I like to think that I have a pretty good grasp of WoW’s story, and Warcraft Lore more broadly, but my recent experiences posting on this forum showed me that I am sort of playing at a disadvantage, as I have never read any of the various WoW novels or lore books. I admit, I sort of disregarded any WoW book I heard of, assuming that it would be poorly written due to it being a video game tie-in novel. My college exams will be ending soon, and I am planning to read Elegy and A Good War with some of my newfound free time. Beyond those freebies, I’m just looking for any recommendations for WoW books, preferably ones that are well written. I appreciate any advice!
1 Like
WOW books that are considered the “best” written:
Illidan
Lord of the Clans
Shadows of the Horde
Arthas
War of the Ancients trilogy
Considered the worst written:
Stormrage
Wolfheart
Night of the Dragon
Before the Storm
If you are just trying to gather lore and don’t want to read wowpedia, there are also the Chronicles, which are the most up to date lorewise.
4 Likes
I’m actually working on updating my Chronological Book Order thread into a review-styled one, including small summaries of each publication’s story and a general rating from 0 - 5 on its writing quality and relevance to the lore as a whole. Should be done by the weekend, hopefully, depending on how irl work ends up.
That being said, I highly recommend Rise of the Horde, Shadows of the Horde, Illidan and Arthas: Rise of the Lich King. All are very enjoyable reads, just on their own, but being WoW-related is always a bonus.
3 Likes
I haven’t read many Warcraft books for that reason. But I really enjoyed the Illidan novel. I’ve skimmed The War of the Ancients trilogy and it seems fairly good. Always good really good things about Lord of the Clans and Shadows the Horde. War Crimes seemed alright.
2 Likes
I agree with Threeslot that you’re going to probably see this batch recommended the most. Of them, the bolded are my personal favorites.
2 Likes
Oh, one I forgot and that wasn’t on the list I quoted. The Last Guardian. It might be my all-time favorite Warcraft book, it or WotA. It’s a very old book though, so as far as relevancy to modern WoW, it provides backstory for Medivh, Garona, and Khadgar, and ties into the Tomb of Sargeras raid.
1 Like
I agree with most of the above. I strongly recommend:
Shadows of the Horde
Lord of the Clans
Honorable mentions:
The War of the Ancients Trilogy
Worst IMO: War Crimes was insufferablel
1 Like
Another vote for Shadows of the Horde, as it’s very relevant to the current expansion since it features Zandalari. It’s mostly about Vol’jin (and Chen Stormstout), but the main Alliance character, Tyrathan Khort, is also engaging.
1 Like
Some of my favorites:
- Beyond the Dark Portal
- Cycle of Hatred
- The Last Guardian
1 Like
the WoW Cookbook. Get into Lore by cooking some classic favorites for the holidays!
But in all serious, Lord of the Clans is a good one. The Last Guardian is also good imo.
2 Likes
The ending of Lord of the Clans really messed me up, I’ll be honest. I think that’s left me sorta-kinda hating it, looking back. But if you’re not made of emotional tissue paper like I am, it’s definitely worth the read.
1 Like
Chronicles. Get a good overview and then jump into novel specifics.
1 Like
Thank you for all of the suggestions, and of course, feel free to add any new ones! As a Night Elf fan, the War of the Ancients books seem the most interesting to me, but I will definitely check out all of your recommendations. Thanks again!
2 Likes