Scan barcode
d_t_havarson's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Illidan is a novel set in the World of Warcraft universe featuring the story of Illidan, a tragically misunderstood tyrant and crusader.
The story rarely diverges from any lore already set in stone by the producers of WoW, Blizzard Entertainment, even when it pertains to minor things. On one hand, this serves the writing of the novel perfectly, setting up it's worldbuilding with ease, invoking familiar ambiances and atmospheric feelings while taking the reader on a trip through the diverse land of Outland. Outland is where the majority of The Burning Crusade, the expansion which introduced Illidan to WoW, takes place. William King never shies away from connecting the familiar cast of characters present in this work with the nostalgia which binds them to the readers and long time players of World of Warcraft.
On the other hand, the writing leaves a lot to be desired in terms of memorable prosaic moments. The book feels like a long countdown, literally counting down the time to Illidan's fall at the beginning of every chapter. This is most likely connected to the aforementioned lore established by the video game and the events therein. Not only does this pose an immediate anticlimactic moment for any reader not familiar with WoW's lore, it teases every reader with how much time Illidan has left. The author bravely takes on little more than five years of plot time in these 300 or so pages, but ultimatively a lot is left unsaid and more importantly, unshown. Large amounts of time are skipped and characters are developed off-screen and between the lines too often. This is most tragically done with Illidan, who the author desperately wants to show in a torn, unaligned light, as a true antihero who marches the path of the Betrayer only so he could save millions of lives and never be aknowledged for it. Unfortunately for the reader, Illidan's history is hand waved and sent to the far background from the start. The first chapter doesn't convey anything about his troubled past or the complex web woven between him and other characters which appear in the book later on. Illidan can seem like an edgy puppet at times, a sideshow abomination, rather then a cold-hearted saviour twisted by his desires.
There are times in which Illidan really comes through as the author, and many authors who worked with his character before, intended to. Some of his inner monologues are trully profound and almost out of place in a video game novel. His desires, bonds and morals are presented well, but rarely acted upon. His biggest mistakes are overblown, while his biggest victories seem shallow in the shadow of his ultimate fall, spawning an air of inaptitude which clings to the titular character until the end of the novel.
The supporting cast of characters are diverse in their own right, but suffer the same fate Illidan does. Plot threads teeming with life and interest are left unchecked and wither on as the story progresses. Long chapters are devoted to the struggle and hardship that Maiev Shadowsong, sometimes acting as the books primary protagonist, endures, all while contrasting her with the backdrop of horrible war and devastation in Outland. These passages are skillfuly paired with worldbuilding, but in many cases it falls short of giving the reader a real sense of versimilitude and immersion. A lot of the text is devoted to smaller points of view within Illidan's posse. The plot within these and their uniqueness seldom justify the reader's time.
There are plenty of cases in which the entirety of the character cast seems like a basket of plastic action figures - limited in range and shape. From the interesting beginnings and intriguing voyages through different worlds contained in this book, to the mild and lukewarm culmination and the unoriginal ending it forces upon the plot, William King's Illidan is a heterogenous work. Presenting a peculiar mix of seasoned and inspired writing within a loved universe and "subscription based" excitement concealed behind trademarked character names and events scripted long ago.
The story rarely diverges from any lore already set in stone by the producers of WoW, Blizzard Entertainment, even when it pertains to minor things. On one hand, this serves the writing of the novel perfectly, setting up it's worldbuilding with ease, invoking familiar ambiances and atmospheric feelings while taking the reader on a trip through the diverse land of Outland. Outland is where the majority of The Burning Crusade, the expansion which introduced Illidan to WoW, takes place. William King never shies away from connecting the familiar cast of characters present in this work with the nostalgia which binds them to the readers and long time players of World of Warcraft.
On the other hand, the writing leaves a lot to be desired in terms of memorable prosaic moments. The book feels like a long countdown, literally counting down the time to Illidan's fall at the beginning of every chapter. This is most likely connected to the aforementioned lore established by the video game and the events therein. Not only does this pose an immediate anticlimactic moment for any reader not familiar with WoW's lore, it teases every reader with how much time Illidan has left. The author bravely takes on little more than five years of plot time in these 300 or so pages, but ultimatively a lot is left unsaid and more importantly, unshown. Large amounts of time are skipped and characters are developed off-screen and between the lines too often. This is most tragically done with Illidan, who the author desperately wants to show in a torn, unaligned light, as a true antihero who marches the path of the Betrayer only so he could save millions of lives and never be aknowledged for it. Unfortunately for the reader, Illidan's history is hand waved and sent to the far background from the start. The first chapter doesn't convey anything about his troubled past or the complex web woven between him and other characters which appear in the book later on. Illidan can seem like an edgy puppet at times, a sideshow abomination, rather then a cold-hearted saviour twisted by his desires.
There are times in which Illidan really comes through as the author, and many authors who worked with his character before, intended to. Some of his inner monologues are trully profound and almost out of place in a video game novel. His desires, bonds and morals are presented well, but rarely acted upon. His biggest mistakes are overblown, while his biggest victories seem shallow in the shadow of his ultimate fall, spawning an air of inaptitude which clings to the titular character until the end of the novel.
The supporting cast of characters are diverse in their own right, but suffer the same fate Illidan does. Plot threads teeming with life and interest are left unchecked and wither on as the story progresses. Long chapters are devoted to the struggle and hardship that Maiev Shadowsong, sometimes acting as the books primary protagonist, endures, all while contrasting her with the backdrop of horrible war and devastation in Outland. These passages are skillfuly paired with worldbuilding, but in many cases it falls short of giving the reader a real sense of versimilitude and immersion. A lot of the text is devoted to smaller points of view within Illidan's posse. The plot within these and their uniqueness seldom justify the reader's time.
There are plenty of cases in which the entirety of the character cast seems like a basket of plastic action figures - limited in range and shape. From the interesting beginnings and intriguing voyages through different worlds contained in this book, to the mild and lukewarm culmination and the unoriginal ending it forces upon the plot, William King's Illidan is a heterogenous work. Presenting a peculiar mix of seasoned and inspired writing within a loved universe and "subscription based" excitement concealed behind trademarked character names and events scripted long ago.
cinnamonroll42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hludvig's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cyryn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
echoesofwinter's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
One of the better WoW books that I've read. Really a relief to read this one after Knaak's mess.
phane's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book mostly because of the nostalgia factor. As a former WoW player and an Illidan fan, I was curious how the story of the Burning Crusade developed from the point of view of the first Demon Hunter himself, however this wasn't exactly what I got.
The book was easy to read, with plenty of action (William King wrote the Space Wolf omnibus so the action was top notch), but I feel like it didn't focus enough on Illidan and his motives. It was more like an introduction of the demon hunter class that will be available in Legion and it offered POVs from Maiev (everyone already knew that she was a psycho) and Akama regarding the events of the Burning Crusade.
You get to see the purpose of the demon hunters as well as Illidan presumed destiny. This book was worth it for me just for the last chapters where some cool stuff happens and gives some hints as to how Illidan might still be alive after the events of the Burning Crusade.
All in all, it was an easy and entertaining read which I took as a companion for the new Legion expansion, instead of a standalone book. I recommend it to all Warcraft fans.
The book was easy to read, with plenty of action (William King wrote the Space Wolf omnibus so the action was top notch), but I feel like it didn't focus enough on Illidan and his motives. It was more like an introduction of the demon hunter class that will be available in Legion and it offered POVs from Maiev (everyone already knew that she was a psycho) and Akama regarding the events of the Burning Crusade.
You get to see the purpose of the demon hunters as well as Illidan presumed destiny. This book was worth it for me just for the last chapters where some cool stuff happens and gives some hints as to how Illidan might still be alive after the events of the Burning Crusade.
All in all, it was an easy and entertaining read which I took as a companion for the new Legion expansion, instead of a standalone book. I recommend it to all Warcraft fans.
librovert's review against another edition
4.0
I blasted through this book fairly quickly, but mostly because it was an easy read (and an audiobook).
Whether or not Illidan's journey as portrayed by this book was the original intent of his character or whether it was retconned to fit the upon Legion expansion for Warcraft, I loved the direction they took him.
I was hoping for more of the story "after the fall" but I suppose that will be coming in-game, it definitely resparked my curiosity in the expansion.
Whether or not Illidan's journey as portrayed by this book was the original intent of his character or whether it was retconned to fit the upon Legion expansion for Warcraft, I loved the direction they took him.
I was hoping for more of the story "after the fall" but I suppose that will be coming in-game, it definitely resparked my curiosity in the expansion.
disorderlydaydreams's review against another edition
4.0
Great story about my favorite Illidari. I do much prefer Christie Golden's writing storytelling but William King did do my boy justice here.