Stormrage (World of Warcraft, #7) by Richard A. Knaak

Stormrage (World of Warcraft, #7) Reviews

• 
  Ahmad Sharabiani

  Stormrage (World of Warcraft #7)و Richard A. Knaak
  When the world of Azeroth was young, the god-like titans brought order to it by reshaping its lands and seas. Throughout their great work, they followed a magnificent design for what they envisioned Azeroth would become. ...
  تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سی و یکم ژانویه 2016 میلادی
  عنوان: استورم ریج؛ نویسنده: ریچارد ای. ناک؛ مترجم: افشین اردشیری؛ ویراستار: آهو مدیحی؛ تهران، ویدا، 1394؛ در 630 ص؛ مجموعه وارکرفت؛ شابک: 9786002911612؛ داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی قرن 21 م
  استورم ریچ به داستان زندگی ثورا میپردازد. ثورا، اورک ماده ای ست که پس از رسیدن به سن جنگجویان، و اثبات مهارتش صاحب تبری افسانه ای می‌شود. این تبر برای ثورا رویاهایی را به ارمغان میآورد...؛ ا. شربیانی
  
• 
  Patrick

  This was my least favorite book set in the World of Warcraft universe, even worse than Arthas by Christie Golden. The reasons are many, these are the three I had the most issues with:
  
  - The characters are boring and uninspiring.
  - The story doesn't radiate "WoW" as other books do.
  - The suspense goes up and down. One minute everything is lost, then everything is won. Over and over.
  
  It's sad because I really enjoyed the Well of Eternity trilogy by Knaak and I was looking forward to the return of Malfurion. All in all, a bland story which I've already started to forget about.
• 
  Jen • Just One More Page

  
  
  This review is also posted on my blog.
  
  Oh, where do I even start with this.
  
  Seriously. I have so many problems with this book.
  
  This is the worst Warcraft book I’ve read to date, and if it weren’t for my intense love of the game and my determination to read my way through this whole series, I would have abandoned it before I got a quarter of the way through.
  
  I’m so glad that the Warcraft books are written by a variety of authors, because this is not the first time I’ve found myself very annoyed by this particular author’s writing. It is supremely juvenile, and reminds me of the over-descriptive writing I did and mistakenly thought was good when I was eleven years old. In addition to this, it seems like he couldn’t decide whether his audience would be avid players of World of Warcraft who are already familiar with the game and its lore, or people who are picking up a WoW book for the first time (despite it being NUMBER SEVEN in a series that clearly isn’t picked up unless the reader REALLY LIKES the Warcraft universe). Sometimes, the most obscure of the most obscure characters and the most obscure lore points were given multiple paragraphs of explanation with no relation to what was actually going on, and other times, the most basic of descriptions of outfits, locations, and characters (that anyone who’s played the game enough to be interested in reading the books inevitably ALREADY KNOWS) were given their OWN list of paragraphs. Oh my god it almost felt insulting.
  
  And that lasted through the WHOLE BOOK. Childish, unnecessary descriptions, explanations, and asides EVERYWHERE. Oh my god it’s a testament to how hard it was to get through this book that I could not read any more than SIX PAGES at a time before needing to put it down for a break.
  
  And then there’s how the actual story was told, and how the telling of it was handled. I noticed so many things - like how each and every one of the female characters inevitably needed saving by one of the males, and how they never truly held their own for their own purposes but always for the support of one of the males, and how they each completely obeyed doing what they were told by each of the males (of course because it was only the males who knew what it was they were ultimately doing), and how it was only the female characters who were given gender descriptors (as in ‘female dragon’ or 'female night elf’ as opposed to JUST 'dragon’ or 'night elf’) and other small uses of shitty sexist language, and how the Horde characters were BARELY even touched on, and those that were were horribly described and not even given their own personalities and characterizations (what the HELL was Thura doing that entire time they were being rescued out of the Nightmare after she freed Malfurion from his tree prison? how the HELL did she even come CLOSE to seeing the others as blood comrades?? WHY was she okay with Varian spouting his racist bullshit with no repercussions when she was in the Stormwind? ????) … for a disaster that affects all of Azeroth, it sure was written in a way to make it seem like it only ever affected the Alliance and the Night Elves - and maybe some of the Horde a tiny tiny bit. And maybe the Tauren for a tiny bit more than that, because they could be druids too (speaking of - only ONE Tauren druid was working on Teldrassil with ALL the other druids? Only ONE? For a story that was set after Wrath and before Cataclysm, there are a HELL of a lot more Tauren druids than that so that can get the FUCK out of here).
  
  Also, it sure would have been nice if Tyrande had ANY flaws other than randomly and inexplicably snapping at people, and if Malfurion had ANY flaws other than his extreme self doubt. And if either had any personality other than loyalty to their duties and their love for each other. Good fucking god. *Everyone* felt so empty and lacking and *boring* and for a world as rich and diverse as Azeroth, it felt completely two-dimensional and as if its populace is 95% fucking NIGHT ELVES. This is the flattest and most disappointing book I’ve read in a very long time.
  
  Yes, I do get that the book is titled 'Stormrage’ and it clearly will focus on him, his calling, and his race - but MANY parts of the book peered into the perspectives of MANY other characters from MANY other points of view (Malfurion’s own point of view took up less than half of the book), so I would expect MUCH, much, much more variety and diversity to be shown.
  
  And WOULDN’T IT BE NICE if *any* of the Horde leaders were awake so that Varian wouldn’t conveniently be given the role of leader as the dream army? You know. Conveniently. Of both Horde and Alliance (and neutral!) races. How convenient, in a story heavily favoring the Alliance, that the primary Alliance leader was the only one awake to serve as leader for an entire force representing the entire world. A racist as fuck white guy. IMAGINE THAT.
  
  As a Horde player, I feel like my faction was VERY, very poorly represented. And not only poorly - full on *inaccurately*.
  
  God I am so glad that train wreck is over.
  
  Thank GOD there’s only one other book written by Knaak to get through in this series.
  
  (And it’s about the fucking racist ass Varian Wrynn - oh I am BURSTING with joy to get to that one.)
  
  HOWEVER - due to the nature of my two star ratings, there must be one or two redeeming factors in this book to save it from getting one star, and here they are - the story behind the Emerald Nightmare is something I was never very clear on, so it was nice to have it explained, and to know it should no longer be an issue ingame. And, it’s also nice to know the story of how Malfurion came to be awake and standing in Mount Hyjal at the beginning of Cataclysm. I was very confused and curious about that before.
  
  THAT’S IT THOUGH.
  
  GOD I AM SO GLAD I’M DONE WITH THIS PILE OF DISAPPOINTMENTS.
• 
  Jeremy Preacher

  This was a terrible book. I expected this. I read it anyway. I'm not sure why.
  
  From the most generous possible perspective (meaning, let us assume that I care deeply about the subject matter, which is not particularly true) it's still a terrible book. The writing is godawful - stilted dialog, weird, artificial plot developments, confusing action and terrible pacing. Knaak spends far, far too many paragraphs describing in detail the clothing and/or armor of the characters in what appears to be an attempt to tie the story more closely to the game.
  
  The actual plot of the story does nothing and goes nowhere, except in that it killed off one of the more annoying game characters in order that the developers could replace him with a less-annoying one. Seriously, that's... about it. If Knaak was a brilliant author, this might have been a delightful romp through a familiar setting. Sadly, however, he's awful, and it's a piece of dreck.
  
  [begin geek rant]The nonsensical use of the "hearthstone" at the end about killed me, too. Seriously. that is a game mechanic. It's DESIGNED to be a deus ex machina, for god's sake. Introducing some heretofore unrevealed backstory that implies it's a rare and powerful artifact makes no bloody sense to anyone who is familiar with the game, and to anyone unfamiliar it's... a deus ex machina. Come on, man. My RP guild had more consistent rules than that.[/end geek rant]
• 
  Heather - Just Geeking By

  Loved it. I have always been a fan of the author although so many readers seem to look down on him for what characters he has chosen from the Warcraft universe to write a history for - something I have never understood as an author has to pick characaters, they can't not have characters nor can they choose all.
  
  Anyway. I have read his previous Warcraft books, and especially loved this one for being up to date and set in the WoW universe that players are currently actually experiencing in game. So it's set after the fall of Arthas and relates to that in some ways. What I am interested in seeing is whether the events of this will be a part of the pre-Cataclysm events in game as Blizzard have mentioned there will be several different ones. Not to mention this would explain how Malfurion Stormrage was rescued from the Emerald Dream and is back in the game in Cataclysm.
  
  One of the things I especially love about this author, and this book, is that he captures the beauty, power and intensity of the actual spells used by druids and priests, and transforms them into words. I especially thought the end was well written, beautiful and a long time coming. You'll have to read the book to understand what I mean by that ;)
• 
  Wendy Hines

  I have to say, Mr. Knaak has done his homework! He knows things that I had no clue about. Stormrage is about the Emerald Dream and its guardians, the dragon flight.
  
  The druids enter the dreams to monitor life on Azeroth because life and nature must have a balance. But recently, those dreams have turned into nightmares and the druids find themselves trapped in the dream world. Even the renowned druid, night elf arch druid Malfurion Stormrage may be a victim of these horrifying nightmares. Thus, begins a quest to free the arch druid.
  
  To be honest, I found Stormrage to be a bit dry. I didn't care about the characters, although the premise was certainly intriguing. Maybe if I still played WOW, I would have found more to enjoy. My son, who is a big WOW player, is looking forward to delving into this beautifully illustrated covered book. WoW players will enjoy reading more about the legends. A lot of action, some romance, and suspense blend together for this magnificent story set in the world of Azeroth.
• 
  Chris Tucker

  This is not a prequel to the next Expansion in the World of Warcraft but is a story that bring Malfurion Stormrage back into the current story line. What I love the most about these books is the abilities that are not currently in the game and just thinking about how cool they would be if Blizzard added them. The story is great and consequences seem very real. Malfurion especially has many things he has to work through in his mind and heart as he makes the effort to overcome his foe. Fun read and I imagine I would love the book more if my main was a Druid.
• 
  Brooke Johnson

  I had to force myself to finish this one. it's somehow both too dull and too epic, with an overly complicated plot that could have been pared down a bit to further develop the few interesting characters in the story rather than go on and on and on about Malfurion and Tyrande's 10,000 year relationship. and Jesus Christ what a plot device Lucan is. everything seemed to be over described to the point of exhaustion and the story suffers so many plot twists it feels neverending. 2.5*
• 
  Bernard Doddema Jr

  Pretty good book. This book would make an awesome movie!
• 
  Kyla

  *Somewhat of a spoiler I guess?*
  
  Beautiful book! I am relieved to be finished with it though, I felt it just dragging a bit. But the wonderful ending made up for it. Absolutely magical wedding for the two love birds.
• 
  Christina

  For all Knaak's faults I love the tie in's to the game story. Preceding this Malfurion finally appears within the game and of the brother's he was one of my favourites.
  
  Even if his in game appearance is a bit unsettling.
  
  Guiltily I am a fan of Knaak's story telling however, and how this one was told. Especially that it meant finally we would see Malfurion's return.
• 
  Nickolas

  The description of this book is false! I know the real tale. This book relates the War of the Nightmare.
• 
  Ciante

  The beginning started off slow but I grew to like it.
• 
  MyMoonlightBird

  Many mysteries surround the Emerald Dream and it's mysterious protectors, the green dragonflight. So when citizens of Azeroth suddenly start falling in a nightmare enduced sleep of which they cannot be woken and the archdruid Malfurion Stormrage suddenly disappeared, the people still awake know trouble is brewing. So when a band of heroes discover that the Dream actually transformed into a horrible Emerald Nightmare that starts to bleed into the real world, they will try everything to save Malfurion and destroy the nightmare before all of Azeroth is destroyed.
  
  Pro's:
  + If you love the incredibly complex world of World of Warcraft, this book is right up your alley. It has a ton of the beloved characters and even multiple dragons grace us with their presence in this book. It is one big feast of recognition and that was just really great.
  + I really liked the look into Malfurion and Tyrande's relationship and the little romantic bits that popped up during all of it. This book does give a better look than the game and the ending of this book was the ultimate reward of that, so cute.
  
  Con's:
  - I had a bit of difficulty getting through this story due to the writing. It is very slow and boring at times and there are so many characters that the story is quite chaotic for it's entirety.
  
  This book is one big recognition party and as someone who plays a druid in World of Warcraft, I really enjoyed this book as druids are a very big part of it. If you're not someone who is familiar with World of Warcraft, I would not recommend reading this as there is a lot of established knowledge required. But is was enjoyable, even though it was boring at times and the writing style doesn't do it any favors. The ending of this book was the best thing though and I'm glad it got featured, it was the perfect light touch to end this heavy story upon. Recommend if you're a fan, otherwise this might not be it for you.
• 
  Santiago

  Más reviews en:
  https://entrehojasycapitulos.wordpres...
  
  Tempestira, es una novela basada en el juego de computadora World of Warcraft (abreviado WOW) y para entender bien la historia es necesario tener algún concepto de la historia más reciente de los juegos (por lo menos de Warcraft III y de las primeras 2 expansiones del WOW) porque sino van a terminar perdiéndose entre los detalles del libro.
  
  Para ubicarlo temporalmente, Tempestira pasa entre la segunda y tercera expansión del wow (Wrath of the Lich King y Cataclysm). De todas formas el libro habla de temas anteriores, como Warcraft III y la Guerra de los Ancestros (que se puede leer en una trilogía del mismo autor).
  
  Ahora empecemos con la historia. Tempestira nos presenta un personaje nuevo, Thura una orca que es descendiente directa de Broxxigar el Rojo, un orco que no solo viajó al pasado, sino que también luchó codo a codo con los elfos en la guerra de los ancestros y logró lastimar al titan Sargeras (algo que nadie más pudo hacer en la historia de Warcraft).
  
  Nada más empezar el libro, Thura sueña que el archidruida Malfurion Stormrage (Tempestira) asesina a traición a su antepasado Broxxigar y eso la empuja a un viaje en el que cada vez más entrará en el territorio de los elfos nocturnos guiada hacia el archidruida que supuestamente asesinó a Broxx.
  
  Por el otro lado nos muestra a los druidas del Circulo de Cenarion que empiezan a notar dos cosas. Primero que el árbol del mundo (Teldrassil) se está muriendo y que si el árbol llegara a morir todo el mundo de Azeroth seguiría ese camino. Por el otro lado notan que hay una enfermedad azolando el Sueño Esmeralda, un mundo paralelo donde los druidas entran en contacto con la esencia misma de Azeroth. Es aquí donde entró el archidruida Stormrage hace muchos años para luego desaparecer sin previo aviso.
  
  Esa desaparición hace que Broll Bearmane y Tyrande Wisperwind se unan en una misión para encontrar y rescatar a Malfurion de lo que sea que esté causando esa enfermedad.
  
  Por último la pesadilla empieza a invadir al mundo de los mortales y hace que varios personajes famosos entren en un sueño mortal, mientras las sombras de la pesadilla atacan las ciudades de Orgrimmar y Ventormenta.
  
  Si les gusta la historia de Warcraft y en especial la historia de Malfurion y todo lo que tiene que ver con el druidismo en Azeroth deben leer este libro. Es de una lectura muy rápida y sencilla así que con eso no tendrán muchos problemas. Además si tuvieron la suerte de jugar al WOW Vainilla cuando se lanzó seguramente este libro les traiga muchos recuerdos.
• 
  Mogsy (MMOGC)

  World of Warcraft: Stormrage by Richard A. Knaak is the latest game-related novel I finished. I’ll admit I picked this one up solely due to my fascination with its eponymous protagonist because in fact, I am not a big fan of Knaak’s writing at all. The War of the Ancients trilogy, for example, is the last thing I read by him and it was a torturous ordeal just to try and force myself to get through all three books. I find his style overly simplistic and at times vapid and flavorless, though to be fair, I’ve only ever read his WoW-related books even though he’s known for being quite a gifted author for his works in many other titles in the fantasy genre.
  
  I decided to give this book a chance in the end, because if anything, my love for the Druid class made reading this a requirement. Malfurion Stormrage is also one of my favorite characters in WoW lore, and I figured maybe I’ll have a better time getting through Knaak’s writing when it’s not about Rhonin or Krasus/Korialstrasz.
  
  Anyway, my final verdict for Stormrage is that it’s readable, but I think avid fans and readers of more established fantasy authors will be very disappointed. I realize it’s a game novel and that it’s a challenge to write for a series intended for a wide audience which may include younger readers, but there were times where the simplistic writing style made me feel like I was reading a comic book, or a very bad fanfic piece.
  
  To Knaak’s credit, it’s clear he’s done a lot of research into the characters and locations of the WoW universe. In many ways, the book is also a nice follow-up to the War of the Ancients trilogy and ties in well with the WoW comics, though one doesn’t have to have read either to follow the story. I would still recommend Stormrage to any fans of Warcraft lore, since it provides answers to a lot of questions regarding Malfurion Stormrage and the encroaching Emerald Nightmare. WoW players will also be treated to a whole slew of appearances by well-known NPCs including Tyrande Whisperwind, Hamuul Runetotem, and the duplicitous Fandral Staghelm who may or may not have some crafty tricks up his sleeve, plus many, many more.
  
  Oh, and that last part isn’t really a spoiler, since everyone knows Fandral Staghelm is batshit crazy anyway.
• 
  Craig Boston

  I would like to start this review by stating that I am an avid World of Warcraft player, so I was very excited to read about the legendary Malfurion Stormrage, but this book is so poorly written that it was tedious to finish. In fact, the only reason that I finished this book is that I am currently deployed in Afghanistan. First, the book is filled with iconic characters from World of Warcraft, they are EPIC heroes, yet the author portrays them as mundane adventurers, who are so poorly developed. We learn very little about any of the main characters except for their petty emotions like constantly being reminded throughout the book that Malfurion has neglected Tyrande because he always prioritizes his duties to Azeroth over her. It gets old fast and very cliché. Once again these are battles involving epic heroes, immortal godlike dragons and other supernatural entities with unfathomable powers, but they are so unimaginatively described that the battles are anticlimactic. And the end killed me. Malfurion has an “understanding” during the final battle that enables his to defeat the Nightmare Lord. ……and that epiphany is……if all of the druids of the centurion circle work together, we can defeat the Nightmare Lord! Seriously? With that, I cannot recommend this book for even the Hardcore World of Warcraft fans.
• 
  William Bentrim

  Stormrage by Richard A. Knaak
  
  This book will no doubt be a major hit with World of Warcraft fans. It details Malfurion Stormrage’s part in the Emerald Dream.
  
  I am normally a major fan of fantasy. I guess I am just not a fan of Knaak. I wasn’t a fan of Beastmaster Myth either, the only other book of his I read. I can’t even point my finger at what I don’t like so my supposition is there is just something about his style that doesn’t resonate with me. I mean, how can you not like a book whose main character is named Malfurion Stormrage. That just shouts out excitement and action.
  
  Analyzing the book, it seems to have all the right pieces. Colorful, exotic characters with definitive personalities that are conflicting in a mysterious manner. I suspect that those who are familiar with the entire scenario of the Emerald Dream will be intoxicated with the book. I have no doubt that it will be a success and suggest that you look at my other recommendations to determine if my thoughts run parallel or perpendicular to yours.
  
  I recommend the book.
  
  Web Site:
  www.RichardAKnaak.com
  
  
  
• 
  Luna Martin

  I've been listening to all the books in the WOW series that are available on audible, though I have a couple lined up that I'll actually have to read. I've found them extremely interesting for all the lore since I play the game. I can relate things in the story to quest lines in the game that really brings so much understanding and cohesiveness to the game I've got to get back to playing.
  
  A lot of the other audible books are narrated by Scott Brick who I like a lot more than Richard Ferrone who narrates this book. Still, in a short time I was past the differences and just enjoyed the story: he's not really bad, it just seems this must have been one of the earlier books put into audio because he also pronounces some of the names differently.
  
  Though there is a best order to read the books in, if you haven't read/listened to any before and play the game, I suggest starting with the last one, War Crimes, because it has a lot of flashbacks and pulls a lot of history together and will bring you up-to-date with the game.
• 
  Milad

  به نظرم گرچه کتاب شروع بسیار جذابی داشت، در ادامه داستانی قابل پیش بینی و تا حدی حوصله سر برام بود که به سختی تونستم تمومش کنم با این حال اواخر قصه مقداری پرشورتر می‌شد.
  همونطور که از اسمش پیداست، قسمت قابل توجهی از موضوع مربوط می‌شه به Malfurion Stormrage. موضوع کلی روی پیش‌روی نیروهای کابوس توی azeroth هست و شروع قصه که به نظرم جالب توجه بود، نحوه بیان ترس و کابوس هر کدوم از شخصیت های کتاب توی دنیای خوابشون یا همون Emerald dream هست. از اونجایی که ترال همچنان warchief هست، اتفاقات از لحاظ زمانی مربوط به بعد از سقوط Lich King و قبل از وقایع کاتاکلیسم هست. شخصیت پردازی ها به قوت کتاب های دیگه ناک نبودن اما کاراکترهایی وجود داشتن که در طول داستان احساسم نسبت بهشون کاملا عوض شد. با وجود این کتاب نسبتا طولانی نوشته شده و به عده زیادی از شخصیت های وارکرفت، هرچند کوتاه اشاره شده بود. شاید یکی از عللی که زیاد خوشم نیومد همین تعداد بالای شخصیت ها بدون شخصیت پردازی های عمیق و قوی تر بود.
  
  «از امروز لذت ببر، ملفارین. این تنها کاری‌است که امروز می‌توانیم از هم بخواهیم»
• 
  Angel

  Reading this I was not surprised to find afterwords that it is the same writer from their manga. Which had gorgeous pictures and horrible writing. This book had me torn through the whole thing and was pretty frustrating. For those that love the warcraft lore and are wanting to know what is going on in the emerald dream I recommend it because it does let you know what happens. It just turns one of your favorite warcraft heroes into a sniveling whiner, is often confusing switching between characters constantly. I think by now this writer should know the warcraft characters a little better. Maybe he needs to play the games or something. Unfortunately blizzard has had him write a bunch of their lore books so I'm stuck with him. BLIZZ if you ever read this please pass over Knaak and give the stuff to Christie Golden. thank you
• 
  Mariana Suarez

  Boring, didn't hook me at all and although it sheds some light on the events in Valsharah, and basically the plot of the Emerald Nightmare raid, it doesn't transpire passion.
  Malfurion seems to be constantly hesitating about everything, and every single event looks like is building into a grandiose finale, just to be crammed into a rushed end with a pretty wedding. There is no WoW atmosphere as there is in other books.
  Seems like Illidan is the better brother, also in the literary aspect.
• 
  Paul

  Richard A. Knaak is my least favorite Warcraft author, and I found this book to be the worst of the series. Uninspired descriptions ("great" isn't a great adjective) and cliched themes combined with a whiny Malfurion Stormrage made me question if Mr. Knaak thought he was getting paid by the word, or if he believes that the length of a book solely determines whether it's epic.
• 
  Tessa

  Sadly, this was not my favourite WoW book. Looking back, this story could have been told as a short story rather than the 400+ pages it was written in. At times the reading was simply tedious, as throughout the book there was no hope, no way of making everything right, until all the way in the final chapter Malfurion *suddenly* fixes everything. I expected more buildup, or more development in the characters, but it simply wasn't there. Also, as a long time WoW player, the holding back on the 'bad guy' throughout the book was so tedious as well, as it is clear to know (even from reading War of the Ancients and not just playing the game) that his identity is obvious. All in all, 3 stars.
• 
  Payton

  I love this book! The writing is beautiful and the characters are so relatable and loveable just as they are in game. If you love any of the night elves' storyline, check this book out!!