Christie Golden's World of Warcraft novel: The Shattering, contains accounts of the events leading up to the devastating Cataclysm that ravaged Azeroth- as detailed in the third expansion to the wildly popular online MMO.The story follows two (occasionally intertwined) story arcs representing the two factions of the game world- the Alliance and the Horde. The Alliance story follows Anduin Wrynn, Prince and heir to the throne of Stormwind, as he matures into a young leader among his people and the Alliance, and discovers his own affinity for the Light. The Horde story arc features Thrall, Warchief of the Horde, as he struggles with understanding the mysterious elemental disturbances occurring across Azeroth while trying to balance his role as the leader of his people during the time immediately following the war for Northrend. Within the Horde arc is the plight and uncertainty of Baine Bloodhoof as he struggles to reclaim his homeland after the death of his father and subsequent coup by the scheming leader of the Grimtotem Tauren, Magatha.
The book is very effective at intertwining all of these stories with the natural disasters occurring with increased frequency throughout Azeroth. My favorite story arc of the book was the journey of young Anduin Wrynn, and oft unutilized character in the game, as he transitioned from childhood to adulthood
Overall the story was engaging and entertaining. As a fan of the game, the book didn’t necessarily provide much information that I didn’t already know, but it did give insights into some of the logic behind the scenes and some additional story lines for some underused characters, like Anduin. For example, the highly contentious decision to promote Garrosh to warchief comes across as actually a very difficult decision for Thrall- that doesn’t appear to be the case in the game, which jumps straight from a Thrall-lead horde to the rule of Garrosh.
Overall I enjoyed the story, it was my first attempt at reading a Warcraft novel, and definitely exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations. Casual fans will enjoy a look into the political background of their favorite factions, while dedicated fans will enjoy the story leading up to the elemental invasion of Azeroth. I look forward to exploring more of the books from the Warcraft series, and advise any fan of the game to do the same!
