Customer Reviews

Warcraft #1: Day of the Dragon

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am pleased to say, and surprised to find myself saying, that Day of the Dragon far exceeded my expectations in nearly every way. I was skeptical when I picked this novel up off the shelf - I expected typical fantasy series fluff, meaning mediocre writing, little plot, and adequate characters. However, the world of WarCraft has been well and lovingly developed by Blizzard since day one, so there was an abundance of backstory to draw on - and draw on it Knaak did. As has been noted by other reviewers, this story starts a little slowly and overwhelmingly simply because of the sheer amount of backstory dumped on the reader. Fortunately, this information is buffered by a much more complex plot than I would have had expected, engaging characters, and solid if not exactly evocative writing.

Picking up sometime not too long after the events of the game WarCraft II (you certainly need not have played the game to understand the book, but having played it sure adds some depth to this novel), the Orcs have pretty much been beaten. Most of them are held in internment camps, but those still holding their conquered lands are fighting every step of their retreat. Their one true asset is the Dragonqueen, a dragon that they captured during the war, and have been breeding for dragons with which to terrorize their human, elven, and dwarven enemies. Enter Rhonin. A maverick Mage, he has been an outcast since his last mission ended in disaster. He is sent on a quest to observe the Orcs' movements by the Magi council, and on an additional, secret quest by one of the head Mages - to free the Dragonqueen, thus ending the Orcs' airborne reign of terror (and in the process redeeming his own failure and allowing him to regain a position with the Magi). Meanwhile, a mysterious nobleman, Lord Prestor, plays the leaders of the Lordaeron Alliance like instruments, bending them to his will and having himself named heir to the Lordaeron throne. Moreover, and perhaps worst of all, chaos-loving Black Dragon DeathWing is up to something, which can only mean no good for the forces of humanity. As all of this ties together, we get a solid novel with good character development, great suspense, and a slam-bang climax.

I had only two qualms with this novel. One was the lack of any sort of cartographic assistance. In the WarCraft II manual there was a perfectly good map - one to which I found myself constantly referring to figure out exactly where various events were taking place. It would have been a simple matter simply to include the map in the front of the book. My second problem is humor. Though the WarCraft games told a serious story, the games themselves were loaded with humor, none of which makes its way through to this book. It would have been a nice touch just to hear a character spontaneously shouting, "Stop poking MEEEE!" Make that three qualms. I thought that the obvious and almost obligatory love emerging between Rhonin and Vereesa was not handled well. It seemed more like a lust/duty relationship than any kind of true love.

This book paves the way for the canceled-game-cum-upcoming-novel Lord of the Clans, and has a whole bunch of hints and foreshadowing towards the forthcoming game WarCraft III. Overall, I'd say Richard Knaak has interpreted the world of WarCraft perfectly, with the result being a surprisingly good, engaging, and interesting fantasy adventure novel. Hopefully the next novel in the series will be this good. Recommended.

As a long time fan of the Warcraft games, ever since its humble beginnings in the early 90's, I have often wondered about the battles that you do not hear about or participate in during the game. Day of the Dragon is an excellent story set in the final days of the Second War, after the tremendous victory of the Alliance over the Horde.

I found this book impossible to put down. Normally, a book based on a video game would be received as silly and pointless. Not so with Day of the Dragon. The Warcraft saga itself has a huge, detailed story, which has always been the backbone of the games. Bringing the story to novel form not only proves to be a great idea, but a huge success as well. I felt strongly for the characters in this book, and everytime I told myself that I was going to read 'just a few more pages', I ended up spending another hour tearing through the book.

True fans of Warcraft have always appreciated the deep story, and Day of the Dragon delivers. When the Second War ends, the Alliance forces begin to round up the last of the Orcs. However, internal struggles within the Alliance lead to border disputes and even the threat of war between the once allied nations. When a mysterious individual befriends noble King Terenas of Lordaeron, he is chosen to be the new leader of Alterac, a nation that betrayed and was ultimately subjugated by the Alliance during the height of the second war.

The Kirin Tor of Dalaran is alarmed that they have not been informed about this, and yet a bigger threat still remains. The Dragonmaw clan still maintains control over the once free and noble Dragons. The conclave of mages selects a young, trouble-making yet resourceful wizard named Rhonin to look into this matter, accompanied by a beautiful and devoted elven ranger. Along the way, they will make new allies, and face new enemies...as well as a terrifying nemesis thought killed during the second war.

This book kept me reading from beginning to end. The author's storytelling is superb and all of the facts in the book are true to Warcraft lore. There were virtually no inconsistencies, and the descriptive imagery strongly reminded me of the Warcraft games, and I was able to picture all of the events with ease. My only gripe is that the ending seemed a little rushed, as if the author realized he was running out of time or nearing his limit and had to close several of the loose ends rather quickly. Otherwise, the shocking twists and surprises in this book, combined with the excellent action sequences and engaging dialogue make this a great read for any true Warcraft fan. I recommend this strongly to those versed in Warcraft lore however, since those unfamiliar with the games may find the read too confusing or difficult, with many questions that onlyWarcraft veterans would know. Otherwise, this is probably one of the best books i've read in a while.

I don't know any other way to put it: The beginning of this novel is slow, and lacks Richard Knaak's usual beauty and intricacy. Blame it on the need to establish the world for new readers, the importance of making the major characters known, whatever - the bottom line is, it starts off slow, and seems like it will be just another "generic" fantasy novel.

But then it starts picking up speed, and once you're through the first half of the book, you're hopelessly addicted. The plot becomes more complex than it first appears, and major changes that affect the Warcraft line occur. But don't let the "Warcraft" label scare you off - this is not only a solid debut for Warcraft fiction, but a solid fantasy novel that you can read WITHOUT knowing anything about the Warcraft computer game.

Those familiar with the Warcraft RTS (Real Time Strategy) game, though, will find a number of interesting details to enjoy. Though I won't go into specifics (so as to avoid spoiling potential parts of the plot), one of my favorite parts was when a "peon" gets slapped around and works faster. If you play the game, that makes sense.. trust me. ;)

I approached Day of the Dragon doubting that the book would be that great, so reading it was a pleasant shock. I expected to find a rather generic fantasy plot, (but it was Warcraft, and so I was seized with a mad curiosity.) Knaak brought some new ideas to the realm of Azeroth, but I think they fit in well. I will not accept all of them as concrete Warcraft lore, but that is because it is my favorite game and I formulated many opinions about the world while I was still playing it. The plot was much more involving than I expected, and it kept me glued to the book better than many books I have read recently. The story was also more complex and intriguing than I had hoped, although it started deceptively simple, and looked like it was going to contain an abundance of cliches. (Most of which were eventually avoided with plot twists.) I recommend dragging out the old Warcraft manual with the maps before you start reading. The book draws heavily on your knowledge of the individual kingdoms, but it provides no map to help those who do not have their own. Also, I think it might have been better off without any sort of "love" between the main characters, but that is nitpicking (plus it has been covered by previous reviews...) I recommend this book to any avid Warcraft fans; I doubt very much that you will be disappointed. It is enjoyable on its own as well, and not knowing much about the game should not hinder your understanding of what is going on.

Since I'm not a gamer, but know folk who think WarCraft is a great game, I decided to read Day of the Dragon to get a better understanding of WarCraft's themes (and to be able to understand conversations about the game's plot).

I was pleasantly surprised.

Day of the Dragon is an entertaining fantasy book, with interesting characters, a plot that makes "sense" (within the confines of the fantasy genre), and engaging action. Obviously, the game, prior to being programmed, needed a plot. I suspect the game came first, followed by the book (this is book 1 of 3, I believe). I wish I knew whether the detail in the book is reflected in the game and vice versa, but my sense from talking to gamers is that they really complement each other.

The surprising thing was how entertaining the book is as a stand-alone story. I think even Jason Fox (rabid gamer from the FoxTrot comic strip) would agree.

I've been reading fantasy novels since I was a kid, starting with the Dragonlance series. I've been a devoted fan of all things fantasy for as long as I can remember. Yet in recent years I've been disappointed with most of the crap being spewed out.

That has all changed. Not since the Deathgate Cycle have I been so enthralled with a series of books as I am with Warcraft. I have played all the games, from WC1 to WoW. These books add so much to these games it's phenominal.

In this first novel, taking place around the time of second Warcraft game, the wizard Rhonin is sent on a quest to free the dragon queen, Alexstrasza, from her captivity among the orcs by Krasus, a member of the Kirin Tor.

I don't want to spoil too much of the story, but I will say that if you are a fan of the Warcraft games, WoW in particular, then this book, and others of the series, are definately for you. The characters are extremely well developed, the story is fast paced yet also complex, and the degree of interaction with the games is truly commendable.

An okay book. I would recommend it to people looking for more background into the World of Warcraft, but not to people looking for a great fantasy novel.

I'm pretty new to the World of Warcraft and to the series itself. After playing for awhile and realizing how much lore was involved in the MMORPG, I decided to begin reading some of the books and graphic novels. This is a very good book to start you off on learning more about the lore and I am very happy to have bought it, which is a surprise since most of the times, books based on games aren't the best books around. Considering the author of the book also wrote for the Dragonlance series, I knew it would be a good book.

It starts off kind of slow, but it soon becomes a book that you can't put down. Nicely written by an awesome author, definitely recommend this to anyone just getting into the Warcraft lore.

_Day of the Dragon_ by Richard Knaak is a World of Warcraft novel, set in the world shown in the various Warcraft games. It is mainly about the human mage Rhonin and the night elf ranger Vereesa on a mission in Khaz Modan. Since Khaz Modan is quite a ways away from where they start, most of the book is about their travels to get there. There are also a couple of side plots, one about a minor noble names Prestor who is a confidant of a king feuding with other kings, and another side plot about a mage Krasus who is keeping secrets from just about everyone.

Technically the book is great, but somehow it never really impressed me.

Part of it is all the secondary characters seem to be caricatures more than characters, limited carboard-cutouts there to move the story along. Take Duncan, for instance: Duncan is a senior paladin in the Order of the Silver Hand, he doesn't like mages, and he thinks Vereesa is wonderful, although we never find out if any of the adoration is for her martial prowess (and Vereesa is an excellent swordswoman and archer) or if he's just smitten with her exotic good looks. And . . . that's about it. Duncan travels with them for a couple of chapters and is one of the more detailed secondary characters encountered in the book, and that's still about as much as we know about him at the end. Other secondary characters are even less finely drawn.

I realize there can't be a full character biography for every single character the reader encounters, but I've read lots of other novels with much more detailed and memorable character descriptions that are about the same length as this one.

Even when we do spend a long time with a character and get to know their motivations, there's still a feeling of something missing. Duncan hates any magic users besides paladins (and maybe clerics) because he's a paladin in the Order of the Silver Hand and they don't like magic. Khryll is sneaky and is ultimately seeking revenge, assuming he doesn't get killed first by all the masters he's serving and double-crossing. Nekros is a lamed orc who's good with warlock magic and who figured out how to use a talisman to control dragons; he one day dreams of being a high-ranking leader in the orc clans.

It's only with a few characters that we begin to see anything like ideals or a more detailed past history -- Krasus is driven by love of one who was captured by enemies long ago and who he still desperately hopes to free. Malygos is partially insane from the loss of his mates and children at the hand of one he defended. Rhonin is a bit unconventional and impulsive but loves magic, is actually very talented at it, and is still wracked by guilt from the deaths of the rest of his traveling companions in a previous mission. Alexstrasza hates the people who captured her and especially the warlock who controls her and constantly seeks for ways to kill him in return for all her children he's sent to their deaths.

The parts of the book that were a joy to read were the parts that dealt directly with the characters who were well-drawn. But most of the rest of the book was really hard to get into.

And why was it written like the intended audience was 12-year-old boys??? Rhonin and Vereesa do *not* hit it off well at their first meeting but are stuck together (she has been given a mission to escort him to Khaz Modan) but during the multiple times they are split up each keeps trying to find the other. But always while "not examining their feelings too closely" about the other person. Why? Clear thinking and mental discipline is needed for both physical fighting and casting magic, and clear thinking and mental discipline include being aware of your own mental state. Maybe you're attracted to someone but don't want to show it, or feel silly doing so. There actually are a few times when Rhonin admits to himself he doesn't want Duncan along to moon after Vereesa some more, and he wants to find a solution to a problem before Duncan does. But there's multiple times when Rhonin or Vereesa are search for each other, all while "not wanting to examine their feelings for the other person too closely". Why the primness about two characters who are attracted to each other?

And last but not least, why the incredibly complicated plot to destabilize the Alliance kingdoms and isolate the Kirin Tor? The person trying to tear apart the Alliance can mind control people. Why not just mind control one king into attacking another's kingdom? Or mind control a bunch of them into attacking the Kirin Tor and then attacking each other? Why instead of that is there this long convoluted plot that will take years to bring to fruition?

WarCraft #1 is a great book on my terms. It wasn't quite what I expected in that it wasn't based on any of the missions of the game like the book StarCtaft. It was also more than I expected because the story line and the novel it self is written to the max. It was great!