Before the Storm (World of Warcraft): A Novel

Christie Golden

Jun 2018 · World of Warcraft Book 2 · Sold by Random House Worlds

About this ebook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An all-new, official prequel novel to The Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard Entertainment’s next expansion to the critically acclaimed World of Warcraft videogame.

Azeroth is dying.

The Horde and the Alliance defeated the demonic Burning Legion, but a dire catastrophe is unfolding deep below the surface of the world. There is a mortal wound in the heart of Azeroth, struck by the sword of the fallen titan Sargeras in a final act of cruelty.

For Anduin Wrynn, king of Stormwind, and Sylvanas Windrunner, warchief of the Horde and queen of the Forsaken, there is little time to rebuild what remains and even less to mourn what was lost. Azeroth’s devastating wound has revealed a mysterious material known as Azerite. In the right hands, this strange golden substance is capable of incredible feats of creation; in the wrong ones, it could bring forth unthinkable destruction.

As Alliance and Horde forces race to uncover the secrets of Azerite and heal the wounded world, Anduin enacts a desperate plan aimed at forging a lasting peace between the factions. Azerite jeopardizes the balance of power, and so Anduin must gain the trust of Sylvanas. But, as ever, the Dark Lady has her own machinations.

For peace to be possible, generations of bloodshed and hatred must be brought to an end. But there are truths that neither side is willing to accept and ambitions they are loath to relinquish. As Alliance and Horde alike grasp for the Azerite’s power, their simmering conflict threatens to reignite all-out war—a war that would spell doom for Azeroth.

Praise for Before the Storm

“This is easily the best book in the World of Warcraft series, and I don’t say that lightly. . . . It’s so much more than a tie-in novel. . . . It’s a beautiful book.”—Blizzard Watch

Ratings and reviews

Too many lore inconsitancies and details that dont follow cannon. Id expect most of the issues from any other author. But from this one is almost more of a dissapointment than the rewrite of Rise of the Horde for the movie. Easiest complaint the forsaken cant even clap to celebrate the victory over the legion. But somehow im now supposed to accept those details and ignore them everytime i see a undead warrior or any class involving physical movement from the forsaken. Its not a horrible book but its deffinetly not as good as the free audio dramas we've already been given. For that fact i gave it one star due to the fact that i paid for something that was subpar to the free stories from legion.

Great book. Amazing use of characters. A+ on all accounts. However as a Horde player. This book favoured alliance more heavily than alterac valley. The 20% of the book that followed the Horde characters was good but not once were the as detailed or story driven as the alliance tale. Some of the Horde parts felt forced and slivered in as an after thought like the book was written solely from the POV of Anduin. Which is fine. However the Horde side of the story deserves more. The Horde is not defined by Sylvanas or it's Warcheif. Looking forward to seeing some in game Easter eggs on patch day or on BfA launch from this story though!

Having read most of the reviews before deciding to write mine, I just to want to tell people, whoever and wherever you are: If you like the Lore of Warcraft, you will love this book. It is powerful in its own way. The way the characters interact with the world and the way they communicate waves of feelings with each paragraph, spoke directly to the fan inside me. The fan who loves the smaller stories, the "side quests". This was a side quest leading or complementing the main quest that will be called "Battle for Azeroth". The information we have learned from this book will (or will not) be taken full-circle when the game comes out. But whatever happens, the raw emotions this book gave me in most of its key moments, will never go away. May the light be with you all.

About the author

Christie Golden is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of nearly sixty books and more than a dozen short stories in the fields of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Her media tie-in works include her first novel, Vampire of the Mists, which launched TSR’s game line; more than a dozen Star Trek novels; the Fate of the Jedi novels Omen, Allies, and Ascension as well as standalone novels Dark Disciple and Battlefront II: Inferno Squad. For Blizzard Entertainment, she's contributed five StarCraft novels, including the Dark Templar trilogy, and the Warcraft/World of Warcraft books Lord of the Clans, Rise of the Horde, Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, War Crimes, Before the Storm and Exploring Azeroth: Eastern Kingdoms. In 2017, she was awarded the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers Faust Award and named a Grandmaster in recognition of thirty years of writing. She currently works full-time for Blizzard Entertainment, where she frequents Azeroth on a regular basis.