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War Crimes
(World of Warcraft #13)
by
Alliance and Horde forces have stripped Garrosh Hellscream, one of the most reviled figures on Azeroth, of his title as warchief. His thirst for conquest devastated cities, nearly tore the Horde apart, and destroyed countless lives throughout the...WORLD OF WARCRAFT® Now, on the legendary continent of Pandaria, he will stand trial for his transgressions. Renowned leaders f
...more
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Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
May 6th 2014
by Gallery Books
(first published May 1st 2014)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of War Crimes (World of Warcraft, #13)

Mar 12, 2014
Ellen Zacarias
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Azerothians
Shelves:
fantasy
War Crimes is the thirteenth book in the World of Warcraft novel franchise, transitioning us from the Mists of Pandaria expansion to Warlords of Draenor. Lore-wise, this takes place after the the Siege of Orgrimmar, after the Alliance, Horde, and Pandaren have united to defeat Garrosh after he has poisoned the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, a place that was not even open to the world until recently.

Before and After: Vale of Eternal Blossoms
(Credit: Tenton Hammer)
...And this is why the Horde can't ha ...more

Before and After: Vale of Eternal Blossoms
(Credit: Tenton Hammer)
...And this is why the Horde can't ha ...more

Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde (World of Warcraft #12), Michael A. Stackpole
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After the defeat of Garrosh Hellscream, he stands trial in a Pandaren court. While many are crying out for a swift execution, it is the August Celestials who are the jury and will render a verdict after a fair trial has been performed. Meanwhile, the Dragonmaw are amassing allies to free Garrosh, and the Windrunner sisters are working together to try and poison Garrosh before the final verdict is given.
I struggled with this book. I've read most of the Warcraft novels, and to this date, I'd only ...more
I struggled with this book. I've read most of the Warcraft novels, and to this date, I'd only ...more

I would start this review with an admission, this is a case where I feel Goodreads does its volunteer reviewers a disservice by not offering the ability to use half-stars in one's rating. Typically I can work around this limitation by rounding up or down depending on my overall feeling of the work in review - but here the subtraction or addition of an entire star would be respectively either an insult to the quality of the book or a well-intended lie on my part.
Dispensing with that external crit ...more
Dispensing with that external crit ...more

Executive Summary: I think your enjoyment of this book will largely depend on how much you like and know about the Warcraft lore.
Audio book: Scott Brick is a fine narrator, but nothing really special. He seems to do accents for the trolls and a few other races, but for the most part he doesn't really add much to the story like my favorite narrators seem to.
Full Review
I'm a recovering World of Warcraft addict. I've been clean for about a year since my guild's raids fell apart. I played a good ...more
Audio book: Scott Brick is a fine narrator, but nothing really special. He seems to do accents for the trolls and a few other races, but for the most part he doesn't really add much to the story like my favorite narrators seem to.
Full Review
I'm a recovering World of Warcraft addict. I've been clean for about a year since my guild's raids fell apart. I played a good ...more

As a world of warcraft nerd, this is probably the best warcraft novel I've read (I haven't read that many, but still). It gives face time to all of the racial leaders (apart from Blood Elves, who were notable absent. I mean, the guy had a single line but then literally never got mentioned again. Very odd for one of the most highly played races, but oh well).
If you're not into warcraft, there's no real reason to read this book, and if you know absolutely nothing of warcraft then I imagine this wo ...more
If you're not into warcraft, there's no real reason to read this book, and if you know absolutely nothing of warcraft then I imagine this wo ...more

I finally got around to reading this, and I just have to get it out of the way and say: it's amazing!
Whenever someone asks me for fantasy recommendations, I try to remember to recommend the Warcraft series. I suppose it helps that I've played the games, all the way back since the beginning of the real-time strategy games, because it means that I know a lot of the lore and history of the universe, and recognize the characters. But even without that, I think any fantasy lover would enjoy Warcraft. ...more
Whenever someone asks me for fantasy recommendations, I try to remember to recommend the Warcraft series. I suppose it helps that I've played the games, all the way back since the beginning of the real-time strategy games, because it means that I know a lot of the lore and history of the universe, and recognize the characters. But even without that, I think any fantasy lover would enjoy Warcraft. ...more

This is a World of Warcraft courtroom drama.
It's played entirely serious.
Now, either this is awesome and hilarious at once or it's suspension of disbelief breaking. I lean more toward the former than the latter. Does it make sense that Baine Bloodhoof and Tyrande Whisperwind have either the training or formal speech patterns of a trial lawyer? No. Does it make sense that Azeroth has any of the legal traditions of a modern Western trial? I dunno, does it make sense Gnomes can build rocket-trai ...more
It's played entirely serious.
Now, either this is awesome and hilarious at once or it's suspension of disbelief breaking. I lean more toward the former than the latter. Does it make sense that Baine Bloodhoof and Tyrande Whisperwind have either the training or formal speech patterns of a trial lawyer? No. Does it make sense that Azeroth has any of the legal traditions of a modern Western trial? I dunno, does it make sense Gnomes can build rocket-trai ...more

There are likely a number of folks who are going to look at Christie Golden’s latest novel entry and write it off as an episode of Law and Order with tauren and dragons in it. So let’s get a couple things out of the way first: Yes, the bulk of the book is a courtroom drama focusing on the prosecution and defense interviewing witnesses in the trial of Garrosh Hellscream. Most of what doesn’t take place in the courtroom has to do with the reactions of folks attending the trial, and while a good po
...more

Best WoW novel yet. It had a wonderful taste of WoW's past with a fascinating examination of the current climate of Azeroth and Pandaria. We got to see some characters we haven't really had a chance to spend time with, and Anduin becomes more and more someone I like reading about and less that little kid next to Varian in Stormwind. The courtroom section of it is tense, smart, and absolutely gripping - this is a must-read for WoW players, and I think even non-Azerothians will find something to e
...more

I HOPE YOU ARE READING THIS COMMENT!
THIS IS HOW THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE: Imagine that I will come and tie your wrists and feet. And then I make you watch…How I slaughter your mother. Your father. Your wife or husband. Your children. Your brother and sister. And laugh in your face as I make you watch me slit their throats and grin widely. You literally watch them die while their bodies throb in agony. I throw their limp bodies or severed heads at you, with all their blood spattering on ...more
THIS IS HOW THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE: Imagine that I will come and tie your wrists and feet. And then I make you watch…How I slaughter your mother. Your father. Your wife or husband. Your children. Your brother and sister. And laugh in your face as I make you watch me slit their throats and grin widely. You literally watch them die while their bodies throb in agony. I throw their limp bodies or severed heads at you, with all their blood spattering on ...more

I don't think it was a bad book per se, and it had its moments, but it wasn't terribly interesting overall. Perhaps the biggest issue I had with it was that several of the characters came off to me as out-of-character and/or unlikable which it made it difficult to be invested. In addition, the Jaina/Kalec romance felt forced and I didn't sense any chemistry between them whatsoever. Still, some of the story was a neat addition to existing Warcraft lore and it was a decent setup to Warlords of Dra
...more

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

I believe this book was very good for many reasons but one major reason is for the lore. This book takes events from all over the Warcraft universe and were described in great detail for people who have not known about the game before they read the book. Such as the bombing of Theramore, the accuser described mostly every detail such as when, how and the affect that it had on many alliance members. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested on knowing the background information abou
...more

I loved this book. I am a big fan of the Warcraft franchise and World of Warcraft. This book is about the trial of Garrosh Hellscream, former warchief of the horde. This book isn't just about a trial because there are many other conspiracies at play here. I highly suggest you read it if you have some knowledge of World of Warcraft. Otherwise, the book might seem quite strange.
...more

What an ending! Solid 4 stars. This was my second time reading a novel from the Warcraft universe, and now I'm hooked.
Honestly, those not interested in the game are going to find this a tough slog. There wasn't a whole lot of action. But, Golden did a great job giving us a deeper look into some of our favorite characters. Awesome book, awesome characters. ...more
Honestly, those not interested in the game are going to find this a tough slog. There wasn't a whole lot of action. But, Golden did a great job giving us a deeper look into some of our favorite characters. Awesome book, awesome characters. ...more

I play World of Warcraft for the satisfaction of participating in raiding dynamics and choreography, not for the story. But as a ten year veteran of the game I sometimes try to pinpoint how exactly the story went so wrong, and imagine what the writers could have done to fix it so that it would help and not hurt player motivation in the game by making player actions feel meaningful and thematically justified instead of just kind of ridiculous and flailing.
There are three things:
1) They needed to ...more
There are three things:
1) They needed to ...more

My expectations for War Crimes were not very high to begin with but after reading just a few pages I was hooked. The courtroom is definitely one of the most unexpected but also extremely fascinating locations for a World of Warcraft novel. The best thing about this book in my opinion is the abundance of beloved characters involved in the action. Reading about characters' reactions and interactions was an amazing experience. I like Christie Golden's writing very much and I think she has once agai
...more

War Crimes is my most favorite World of Warcraft so far. It had literally everything in it that I wanted to have.
The plot is a matter of Garrosh Hellscream's questionable trial at the end of Mists of Pandaria and tells the whole trial in detail. I know that the idea of the trial itself was received with rather mixed feelings. While I had found it to be weird to not simply execute Garrosh, the idea of the trial was new and refreshing. In the novel it gets further explained as to why this was chos ...more
The plot is a matter of Garrosh Hellscream's questionable trial at the end of Mists of Pandaria and tells the whole trial in detail. I know that the idea of the trial itself was received with rather mixed feelings. While I had found it to be weird to not simply execute Garrosh, the idea of the trial was new and refreshing. In the novel it gets further explained as to why this was chos ...more

I still hold a firm belief that bringing Christie Golden on board to compose literature for World of Warcraft was one of the best decisions Blizzard has made to date. And after finishing War Crimes, I don't believe that opinion will be fading any time soon.
Many know full well that this novel is not an action-driven story and instead foucses on a courtroom debate of the fate of Garrosh Hellscream. And while it does not necessarily utilize intense, honorable combat as it prerogative to drive the s ...more
Many know full well that this novel is not an action-driven story and instead foucses on a courtroom debate of the fate of Garrosh Hellscream. And while it does not necessarily utilize intense, honorable combat as it prerogative to drive the s ...more

I have only read a few of the World of Warcraft (WOW) books. Even though I play the game. The ones that I have read, I enjoyed. I can tell the author is also a fan and player of WOW. The author really makes the world come alive and be just like you are playing the game, only in the books. Of course if you play the game, you are excited than to the next expansion and fighting new bosses. So I wanted to read up on this book to see if I could get a little more insight to the new expansion coming so
...more

Finally things make sense
I played through Mists of Pandaria with little care for the lore until the War between the Alliance and the Horde began to pick up much momentum. I was upset that it couldn't all be handled in-game, but now I understand why. There are three different stories running through this book. All of which blend together somewhat seamlessly. The trial, while a bit on the dull/boring side definitely had its moments of "oh my god, what?!" It was nice hearing major characters testim ...more
I played through Mists of Pandaria with little care for the lore until the War between the Alliance and the Horde began to pick up much momentum. I was upset that it couldn't all be handled in-game, but now I understand why. There are three different stories running through this book. All of which blend together somewhat seamlessly. The trial, while a bit on the dull/boring side definitely had its moments of "oh my god, what?!" It was nice hearing major characters testim ...more

this was not my favorite WoW book. I'm in the "let's just kill the fucker" crowd so I think the trial was a waste of time. (view spoiler)
...more

One of the best of this series
Well written as per usual in regards to the author, C. Golden.
Only dissatisfied with the ending but that isn't in her power. This section of lore encapsulates the pandered hosted trial of war crimes committed by Garrosh Hellscream. As usual the story is more about the reflections faced by other important people of Azeroth and the growth they may achieve in their self discovery. This book had much more of Sylvanas than most, which makes it one of my top favorite lor ...more
Well written as per usual in regards to the author, C. Golden.
Only dissatisfied with the ending but that isn't in her power. This section of lore encapsulates the pandered hosted trial of war crimes committed by Garrosh Hellscream. As usual the story is more about the reflections faced by other important people of Azeroth and the growth they may achieve in their self discovery. This book had much more of Sylvanas than most, which makes it one of my top favorite lor ...more

Jan 28, 2017
Love of Hopeless Causes
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy
Book Crime number two: opens with a dream sequence. This is not fair play. Too bad, because the reader and production values sounded excellent.

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

If you don't play the game, don't read the novel. Of course, if you haven't played World of Warcraft, you probably would not have heard of the novel anyway. Unless you are a Christie Golden fan. If you are her fan, you aren't going to like my review, so you just might want to stop.
Good:
First, the progression of the story was great. The structure was good and main character development was also good. Grammatically, it was smooth.
Secondly, the pace of the story was good. I was able to get through ...more
Good:
First, the progression of the story was great. The structure was good and main character development was also good. Grammatically, it was smooth.
Secondly, the pace of the story was good. I was able to get through ...more
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Award-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 youn ...more
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 youn ...more
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