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A review by d_t_havarson
Illidan: World of Warcraft by William King
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.