![]() It's understandable - there is a lot to cover and only a limited amount of space to do it in - but the effect is for the book to begin to speed up and lose a certain amount of that personal touch. Seeing the invasion of the First Horde from the High Elven perspective is jarring - while it may be understandable from the perspective of the Elves being invaded, the descriptions of Orcs are hard to read, and the wording used for the Amani Trolls no less uncomfortable.Īs Quel'thalas is changed, we see the Windrunner sisters themselves grow and change, developing into the women they would become as they begin to interact with the outside world - Alleria, in particular, as she grows to care more about protecting the Alliance - and Sylvanas as she meets and then begins to fall in love with the human Nathanos Marris, who we will later know as Blightcaller.Īs the book starts to reach lore moments that have already been covered in other media, the tone shifts - instead of painting a full and immersive story, Golden begins to reference key lore moments and then cover Sylvanas' perspective of them. Of course, we know that Quel'thalas did not stay in this bubble, and it began to deal with harsher realities long before the Scourge attacked. In this book, for the first time, we are drawn in to understand exactly what was lost ourselves. A character who has only been mentioned before, Lirath is as distant and idealistic a concept to us, the readers, as Sylvanas' own life - we know both are long gone, and that Sylvanas is tormented with memories of them, but never much more than that. The role makes her harsh, especially on her daughters, and from the start the Windrunner children show the struggling signs of dealing with a legacy that is a lot bigger than they are.Ĭentral to this part of the novel is Sylvanas' relationship with her younger brother, Lirath. ![]() The Windrunners, for their part, are positioned interestingly - as Ranger General, Lireesa, Sylvanas's mother, helps to protect the rest of High Elf society and preserve their elegant bubble from outside threats such as the Amani Trolls. We see what pre-First War Quel'thalas society was like - the High Elves are pampered and privileged, beautiful and living desirable lives filled with art, music, and culture, but knowing next to nothing of hardship or the ugly realities of war. Golden paints, as always, a beautiful and captivating picture, filled with vivid imagery and personal relationships that draw you in until you feel these characters' joys, worries, hopes, and pain as your own. The story begins with Sylvanas' childhood, and the chapters about her life as a High Elf of Quel'thelas are, to me, the most 'Christie Goldeny' parts of the book. ![]() This book, written from Sylvanas' point of view, finally gives us some insight into her perspective on some of her character's most major events, and yet, true to form, a lot of it is still wrapped up and hidden away under Sylvanas' own attempts to conceal the truth - not only from the reader, but from herself. For years, glimpses into Sylvanas' own thoughts and motivations have been rare, and the Banshee Queen has played with her cards so close to her chest, it has often been impossible to work out exactly what she is thinking or how she feels about almost anything. A Horde member might tell you Sylvanas was entirely innocent when it comes to the Wrathgate - betrayed by Putress as much as everyone else was - while an Alliance member may insist she was behind it all along. If you speak to a Worgen, they may talk about the terrible things she did in Gilneas, the death of their prince by her hand, and the Blight that was used on her orders. If you speak to a Forsaken, they may tell you how their Dark Lady gave them hope and a sense of family when no one else did. We received an early copy to review.Įver since Warcraft III, Sylvanas has been a favorite character with players, but she's also been inherently distant, complicated, and above all, controversial, with both players and in-game characters often finding it nearly impossible to quite figure her out. World of Warcraft: Sylvanas comes out today, March 29th, 2022.
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