L'Ascension de la Horde

World of Warcraft #2

by Christie Golden

Comment les orcs se sont unis pour devenir les tueurs les plus craints de l'univers de Warcraft. L'histoire de Warcraft est faite de contes héroïques, de batailles féroces et de tragédies qui laissent une empreinte profonde dans le monde d'Azeroth. Il y a bien longtemps, dans les collines de Draenor, les nobles clans orcs vivaient en paix avec leurs mystérieux voisins, les draenaï. Mais les infâmes agents de la Légion ardente réservèrent un bien triste sort aux deux races. Le seigneur démoniaque Kil'Jaeden orchestra les événements qui anéantirent les draenaï et forcèrent les orcs à s'unir en une seule nation pour devenir un fléau de haine et de destruction, une horde assoiffée de sang. Dans L'Ascension de la Horde, le jeune chef de guerre Thrall raconte l'histoire de ses ancêtres, la malédiction démoniaque qui pesa sur son peuple pendant des générations, et les effroyables jours qui changèrent les orcs à jamais. Et qui façonnent encore aujourd'hui le destin de tous ceux qui vivent en Azeroth et en Outreterre, le royaume disloqué quon appelait autrefois Draenor !

Genres: Fantasy, Warcraft, World Of Warcraft, Fiction, High Fantasy, Gaming, Video Games

318 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

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 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.

Reviews

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hate is powerful. Hate can be eternal. Hate can be manipulated. And hate can be created.”

The fertile world of Draenor is at peace. The ferocious orcs and the intelligent draenei live side by side in relative harmony. Until a mysterious being appears to the great shaman Ner’zhul, spiritual leader of the orc people, and makes him see that the tall, blue-skinned people are a threat to their survival…

Rise of the Horde is the best Warcraft book I’ve read so far. No doubt about it. Christie Golden seems to be a much more talented writer than most of her colleagues here, and she makes this part of the lore come alive in a wonderful way. Draenor and the traditions of Orc society are vividly described, several important characters make an appearance, and in the very beginning, the reader actually gets to witness the fall of the Eredar in ancient times.

The most interesting part of the book was its point of view. It is narrated by Thrall the Warchief looking back on the dark history of his people. But in the past itself, the viewpoint is with the bad guys. No matter if one supports the Alliance or the Horde on Azeroth, there can be no doubt that the Old Horde of Draenor was a force of evil. And the rise to power of that force is what this book is all about.

[Sinisa Mikasinovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back to Goodreads after over two months. Real life sucks :-)

The series curse continues. Every single one I loved in the past and continued reading in 2019 turns to shit bad for some reason.

Chronologically, this book takes place before Tides of Darkness and its end is the beginning of the Horde invasion of Azeroth and the start of battles with the Alliance.

"Oh! Like in the movie?!"

Well, no. Very much not like in the movie. Reading this felt strange. I've never been in such a bloody war, but I can imagine something like this: Being on the battlefield for years, fighting the losing battle. Then, years after, discovering the Tome of History and reading about everything you experienced but somehow different. Victors write the history and, in this case, it has been twisted to suit some other agenda.

"So, this isn't real Warcraft?"

This actually is the real Warcraft! The sole reason this book felt weird all the time I've been reading it is the fact it was written back in 2006!

"Ooooh... now I get it! This was the original lore, shaped by the game and companion books to then be almost completely abandoned and reshaped into something else for the shooting of the first movie ten years later just to be able to present the Warcraft saga to as many people on the planet?"

Precisely. You also talk too much. I've got it from here.

If you liked the movie, you will find this book confusing. If you didn't like the movie, you'll find this book equally confusing only it will make more sense. This is a story the Warcraft movie novelization re-did. And I don't like when that happens.

It's an alternate universe. A piece of the story told in a different way. Major consequences are still the same, but the story is way off. Like a scholar finally sat down with you and told you the history as it really happened. You can choose to ignore the ramblings of that drunken bard from Mary's Tavern. Although everyone seems to believe him.

So who's lying here? It's Star Wars all over again. The scholar Disney comes in, telling you how Leia and Han had a kid called Ben who becomes some Kylo Ren, but deep inside you know they have three kids, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin, as you remember many of their grand adventures.

This book is the victim of the history rewriting. It's painful for me to see so many things changed just to fit better with some new grander agenda. 3 stars are not for the bland story but for the watered-down version of it. I know how well Golden can write. I read over 10 of her books. Not one of her masterpieces.

Also, she committed a nearly unforgivable audiobook sin. She narrated her own work. There are some things you just don't do unless you're very experienced or very entertaining. She's neither. Also #2, she re-wrote this book 10 years later in a completely different way, confusing just about everyone.

If the scholar keeps telling new stories, many people will believe him. These new stories are better told, with more shiny details. And young people don't learn anything from history anyway.

But old people will still trust the words of the drunken bard from Mary's Tavern.

 

Rise of the Horde (World of Warcraft #2)
by Christie Golden

 

Verdict     Great, if you're into the original lore.
Runtime     11:02
Overall     
Performance 
Story       

[Leeanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde, by Christie Golden

"Rise of the Horde" is what a Warcraft book should be. The book is enjoyable, the plot is pretty solid, and the characters are spot on. In the author biography, Golden states that she is a World of Warcraft player and it shows - there are little things thrown in that any Warcraft player will appreciate.

Each chapter starts with a brief introduction from Thrall, the current chief of the new Horde. He is writing the history of the old Horde, the Horde that destroyed their own world and invaded Azeroth, the Horde that perpetuated genocide on the draenei and slaughtered the humans.

The story of the orcs starts with a noble race, living peacefully on Draenor. The orcs have coexisted with the draenei for hundreds of years, ever since the draenei arrived on Draenor fleeing from their ancient enemies. While the orcs take pleasure in hunting animals and bloodlust, they are not killers and have a culture, family groups, a belief system. But all that changes when the Burning Legion turns a key orc to their side, and he leads the orcs on a terrifying descent into madness. Only one clan stands apart, the Frostwolves; their leader Durotan watches helplessly as the orcs are corrupted by demons.

Golden depicts this tale with plenty of emotion; I felt for Durotan's situation. How many of us have watched someone do something we know is wrong, but we can't change their minds? Most of us have, I'm sure. "The Rise of the Horde" details just that, the rise of the horde that descended upon Azeroth, intent on taking the world for their own. The story is known, especially if one is a Warcraft player; but Golden fleshes out the story very nicely. How many Warcraft players have visited Durotar, or Orgrimmar? The figures these places are named after, Durotan and Orgrim, are key characters in this book. The additional background detail it provides will delight any Warcraft player; this is one of my favorite novels based on the universe - I've read all of them, and read them all multiple times.

5/5.

[Kenchiin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just... wow.
Yes, that was a pun.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.
I've been playing WoW for six years now and have always loved what little (compared to how much of it there actually is, anyway) hints of the story I got from reading the quests and listening to the NPCs talk, but I wanted to learn more. That's when I decided to begin reading the novels, and I don't regret a moment of it.
This book really brings you closer to orcs and draenei alike (read: I re-rolled an orc shaman right afterwards). Golden does an excellent job at bringing their brutal, and often tear jerking, struggles to life.

The story recounts back to the days of Durotan, Thrall's father, and the trials the orcs go through to eventually reach Azeroth. Evidently, Thrall has acquired much information through an old friend of his father's (Drek'Thar), and has decided to put the story of the orcs down on paper. He tells us of the life of the orcs before their corruption by the Burning Legion and what little was known of the mysterious draenei. But he also recounts the tale of how the two races became enemies, despite their previously peaceful coexistence.

It is an amazing tale of strength, determination, and knowing when to keep your mouth shut to save those you cherish most. If you've played any Warcraft games, this book will give you that, "Oh, I know that guy!" feeling that tends to keep us wanting to fill in the blanks and learn more. Even if you haven't played, this is a good place to start.

Recommended! :)

[Ayda Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

فک کنم اولین کتابی بود که تو ژانر ( high فانتزی و حماسی) میخوندم و چون میدونستم زیاد خشونت و جنگ با روحیه ام سازگار نیست طرف این ژانر نمیرفتم وسط امتحانا شروعش کردم و دوس داشتم یه چیز روون بخونم
چند صفحه ی اول رو که خوندم داشتم پشیمون میشدم که بذارمش کنار و بعدا سراغ این کتاب برم ولی گفتم بذار بهش فرصت بدم و باید بگم خیلی زود داستان جذاب شد و کشش خوبی داشت ، ولی همین که رفت جلوتر فهمیدم قراره کلی سرش حرص بخورم و هر دو خط ک میخوندم کتابو میکوبیدم تو سرم بخاطر اشتباهات و حماقت هاشون
و این روند تا پایان کتاب تقریبا ادامه داشت و باید بگم خشونت این کتاب تا حدودی زیاد بود و همش درحال سلاخی کردن موجودات بی گناه بودن و این اذیتم میکرد
ولی خب موضوع جدید بود و با اینکه سرش اذیت شدم دوس دارم جلدای بعدی رو هم بخونم ، یه ستاره که کم کردم بخاطر همین اذیت شدنم بود🥲

[Melika Kalhor · Rating 4 out of 5]

خیلی خوش گذشت خوندن اییین

[Mamen B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5

Me ha gustado un poquito más que El último guardián, probablemente porque estaba más interesada en la historia de los orcos que en la de los humanos...

En este libro Golden nos presenta a Durotan y Orgrim, con sus correspondientes clanes, que son dos orcos que se hacen amigos a pesar de las diferencias. Pero no es una historia de amistad, sino de guerra, de traiciones y de pérdidas. Nos cuenta cómo los orcos eran unos seres pacíficos que fueron corrompidos con magia oscura y promesas de un poder maligno y "superior": Kil'Jaeden y posteriormente, el demonio Sargeras. Cuenta cómo los orcos llegaron a Azeroth, pues ese no era su mundo de origen, y cómo empezó a formarse la Horda y a ser enemiga de la Alianza.

Pero también nos cuenta la historia de un genocidio instigado por alguien de su propia raza: el exterminio de los pacíficos Draenei.

La narración es simple, pero es una historia entretenida, que avanza rápido. En ocasiones he divagado un poco, sobre todo en las sucesiones de las distintas batallas, pero en general, el dilema moral de Durotan (que no es otro que el padre de Thrall, y quien haya jugado a WoW sabe perfectamente quién es), es digno de leer.

Me quedo con que ya sé por dónde van a ir los tiros de la película más o menos, aunque harán un popurrí, pero al menos conozco la historia de los personajes.

Como el anterior, lo recomiendo si gustas de la historia y el lore del mundo de Warcraft, porque si no, esta novela (y la anterior) es bastante simple tanto en argumento como en escritura.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit difficult to rate this book with just one rating - as a fantasy book for people with no relationship to the Warcraft/WoW universe, it's quite average. But if you are familiar with the characters, and have visited the mentioned places in-game, I think you will enjoy it quite a bit. I did.

If you are brand new to the World of Warcraft books, this is a pretty good place to start. It tells the story of how the conflict between the peaceful and harmonious orcs and draenei occured in Draenor, and why the portal to Azeroth was created. You'll meet characters like Durotan of the Frostwolf Clan, Orgrim Doomhammer, Gul'dan and Ner'zhul, as well as Velen, Kil'jaeden and Archimonde.

[Pinkerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per l’Orda! Quant’è bello questo racconto. La tragica vicenda relativa alla corruzione degli orchi vista sin dal principio, ma non solo... c’è pure la conseguente (ma anche precedente :P) triste storia dei draenei guidati dal loro profeta Velen.

Un dramma orchesco di corruzione demoniaca che porterà alla venuta su Azeroth. Lancerei un urlo alla Grom Hellscream (quello nella copertina… particolarmente azzeccata) per la gioia.
Altamente consigliato a chi è piaciuto il film che qui può trovare l’origine della questione, personaggi compresi ;)

P.S.
A questo giro a Ner'zhul hanno fatto le scarpe :P

[W.G. Saraband · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronologically, "Rise of the Horde" is the first entry into the lore of Warcraft. It peers into the Draenor, the change of relations between Orcs and Draenei, the foundation of the Horde, and prepares the stage for the first Orcish invasion of Azeroth.

Christie Golden does a good job telling the tale. Characters like Durotan, Orgrim, Ner'zhul and Gul'dan are well described, their personalities coherent with their actions. Although the pace is rather quick, since the short book spans a solid number of years, it's easy to keep track of all the events that take place, and which may provide an answer to many of the questions of former Warcraft / WoW players. These should also expect certain treats, with the description of familiar game elements, such as the Warlock pets and spells.

The prose is good, and the introduction offered in Thrall's voice before each chapter presents an interesting view point of the events taking place. Although it's hard to be surprised with the book's ending, since you're clearly shown the characters' intentions, it is still a very pleasant story, satisfactory for both fans of the renowned computer games, or for complete newcomers.

[نیما اکبرخانی · Rating 5 out of 5]

بین چهارتا کتابی که تا اینجا از مجموعه وارکرفت خوندم این از همه بهتر بود البته ۳ تای اول به نوعی تاریخ نگاری بود و خیلی هم نمیشه بهشون سخت گرفت . با نحوه روایت داستان که تمامش فلش بک هست و به قلم ترال نوشته میشه خیلی حال کردم . ایده جالبی بود واقعا خاصه اونجاهایی که عین یه تاریخ نگار و یه رهبر واقعی ترال خودش کامنت گذاشته بود پای تواریخ و پند و اندرز هم داده بود .
کلا خوب بود .

[Anisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

با توجه به این‌که قرار بود مقدمه‌ای بر دنیای وارکرفت باشه انتظار نداشتم خیلی هیجانی باشه اما خب تقریبا بود.
داستان جالب بود، هزاران بخش جذاب تر از هر تیکه داستان میتونه بزنه بیرون و مشخصا خیلی دنیای وسیعی داره. نمیتونم اینکه به دنیاش جذب شدم رو انکار کنم ولی خب کتاب یه سری مشکلات عمده داشت.

●شخصیت‌پردازیش خوب بود اما درمورد ظاهر شخصیت‌ها خیلی خیلی بیشتر میتونست توضیح بده. یا فضای شهر درنای ها...
خیلی چیزا بود که میتونست بیشتر راجبشون بگه و به نظرم بیشتر برای مخاطب بازی نوشته شده. مثلا برای درنای ها همش میگفت پاهای سم مانند؛ توی قسمت های مختلف میتونست توضیحات بهتری ارائه کنه.
●خیلی سعی کرده بود به قسمت حماسی داستان بپردازه و یه جاهایی به نظرم بیش از حد اون افکار دوراتان رو کش میداد. حتی میتونست از صحنه های جنگ درنای ها اورک ها رو استفاده از جادوشون توضیحات بیشتری ارائه بده.
میگفت بی رحمی وجود داره اما بیشتر طمع و نفرتشونو نشون میداد، نمیگفت که اعمالشون چقدر خشنه.

چیزهای دیگه خوب بود و داستان جذابی هم داشت، اما فکر کنم باید 3 بدم چون خیلی خیلی میتونست بهتر باشه.
من کتاب زبان اصلی اصلا نمیخونم اما ترجمه خوبی داشت و طرح جلدم که بیش از حد زیباست:"

[Vasaltis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Αρχικά να πω πως η μόνη επαφή που έχω με τον κόσμο του Warcraft είναι η ταινία που βγήκε πριν κάποια χρόνια (την οποία είχα βρει συμπαθητική) και το ψηφιακό καρτοπαίχνιδο Hearthstone με το οποίο ασχολούμαι σε υπερβολικά casual βαθμό. Δεν έχω ασχοληθεί ποτέ ούτε με το WoW , ούτε με το strategy game παλαιότερα και δεν έχω την παραμικρή ιδέα των ιστοριών αυτού του κόσμου.

Το βιβλίο αν και το έπιασα με ενδιαφέρον, καθώς βρήκα ιντριγκαδόρικη την ιδέα μιας ιστορίας από την οπτική μια παραδοσιακά "κακής" φυλής πλασμάτων του Φανταστικού όπως είναι τα Ορκς, με απογοήτευσε πλήρως. Η γραφή είναι εξαιρετικά πρόχειρη και αποτυγχάνει να μεταφέρει την αίσθηση των θαυμαστών και μαγικών πραγμάτων που προσπαθεί να περιγράψει. Για βιβλίο που υποτίθεται αποτελεί "μια αυθεντική ιστορία ηρωισμού" (έτσι γράφουν στο οπισθόφυλλο ) δεν έχει τίποτα απολύτως το ηρωικό. Ο πρωταγωνιστής είναι ένα θλιβερό πλασματάκι που μόνο στο μυαλό της συγγραφέως φαντάζει σπουδαίος αλλά όσες φορές και να τον χαρακτηρίσουν έτσι μες στο βιβλίο , αυτή η αίσθηση δεν περνά στον αναγνώστη.

Η συγγραφέας περιγράφει πράγματα που θυμίζουν έντονα τα εγκλήματα των Ναζί κατά τον Β'ΠΠ (όσον αφορά τον τυφλό φανατισμό των μαζών, φυλετικό μίσος, γενοκτονίες, εξοικίωση με τις φρικαλεότητες σε αμάχους και αιχμαλώτους σε σημείο αποδοχής ). Αλλά κι αυτό φαίνεται παιδιάστικο και πρόχειρο σε σημείο η απολογία του αφηγητή της ιστορίας να είναι "εντάξει κάναμε λάθη, δεν ξέραμε, παρασυρθήκαμε".

Έχοντας διαβάσει και άλλα βιβλία εμπνευσμένα από φανταστικούς κόσμους παιχνιδιών φαντασίας τα οποία αν και κάποια είναι καλά δεν είναι ούτε επιπέδου Τόλκιν, ούτε Μάρτιν ή άλλων μεγάλων δασκάλων του είδους (κυρίως Forgotten Realm και Dragonlance) η Γέννηση της Ορδής καταλαμβάνει την χαμηλότερη θέση ανάμεσα τους. Αν θέλετε να κάτι που να περιέχει ιστορίες και από την πλευρά των Ορκς, προτιμήστε το Hunter's Blade Trilogy του Salvatore...έτη φωτός καλύτερο.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was o.k.. It felt like mostly redaction, i.e. fixing the Warcraft lore for World of Warcraft (so that the orcs could be a playable race without guilt). This is, essentially, the story of how the orcs went from a good, innocent, tribal people of nature worshippers to a frothing, horde of evil demon worshippers. The story is pretty cliché: the orcs were tricked and corrupted by the demonic forces of Sargeras. But, when you think deeper about this, this vision of “the fall” doesn’t hold up. Read closely and you will see that there were two ambitious orcs responsible for the orcs’ corruption: Ner’zhul and Gul’dan. They fully accepted all the “power” provided by the demon Kil’jaeden without hesitation. They weren’t suspicious for a second! Viewed in this way, all the orcs are, effectively, without blame. A part of me misses the orcs as baddies without apology. Part of what made Warcraft I and II was the clear-cut distinction between the good humans and evil orcs. Christie Golden is a great writer though. Her storytelling ability on display despite the strange narrative demanded by the lore. I wonder how much of the story was her creation versus other writers?

[Víctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como jugador (muy) casual de World of WarCraft me picaba la curiosidad por saber algo más del lore y decidí empezar por este libro. En el se narran los inicios de la Horda, centrándose en la historia de los orcos.

Creo que es una lectura que encantará a todo aquel que quiera saber un poco más sobre el videojuego y en especial sobre los personajes principales. Dicho esto, creo que también podría ser una lectura totalmente válida para alguien que no conoce el mundo y una muy buena forma de adentrarse en el.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela que narra parte de la historia del universo World of Warcraft. Es entretenida, aunque creo que gusta sobre todo a los que estén interesados en conocer el lore de este universo. Si no conoces nada previamente, quizás haya que empezar por jugar al juego antes que leer la novela.

Y como es solamente una pequeña parte de la historia, no tiene un final cerrado, la historia continúa en otras novelas y en el juego.

Ahora tengo la necesidad de leer más libros para poder conocer cómo siguió la historia desde donde la he dejado.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Golden, but I don’t play WoW. This is a rather tragic tale, and a prequel to many events of the game.

[Bones Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Історія потужної сили.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response
I am a fan of the World of Warcraft universe. I started to read this book awhile back but never finished it; not because I had not liked it but because due to time spent elsewhere. I loved the book. Being that I was a World of Warcraft player I fell in love with the story, and this book gave me a chance to dive deeper into the lore. Knowing that the universe around World of Warcraft is much bigger than many people think.

Plot
The book was written in a way to predate Azeroth. It started when the Orcs and Draenei lived in peace. The Orcs were natural inhabitants of Draenor, they were a shamanistic people believing in the elements and spirits of ancestors. The Draenei where an alien race chased away from their homeworld be evil beings of the Burning Legion. Relations between the two races quickly diminish when mysterious Being appears to a young shaman named Ner'Zhul. This being persuades Ner’Zhul that the Draenei will lead to the end of the Orcish race. This Being promises to help his people. Ner'zhul along with his master Gul’Dan call for a meeting of all the Orc tribes there the orcs were meet by a Demon named Mannoroth who tells them that the only way to defeat the Draenei is to Drink his blood so they will gain power. The first to Drink was the mightiest warrior of all the clans Grom Hellscream, all the orcs then follow him. Than the Orcs normal skin turned to a demonic shade of green and their eye to blood red. The Blood of Mannoroth sent the Orcs Bloodthirsty and enslaved them to the Demon. Under The spell of Demon Blood the Orc rampaged across Draenor forming the Horde. They slaughtered the Draenei wiping out whole cities, none were shown mercy. As women and children alike were slain, the mysterious being appeared once again to Ner’Zhul and Gul’Dan. The Being Told them of a way to make portals to other worlds to turn the Orcish Horde loose upon. This then leads into the other novels and the beginning of Warcraft I.

Characterization
In the book the reader so told about Gul’Dan and Ner'zhul. In the beginning all Ner'zhul wanted was for his people to be safe. Throughout the story Ner'zhul became corrupted and power hungry. Along with Gul’dan they began to sacrifice the very thing they tried to protect in the thirst for power. This told how power twisted and changed the two. How Ner’zhul and Gul’dan lead their people into slavery and war all so they could gain power.

Setting
The book took place on a foreign world of Draenor. Draenor was home to the Orcs.Draenor was divided based off what clans controlled certain parts of Draenor such as the Frostwolf Clan controlled the north, and the Shadowmoon Clan controlling the south. Draenor was described as vast in size and gave much room for wars that were waged of its continents. Draenor had tall mountains and open prairies which lead to many interesting conflicts. The book took place many years before any of the events of the Warcraft Games. The events of the book took place after the events of the War of the Ancient.



Theme
The theme of the book was how the shadow of evil can corrupt anyone. The theme also was to set up the beginning of Warcraft and it gave the backstory to the universe. The book served as a tool for players from the World of Warcraft universe to had become more involved with the lore. The book gave meaning behind many things that happened in the game and a back story to events untold in the games or other places.

Recommendation
This book was a fantastic read and would recommend to anyone. I feel that players of the game will find more things about the book interesting. The reading level wasn't that hard; anyone above the age of 13 would be able to read it. Both boy and girl alike will find it interesting. Any true fan of World of Warcraft should read this book.

[Pedro António Carvalho · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5*
EN~
I couldn't be happier, this is something I wanted to do a long time ago. I'm a MAJOR World of Warcraft fan, I have played it for many many years ago and always have been interested in the lore. I thought "Hey I have always wanted to know in full detail how some races ended up like that or why this zone is like this or why this character is like this." Well, in this novel Christie Golden explained how the Horde came to be. We understand so so much about all those big important characters and events that culminated in WoW as we know it. Why is Durotar and Orgrimmar called like that? And why are orcs green? And why can they be warlocks? And what's the tragic story behind the mysterious Draenei? This is all right up my alley. Also I loved how the author actually narrated and described the actual spells from the game (like Summon Demon, Shadowbolt, Immolate etc) it made me connect a lot more with the game and made me smile. So if you played WarCraft or World of Warcraft, give this a go, you won't be disappointed because it is always interesting to know the story behind such a roleplaying game.
FOR THE HORDE!
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PT~
Não podia estar mais feliz, isto é algo que queria fazer há imenso tempo. Sou um grande fã de World of Warcraft, joguei durante vários anos atrás e sempre fui interessado pela história. Pensei "hey sempre quis saber em detalhes porque é que algumas raças são assim, ou esta zona é assado, ou esta personagem é assim."
Bem neste livro a autora conta-nos a história de como surgiu a Horde. Compreendemos tantos acontecimentos e personagens que culminaram no WoW como hoje o conhecemos. Porque é que Durotar e Orgrimmar se chamam assim? Porque é que os Orcs são verdes e porque é que podem ser Warlocks? E qual é a história trágica dos misteriosos Draenei? Isto é tudo a minha praia. Adorei como a autora incluiu na narrativa em detalhe alguns dos feitiços usados no jogo (como Summon Demon, Shadowbolt, Immolate etc) fez-me conectar muito mais com o jogo que joguei e arrancou me um sorriso. Por isso se jogaram WarCraft ou World of Warcraft, experimentem, não serão desapontados porque é sempre interessante aprender mais sobre o que está por trás deste RPG.
FOR THE HORDE!

[Nape · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way, way better than it should be. I enjoyed this a lot more than The Last Guardian. In fact, it's almost good enough that I could recommend it to someone that doesn't play any of the WarCraft games.

Almost.

I guess I'd recommend this book to someone who wants more background on the history of what happens in the games, particularly concerning the Orcs and the Draenei. But as for just recommending this to someone who wants to read a good fantasy book? Eh, I mean, this might come in like 15th place in my recommendations. Unless the person I'm talking to just really likes orcs. In which case, I'd definitely bump it up.

Rise of the Horde is like a prequel and major expansion to WarCraft: Orcs and Humans, the first game in the franchise. It's told in flashback by Thrall, the protagonist's son. It's all about the Orcs, their conquest of Draenor and how they became bloodthirsty, demon-worshiping monsters with green skin. The story is far more interesting and engaging than I thought it would be. It's also really emotional? Durotan is very sympathetic, which is an accomplishment. There isn't a lot of action, (Though it does crop up from time to time,) and it's more about Orc politics, old grudges and galaxy-roving demons. That's honestly fine by me. Generally, it avoids going into unnecessary detail, but there are two or three instances where the story drags a little bit. Ultimately, it's paced pretty well, though.

Overall, pretty compelling. Definitely the most accessible WarCraft novel I've read. There's nothing in the book that requires knowledge of the games to understand, but having that information really does elevate this.

[Valentina Morgana la fata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dopo un'adolescenza dedicata all'High fantasy ho abbandonato per lungo tempo questo genere, non riuscendo a trovare niente che mi entusiasmasse ancora, gli argomenti trattati erano sempre gli stessi, lo svolgersi delle vicente, persino la costruzione dei personaggi principali si rassomigliava tantissimo.
World of Warcraft l'ho sempre sentito nominare, moltissime persone che conosco apprezzano il gioco o hanno giocato in determinati periodi della loro vita.
Personalmente, non essendo una gamer, non mi sono mai interessata più di tanto anche se il concetto mi incuriosiva tantissimo, tanto che non avevo idea che ci fossero romanzi tratti dal gioco stesso!
Mi sono veramente interessata a WoW quando ho visto il trailer del film in uscita quest'estate, mi ha entusiasmato e ho pensato che fosse una cosa epica, così mi è presa la curiosità.
Devo ammettere che non ho ben capito l'ordine cronologico dei libri della saga, ma ho chiesto ad un amico quali fossero i libri che avrei dovuto leggere per prepararmi al film.
Il primo che mi ha consigliato è stato questo e devo proprio ammettere che erano mesi che non leggevo un libro capace di prendermi tanto da finirlo in un giorno!
Un high fantasy con i fiocchi, cattivi credibili e molto umani, personaggi reali e tridimensionali, persino i personaggi più secondari sono riusciti a suscitarmi emozioni.
Oltretutto, per un'amante degli elfi come me, riuscire a farmi amare dei rozzi orchi è un grandissimo risultatoXD
Alla fine non ho altro da dire che: PER L'ORDA!

[Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rise of the Horde debe ser el mejor de los libros de Warcraft que leí hasta ahora, para empezar te muestra la sociedad orca en un antes y un despues de que los demonios los corrompan creando a la horda.

Uno de los aspectos que más me gustan de Warcraft es que los personajes netamente malos o netamente buenos son pocos, hay muchos grises y este libro te muestra muchos de ellos. Por ejemplo Nerzhul, un chaman que está destinado a ser uno de los villanos más poderosos de Azeroth, no actuó por maldad, fue engañado y el actuó por amor a su difunta esposa.

Este libro te muestra una cara de los personajes que generalmente no vemos en el juego ni en otros lados, vemos un Drek'thar obsesionado con la brujería, un Orgrimm con miedo, un Durotan dispuesto a hacer atrocidades en su clan por la superviviencia del miso, un Nerzhul con miedo y enamorado.

Este libro muestra en nacimiento de la horda y como dos razas que vivieron separadas por cientos de años (pero en paz) van a la guerra por la influencia de los demonios. Sin duda un libro muy recomendado para los que les guste la historia de Warcraft, podemos ver una cara de los personajes que generalmente no vemos, en especial de los personajes que consideramos los malos de la historia.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only recently started reading the Warcraft books even though I've been a fan of the franchise since Warcraft II. I am currently on the 8th book (going by event timeline,) Day of the Dragon by Richard Knaak. Rise of the Horde has been may favorite so far and I am looking forward to reading more of Christie Golden's work.

Rise of the Horde tells the tale of the orc people's corruption by the demons of the Burning Legion. The storytelling in Rise of the Horde was my favorite aspect of the book. I enjoyed the setup at the beginning of each chapter. I like the character interactions and individual stories. It was interesting to read more about characters that I had encountered from the Warcraft games. My favorite character in the book is Durotan. Durotan's comparatively calm nature really stands him out as a leader and allows his clan to fair better than many of the other clans.

It is a sad book throughout as the the orcs slowly turn on their peaceful neighbors. Rise of the Horde shows how fear is used to turn people against each other.

I would recommend Rise of the Horde as a good starting point to anyone interested in reading the Warcraft lore.

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my all time favorite wow books I read this book like 4-5 times and I enjoy everytime I read the history of the first true horde the orcs of nagrand were a peaceful race as durotan the main chracter of the story watches as the world around him changes from sitting in tents the tents with the elders to his first kill of a tabuk the story then grows as the demon kil'jaiden corrupts the orcs by single purposely telling them of the wicked but in truth peaceful vigilantes the draneii the orcs are turned as they lose their souls to the demons blood and turn on the very ways of the ancestory losing the shamanic heritage to preying on the weak eventually turning to the most hated and savage creatures the alliance since the scourge good book

[Sergiu Iacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

My inner child did not shriek from being mesmerized at the beauty of this book. Awesome. For the horde!

[invertedcrosss? · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[John Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

These continue to be a pleasant surprise with their easy depth and surprising reflection

And I’ve played in this world for fifteen years and I’m finally understanding the lore

Haha

[Anastasia Dorian-Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Please make a mental note that this review is subjective, my opinions are my own and I will no judgments on other readers' tastes, thinking patterns, opinions and so forth.)

Loved the book, was really surprised by how good it is as I wasn't going in with too much expectation.
It's the first book in Warcraft universe I've read and the very first book by this author for me.
Being a huge fan of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos when I was growing up made me curious about how the history of the circumstances came to be. And it was truly fulfilling to read about Thrall's father, so now I can get a better picture about him and from what kind of background Thrall came to be considering his heritage.
The writing is amazing, very easy to read, enticing and gripping. At times too fast-paced to my taste in general, however, on the flip side, it just made difficult to put it down which is always a benefit for an avid reader. I had to prolong reading experience to savor the story by reading no more than two chapters per day because this is how I get really immersed into a story and it is how it will leave a greater impact in the long-run.
Getting to know much more prehistory about Durotan, Ner'zhul, Gul'dan, Orgrim Doomhammer, Kil'jaeden, and Velen was wonderful and touching. Although the orcs are the least favorite race of mine in WarCraft universe, it was difficult not to attach to them and to empathize with them.
The world-building is not showing much of it, however, because the story is based and focused on the plot -- it is absolutely okay for me. And, needless to say, there will be much more world-building in the future books, so...
And also it was fantastic to get to know a bit more about the planet where orcs originally came from.

It's a pity the book is not popular and it deserves so much more attention and praises. The writing is lovely, makes it easy to digest information fast and simple, holds your attention to both details and to the overall picture.
And it is my very first read of 2026 -- which was fantastic.
Absolutely loved it, fascinating read.
The only scary part -- now I have to read the rest of the series...

This book, as well as the whole book series, would probably be interesting only to Warcraft universe fans, however, if you want to sumerge into this particular story, please, make a mental note that it is not a cozy read (there are enough violence and gore) and it is technically a high epic fantasy, so if you do not already know what is what -- you might get confused from the first glace.
Also, it is focused solely on orcs and a bit on the race of draenei. Other races are not present here.
Mostly you follow the perspective of Thrall's father, Durotan.
I loved the beginnings of each chapter written by Thrall himself as if he was documenting in his journal. These few paragraphs usually include pondering and philosophical reflections on life, his race and universe itself.

If you want to read Warcraft books in chronological order, I suggest to follow this:
1. three books from 'War of the Ancients Trilogy' by Richard A. Knaak
(The War of the Ancients Trilogy is as a prequel to the events of all Warcraft games and novels. However, as it involves traveling through time, there are spoilers for the novel Day of the Dragon as well as the game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos)
2. Rise of the Horde by Christie Golden
3. The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb
(these two cover Pre-First War and The First War periods)
4. Tides of Darkness by Aaron Rosenberg
5. Beyond the Dark Portal by by Aaron Rosenberg
(these two cover The Second War period -- taking place during Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness and its expansion Beyond the Dark Portal, this sets the foundation for much of what would become World of Warcraft)
6. Night of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak
7. Lord of the Clans by Christie Golden
(these two cover Post-Second War period)
8. and so forth...

(Note to myself in the future -- this is my very first review on Goodreads, as well as the first book review of 2026)