World of Warcraft: The Shattering: Book One of Cataclysm

I'm a casual-core player of World of Warcraft, playing a lot in one week and kind of forgetting about it another. It's on and off but when it's on...i get into it. I am also kinda of closeted geek about the lore. I like to look up lore of certain characters on the WoW wiki site. Yeah it's geeky but i don't freak out over inconsistence between game lore and novels like this one haha.That info being said, I have to say I loved this book. A look into different races such as the honorable Tauren Chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof, the famous shaman/Warchief Thrall, and the compassionate and diplomatic human prince Anduin Wrynn was really refreshing and in depth. The chapters would keep me interested without fail and the battle scenes were some of the most well written i have read. They were vivid and intense as were the descriptions of the different races.Christie Golden has a way with describing from an intense battle sequence for survival and honor from the viewpoints of Cairne to the aftermath and consequences of those battles and deeper feelings through Anduin's eyes. I would go from wanting to play some PvP and kill some scrubs to wanting to find a cure for some terminal disease.I have to say it was one of the best books I've read.

The world of Azeroth is as chaotic as the history of its slumbering Titan core. The fall of Arthas as the Lich King would earn respite from war from all factions, which is what was intended with the treaties agreed upon between the factions of the Horde and the Alliance. However, the elements themselves have needs too, and a reminder is made that while one large evil is resolved, other evils lurk, and every good intention has the possibility of taint and corruption.Thrall is leader of the Horde and requires soul searching before he can continue on his path of leadership-if it's place is in the throne of the horde, or else where.King Varian still struggles with his two identities and the bond with his son. Both must explore what it takes to be a true leader and rely on different perspectives to create a whole system of balance.The tumultuous elements rage on and their damage to the people's of Azeroth act as a catalyst for change within each of the main races and their respective realms.This author is my favorite author of the Warcraft series. She doesn't waste time trying to flourish language in her telling of events, yet the vernacular for each race is full of integrity and authentic.

I have a casual interest in World of Warcraft lore, and I had skimmed over other World of Warcraft novels at local bookstores and been turned off by what I considered to be bad or age-inappropriate writing. The average age of an MMO player is well over 25, but Knaak's and Metzen's writing seemed to be aimed at much younger audiences. When I picked The Shattering up and started reading it, however, I was immediately engaged.What this book is not:1) A first-rate novel - either in general or in the fantasy genre. The book has the feel of something rushed to the press and a plot that is occasionally half-baked. It is not always clear what the timeline is. The dialogue can be brainless and melodramatic at times, but seemed to recover quickly. Some aspects of the ending - especially those dealing with Alliance lore - were cheap and uninteresting. Golden's writing can fall flat and descriptions of different places and people can seem redundant, but I think this is again to due the rush to publication rather than a true reflection of Golden's skill as a writer. I should point out, however, that I've read nothing else by her.2) A book for those who have never played the game (or who otherwise have not read a great deal of the background lore).What this book _is_:1) Fast-paced and a fun read.2) Highly informative for those wish to understand what happened between patches 4.0 and 4.0.3a of World of Warcraft.3) A narrative that sets the stage for events to come.4) A not-disappointing first book for those who might be interested in learning more about the lore.5) Very easy to understand and grasp for current players.The tie-in with actual game lore and timelines is not entirely seamless, but you should be able to get the gist.All in all: 4 stars for being exactly what it intends to be, and less than 5 stars for coming nowhere near perfection. Recommended for the World of Warcraft fan.

Golden has gone above and beyond with this novel. I have read all the books related to Warcraft, and this is by far the best yet. It is written with the World of Warcraft player in mind, though. If you do not care about the lore outside of the immediate game, you will still appreciate this book. It focuses more on transitioning the primary characters in Wrath of the Lich King into Cataclysm.Without spoiling too much, it covers the transition of Garrosh to being the new Warchief. Why Moira is again in a seat of power. What happened to Cairne. All these questions and more are deeply investigated and answered.The illustration painted by Golden is phenomenal. You can see the events happening in your mind easily, it's very immersible.

Christie Golden is THE Warcraft author. If I see her name next to a Warcraft book, I will read it and already know that I am going to love it; that line of thinking does not disappoint when it comes to The Shattering.The book is very multi-dimensional and weaves several plotlines together but in a way that is very necessary and delightful. Too often, several plotlines are only confusion and interrupts the pace of a work. Golden, with her to-the-point style of writing and excellent character depth makes each character distinct and have their own very distinct voice.Taking us from Ironforge to Stormwind to Nagrand to Theramore to Orgrimmar etc etc, this book is a WoW lore lover's dream. I'd definitely recommend this whether you enjoyed Cataclysm, still play WoW, hate Blizzard, etc. But I'd definitely only read this if you know and love the characters to begin with.

It's book. Read it.

Los libros llegaron muy rápido y en buen estado, son pequeños pero como su nombre lo dice son de bolsillo.

Alles ok

Christie Golden does it again! She is definitely one of my favorite writers of the Warcraft book series.. The amount of detail she puts into everything without going overboard, astounds me!It's really interesting to go through the motions as Thrall takes on his mission, and develops into this new person. Crazy events make for even crazier happenings!

Long description comming up..After reading Christie Golden's book Arthas: Rise of The Lich King and all the build up that Blizzard has done for the upcoming launch (or if you have read this review past the launch) of World of Warcraft's third expansion Catacalysm this actually ties in with the pre launch within the game pretty well and helps set up the back story to some of characters and the events taking place.It's a good book to read as Christie Golden does make her characters believeable and sticks with their personality traits as they are in the games whereas some of the other WoW books out there potray their main characters as being dominant and spiteful and if it's not their way then they have to do something about it which doesn't always reflect in-game characters.This book actually does tend to stick with the current and upcoming happenings within the games at present (or previously happened) so well done Christie for that one!The only very tiny letdown for me and it is only a nit-pick (comment if you will) is it was abit too busy in places and it seemed like you needed to read through it quickly to get back on with the main storyline. As this was more focused on the Horde side to the buildup it did feel to me that the Alliance's problems were just a side-track and some breathing room from what the Horde has to go through. Like I said that was just a personal experience on the book.Being a WoW player myself Christie has done well with the lore side to the Warcraft series so if you're a WoW player who has played (or wish to know) the pre-catacalysm experience or you're one for the lore side to this great game franchise then this is a book worth getting and adding to the WoW series. Happy Reading and keep up the good work Christie!