There have been a handful of authors who have wrote books for the Warcraft franchise for many years now, but none have been as prolific as Christie Golden. Her most recent novel, Warcraft: Sylvanas, officially released a couple days ago. Golden has many signature hallmarks and quirks in her writings, for better or worse, which have become increasingly notable since arguably the release of the book War Crimes. In this thread, I will be highlighting the Goldenisms that are in this book so that we as fans can give the book analysis and analyze these findings. I will be listing these findings as I go through the book, and I shall also disclose to you that I have been highly critical of Golden’s work before, so I will let you know before we start that this thread also serves as a way for me to criticize the parts that particularly stand out to me though might not include parts which readers may take particular issue with; also, if there are some points I realize after first posting then I may add them to this post with edits.
Prologue
- During his time in Torghast, Anduin has gone a day without water and even longer without food. He’s not shown to be thirsty or hungry, simply having a defiant attitude of Sylvanas. He’s also standing around wearing his armor, so we can assume that during his entire stay in Torghast that he’s wearing this armor and does not tire of such heavy material weighing on his body. (Anduin perfection)
Chapter One
- Alleria is described as having coltish long legs. (Horse obsession)
- Alleria is directly named after her grandmother. (Lazy character naming)
- “Lireesa turned to her daughter. There was no softening of the older woman’s mien as she spoke.” (Bizarre word usage)
- Alleria is tasked by Lireesa with killing a large Springpaw to prove herself worthy of becoming Ranger General, which Sylvanas ruins by killing the creature when she thinks that Alleria is in danger. Lireesa gave Alleria specific instructions in how to kill the Springpaw which she failed in doing before Sylvanas saved her. Verath later explains to Sylvanas that it didn’t matter whether Alleria succeeded or failed, since the test was actually about a show of her skills instead of completing the test as instructed. It didn’t actually matter whether she completed the test as instructed, just that she kill the creature and bring back proof; this reminded me of what the trial in War Crimes was actually about. (False test)
- “Joy and fierceness flooded her in a sudden burst as the world narrowed to this moment, this small being, and Sylvanas did not think she had ever cared about anything more than this confoundingly tiny bundle.” (This Moment)
- Lirath and Vereesa’s names are a combination of their parents, Lireesa and Verath. I went into detail in another thread about why this is bad writing. (Lazy character naming)
Chapter Two
- Lirath is a musical prodigy, to the point that as a baby before he could speak he was humming melodic tunes. (Gary Stu)
Chapter Three
I haven’t noticed any Goldenisms in this chapter. It’s very funny without being cringy.
Chapter Four
- Lireesa was gifted a horse by Anasterian. (Horse obsession)
- “Vereesa looked every inch the noblewoman she was, her hair pale as moonslight and the gems on her bodice glittering like stars.” (Bizarre word usage)
- “Though Lor’themar was fond of Dar’Khan, something about him rubbed Sylvanas the wrong way. She did not like how he looked at her, eyes glowing, perfect features in shadow beneath the sweeping brim of his hat. It was one thing to be found attractive; it was another to be regarded as a meal to be devoured.” (Unnecessary evil)
- “She laughed.” “My father, I fear, lives in hope. I am not diplomatic at all.” Kael’thas missed-or chose to miss- the wordplay." I don’t understand this line. I guess I missed the wordplay too. (Bizarre word usage?)
- “You are a most unusual woman, even for a Windrunner,” he said gamely. (Bizarre word usage)
- Halduron has a technique he uses to lure Amani into ambushes by pretending to be a weak old man. (Illogical)
Chapter Five
- Lirath berates Sylvanas for publicly badmouthing Kael’thas after hearing a rumor about him wanting to marry her. (Toxic masculinity)
- “I’m sorry,” Sylvanas said, looking out over the ocean, black and silvered and blue in the moonslight." (Bizarre word usage)
- “She certainly didn’t expect to see his own eyes shimmer suddenly brighter in the moonslight, or for him to throw his arms around her and hug her tight.” (Bizarre word usage)
Chapter Six
Alleria gets into an argument with Lireesa about how she feels nothing is her own, including her name. This seems to show self awareness and might be a remedy to the lazy character naming in chapter one.
Interlude
This is the chapter that was shown in the IGN preview. On its own without reading the chapters before this it would seem to be the Anduin Perfection trope, since it appears that Anduin and Sylvanas compare the awfulness of their lives, but in context it’s Anduin telling Sylvanas that he had a worse childhood than her which is true. Sylvanas’ childhood was full of loving moments with her family that lead to cherished memories, the worst of it being some arguments they had about what everyone wanted. Anduin’s childhood was spent alone without his parents, and when he did get to have good times with Varian they were too few too late. This chapter gets a pass from me.
Chapter Seven
- People in Silvermoon are distracted by Nathanos’ ugliness. Adults stare and children point at him. (Illogical?)
Chapter Eight
- “Some even tried to strike up conversations with misplaced bonhomie until Sylvanas shut them down with nothing more than a narrow-eyed gaze.” (Bizarre word usage)
- Nathanos has been in Quel’thalas for months, seemingly without reporting back to Lordaeron, and it also seems that no one has been sent to find him. (Illogical)
- “Sylvanas desperately missed Vereesa in this moment.” (This Moment)
- Lirath wants to make a rap song about Orcs so Sylvanas starts rhyming words that match with green. (Cringe)
Chapter Nine
- Sylvanas loves Nathanos because he’s the ugliest person she’s ever seen. (Illogical)
- Nathanos seems to be Sylvanas’ submissive. Lireesa calling him Sylvanas’ pet in the previous chapter might be literal. (Cringe)
- One of Sylvanas’ parents unicorns was shot with a Horde arrow after Lireesa and Verath’s deaths. Sylvanas considers this arrow to be the key piece of evidence to convince Anasterian that the Horde killed them, despite evidence on their corpses being sufficient enough to prove it. (Horse obsession, illogical)
- “Her bother looked terrible, the dark clothing only serving to emphasize his pallor.” (Typo)
- “Now, away from the image of cloth-clade bodies being bathed in moonslight, she accepted the plate, opening her mouth to say she was thirsty, but Nathanos was already holding a waterskin.” (Bizarre word usage)
Chapter Ten
I didn’t see any Goldenisms in this chapter. Some of these chapters are getting long though and I’m starting to get distracted while I try to read these.
Chapter Eleven
- While Sylvanas is grieving and sobbing, she and Nathanos roughly make love at the Windrunner’s special spot in Eversong… the same spot that Lireesa and Verath made love many years prior. (Cringe)
Interlude
- These interludes take place in Torghast, showing Anduin’s reactions to what Sylvanas tells him which is her explaining the previous chapters. The most recent thing she has told him up to this point is her rough love making with Nathanos. (Illogical)
Chapter Twelve
- While sadistically gloating over Sylvanas after turning her into a banshee, Arthas controls her to wail at people around the gates of Silvermoon, killing children, old people, priests, artists, and musicians in that order. (Unnecessary evil)
- Arthas keeps Sylvanas’ body locked in an iron prison at the top of a “fairy tale” tower. (Illogical)
Chapter Thirteen
- Archimonde is called a dreadlord. (Typo)
- “Now the reason for their extreme unction had become clear.” (Bizarre word usage, or typo)
Chapter Fourteen
- “She made it to the cover of the trees surrounding Farstrider Retreat, moving silent as a shadow in the familiar boughs once silvered by moonslight.” (Bizarre word usage)
Chapter Fifteen
I didn’t notice any Goldenisms in this chapter. We see how undeath affects the Forsaken’s attitudes here and it’s surprisingly nuanced, properly showcased unlike in Before The Storm.
Chapter Sixteen
No Goldenisms here. Nathanos is treated like a dementia victim while Sylvanas works to recover his mind and it’s handled respectfully.
Interlude
No Goldenisms in this part. It’s cathartic to see Anduin tell Sylvanas what players have said about her.
Chapter Seventeen
- “Early on she had claimed one area for herself as the Royal Quarter, embracing the soubriquet of Banshee Queen.” (Bizarre word usage)
Chapter Eighteen
- Thrall, Cairne, Sylvanas and Vol’jin go to Quel’thalas to meet with Lor’themar. When they arrive, Halduron greets them, and everyone is introduced to him except Vol’jin despite the Troll standing right next to them. (Favoritism)
- “For my part, I an’ my people be takin’ no offense.” (False use of Habitual Be)
Chapter Nineteen
I didn’t see any Goldenisms here. Kinda neat to have an adventurer canonically give Sylvanas her necklace. They’re nondescript so it’s not one of Golden’s OCs.
Chapter Twenty
- “Like a general riding his mount up and down the lines of waiting warriors, the Dark Lady of the Forsaken sat atop a bat that winged its way between the vessels awaiting departure.” (Misogyny)
- A random woman gives Sylvanas a stoneskin potion to save her before an ambush happens. (Deus Ex Machina)
Interlude
I didn’t notice any Goldenisms here. Some of the arguments that happen in this book, including in this section, sound like people on the forums.
Chapter Twenty One
- “But now, Sylvanas, in this moment, in this place, with me-you are neither. This is the first choice that is truly your own.” (This Moment)
Chapter Twenty Two
- “She realized with only the tiniest brush of shame that at this moment, she shared a desire with every prey she had ever hunted, perhaps the simplest and most primal: a desire to exist without pain.” (This Moment)
- Lava eel vore (Cringe?)
- “Of every fool who hoped and dreamed and wished on stars and loved by moonslight.” (Bizarre word usage)
Chapter Twenty Three
- “She had existed ere now with the sole goal of destroying Arthas.” (Bizarre word usage)
- “Nearly ebullient in her invincibility and newfound direction, she made a spontaneous decision to level the playing field.” (Bizarre word usage)
- “Did she think, somehow, this time, this person, this moment, would be different?” (This Moment)
Chapter Twenty Four
- Khadgar calls for a meeting of Alliance and Horde leaders in order to discuss the arrival of the Burning Legion. Everyone is tense except for Anduin. He later stops an argument between Genn and Sylvanas. (Anduin perfection)
- Anduin reminds Sylvanas of Lirath. (Anduin relativity)
Interlude
- This point here has a meta aspect to it. Around the time the war in Ukraine started, Golden retweeted someone on Twitter about conflict in Europe, tweeting a quote from Anduin. That quote first appears in this section of the book. I’m going to include that in this list. (Cringe)
Chapter Twenty Five
- Genn and Sylvanas don’t try to prevent each other from leaving after the soulcage is destroyed, both walking away from the conflict unhindered. (Illogical)
Chapter Twenty Six
- Sylvanas just spends this chapter reminiscing on what’s happened in the past. That happens a lot in this book, in nearly every chapter. We didn’t need an entire chapter about this, most of what was said has been repeated several times already. Luckily this chapter is short. (Repetition)
Chapter Twenty Seven
- Sylvanas gives the Forsaken a speech about what happened at The Gathering. (Before The Storm)
Chapter Twenty Eight
No Goldenisms in this chapter. Saurfang is fine here.
Chapter Twenty Nine
I didn’t see any Goldenisms here.
Interlude
- Anduin calls out Sylvanas about seeing him as Lirath. (Anduin relativity)
Epilogue
- Upon getting sent to the Maw, after having spent much of her life wanting to do things her way, this strong and independent woman finds comfort in serving. (Misogyny)
