Also in June comes the conclusion of Golden’s StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga with the release of Twlight, the third book in the series. The first two are Firstborn and Shadow Hunters.
2004 saw the launch of an original fantasy series called The Final Dance, from LUNA Books. The first novel in the series, On Fire's Wings, was published in July of that year. The second, In Stone’s Clasp , came out in September of 2005. With In Stone’s Clasp, Golden won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel for the second time. The third book, Under Sea’s Shadow, is available only as an e-book
Golden is also the author of two original fantasy novels from Ace Books, King's Man and Thief and Instrument of Fate, which made the 1996 Nebula Preliminary Ballot. Under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, she wrote a historical fantasy thriller entitled A.D. 999, which won the Colorado Author's League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel of 1999.
Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists , which introduced elven vampire Jander Sunstar. Golden followed up Vampire with Dance of the Dead and The Enemy Within . In September of 2006, fifteen years to the month, The Ravenloft Covenant: Vampire of the Mists enabled Jander Sunstar to reach a whole new audience.
Other projects include a slew of Star Trek novels, among them The Murdered Sun , Marooned , and Seven of Nine , and "The Dark Matters Trilogy," Cloak and Dagger , Ghost Dance and Shadow of Heaven .
The Voyager novel relaunch, which includes Homecoming and The Farther Shore , were bestsellers and were the fastest-selling Trek novels of 2003. Golden continued writing VOYAGER novels even though the show went off the air, and enjoyed exploring the creative freedom that gave her in the two-parter called Spirit Walk, which includes Old Wounds and Enemy of my Enemy .
Golden has also written the novelization of Steven Spielberg's Invasion America and an original "prequel," On The Run , both of which received high praise from producer Harve Bennett. On The Run, a combination medical thriller and science fiction adventure, even prompted Bennett to invite Golden to assist in crafting the second season of the show, if it was renewed.
Golden lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her artist husband and their two cats.
2009 will see no fewer than three novels published. First out in late April will be a World of Warcraft novel, Athas: Rise of the Lich King. This is the first Warcraft novel to appear in hardcover. Fans of the young paladin who fell so far from grace will get to read his definitive story.
In June, Golden’s first Star Wars novel, also a hardcover, sees print. Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi—Omen is the second in a nine-book series she is co-authoring with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Also in June comes the conclusion of Golden’s StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga with the release of Twlight, the third book in the series. The first two are Firstborn and Shadow Hunters.
2004 saw the launch of an original fantasy series called The Final Dance, from LUNA Books. The first novel in the series, On Fire's Wings, was published in July of that year. The second, In Stone’s Clasp , came out in September of 2005. With In Stone’s Clasp, Golden won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel for the second time. The third book, Under Sea’s Shadow, is available only as an e-book
Golden is also the author of two original fantasy novels from Ace Books, King's Man and Thief and Instrument of Fate, which made the 1996 Nebula Preliminary Ballot. Under the pen name of Jadrien Bell, she wrote a historical fantasy thriller entitled A.D. 999, which won the Colorado Author's League Top Hand Award for Best Genre Novel of 1999.
Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful Vampire of the Mists , which introduced elven vampire Jander Sunstar. Golden followed up Vampire with Dance of the Dead and The Enemy Within . In September of 2006, fifteen years to the month, The Ravenloft Covenant: Vampire of the Mists enabled Jander Sunstar to reach a whole new audience.
Other projects include a slew of Star Trek novels, among them The Murdered Sun , Marooned , and Seven of Nine , and "The Dark Matters Trilogy," Cloak and Dagger , Ghost Dance and Shadow of Heaven .
The Voyager novel relaunch, which includes Homecoming and The Farther Shore , were bestsellers and were the fastest-selling Trek novels of 2003. Golden continued writing VOYAGER novels even though the show went off the air, and enjoyed exploring the creative freedom that gave her in the two-parter called Spirit Walk, which includes Old Wounds and Enemy of my Enemy .
Golden has also written the novelization of Steven Spielberg's Invasion America and an original "prequel," On The Run , both of which received high praise from producer Harve Bennett. On The Run, a combination medical thriller and science fiction adventure, even prompted Bennett to invite Golden to assist in crafting the second season of the show, if it was renewed.
Golden lives in Loveland, Colorado, with her artist husband and their two cats.
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June 16, 2021
Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War (World of Warcraft #11), Christie Golden
The ashes of the Cataclysm have settled across Azeroth’s disparate kingdoms.
As the broken world recovers from the disaster, the renowned sorceress Lady Jaina Proudmoore continues her long struggle to mend relations between the Horde and the Alliance.
Yet of late, escalating tensions have pushed the two factions closer to open war, threatening to destroy what little stability remains in the . . .
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هفتم ماه مارس سال 2017میلادی
عنوان: جاینا پرادمور: اموج جنگ (وارکرافت)؛ نویسنده: کریستی گولدن؛ مترجم: افشین اردشیری؛ ویراستار: آهو مدیحی؛ تهران، ویدا، 1396؛ در480ص؛ شابک: 9789646807365؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده امریکا - سده 21م
شیئی جادویی از «اژدهایان آبی»، دزدیده شده، و اگر نابابان آنرا به کار گیرند، خطری بزرگوار جهانیان را، تهدید خواهد کرد؛ جهانی که هنوز زخمهای ژرف، از «کاتاکلیسم» بر پیکر خویش دارد، و «ساعت گرگ و میش» را نیز، تنها با فداکاری اژدها سیمایان بزرگ، پشت سر بگذاشته است؛ جهان آبستن رخدادهای تلخ است، و بلایی بزرگ در شرف رخ دادن است، و «جاینا پرادمور» در دل همین رخدادها است؛ داستان به نام «جاینا» است، ولی چیزی بیشتر و پیشتر از او و سرنوشتش را، در خود دارد؛ در این داستان: «عشق و مرگ»، در رقابت هستند؛ «دوستی»، «وفاداری«، «انسانیت و بردباری»، به چالش کشیده خواهد شد؛ اندوه، و درد، استوارترین گامها را، لرزان کرده، و نیرومندترین دلها را، در هم میشکند، و هیچکس را یارای گریختن از امواج نبرد نیست!؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 25/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The ashes of the Cataclysm have settled across Azeroth’s disparate kingdoms.
As the broken world recovers from the disaster, the renowned sorceress Lady Jaina Proudmoore continues her long struggle to mend relations between the Horde and the Alliance.
Yet of late, escalating tensions have pushed the two factions closer to open war, threatening to destroy what little stability remains in the . . .
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هفتم ماه مارس سال 2017میلادی
عنوان: جاینا پرادمور: اموج جنگ (وارکرافت)؛ نویسنده: کریستی گولدن؛ مترجم: افشین اردشیری؛ ویراستار: آهو مدیحی؛ تهران، ویدا، 1396؛ در480ص؛ شابک: 9789646807365؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده امریکا - سده 21م
شیئی جادویی از «اژدهایان آبی»، دزدیده شده، و اگر نابابان آنرا به کار گیرند، خطری بزرگوار جهانیان را، تهدید خواهد کرد؛ جهانی که هنوز زخمهای ژرف، از «کاتاکلیسم» بر پیکر خویش دارد، و «ساعت گرگ و میش» را نیز، تنها با فداکاری اژدها سیمایان بزرگ، پشت سر بگذاشته است؛ جهان آبستن رخدادهای تلخ است، و بلایی بزرگ در شرف رخ دادن است، و «جاینا پرادمور» در دل همین رخدادها است؛ داستان به نام «جاینا» است، ولی چیزی بیشتر و پیشتر از او و سرنوشتش را، در خود دارد؛ در این داستان: «عشق و مرگ»، در رقابت هستند؛ «دوستی»، «وفاداری«، «انسانیت و بردباری»، به چالش کشیده خواهد شد؛ اندوه، و درد، استوارترین گامها را، لرزان کرده، و نیرومندترین دلها را، در هم میشکند، و هیچکس را یارای گریختن از امواج نبرد نیست!؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 25/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
November 3, 2016
Shattered. That's my only reaction at the end of this book. I am a huge Jaina Proudmoore fan and wanted to see where this adventure would take her.
I have read several Warcraft books: Rise of the Horde, Of Blood and Honor, Arthas, Lord of the Clans, Stormrage, The Shattering and The War of the Ancients series, but this has by far been the most memorable
Jaina Proudmoore is a cool headed alliance diplomat. Her choices again and again have made her a friend to many of the horde and to the alliance. In this book though, none of this makes a difference as the current warchief of the horde, Garrosh Hellscream is still trying to take the horde in the direction that it was before Thrall had formed the new horde.
Golden has captured perfectly the frustrations of an intelligent, gifted woman who is caught between her ideals and political reality. And when one action from Hellscream is so beyond all imagination, it changes her idealism forever.
The characters of Kalcegos (former aspect of the blue flight) and Baine are woven masterfully into the story as well. An appearance by Varian shows his changes since the Shattering and seems to bode well for the future of the alliance.
What I did not like was Garrosh's character. The same orc that threw a subordinate off a cliff for a similar crime committed it. (Trying not to give away spoilers) I think there's a definite reasoning to WHY this has happened and can't wait to play through it in game.
I cried through this book though, multiple times. The scenes are well written, the characterizations, amazing and the romance is woven into the story without feeling forced. My favorite warcraft book yet!
I have read several Warcraft books: Rise of the Horde, Of Blood and Honor, Arthas, Lord of the Clans, Stormrage, The Shattering and The War of the Ancients series, but this has by far been the most memorable
Jaina Proudmoore is a cool headed alliance diplomat. Her choices again and again have made her a friend to many of the horde and to the alliance. In this book though, none of this makes a difference as the current warchief of the horde, Garrosh Hellscream is still trying to take the horde in the direction that it was before Thrall had formed the new horde.
Golden has captured perfectly the frustrations of an intelligent, gifted woman who is caught between her ideals and political reality. And when one action from Hellscream is so beyond all imagination, it changes her idealism forever.
The characters of Kalcegos (former aspect of the blue flight) and Baine are woven masterfully into the story as well. An appearance by Varian shows his changes since the Shattering and seems to bode well for the future of the alliance.
What I did not like was Garrosh's character. The same orc that threw a subordinate off a cliff for a similar crime committed it. (Trying not to give away spoilers) I think there's a definite reasoning to WHY this has happened and can't wait to play through it in game.
I cried through this book though, multiple times. The scenes are well written, the characterizations, amazing and the romance is woven into the story without feeling forced. My favorite warcraft book yet!
September 14, 2012
Hey readers. Female Protagonist: Tides of War is a novel written by Richard A. Knaak, under his lesser-known pen name to avoid publication scrutiny.
This book is about the Alliance! Well, okay, almost 50% of it is not, but the Horde are so cool!
More importantly, however, here it is folks, it's the one we've all been waiting for, it's about Jaina! "How can we appease those stupid feminists, complaining about our sexist portrayal of female characters?" Metzen asks Golden, taking a massive toke of dudebro weed. "Or as they like to call them, 'characters'?"
Golden muses on her response. "How about... a female protagonist who spends half the book pining after a husband (because Thrall tells her she needs one [insert your postcolonial critical comment about Thrall, the savage who only thinks in terms of ownership of women, here])? An archmage who needs to have magic explained to her by a dragon? A woman so incapable of dealing with her grief, she turns into a hysterical she-witch? Oh! Even better, what if she needs to be saved from her rampage by the male dragon?! What if her ultimate reward is a harlequin romance with the desirable male, the kind an 18th century housewife could only close her eyes and dream about?"
Metzen nods, stunned by Knaak's latest genius. "Welp," he says. And the book flies off the shelves. At last, readers, the ultimate Warcraft feminist victory.
Another thing Golden has responded really well to is the backlash against perfect mary-sue characters such as Rhonin, and has instead written some really convincingly fallible characters. Kalecgos is the best example of a character with many deep, meaningful flaws, primarily such as being irredeemably stupid and monumentally fucking up the one single duty he has. No one calls him out on it though because no one wants to talk to him, ever. You can't blame them.
One character I didn't like, was some dumb gnome kid getting all up in Jaina's face and giving Kalecgos a hard time! I really didn't understand what was supposed to be the point of this character, but it turned out, the whole point of her was to die. The readers (us, bros), we wouldn't really be able to work out that Jaina is a little bit sad about her entire city blowing up until she cries purple tears over the corpse of a child. The arbitrary death of a new character introduced for this novel was critical to convey the fact that some people got killed in the biggest explosion ever, instead of the bunch of generals who I forget their names I don't care about.
Let's move onto the hardcores rating. Tides of Snore has a lot of hardcore points, and for good reason! Randomly summed molten giants, armies of towering tidal wave elementals, mana atom bombs, and even the kraken! This book has it all. The hardcores were basically exploding off the page every time there was a fight. The only dampener on Garrosh's hardcores was Baine, getting on the poor dude's case, crying and stuff. Don't be such a square, Baine. What's a war crime? You some kind of hippy? Get lost, nerd.
Varian really brought the hardcores into town at the end as well, owning Garrosh real hard once again, and leading everyone to a conclusive victory. What's that, you want Jaina to do a bit of leadership in battle if she's the title character? Haha, shut up idiot! Varian's busy cutting shit up.
My favourite part of this book is how it tells me everything instead of showing me it. Description, subtlety, that's all boring as hell, just tell me Rhonin's a hero and Malkorok's a bit of an asshole, and I'll believe it. Why waste time on meaningful dialogue when we have important plot events to get through, like a suicide bomb explosion the Alliance pull on Garrosh, from which his survival is never explained, resolved, or mentioned again? Hehehe, such a badass.
Yeah, this book sucks. I'll give it one star and 4 coolbro caps. Play it loud, readers, and chalk another win up for the patriarchy. Get crushed wartards!!
This book is about the Alliance! Well, okay, almost 50% of it is not, but the Horde are so cool!
More importantly, however, here it is folks, it's the one we've all been waiting for, it's about Jaina! "How can we appease those stupid feminists, complaining about our sexist portrayal of female characters?" Metzen asks Golden, taking a massive toke of dudebro weed. "Or as they like to call them, 'characters'?"
Golden muses on her response. "How about... a female protagonist who spends half the book pining after a husband (because Thrall tells her she needs one [insert your postcolonial critical comment about Thrall, the savage who only thinks in terms of ownership of women, here])? An archmage who needs to have magic explained to her by a dragon? A woman so incapable of dealing with her grief, she turns into a hysterical she-witch? Oh! Even better, what if she needs to be saved from her rampage by the male dragon?! What if her ultimate reward is a harlequin romance with the desirable male, the kind an 18th century housewife could only close her eyes and dream about?"
Metzen nods, stunned by Knaak's latest genius. "Welp," he says. And the book flies off the shelves. At last, readers, the ultimate Warcraft feminist victory.
Another thing Golden has responded really well to is the backlash against perfect mary-sue characters such as Rhonin, and has instead written some really convincingly fallible characters. Kalecgos is the best example of a character with many deep, meaningful flaws, primarily such as being irredeemably stupid and monumentally fucking up the one single duty he has. No one calls him out on it though because no one wants to talk to him, ever. You can't blame them.
One character I didn't like, was some dumb gnome kid getting all up in Jaina's face and giving Kalecgos a hard time! I really didn't understand what was supposed to be the point of this character, but it turned out, the whole point of her was to die. The readers (us, bros), we wouldn't really be able to work out that Jaina is a little bit sad about her entire city blowing up until she cries purple tears over the corpse of a child. The arbitrary death of a new character introduced for this novel was critical to convey the fact that some people got killed in the biggest explosion ever, instead of the bunch of generals who I forget their names I don't care about.
Let's move onto the hardcores rating. Tides of Snore has a lot of hardcore points, and for good reason! Randomly summed molten giants, armies of towering tidal wave elementals, mana atom bombs, and even the kraken! This book has it all. The hardcores were basically exploding off the page every time there was a fight. The only dampener on Garrosh's hardcores was Baine, getting on the poor dude's case, crying and stuff. Don't be such a square, Baine. What's a war crime? You some kind of hippy? Get lost, nerd.
Varian really brought the hardcores into town at the end as well, owning Garrosh real hard once again, and leading everyone to a conclusive victory. What's that, you want Jaina to do a bit of leadership in battle if she's the title character? Haha, shut up idiot! Varian's busy cutting shit up.
My favourite part of this book is how it tells me everything instead of showing me it. Description, subtlety, that's all boring as hell, just tell me Rhonin's a hero and Malkorok's a bit of an asshole, and I'll believe it. Why waste time on meaningful dialogue when we have important plot events to get through, like a suicide bomb explosion the Alliance pull on Garrosh, from which his survival is never explained, resolved, or mentioned again? Hehehe, such a badass.
Yeah, this book sucks. I'll give it one star and 4 coolbro caps. Play it loud, readers, and chalk another win up for the patriarchy. Get crushed wartards!!
![Profile Image for [Name Redacted].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1347082397i/287915._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
September 19, 2012
This book is awful. Just. Plain. Awful. It's named after Jaina Proudmoore, but she's only in ~1/3 of it, and barely does anything at all -- and when she does act, even though her actions are fully justified and reasonable, everyone (eg: the countless male characters who occupy the other ~2/3 of the book) rushes to stop and condemn her (which they should have done to her attackers BEFORE her friends and kingdom were slaughtered by male sociopaths).
It's misogynistic, it's horribly paced, and the author apparently never went to Elementary school because Golden is completely ignorant of the old "show-not-tell" dictum. It perpetuates the new "Hush, Tyrande!" brand of WoW misgoyny, where strong female characters' actions are always irrational and they must be cowed, "put in their place" and "shown reason" by the men in their lives. Likewise, it perpetuates the old "Death to the Alliance! Thrall can do no wrong, even when he is clearly doing wrong, and the Horde should never face consequences for their actions!" approach Blizzard has been working to make the status quo of their little imaginary world. Despite the fact that Thrall appointed Garrosh, rejected all counsel against doing so, consciously turned a blind eye to Garrosh's war-crimes, and abandoned the Horde to Garrosh's whims -- despite all that, the supposedly neutral Go'el "Green Jesus" Thrall (incidentally, "Go'el" is Hebrew for "Redeemer" -- the "Green Jesus" accusations are NOT exaggerations) is written as somehow being free from blame and then turning around and SCOLDING JAINA for trying to avenge what his chosen successor did to her. Male after male does likewise, all scolding Jaina and telling her that while they chose not to intervene to save her people and her kingdom, they "must!" stop her. And how is Jaina finally stopped? Why, this vengeance-bound, ultra-powerful archmagus is soothed by the love of a man. That's right, after all this, the lesson is that irrational women can be saved by a few condescending platitudes from a handsome face. The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm wasn't great, riddled as it was by flaws, but it was better than this.
I am stupider for having read Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War. It is an offense against feminism, masculinism, literature and World of Warcraft itself.
It's misogynistic, it's horribly paced, and the author apparently never went to Elementary school because Golden is completely ignorant of the old "show-not-tell" dictum. It perpetuates the new "Hush, Tyrande!" brand of WoW misgoyny, where strong female characters' actions are always irrational and they must be cowed, "put in their place" and "shown reason" by the men in their lives. Likewise, it perpetuates the old "Death to the Alliance! Thrall can do no wrong, even when he is clearly doing wrong, and the Horde should never face consequences for their actions!" approach Blizzard has been working to make the status quo of their little imaginary world. Despite the fact that Thrall appointed Garrosh, rejected all counsel against doing so, consciously turned a blind eye to Garrosh's war-crimes, and abandoned the Horde to Garrosh's whims -- despite all that, the supposedly neutral Go'el "Green Jesus" Thrall (incidentally, "Go'el" is Hebrew for "Redeemer" -- the "Green Jesus" accusations are NOT exaggerations) is written as somehow being free from blame and then turning around and SCOLDING JAINA for trying to avenge what his chosen successor did to her. Male after male does likewise, all scolding Jaina and telling her that while they chose not to intervene to save her people and her kingdom, they "must!" stop her. And how is Jaina finally stopped? Why, this vengeance-bound, ultra-powerful archmagus is soothed by the love of a man. That's right, after all this, the lesson is that irrational women can be saved by a few condescending platitudes from a handsome face. The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm wasn't great, riddled as it was by flaws, but it was better than this.
I am stupider for having read Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War. It is an offense against feminism, masculinism, literature and World of Warcraft itself.
September 11, 2012
Let me be completely honest: I'm not a reader of fantasy books. I've played World of Warcraft for 8 years (paladin!) and I think it's skeezy to ask us to buy books to give us additional story to a game we already pay monthly for. I've read bits and pieces of the other Warcraft books that my husband (warlock!) bought and left on the toilet tank. And I aways chuckled at the overt word count padding.
But I actually spent $12.99 cash on the ebook version of Tides of War. Why? Because I'm one of those pesky people who think that the World of Warcraft lacks strong female characters. And I wanted to read Jaina's story because I was looking for a strong female character other than batpoop-crazy Sylvanas.
I didn't find that character.
For being the leader of Theramore, a top-tier mage and a seasoned diplomat, Alliance member and human Jaina Proudmoore bopped through life like a magical Marcia Brady. All that was missing was the 100 brush-strokes of her golden* hair every morning and every night. She'd wake up in her cozy tower with an ocean view, eat, talk with her apprentice and bodyguard, eat, talk with her friends through magic mirrors, eat, and go to sleep. Jaina had it all except the love of a good man. She made some ...bad...choices in boyfriends and resigned herself to a beautful, magical spinstery life.
Garrosh Hellscream, brash warmonger extraordinaire and leader of the Horde, hates the fact that Alliance members live on his continent, which is mostly Horde. He wants 'em gone, and he'll go to any length to do it. First target in his sights: Jaina's Theramore. So you'd think with a plot like that, Jaina and Garrosh end up tangled up in each other, clad in nothing but tattered Horde and Alliance standards.
Instead, enter Kalecygos, young leader of the Blue Dragonflight, protectors of MAGIC! Kalec's humanoid form is of a very attractive half-elf. The blues have been a bit disenchanted (ha!) since they teamed up with the other color dragons to defeat Deathwing. The dragon's leaders all lost their immortality and swagger, but none more than Kalec, who took over leading the Blues after Malygos went off the rails.
The Blues were also in charge of protecting the Focusing Iris, a powerful magical artifact that amplifies magic. The Focusing Iris was lost on Kalec's watch in this book. TWICE. Kalec's travels to save face and find it (the first time) takes him to Theramore, and the blue eyes of Jaina Proudmoore. They tenderly touch each others' hands and talk about magic. Mmm. ZZzzzz...
But even though Jaina's on the cover and in the title, the most compelling parts of the book involved Baine Bloodhoof, leader of the Tauren, who are members of the Horde.
And now you're thinking: so the title character, Jaina Proudmoore, is sharing her book with three guys?
No, that'd be silly. She shares it with four guys. Don't forget about Rhonin, eterna-hero and scene chewer of WoW lore. He's here too, and of course he out-heroes the heroine.
So take those 5 characters and their mini-plots, put them in a pot with a random data dump of game info from Wowhead, mix it with so much heavy-handed foreshadowing that you can see the last 6 chapters played out before your eyes by shadow puppets** and pour it all into Microsoft Word you'll get this book.
This is what made me angry about the book: for being a seasoned diplomat and super-smart mage, Jaina seeks approval from everyone around her all the time. The only time she exhibits any kind of self-possession is when she's in the throes of grief, anger, and arcane pain. At that time, Jaina is intelligent, crafty and confident. Naturally, it's up to the menfolk to talk her down, and Kalec succeeds by ...get this ... bringing up Jaina's past love interest. Nice.
Sylvanas would not put up with that kind of treatment. Nor would Vereesa or Shandris, I suspect.
The book was a very quick read and if you can sit back and enjoy the ride without wondering:
1) why the smartest mage in the world has to have magic explained to her by a dragon, or
2) why they just don't use portals to evacuate towns, or
3) why people don't fly when your WoW character has had epic flying skill for 2 years
Then you'll probably have a better time than I did. I'm still looking for a few more strong female characters, by the way. I'm down to the two Windrunner sisters and possibly Moira Thaurissan nee Bronzebeard, if you discount the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing.
*Her hair was golden. Her eyes were blue. Golden constantly reminds us of that.
** "Oh yeah, that one's going to die for sure. Oh, she's a goner. He better get his affairs in order, too."
But I actually spent $12.99 cash on the ebook version of Tides of War. Why? Because I'm one of those pesky people who think that the World of Warcraft lacks strong female characters. And I wanted to read Jaina's story because I was looking for a strong female character other than batpoop-crazy Sylvanas.
I didn't find that character.
For being the leader of Theramore, a top-tier mage and a seasoned diplomat, Alliance member and human Jaina Proudmoore bopped through life like a magical Marcia Brady. All that was missing was the 100 brush-strokes of her golden* hair every morning and every night. She'd wake up in her cozy tower with an ocean view, eat, talk with her apprentice and bodyguard, eat, talk with her friends through magic mirrors, eat, and go to sleep. Jaina had it all except the love of a good man. She made some ...bad...choices in boyfriends and resigned herself to a beautful, magical spinstery life.
Garrosh Hellscream, brash warmonger extraordinaire and leader of the Horde, hates the fact that Alliance members live on his continent, which is mostly Horde. He wants 'em gone, and he'll go to any length to do it. First target in his sights: Jaina's Theramore. So you'd think with a plot like that, Jaina and Garrosh end up tangled up in each other, clad in nothing but tattered Horde and Alliance standards.
Instead, enter Kalecygos, young leader of the Blue Dragonflight, protectors of MAGIC! Kalec's humanoid form is of a very attractive half-elf. The blues have been a bit disenchanted (ha!) since they teamed up with the other color dragons to defeat Deathwing. The dragon's leaders all lost their immortality and swagger, but none more than Kalec, who took over leading the Blues after Malygos went off the rails.
The Blues were also in charge of protecting the Focusing Iris, a powerful magical artifact that amplifies magic. The Focusing Iris was lost on Kalec's watch in this book. TWICE. Kalec's travels to save face and find it (the first time) takes him to Theramore, and the blue eyes of Jaina Proudmoore. They tenderly touch each others' hands and talk about magic. Mmm. ZZzzzz...
But even though Jaina's on the cover and in the title, the most compelling parts of the book involved Baine Bloodhoof, leader of the Tauren, who are members of the Horde.
And now you're thinking: so the title character, Jaina Proudmoore, is sharing her book with three guys?
No, that'd be silly. She shares it with four guys. Don't forget about Rhonin, eterna-hero and scene chewer of WoW lore. He's here too, and of course he out-heroes the heroine.
So take those 5 characters and their mini-plots, put them in a pot with a random data dump of game info from Wowhead, mix it with so much heavy-handed foreshadowing that you can see the last 6 chapters played out before your eyes by shadow puppets** and pour it all into Microsoft Word you'll get this book.
This is what made me angry about the book: for being a seasoned diplomat and super-smart mage, Jaina seeks approval from everyone around her all the time. The only time she exhibits any kind of self-possession is when she's in the throes of grief, anger, and arcane pain. At that time, Jaina is intelligent, crafty and confident. Naturally, it's up to the menfolk to talk her down, and Kalec succeeds by ...get this ... bringing up Jaina's past love interest. Nice.
Sylvanas would not put up with that kind of treatment. Nor would Vereesa or Shandris, I suspect.
The book was a very quick read and if you can sit back and enjoy the ride without wondering:
1) why the smartest mage in the world has to have magic explained to her by a dragon, or
2) why they just don't use portals to evacuate towns, or
3) why people don't fly when your WoW character has had epic flying skill for 2 years
Then you'll probably have a better time than I did. I'm still looking for a few more strong female characters, by the way. I'm down to the two Windrunner sisters and possibly Moira Thaurissan nee Bronzebeard, if you discount the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing.
*Her hair was golden. Her eyes were blue. Golden constantly reminds us of that.
** "Oh yeah, that one's going to die for sure. Oh, she's a goner. He better get his affairs in order, too."
October 17, 2012
This review is going to have massive spoilers for World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. You have been warned.
This is hands down the worst book I've read in the past ten years. This actually has nothing to do with Miss Golden, who I believe tried to do the best she did with the material she was given. In the past, she's actually done some great things for the Warcraft lore, such as fleshing out Anduin Wrynn's character. Bravo for that, Miss Golden. I appreciate her enthusiasm in bringing character development into a game where there is so...little of it.
For years, us ladies have been clamoring for a female lead who doesn't suck in the Warcraft universe. Most of the women involved in the game's lore are "barnacles" - that is, they attach onto a main male lead and don't let go. They serve very little purpose. Look at Thrall's woman, Aggra - she could have been a fierce, amazing and compelling female lead. Instead, she got knocked up and welp, that's the end of Aggra! Maiev's true purpose in life revolved around a man, too. Specifically, Illidan. She hunted the crap out of him and once she got in the killing blow - welp, that's the end of Maiev! Tyrande is Malfurion's barnacle. Vereesa is Rhonin's. This sort of thing is just what happens in the Warcraft universe.
So it was only natural that the same thing would happen to Jaina, right? Right. Enter Kalecgos, former Blue Dragon Aspect. Now he's got nothing to do because he's no longer an aspect and all the blues are moving on. The focusing iris was stolen...which is bad. Very bad. It's pretty much an ancient magical artifact that could be used as a nuclear weapon. Kal goes off in search for it, but not before making a quick stop at Jaina's tower to ask her for her aid. Oh, and five minutes after meeting her, falls head over heels in love with her. Yes, you read that right. A former dragon aspect falls for a human who is supposedly the most amazing awesome mage in the world. I say supposedly, because she still acts like a flake and needs Kal's help with basic stuff. Way to go, Jaina.
We're introduced to a couple new characters - Kinndy, for one. She's the daughter of that cute gnome in Dalaran who lights the streetlights at night. We really don't get enough gnomes in these books, which is disappointing. But I digress, Kinndy barely served a purpose. She was Jaina's assistant and adept. Pained - I have no idea what she was thinking when she came up with this night elf's name. A pretty interesting female character. Isn't around much. Then we have Vereesa, who I honestly wanted to know more about. She is Sylvanas' and Alleria's sister and leader of the Silver Covenent and hates blood elves. But hey, instead of going into her achievements in life, let's talk about her DOMESTIC achievements, instead!
Yes, you read that right. That's taken directly from the book, by the way. They are "domestic achievements." Being married to Rhonin, leader of the Kirin Tor, is one. Having babies with the leader of the Kirin Tor is two. And that's pretty much the only thing that matters about Vereesa! Thanks for showing up in the book, Mrs. Rhonin. Now please move over for the men of the lore, thanks.
So, Jaina goes off the deep end (finally), goes crazy and attempts to take out Orgrimmar for what was basically cowardly nuclear warfare. Instead, she's put in her place by like, five men. Varian, Anduin, Thrall, Kalecgos, Rhonin...every man in this damn book is like, "Sit your ass down, Jaina, you crazy." It was extremely disappointing. Kind of wanted to see the girl kick some ass...it never happens. Because she becomes Kalec's barnacle. Because Thrall told Jaina she needed a man because he was just sooooooo happy with Aggra and giiiirl, you totes need to get yourself a man to take care of you! I shit you not. This was just terrible.
That stuff aside, there were parts of the story that just didn't make any sense.
Like for example...
- Why was Modera, oldest female member of the Kirin Tor and supposedly really awesome, passed up for the leader of the Kirin Tor? She's stable and very talented. But because of a prophecy (good lord), Jaina was chosen instead. Even though Jaina showed up and was all like, "Hey guise, sorry I was really crazy and attempted genocide five minutes ago. Um, it wasn't good and I was wondering since I have no other place to go now that my place has been nuked, can I like, join as an adept?"
They were like,
"NOPE, YOU CAN'T. BECAUSE YOU'RE OUR LEADER."
"Oh snap."
"For reals."
I can just imagine Modera standing in a corner over there going, "fuuuuu."
I know I would be.
- Second, if Garrosh had the means to take out Theramore in one shot without anyone being the wiser about it, why didn't he just do that? Why did he throw his own Horde at Theramore and allow many of them to be killed? If you had the ability to NOT lose any of your people to the enemy...wouldn't you? I don't buy the whole, "Garrosh is just crazy" excuse, either. Yes, he's a horrible person, but that doesn't mean he's stupid. He exercises his ability to problem solve and come up with solid strategies (despite Bain's protests) several times in this novel. Sacrificing Horde lives when it was completely and utterly unnecessary is just poor storytelling and there was absolutely no reasoning for it.
- Kalecgos, go home, you are drunk. I thought it was strange that he fell in love with the Sunwell girl back in the manga. Not the highest storytelling point for Blizzard...but at least she was magical. He's magical. They're both highly magical creatures. Jaina is a woman. And yes, she might be a mage...but the romance felt completely forced and unrealistic. I just couldn't see why he would suddenly develop feelings for the woman during an extremely stressful time of his life. His focus should have been 100% on the focusing iris, not on walking along a sandy beach holding hands with a human. Weird.
There are probably other points where I scratched my head (too many to count), but this review is already extremely long-winded. As far as the writing style is concerned...Golden isn't the best, but she is accessible to many different reading levels, and for that she gets some kudos. If you're looking for some quality fantasy reading material, this is not it. Ooooh lord, this is not it. And if you're a fan of World of Warcraft, you're probably going to think this a huge steaming pile of stupid, too.
This is hands down the worst book I've read in the past ten years. This actually has nothing to do with Miss Golden, who I believe tried to do the best she did with the material she was given. In the past, she's actually done some great things for the Warcraft lore, such as fleshing out Anduin Wrynn's character. Bravo for that, Miss Golden. I appreciate her enthusiasm in bringing character development into a game where there is so...little of it.
For years, us ladies have been clamoring for a female lead who doesn't suck in the Warcraft universe. Most of the women involved in the game's lore are "barnacles" - that is, they attach onto a main male lead and don't let go. They serve very little purpose. Look at Thrall's woman, Aggra - she could have been a fierce, amazing and compelling female lead. Instead, she got knocked up and welp, that's the end of Aggra! Maiev's true purpose in life revolved around a man, too. Specifically, Illidan. She hunted the crap out of him and once she got in the killing blow - welp, that's the end of Maiev! Tyrande is Malfurion's barnacle. Vereesa is Rhonin's. This sort of thing is just what happens in the Warcraft universe.
So it was only natural that the same thing would happen to Jaina, right? Right. Enter Kalecgos, former Blue Dragon Aspect. Now he's got nothing to do because he's no longer an aspect and all the blues are moving on. The focusing iris was stolen...which is bad. Very bad. It's pretty much an ancient magical artifact that could be used as a nuclear weapon. Kal goes off in search for it, but not before making a quick stop at Jaina's tower to ask her for her aid. Oh, and five minutes after meeting her, falls head over heels in love with her. Yes, you read that right. A former dragon aspect falls for a human who is supposedly the most amazing awesome mage in the world. I say supposedly, because she still acts like a flake and needs Kal's help with basic stuff. Way to go, Jaina.
We're introduced to a couple new characters - Kinndy, for one. She's the daughter of that cute gnome in Dalaran who lights the streetlights at night. We really don't get enough gnomes in these books, which is disappointing. But I digress, Kinndy barely served a purpose. She was Jaina's assistant and adept. Pained - I have no idea what she was thinking when she came up with this night elf's name. A pretty interesting female character. Isn't around much. Then we have Vereesa, who I honestly wanted to know more about. She is Sylvanas' and Alleria's sister and leader of the Silver Covenent and hates blood elves. But hey, instead of going into her achievements in life, let's talk about her DOMESTIC achievements, instead!
Yes, you read that right. That's taken directly from the book, by the way. They are "domestic achievements." Being married to Rhonin, leader of the Kirin Tor, is one. Having babies with the leader of the Kirin Tor is two. And that's pretty much the only thing that matters about Vereesa! Thanks for showing up in the book, Mrs. Rhonin. Now please move over for the men of the lore, thanks.
So, Jaina goes off the deep end (finally), goes crazy and attempts to take out Orgrimmar for what was basically cowardly nuclear warfare. Instead, she's put in her place by like, five men. Varian, Anduin, Thrall, Kalecgos, Rhonin...every man in this damn book is like, "Sit your ass down, Jaina, you crazy." It was extremely disappointing. Kind of wanted to see the girl kick some ass...it never happens. Because she becomes Kalec's barnacle. Because Thrall told Jaina she needed a man because he was just sooooooo happy with Aggra and giiiirl, you totes need to get yourself a man to take care of you! I shit you not. This was just terrible.
That stuff aside, there were parts of the story that just didn't make any sense.
Like for example...
- Why was Modera, oldest female member of the Kirin Tor and supposedly really awesome, passed up for the leader of the Kirin Tor? She's stable and very talented. But because of a prophecy (good lord), Jaina was chosen instead. Even though Jaina showed up and was all like, "Hey guise, sorry I was really crazy and attempted genocide five minutes ago. Um, it wasn't good and I was wondering since I have no other place to go now that my place has been nuked, can I like, join as an adept?"
They were like,
"NOPE, YOU CAN'T. BECAUSE YOU'RE OUR LEADER."
"Oh snap."
"For reals."
I can just imagine Modera standing in a corner over there going, "fuuuuu."
I know I would be.
- Second, if Garrosh had the means to take out Theramore in one shot without anyone being the wiser about it, why didn't he just do that? Why did he throw his own Horde at Theramore and allow many of them to be killed? If you had the ability to NOT lose any of your people to the enemy...wouldn't you? I don't buy the whole, "Garrosh is just crazy" excuse, either. Yes, he's a horrible person, but that doesn't mean he's stupid. He exercises his ability to problem solve and come up with solid strategies (despite Bain's protests) several times in this novel. Sacrificing Horde lives when it was completely and utterly unnecessary is just poor storytelling and there was absolutely no reasoning for it.
- Kalecgos, go home, you are drunk. I thought it was strange that he fell in love with the Sunwell girl back in the manga. Not the highest storytelling point for Blizzard...but at least she was magical. He's magical. They're both highly magical creatures. Jaina is a woman. And yes, she might be a mage...but the romance felt completely forced and unrealistic. I just couldn't see why he would suddenly develop feelings for the woman during an extremely stressful time of his life. His focus should have been 100% on the focusing iris, not on walking along a sandy beach holding hands with a human. Weird.
There are probably other points where I scratched my head (too many to count), but this review is already extremely long-winded. As far as the writing style is concerned...Golden isn't the best, but she is accessible to many different reading levels, and for that she gets some kudos. If you're looking for some quality fantasy reading material, this is not it. Ooooh lord, this is not it. And if you're a fan of World of Warcraft, you're probably going to think this a huge steaming pile of stupid, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2012
Christie Golden promised in her dedication in Arthas: Rise of the Lich King to write the best books possible for World of Warcraft fans and she hasn't failed to deliver yet. Tides of War is probably her best written Warcraft novel since Lord of the Clans, if not ever, but I think I still prefer The Shattering overall. The nature of the tie-in novel really hits this book hard, unfortunately.
Strangely enough, this is an ensemble book. I don’t know why, Rise of the Lich King and Twilight of the Aspects both focused on their title characters, Tides of War is a Jaina-centric book but other characters, particularly Garrosh and Baine, get chapters too. I’m not complaining, it’s just strange to start Jaina’s book and her character doesn’t even appear until the third chapter whereas in Twilight of the Aspects for example Alliance characters hardly appear. But the ensemble points of view worked for The Shattering, and they more or less work here. The storyline pretty much builds up from what happens in The Shattering, not bringing in a lot from Wolfheart except for a few minor mentions, so Garrosh is still the warmonger, Baine’s still trying to move on from Caine’s death, the other Horde leaders still get very little to do - it’s all very familiar to anyone who’s read Golden’s last book.
As sort of the epilogue to Cataclysm and prologue to Mists of Pandaria, Tides of War works in a way I don’t think The Shattering did for Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm. The aftermath of the Hour of Twilight is front and center here in a way the death of the Lich King wasn’t in The Shattering, the very first scene shows just how far reaching the effects of the end of the Aspects are on the Blue Dragonflight and especially on Kalecgos. Golden does an excellent job showing the demise of a social order that’s endured since the beginning of Azeroth, and even I’m wondering what’s next for the Dragonflights in this new era. And the ending, it’s common knowledge Mists of Pandaria will be Alliance versus Horde like no expansion was before, and the final scene with Garrosh, if I hadn’t quit early Cataclysm, I’d return to World of Warcraft just to see where the in-game quests and storylines go from here. I guess I’ll just have to settle for the next book instead.
But those are really minor things - this is Jaina’s story after all, and unfortunately, compared to how well done everything else is I just found her story lacking. Jaina sort of has a bad rap for being so dedicated to peace (and having all her love interests, Arthas, Kael’thas, turn evil, lampshaded here) versus the more martial Varian, so I understand the Blizzard bosses’ desire to give her a more active role after she basically faded into the background after Wrath of the Lich King, but I think Golden does a much better job writing her character before the Horde pushes her over the edge than after. I’m a huge fan of the Jaina of the comics, I understand in order to shed her pacifist image she’s got to endure something incredibly tragic, but while the destruction of Theramore was just the thing to send her over the cliff, her revenge driven rampage was just way too melodramatic for me. For me, something so tragic requires some very subtle writing, especially for a character who’s basically making an entire one-eighty turnaround in her worldview, and I just found her rage-blinded scenes way too overwrought to be believable before a final realization that’s appropriate given her character’s history but more than a little rushed.
For a book basically with mandated character development, I liked the beginning and the end way more than the actual character development. Golden’s writing does one of my favorite characters justice, I guess, given what she had to work with, but a better book wouldn't have gone so far so quickly with Jaina's character.
Strangely enough, this is an ensemble book. I don’t know why, Rise of the Lich King and Twilight of the Aspects both focused on their title characters, Tides of War is a Jaina-centric book but other characters, particularly Garrosh and Baine, get chapters too. I’m not complaining, it’s just strange to start Jaina’s book and her character doesn’t even appear until the third chapter whereas in Twilight of the Aspects for example Alliance characters hardly appear. But the ensemble points of view worked for The Shattering, and they more or less work here. The storyline pretty much builds up from what happens in The Shattering, not bringing in a lot from Wolfheart except for a few minor mentions, so Garrosh is still the warmonger, Baine’s still trying to move on from Caine’s death, the other Horde leaders still get very little to do - it’s all very familiar to anyone who’s read Golden’s last book.
As sort of the epilogue to Cataclysm and prologue to Mists of Pandaria, Tides of War works in a way I don’t think The Shattering did for Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm. The aftermath of the Hour of Twilight is front and center here in a way the death of the Lich King wasn’t in The Shattering, the very first scene shows just how far reaching the effects of the end of the Aspects are on the Blue Dragonflight and especially on Kalecgos. Golden does an excellent job showing the demise of a social order that’s endured since the beginning of Azeroth, and even I’m wondering what’s next for the Dragonflights in this new era. And the ending, it’s common knowledge Mists of Pandaria will be Alliance versus Horde like no expansion was before, and the final scene with Garrosh, if I hadn’t quit early Cataclysm, I’d return to World of Warcraft just to see where the in-game quests and storylines go from here. I guess I’ll just have to settle for the next book instead.
But those are really minor things - this is Jaina’s story after all, and unfortunately, compared to how well done everything else is I just found her story lacking. Jaina sort of has a bad rap for being so dedicated to peace (and having all her love interests, Arthas, Kael’thas, turn evil, lampshaded here) versus the more martial Varian, so I understand the Blizzard bosses’ desire to give her a more active role after she basically faded into the background after Wrath of the Lich King, but I think Golden does a much better job writing her character before the Horde pushes her over the edge than after. I’m a huge fan of the Jaina of the comics, I understand in order to shed her pacifist image she’s got to endure something incredibly tragic, but while the destruction of Theramore was just the thing to send her over the cliff, her revenge driven rampage was just way too melodramatic for me. For me, something so tragic requires some very subtle writing, especially for a character who’s basically making an entire one-eighty turnaround in her worldview, and I just found her rage-blinded scenes way too overwrought to be believable before a final realization that’s appropriate given her character’s history but more than a little rushed.
For a book basically with mandated character development, I liked the beginning and the end way more than the actual character development. Golden’s writing does one of my favorite characters justice, I guess, given what she had to work with, but a better book wouldn't have gone so far so quickly with Jaina's character.
September 13, 2015
While I may play World of Warcraft off and on, one constant is my interest in the lore behind the game, an interest that extends to pretty much all MMOs I play, in fact. I’m always devouring every piece of lore and background information I can find, even if that means putting up with some not-so-well-written novels every once in a while. I’ve long discovered that looking for quality writing in most video game tie-in books is a lost cause.
Admittedly, I didn’t think Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War was going to pose much of problem on that front, because I’m generally well-disposed towards author Christie Golden’s works. The book’s eponymous heroine is also a major WoW character that I’ve always liked and followed with interest.
Indeed, if you’ve kept track with WoW lore and characters as closely as I have in recent years, I think some of the events in ToW will impact you in more profound ways than if you hadn’t. The story reaches back in time to touch upon several important points in Jaina Proudmoore’s history, just as it looks to the future and hints at upcoming changes in the expansion Mists of Pandaria. It lays the groundwork in explaining how the Alliance and Horde will end up discovering the new continent, and why the two factions will be battling when they do.
As we all know, Garrosh Hellscream is now the leader of the Orcs and the Warchief of the Horde, and he has decidedly chosen to walk a much darker path than his predecessor Thrall. The much talked-about complete and utter destruction of Theramore is his responsibility, as are many other terrible actions in this novel, so you’ll probably despise him. Still, not everyone in the Horde shares his views, and this has resulted in a clear split within the faction. Somehow, I have a feeling that this dissension in the ranks will play an important part in a future story line.
In any case, I’m aware that Blizzard has a history of altering their characters with every new expansion, but that’s not always a good thing. Female characters (e.g. Tyrande Whisperwind, Sylvanas Windrunner) especially always seem to receive the short end of the stick in this regard, so I was initially worried that they were going to change Jaina in the same way.
My concerns were unfounded. Yes, Jaina is changed, but in my opinion, for the better! She did witness her entire city being destroyed and all of her closest friends brutally murdered; I would have been angrier and more frustrated if she’d remained the vapid and naive pacifist sitting up in her little tower sipping tea and twiddling her thumbs while waiting for the day Alliance and Horde will lay down their arms and sing Kumbaya around a campfire. Instead, she has finally taken a stand. She’s still the strong and independent woman she was before, but now with an edge.
In truth, it was actually Jaina’s reaction to the aftermath that saved this book for me. As much as I like Christie Golden, I admit her writing style can be hit or miss; sometimes she’s so over the top with her WoW novels that the prose can be so contrived to the point of being borderline insulting. ToW was like this. In my heart, I’d almost given up on the book until I reached the story’s climax. After that, I just couldn’t stop reading.
Like I said, it wasn’t the writing, nor was it really the story’s events because much of it was already public knowledge. In fact, the best part of the book was the description of Jaina’s emotions — the grief, the suffering, the guilt and the rage — all of which were very raw and believable. Though her desire for revenge was frightening and terrible, I couldn’t help but sympathize and a part of me actually rooted for her to go through with her desperate need for vengeance. I even found myself liking Jaina more when she was ruthless and cold, because that’s when I felt a real personality starting to come through. It made her more real, which also makes her more likeable at least in my eyes.
Jaina also seems to have finally gotten over pining for Arthas. Speaking of which, there is a small aspect of romance in ToW, though I felt it sometimes got in the way of the story (like standing in the middle of the ruins of Theramore is where you choose to share your first kiss? Come on!) Regardless, I’m hoping that she’s finally found someone worthy of her, because we all know poor Jaina’s had pretty bad luck in the past when it comes to boyfriends.
In sum, writing-wise Christie Golden has delivered much better, but if you can put up with the mediocre writing that’s almost “fan-fic-y” in its hokeyness, I recommend this for fans of WoW especially if you plan on heading into MoP. I’m sure you can always get the whole story by looking up some two-line summary on some wiki page, but the canvas of emotions and feelings that you get from this novel is what makes it worth reading.
Admittedly, I didn’t think Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War was going to pose much of problem on that front, because I’m generally well-disposed towards author Christie Golden’s works. The book’s eponymous heroine is also a major WoW character that I’ve always liked and followed with interest.
Indeed, if you’ve kept track with WoW lore and characters as closely as I have in recent years, I think some of the events in ToW will impact you in more profound ways than if you hadn’t. The story reaches back in time to touch upon several important points in Jaina Proudmoore’s history, just as it looks to the future and hints at upcoming changes in the expansion Mists of Pandaria. It lays the groundwork in explaining how the Alliance and Horde will end up discovering the new continent, and why the two factions will be battling when they do.
As we all know, Garrosh Hellscream is now the leader of the Orcs and the Warchief of the Horde, and he has decidedly chosen to walk a much darker path than his predecessor Thrall. The much talked-about complete and utter destruction of Theramore is his responsibility, as are many other terrible actions in this novel, so you’ll probably despise him. Still, not everyone in the Horde shares his views, and this has resulted in a clear split within the faction. Somehow, I have a feeling that this dissension in the ranks will play an important part in a future story line.
In any case, I’m aware that Blizzard has a history of altering their characters with every new expansion, but that’s not always a good thing. Female characters (e.g. Tyrande Whisperwind, Sylvanas Windrunner) especially always seem to receive the short end of the stick in this regard, so I was initially worried that they were going to change Jaina in the same way.
My concerns were unfounded. Yes, Jaina is changed, but in my opinion, for the better! She did witness her entire city being destroyed and all of her closest friends brutally murdered; I would have been angrier and more frustrated if she’d remained the vapid and naive pacifist sitting up in her little tower sipping tea and twiddling her thumbs while waiting for the day Alliance and Horde will lay down their arms and sing Kumbaya around a campfire. Instead, she has finally taken a stand. She’s still the strong and independent woman she was before, but now with an edge.
In truth, it was actually Jaina’s reaction to the aftermath that saved this book for me. As much as I like Christie Golden, I admit her writing style can be hit or miss; sometimes she’s so over the top with her WoW novels that the prose can be so contrived to the point of being borderline insulting. ToW was like this. In my heart, I’d almost given up on the book until I reached the story’s climax. After that, I just couldn’t stop reading.
Like I said, it wasn’t the writing, nor was it really the story’s events because much of it was already public knowledge. In fact, the best part of the book was the description of Jaina’s emotions — the grief, the suffering, the guilt and the rage — all of which were very raw and believable. Though her desire for revenge was frightening and terrible, I couldn’t help but sympathize and a part of me actually rooted for her to go through with her desperate need for vengeance. I even found myself liking Jaina more when she was ruthless and cold, because that’s when I felt a real personality starting to come through. It made her more real, which also makes her more likeable at least in my eyes.
Jaina also seems to have finally gotten over pining for Arthas. Speaking of which, there is a small aspect of romance in ToW, though I felt it sometimes got in the way of the story (like standing in the middle of the ruins of Theramore is where you choose to share your first kiss? Come on!) Regardless, I’m hoping that she’s finally found someone worthy of her, because we all know poor Jaina’s had pretty bad luck in the past when it comes to boyfriends.
In sum, writing-wise Christie Golden has delivered much better, but if you can put up with the mediocre writing that’s almost “fan-fic-y” in its hokeyness, I recommend this for fans of WoW especially if you plan on heading into MoP. I’m sure you can always get the whole story by looking up some two-line summary on some wiki page, but the canvas of emotions and feelings that you get from this novel is what makes it worth reading.
January 27, 2022
4 stars.
I've been on a damn roll with these rereads.
I really enjoyed this one. Its a book that really hurts to read for me because it centers a bit around the very good friends of now deceased Korialstrasz and even touches upon his effect and changes in the Kirin Tor. Yet Jainia is such a deep heroine. Tides of War is literally about the tides of war. The Horde, now lead by Garrosh Hellscream since the departure of Thrall from the role of Warchief, is marching on Theramore. The focusing Iris has been stolen and we end up in this weird juxtaposition in which the former blue aspect Kalecgos is coming to Theramore, while the war itself is also directly coming to it so we get the different perspectives.
The addition of Baine's perspective especially, I think is key to this book. It already shows that within the Horde there is a split. Not everyone wants to go to war and dominate the continent, "for the Horde." Some are interested in peace, and Garrosh is already alienating some of the oldest (and strongest) original members of the Horde. (The Trolls through Vol'jin and the Tauren through Baine). It adds a sense of worry and concern for these characters which I really enjoyed.
My favourite thing though. And call me biased all you want, was that Kalecgos, for all his criticizing of Krasus/Korialstrasz when he lived about meddling... ends up in literally the exact same position and starts meddling in "mortal" affairs. It was just, it made me laugh so much because he was CONSTANTLY on Krasus' tail when it came to his involvement. And then bam, ends up in the exact same place.
I've been on a damn roll with these rereads.
I really enjoyed this one. Its a book that really hurts to read for me because it centers a bit around the very good friends of now deceased Korialstrasz and even touches upon his effect and changes in the Kirin Tor. Yet Jainia is such a deep heroine. Tides of War is literally about the tides of war. The Horde, now lead by Garrosh Hellscream since the departure of Thrall from the role of Warchief, is marching on Theramore. The focusing Iris has been stolen and we end up in this weird juxtaposition in which the former blue aspect Kalecgos is coming to Theramore, while the war itself is also directly coming to it so we get the different perspectives.
The addition of Baine's perspective especially, I think is key to this book. It already shows that within the Horde there is a split. Not everyone wants to go to war and dominate the continent, "for the Horde." Some are interested in peace, and Garrosh is already alienating some of the oldest (and strongest) original members of the Horde. (The Trolls through Vol'jin and the Tauren through Baine). It adds a sense of worry and concern for these characters which I really enjoyed.
My favourite thing though. And call me biased all you want, was that Kalecgos, for all his criticizing of Krasus/Korialstrasz when he lived about meddling... ends up in literally the exact same position and starts meddling in "mortal" affairs. It was just, it made me laugh so much because he was CONSTANTLY on Krasus' tail when it came to his involvement. And then bam, ends up in the exact same place.
September 1, 2012
It is really amazing how much better the last few novels have been. It feels like since Stormrage Blizzard has really wanted to actually do novels that move the story forward and this one is no exception.
Jaina is a character who plays a prominent role in the game at times but really comes alive in the novels. She has always been kind of a tragic figure because of the whole Kael'thas/Arthas love triangle - it is hard to reconcile that the two men who once loved you became consumed by evil. And her whole peacemaker role with Thrall always made her someone that neither the Horde or the Alliance fully trusted. Her position as a peacemaker is over now, obviously.
I have Horde and Alliance characters but honestly I always root for the Alliance most of the time. I know it is supposed to not be a battle between good and evil but as long as Sylvanus was a respected Horde leader, I never saw how that worked. In Wolfheart, Garrosh showed that the Horde and Alliance would never have peace with him in place. Now we see that Garrosh is about to rip the Horde apart.
Personally, I was already looking forward to the raid. Now I have extra incentive.
Jaina is a character who plays a prominent role in the game at times but really comes alive in the novels. She has always been kind of a tragic figure because of the whole Kael'thas/Arthas love triangle - it is hard to reconcile that the two men who once loved you became consumed by evil. And her whole peacemaker role with Thrall always made her someone that neither the Horde or the Alliance fully trusted. Her position as a peacemaker is over now, obviously.
I have Horde and Alliance characters but honestly I always root for the Alliance most of the time. I know it is supposed to not be a battle between good and evil but as long as Sylvanus was a respected Horde leader, I never saw how that worked. In Wolfheart, Garrosh showed that the Horde and Alliance would never have peace with him in place. Now we see that Garrosh is about to rip the Horde apart.
Personally, I was already looking forward to the raid. Now I have extra incentive.
August 31, 2012
It honestly floors me that with 11 million active players, Blizzard can't find better authors for its series.
I don't really have a problem with the plot. I love cheesy books and cheesy games, and WOW is nothing if not cheesy. I like fanfiction and I like series fiction. But here is my problem-- Golden is a really mediocre writer. Someone handed her an outline of "what happens" and she just told the reader everything. That's all. This book is all tell.
She's about as dry as a rock. Cookie cutter characters. Cookie cutter plot. You could wireframe out this book and come up with a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. I felt like I kind of wasted my time reading this. I wanted to know what happened, and the events but there was no pleasure in actually finding out. I honestly should have just read the wikipedia summary.
What irks me is that the books don't have to be this bad. There are actually pretty fun authors out there writing brainless corporate fan fiction like this. WOW just has a crop of bad ones and Golden is probably the least bad of the bunch. It's still a terrible book though. I'm giving up on wow fiction and I'll just read the summaries from here on out.
I don't really have a problem with the plot. I love cheesy books and cheesy games, and WOW is nothing if not cheesy. I like fanfiction and I like series fiction. But here is my problem-- Golden is a really mediocre writer. Someone handed her an outline of "what happens" and she just told the reader everything. That's all. This book is all tell.
She's about as dry as a rock. Cookie cutter characters. Cookie cutter plot. You could wireframe out this book and come up with a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. I felt like I kind of wasted my time reading this. I wanted to know what happened, and the events but there was no pleasure in actually finding out. I honestly should have just read the wikipedia summary.
What irks me is that the books don't have to be this bad. There are actually pretty fun authors out there writing brainless corporate fan fiction like this. WOW just has a crop of bad ones and Golden is probably the least bad of the bunch. It's still a terrible book though. I'm giving up on wow fiction and I'll just read the summaries from here on out.
February 28, 2023
the best wow book
July 22, 2017
I always thought Jaina Proudmore was a badass, but this just goes to prove that even more. This book answer so many questions I had about the fate of Theramore Isle; and gave me such a strong craving to play.
October 14, 2012
I wanted to like this book. I like Christie Golden as an author. She's typically easy to read and the story flows well. And those things are essentially true. The problem, for me, is everything else.
I think the main flaw in the book is that it seems like she is essentially being told exactly what to write and can't deviate from the outline. Things that I think that would've added some backstory is why Garrosh is starting to go batshit crazy. Who is Malkorok? And while WoW as a game might explain some of these, for a casual reader, they are left in the dark.
The conclusions drawn seem to be weak. For example, and it's been said before, Jaina is put in her place by Thrall, Varian, and then by Kalecgos. Her anger is not sated even though the object of her hatred is essentially right in front of her.
And actually that's probably what upsets me the most. With Garrosh within striking distance and basically all but defeated, he gets away scott-free, along with Malkorok. And that's what Jaina, even in her pacified state was going to Orgrimmar to do. It makes zero sense other than Blizzard wanting Jaina involved in the war and them wanting a batshit crazy Garrosh as warchief of the Horde.
Again, I don't put this blame on Christie Golden as an author, because I feel that the plot behind this is all Blizzard driven and done to get people to play the game for more answers. And personally to me, that is just bad prose, poor form, and not interesting. I think a good book is written to be a good book, with strong characters, strong plot, and strong conclusions. What I felt we got were characters that got weaker, weaker plot points, and even weaker conclusions. Though well written, which I think is a lot of kudos to Golden, it just smacks of classically bad Blizzard. And it's done the reverse for me. Instead of making me want to pick up WoW again, it's confirming my reasons for quitting.
I think the main flaw in the book is that it seems like she is essentially being told exactly what to write and can't deviate from the outline. Things that I think that would've added some backstory is why Garrosh is starting to go batshit crazy. Who is Malkorok? And while WoW as a game might explain some of these, for a casual reader, they are left in the dark.
The conclusions drawn seem to be weak. For example, and it's been said before, Jaina is put in her place by Thrall, Varian, and then by Kalecgos. Her anger is not sated even though the object of her hatred is essentially right in front of her.
And actually that's probably what upsets me the most. With Garrosh within striking distance and basically all but defeated, he gets away scott-free, along with Malkorok. And that's what Jaina, even in her pacified state was going to Orgrimmar to do. It makes zero sense other than Blizzard wanting Jaina involved in the war and them wanting a batshit crazy Garrosh as warchief of the Horde.
Again, I don't put this blame on Christie Golden as an author, because I feel that the plot behind this is all Blizzard driven and done to get people to play the game for more answers. And personally to me, that is just bad prose, poor form, and not interesting. I think a good book is written to be a good book, with strong characters, strong plot, and strong conclusions. What I felt we got were characters that got weaker, weaker plot points, and even weaker conclusions. Though well written, which I think is a lot of kudos to Golden, it just smacks of classically bad Blizzard. And it's done the reverse for me. Instead of making me want to pick up WoW again, it's confirming my reasons for quitting.
April 23, 2019
I've played World of Warcraft for over a decade, and first played Warcraft 3 nearly 12 years ago. In that time, I've read a few Warcraft novels (one of which so enamoured me with the Shaman that I created and played one for the next year!) In my opinion, the lore of Warcraft is the greatest fantasy story ever created. Yes, there is much inspiration from other fantasy stories, but what sets the Warcraft story apart is the fact that the game allows you to visit the places, meet the characters, and be an integral part of the story.
"Tides of War" is the most emotional, gut-wrenching, and aggravating Warcraft novel I've read. For WoW players during the Cataclysm/Mists of Pandaria transition time, you'll remember the destruction of Theramore event/scenario. While playing, I thought, "This event is alright- the Horde is taking things to an extreme though..." I also watch Nobbel87's YouTube videos, which delve into lore, so the actual events in this book were already known to me.
That said, I was not at all prepared for the emotional impact that this book had on me. Many secondary characters (not well-known in the lore) quickly endeared themselves, which made the devastation of war so much worse. It clearly defined Garrosh as a villain worthy of an expansion- even more so than the game itself did (perhaps quest text would have filled things out a bit better). Had I read this a few years ago, I would have been so much more invested in defeating Garrosh and Malkorok. Knowing their fates (which come far past the end of this book) is somewhat comforting - but nothing makes me want to go back to defeat them in-game more than having finished this book and getting the full story of what was such a devastation, and what was treated so simply and sanitary in game.
"Tides of War" is a MUST read for any WoW player or lore enthusiast. Without my connection to WoW, the story would be less compelling, but is nevertheless still a great story for general fantasy readers as well.
"Tides of War" is the most emotional, gut-wrenching, and aggravating Warcraft novel I've read. For WoW players during the Cataclysm/Mists of Pandaria transition time, you'll remember the destruction of Theramore event/scenario. While playing, I thought, "This event is alright- the Horde is taking things to an extreme though..." I also watch Nobbel87's YouTube videos, which delve into lore, so the actual events in this book were already known to me.
That said, I was not at all prepared for the emotional impact that this book had on me. Many secondary characters (not well-known in the lore) quickly endeared themselves, which made the devastation of war so much worse. It clearly defined Garrosh as a villain worthy of an expansion- even more so than the game itself did (perhaps quest text would have filled things out a bit better). Had I read this a few years ago, I would have been so much more invested in defeating Garrosh and Malkorok. Knowing their fates (which come far past the end of this book) is somewhat comforting - but nothing makes me want to go back to defeat them in-game more than having finished this book and getting the full story of what was such a devastation, and what was treated so simply and sanitary in game.
"Tides of War" is a MUST read for any WoW player or lore enthusiast. Without my connection to WoW, the story would be less compelling, but is nevertheless still a great story for general fantasy readers as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2014
"A really good, fast read. Christie Golden knows her Warcraft and knows it well. She has an amazing grasp on the woman and what exactly is going on inside her head. Tides of War is at its core a story of transformation, of accepting that all things, be it beliefs, standards, or friendships, will inevitably be tested. It's a story of uncertainly trying to find a place in a world that seems to have no place for you, be it as a diplomat inexplicably standing for peace in a time of war or a flight of dragons with no purpose.
It's also the story of an orc gone terribly, terribly wrong, one who has learned precisely all the wrong lessons from his father -- and it's the story of a Horde being torn apart by his decisions. It's the story of a leader who stood at a crossroads of potential and chose to lead by threats and fear rather than understanding and compassion.
And it's a story of loss, of grief so utterly overwhelming that it threatens to devour the soul. The grief of a leader whose kingdom is wiped out in an instant, the grief of a woman who sees with stark certainty the pointlessness of the path she's chosen, the grief of a daughter who finally understands the words of her father, entirely too late to do anything about it. It's a tale of learning to cope with that grief and rise above it, a story of coming to terms with a chaotic world, and learning to adapt. It's a beautifully written Warcraft novel, and I can't recommend it enough." (anne stickney sez it better than I can!!)
It's also the story of an orc gone terribly, terribly wrong, one who has learned precisely all the wrong lessons from his father -- and it's the story of a Horde being torn apart by his decisions. It's the story of a leader who stood at a crossroads of potential and chose to lead by threats and fear rather than understanding and compassion.
And it's a story of loss, of grief so utterly overwhelming that it threatens to devour the soul. The grief of a leader whose kingdom is wiped out in an instant, the grief of a woman who sees with stark certainty the pointlessness of the path she's chosen, the grief of a daughter who finally understands the words of her father, entirely too late to do anything about it. It's a tale of learning to cope with that grief and rise above it, a story of coming to terms with a chaotic world, and learning to adapt. It's a beautifully written Warcraft novel, and I can't recommend it enough." (anne stickney sez it better than I can!!)
September 22, 2012
Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War is the story of the events leading up to one of the big story arcs for the up-coming World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria. Rather than looking at the Pandaran arc, this looks at the growing tension between the Horde and the Alliance, and covers a pivotal moment in WoW's history set around the Isle of Theramore.
This book drew me in and played my emotional strings with a rare mastery. I found all the characterisations fit what I knew from the game, but with the added depth you only get from a good book. The storyline itself lead to places and emotions I had not expected, thinking as I did that I knew what was happening due to being an avid WoW player, and left me with deeper feelings about the game's main characters than I've ever had.
Non-WoW players might not get the same from this book that I did, but it is a good story, with excellently written characters that should satisfy anyone that reads it, not just WoW gamers. It sets up MoP nicely, but can still be read without knowing who any of the protagonists are, or how they came to be there, leaving the story's ending both wrapped up and open to the future (without requiring that future to make sense). I can't think of higher praise than the fact I want to get into the game and have my character do things to Garrosh Hellscream that would make for whole new chapters of Things You Can't Do in the Geneva Convention.
This book drew me in and played my emotional strings with a rare mastery. I found all the characterisations fit what I knew from the game, but with the added depth you only get from a good book. The storyline itself lead to places and emotions I had not expected, thinking as I did that I knew what was happening due to being an avid WoW player, and left me with deeper feelings about the game's main characters than I've ever had.
Non-WoW players might not get the same from this book that I did, but it is a good story, with excellently written characters that should satisfy anyone that reads it, not just WoW gamers. It sets up MoP nicely, but can still be read without knowing who any of the protagonists are, or how they came to be there, leaving the story's ending both wrapped up and open to the future (without requiring that future to make sense). I can't think of higher praise than the fact I want to get into the game and have my character do things to Garrosh Hellscream that would make for whole new chapters of Things You Can't Do in the Geneva Convention.
July 13, 2018
I read this book, hoping to get a bit of inspiration for the upcoming Kul'Tiran Allied Race coming to the game in the next expansion, Battle for Azeroth. While it didn't give me what I was looking for, it did give me a good bit of insight into one of the pivotal characters of that upcoming expansion.
I remember playing through some of the events in this book, but what really brought it alive for me was the characterization. It gives us an in depth look at the "slice of life" surrounding Theramore and its citizens, which we hadn't been able to get previously. It also showed us Jaina's thoughts and feelings, both before and after the devastation, and I liked the change in Jaina, as it seemed to be a logical one. I hold out hope that the feelings of rage and hatred will be tempered with time, and I believe it opens a door for her to return to Kul'Tiras and work with them, which may have been the whole point in the first place. The budding romance between Jaina and Kalecgos seemed out of place and a bit one sided for a good part of the book, so its inclusion made me wonder at the purpose of it.
All things considered, this book was a good read, but with some confusing properties that I hope are resolved further down the line in game or in other books.
I remember playing through some of the events in this book, but what really brought it alive for me was the characterization. It gives us an in depth look at the "slice of life" surrounding Theramore and its citizens, which we hadn't been able to get previously. It also showed us Jaina's thoughts and feelings, both before and after the devastation, and I liked the change in Jaina, as it seemed to be a logical one. I hold out hope that the feelings of rage and hatred will be tempered with time, and I believe it opens a door for her to return to Kul'Tiras and work with them, which may have been the whole point in the first place. The budding romance between Jaina and Kalecgos seemed out of place and a bit one sided for a good part of the book, so its inclusion made me wonder at the purpose of it.
All things considered, this book was a good read, but with some confusing properties that I hope are resolved further down the line in game or in other books.
November 10, 2012
Christie Golden is a great World of Warcraft author. She gets and understands the setting and really develops the characters within it to a believable extent. I love her Jaina Proudmore. I also love her development of Kalecgos, who I started liking with the Sunwell trilogy manga. This book did a great job setting up the Fall of Theramore scenario and has me anxious for Mists of Pandaria.
As a side effect, however, I no longer want to play my Horde characters. Besides now having a deep and abiding hate for Garrosh, I'm utterly disgusted with the Horde as a whole, including Baine and Vol'jin. And I'm totally over Thrall and Varian.
As a side effect, however, I no longer want to play my Horde characters. Besides now having a deep and abiding hate for Garrosh, I'm utterly disgusted with the Horde as a whole, including Baine and Vol'jin. And I'm totally over Thrall and Varian.
September 6, 2012
If you are a Warcraft Lore hound such as myself. No, wait. If you like fiction. READ THIS BOOK. By far one of the most well written Novels i've read in quite a while (Next to Exile) I was hooked from beginning to end. I wanted more after it was over! Needless to say, Mists of Pandaria cannot come soon enough, so I can take in the Brilliantly told story from a better prospective. Blizzard and Christie Golden Deliver yet again with this book!
September 9, 2012
Loved this book! Action packed, equally distributes point of view between the alliance, the horde and the dragon flights. Great lore!
April 3, 2022
"Whatever journey you are on, whatever your path may lead to, I, at least, have found it to be sweeter by far with a life companion at my side.”
The first time I heard about Rhonin was in Day of the Dragon, and I really enjoyed that novel. Over the years, the characters of Rhonin and Kraus were being developed with novels and the game's lore. When Mists of Pandaria was released, I was quite shocked to find out that Rhonin died in Theramore's war. He was one of the characters that I had thought would not die... at least up to the Legion expansion where so many people died:D Although I knew what would happen to some prominent characters and to Theramore, the descriptions were quite alluring and sometimes very sad.
"There was no room for the enormous yet tiny word 'if.' That was the siren song of utter failure, disguised in its own costume of wishful thinking."
Golden has written the details about the war and described the tensions between the Alliance and the Horde.
Even though I didn't find character development in the book extraordinary, the twists and details were fine, especially elaborating a nationalist hero becoming a racist tyrant. Having said that, I found the aftermath of the catastrophe, really rushed.
Apart from Garrosh's story, the platonic love between Kiry and Kalec, and Jaina's ethical standards considering peace were interesting. The dialouges between Jaina, Kinndy, and others that Jaina wanted to protect before the bomb were sometimes heartbreaking regarding the fact that I knew they were going to die.
"If you truly appreciate and value something, then you wish to manage it well. You don’t want to hoard it; you want to share it."
The first time I heard about Rhonin was in Day of the Dragon, and I really enjoyed that novel. Over the years, the characters of Rhonin and Kraus were being developed with novels and the game's lore. When Mists of Pandaria was released, I was quite shocked to find out that Rhonin died in Theramore's war. He was one of the characters that I had thought would not die... at least up to the Legion expansion where so many people died:D Although I knew what would happen to some prominent characters and to Theramore, the descriptions were quite alluring and sometimes very sad.
"There was no room for the enormous yet tiny word 'if.' That was the siren song of utter failure, disguised in its own costume of wishful thinking."
Golden has written the details about the war and described the tensions between the Alliance and the Horde.
Even though I didn't find character development in the book extraordinary, the twists and details were fine, especially elaborating a nationalist hero becoming a racist tyrant. Having said that, I found the aftermath of the catastrophe, really rushed.
Apart from Garrosh's story, the platonic love between Kiry and Kalec, and Jaina's ethical standards considering peace were interesting. The dialouges between Jaina, Kinndy, and others that Jaina wanted to protect before the bomb were sometimes heartbreaking regarding the fact that I knew they were going to die.
"If you truly appreciate and value something, then you wish to manage it well. You don’t want to hoard it; you want to share it."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2019
4.5/5
Even though majority of the book was spoiled to me by the internet, I enjoyed it quite a lot. A great story set between Cataclysm and Mists about one of the greatest characters in Warcraft. The ending of the book was a little cliffhangery (I know, that's not a word), for obvious reasons, hence the ".5" in my rating. Overall, a great read I would recommend every Warcraft fan read.
Even though majority of the book was spoiled to me by the internet, I enjoyed it quite a lot. A great story set between Cataclysm and Mists about one of the greatest characters in Warcraft. The ending of the book was a little cliffhangery (I know, that's not a word), for obvious reasons, hence the ".5" in my rating. Overall, a great read I would recommend every Warcraft fan read.
April 4, 2020
Excuse me WHAT??????? I feel like there should be more pressing matters for me to be discussing about this book, but WHY have we never heard any mention of Jaina and Kalec being together in game?? I’m shook.
Also special shoutout to Baine Bloodhoof. I may play Alliance but he is the GOAT.
Also Garrosh sucks. Can’t wait til he’s gone.
Also special shoutout to Baine Bloodhoof. I may play Alliance but he is the GOAT.
Also Garrosh sucks. Can’t wait til he’s gone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2019
One of the first Warcraft books I read once I got into the game in 2017, and also the first book to ever make me cry. I hope y'all know exactly which scenes/character I'm talking about :(
Amazingly written <3
Amazingly written <3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2014
You can read the full review over at my blog:
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2014...
Quite unintentionally, I’ve started on a sort of WarCraft kick this year as far as my reading is concerned. First it was The Shattering: Prelude to the Cataclysm and then it was Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects, novels that were set in the World of WarCraft: Cataclysm expansion, and they both proved to be really good reads all the way through. They also helped me reconnect with a game that I’d long stopped playing, and the hit of nostalgia was pretty strong. and also very enjoyable. And since Christie Golden is such a good writer, the experience was better than I’d expected.
Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War is both the epilogue to World of WarCraft: Cataclysm and the prologue to the next expansion, Mists of Pandaria. In this novel, we see how the calculated brutality and savagery of Garrosh Hellscream turns Jaina Proudmoore from a pacifist to one intent on the path of vengeance. It is one of the most stunning character reversals I’ve seen in fiction for a long while, Christie handles it with aplomb. Some of the usual deficiencies of Christie’s writing are evident here, but by and large this novel was a damn good read and very emotional too.
This was my first WarCraft audiobook as well, so that’s one of the things that I’ll be talking about here, and the thing is that while I liked Justine Eyre as the reader, a lot of the times her voice-acting didn’t work for me because her female voices were a bit too grating, while her male voices were fine. And I say in the context that for many of Jaina’s scenes, her voice came across as… needy and girlish and petulant, which is not Jaina at all, and never has been. Still, she often got the solemnity of the dialogue right, so that’s something. And Justine’s cries of “For the Horde!” are also somewhat hilarious. There are very, very few people who can do that battlecry justice.
For the story itself, it all starts when the Blue Dragonflight meets in the Nexus to discuss its future. At the end of Cataclysm, all the remaining four Dragon Aspects battled the former Earth Aspect Deathwing and defeated him, but sacrificed their power and their status in the bargain. Now they are just members of their Dragonflights, though they have their millennia of experience and their status as leaders of their people to keep them buoyed. However, given the events of Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects in which Kalecgos became as the Magic Aspect by a consensus among the Blue Dragons, we see that the new leader of the Blues still has many self-doubts and self-recriminations. He struggles with his choices as a leader and as a former Aspect, and in the midst of all this, the Blues’ most sacred artifact, the Focusing Iris, is stolen and whisked away by persons unknown, throwing them all in disarray and making Kalecgos’ arc in this novel that much more intense.
At the same time, Jaina Proudmoore is struggling with Thrall’s decision to leave Garrosh Hellscream as the Warchief of the Horde in his place from The Shattering: Prelude to the Cataclysm, and she even meets with him to make him see reason, to realise that under the volatile Garrosh, there will be war soon. Thrall however is wholly given over to his duties with the Earthen Ring and he makes it plain that his path is different and that he will not go back to the Horde or bring Garrosh to heel.
And so starts one of the most torturous stories of WarCraft as war indeed comes to the world, for Garrosh has plans to conquer all of Kalimdor and he will do whatever is necessary to make that happen, even if it means destablising the world further, even though it is still barely recovered from the onslaught of Deathwing’s Cataclysm.
Oftentimes in this novel, Christie Golden’s characerisation of Jaina was spot-on. I expected that since the novel is named after all of course, but even, she often went beyond the call of duty to make sure that Jaina felt as she was the Jaina who was first introduced in WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos and who she has developed into since those days. This is actually a very important element since by nature this novel is a tie-in to a very popular game that is played the world over and Jaina has been a central character for almost a decade now. Jaina’s reminiscences about Arthas struck me especially close since that is a plotline that played out in Reign of Chaos and I was there for every single moment of it, watching as they drew apart and then came to be enemies instead of lovers and friends. So, in those respects, and in relation to Jaina being the ruler of her kingdom (of Theramore), Christie managed to hit all the right notes. In the character’s interactions with Baine Bloodhoof’s emissary, with Anduin and Varian both, with the other members of the Alliance, you can see the “classic” Jaina and chart her progress as well.
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2014...
Quite unintentionally, I’ve started on a sort of WarCraft kick this year as far as my reading is concerned. First it was The Shattering: Prelude to the Cataclysm and then it was Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects, novels that were set in the World of WarCraft: Cataclysm expansion, and they both proved to be really good reads all the way through. They also helped me reconnect with a game that I’d long stopped playing, and the hit of nostalgia was pretty strong. and also very enjoyable. And since Christie Golden is such a good writer, the experience was better than I’d expected.
Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War is both the epilogue to World of WarCraft: Cataclysm and the prologue to the next expansion, Mists of Pandaria. In this novel, we see how the calculated brutality and savagery of Garrosh Hellscream turns Jaina Proudmoore from a pacifist to one intent on the path of vengeance. It is one of the most stunning character reversals I’ve seen in fiction for a long while, Christie handles it with aplomb. Some of the usual deficiencies of Christie’s writing are evident here, but by and large this novel was a damn good read and very emotional too.
This was my first WarCraft audiobook as well, so that’s one of the things that I’ll be talking about here, and the thing is that while I liked Justine Eyre as the reader, a lot of the times her voice-acting didn’t work for me because her female voices were a bit too grating, while her male voices were fine. And I say in the context that for many of Jaina’s scenes, her voice came across as… needy and girlish and petulant, which is not Jaina at all, and never has been. Still, she often got the solemnity of the dialogue right, so that’s something. And Justine’s cries of “For the Horde!” are also somewhat hilarious. There are very, very few people who can do that battlecry justice.
For the story itself, it all starts when the Blue Dragonflight meets in the Nexus to discuss its future. At the end of Cataclysm, all the remaining four Dragon Aspects battled the former Earth Aspect Deathwing and defeated him, but sacrificed their power and their status in the bargain. Now they are just members of their Dragonflights, though they have their millennia of experience and their status as leaders of their people to keep them buoyed. However, given the events of Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects in which Kalecgos became as the Magic Aspect by a consensus among the Blue Dragons, we see that the new leader of the Blues still has many self-doubts and self-recriminations. He struggles with his choices as a leader and as a former Aspect, and in the midst of all this, the Blues’ most sacred artifact, the Focusing Iris, is stolen and whisked away by persons unknown, throwing them all in disarray and making Kalecgos’ arc in this novel that much more intense.
At the same time, Jaina Proudmoore is struggling with Thrall’s decision to leave Garrosh Hellscream as the Warchief of the Horde in his place from The Shattering: Prelude to the Cataclysm, and she even meets with him to make him see reason, to realise that under the volatile Garrosh, there will be war soon. Thrall however is wholly given over to his duties with the Earthen Ring and he makes it plain that his path is different and that he will not go back to the Horde or bring Garrosh to heel.
And so starts one of the most torturous stories of WarCraft as war indeed comes to the world, for Garrosh has plans to conquer all of Kalimdor and he will do whatever is necessary to make that happen, even if it means destablising the world further, even though it is still barely recovered from the onslaught of Deathwing’s Cataclysm.
Oftentimes in this novel, Christie Golden’s characerisation of Jaina was spot-on. I expected that since the novel is named after all of course, but even, she often went beyond the call of duty to make sure that Jaina felt as she was the Jaina who was first introduced in WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos and who she has developed into since those days. This is actually a very important element since by nature this novel is a tie-in to a very popular game that is played the world over and Jaina has been a central character for almost a decade now. Jaina’s reminiscences about Arthas struck me especially close since that is a plotline that played out in Reign of Chaos and I was there for every single moment of it, watching as they drew apart and then came to be enemies instead of lovers and friends. So, in those respects, and in relation to Jaina being the ruler of her kingdom (of Theramore), Christie managed to hit all the right notes. In the character’s interactions with Baine Bloodhoof’s emissary, with Anduin and Varian both, with the other members of the Alliance, you can see the “classic” Jaina and chart her progress as well.
August 26, 2018
Exhilarating
Exhilarating from start to finish. Tides of War will have your emotions going on a rollercoaster! Jaina Proudmoore is a badass.
Exhilarating from start to finish. Tides of War will have your emotions going on a rollercoaster! Jaina Proudmoore is a badass.
December 2, 2018
“All things change, whether from inside out or the outside in. That is what magic is. And we are magic too.”
★★★★★
I have to be honest, I have disliked Jaina's character ever since I started playing World of Warcraft. But, I never learned the details of the event that made her so bitter and unlikeable: Theramore's Fall. I knew her city was destroyed by the Horde, but I didn't know any of the details, so as a big lore fanatic I decided to pick up this book. And oh, was I wrong about Jaina.
I enjoyed reading this book so much, despite being in a reading slump. Christie Golden's writing is my favourite in Warcraft novels and it kept me from DNF'ing it or leaving it for later. I also liked the division in chapters: It was either a Horde or Alliance POV, varying between several different POV's each. In a war, there are always two sides of the story and it was told perfectly like this. Each side of the story even had multiple standpoints and conflicts and it was fantastic. I am not going into too much detail about the actual story as the beauty of this book is the story, so I am just going to tell you it was such a fantastic read with characters developing along the way and true to their nature. This book is canon to the game and it is incredible how well the canon-writing was done. I am all about details and everything just checked out perfectly. Really, I absolutely loved this and I really want to read more about Jaina Proudmoore as a person.
I actually read this book about a year ago. Yes, this review is very late, I am aware. But, finishing this book was an accomplishment on its own as I was in the worst reading slump I have ever been. It took me nearly two months to finish it, though I was also reading another book at the same time. My reading slump was so bad, I couldn't keep my attention on just one book. I wish to someday re-read this book while not in a reading slump so I can enjoy it even better.
This book is perfect for every lover of Warcraft lore or people who want to learn more about Theramore's Fall or Jaina in general. Besides that, it is written by the best Warcraft novel author out there and it won't disappoint you!
Reading this book definitely helped me understand Jaina Proudmoore's character a whole lot better and I actually started to like her a bit (Even as a Horde player while she is an Alliance character.) Though I am still mad for her just disappearing at the start of the Legion expansion while she, one of the most powerful mages alive, could have helped us with the demon invasion across the world big time. But that aside, this is a great book for lore fanatics as this is about a very big event in the Warcraft storyline. A well deserved five star read!
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://ezziesbookshelf.wordpress.com
June 16, 2015
I have read several reviews saying this book is awful. I don't know why. I thought Christie Golden did a magnificent job...as she tends to do...of showing characters' inner and outer conflict. I thought the new characters that showed up were well-developed for the roles they played. I thought the pacing of the story was done well and Golden's superb descriptive prose made what happened in Theramore hit harder than I probably needed to have it. The deaths in this book broke my heart (though not quite as much as the one in Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects), and I am genuinely curious as to why the ruined city was taken out of the expansion. (perhaps it is being rebuilt and I haven't figured that out yet.). Golden's depiction of Jaina's rage and heartbreak was painfully hard to read, not because it was poorly written (it wasn't) but because it was visceral. Golden knows how to play the emotions of the reader, and she does so maturely (unlike some authors I can think of).
Now, the reason I rated it only 4 stars is because I did have some trouble with the book. I get Garrosh. I get Baine. But there did seem to be a time when neither of them knew what they were doing...and Golden wasn't sure either. I saw the Kor'kron births and the reign of terror beginning, but again, it felt like everyone was foundering until the real attack started. It almost got boring, and I wanted to skip passages, but Golden has earned my trust and so I give her chances.
I also hesitate with the appointment of Jaina as leader of the Kirin Tor by way of the dragon-ex-machina prophecy. No matter what the apparently-psychic (is this in-game??) Krasus (oh, my heart, the grief!) said, Jaina was in no frame of mind to take on that mantle so soon after her breakdown. It was too "wrapped up in a bow" for me. And it was unrealistic (by fantasy standards).
Also, Jaina and Kalec? I adore Kalecgos, I really do. He is the playful Dragon on your shoulder. He is a sexy cobalt mess of joy and play and seriousness and studiousness and loyalty. I Love him almost more than I Love Khadgar. But man did he feel forced together with Jaina. I suppose I can see it. The ice queen needs to be reminded of joy. But....it felt forced. Maybe I'm just jealous. :-P
Anyway, I loved this book and plan on owning it. My thanks to Christie, and I hope other people find this book enjoyable.
Now, the reason I rated it only 4 stars is because I did have some trouble with the book. I get Garrosh. I get Baine. But there did seem to be a time when neither of them knew what they were doing...and Golden wasn't sure either. I saw the Kor'kron births and the reign of terror beginning, but again, it felt like everyone was foundering until the real attack started. It almost got boring, and I wanted to skip passages, but Golden has earned my trust and so I give her chances.
I also hesitate with the appointment of Jaina as leader of the Kirin Tor by way of the dragon-ex-machina prophecy. No matter what the apparently-psychic (is this in-game??) Krasus (oh, my heart, the grief!) said, Jaina was in no frame of mind to take on that mantle so soon after her breakdown. It was too "wrapped up in a bow" for me. And it was unrealistic (by fantasy standards).
Also, Jaina and Kalec? I adore Kalecgos, I really do. He is the playful Dragon on your shoulder. He is a sexy cobalt mess of joy and play and seriousness and studiousness and loyalty. I Love him almost more than I Love Khadgar. But man did he feel forced together with Jaina. I suppose I can see it. The ice queen needs to be reminded of joy. But....it felt forced. Maybe I'm just jealous. :-P
Anyway, I loved this book and plan on owning it. My thanks to Christie, and I hope other people find this book enjoyable.
August 29, 2012
I was of two minds about this book from the outset, given that the showcase character of Jaina Proudmoore is not one I've ever had great interest in. Personal foibles aside, however, I would say that this book is perhaps the strongest of the World of Warcraft offerings yet released - even managing to compete with and perhaps surpass my previous favorite in the series "Arthas: Rise of the Lich King." Kudos to Mrs. Golden for being able to spin a tale that reinvested me in a character for whom my interest had previously been flagging.
At its core "Tides of War" is a rapidly paced tale of escalating tensions within World of Warcraft's two primary factions, coupled with more far-reaching and global circumstances that quickly become seamlessly intertwined. The story also contains a great many interpersonal flourishes that breathe believability into the narrative as well as cultivate a feeling of personal involvement to the characters. This is made all the more poignant with the realities of total war come crashing down, changing many long-held relationships and allegiances, and calling into question the very nature of things once held true. It's a riveting ride and I found it difficult to tear myself away from it for any length of time.
The only flaw in the book I would note was that the rapid pace of the storytelling bled into the development of the characters and their relationships somewhat. This is perhaps an unfortunate side-effect of tale set in the midst of war, but it did serve to hamper the believability of some of the situations the characters found themselves in. Overall, "Tides of War" was an excellent story and a pleasure to read, a solid additional to anyone following the World of Warcraft's extended storyline.
At its core "Tides of War" is a rapidly paced tale of escalating tensions within World of Warcraft's two primary factions, coupled with more far-reaching and global circumstances that quickly become seamlessly intertwined. The story also contains a great many interpersonal flourishes that breathe believability into the narrative as well as cultivate a feeling of personal involvement to the characters. This is made all the more poignant with the realities of total war come crashing down, changing many long-held relationships and allegiances, and calling into question the very nature of things once held true. It's a riveting ride and I found it difficult to tear myself away from it for any length of time.
The only flaw in the book I would note was that the rapid pace of the storytelling bled into the development of the characters and their relationships somewhat. This is perhaps an unfortunate side-effect of tale set in the midst of war, but it did serve to hamper the believability of some of the situations the characters found themselves in. Overall, "Tides of War" was an excellent story and a pleasure to read, a solid additional to anyone following the World of Warcraft's extended storyline.
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