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World of Warcraft #19
War of the Scaleborn
A prequel story to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published October 31, 2023
105 people are currently reading
684 people want to read
About the author
Courtney Alameda
19 books618 followersA veteran bookseller and librarian, Courtney Alameda now spends her days writing thriller and horror novels for young people. Her debut novel, SHUTTER, was nominated for a Bram Stoker award and hailed as a "standout in the genre" by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming novel, PITCH DARK (Spring 2017), is a genre-blending science fiction/horror novel in the vein of Ridley Scott's 1979 film ALIEN.
Courtney holds a B.A. in English literature with an emphasis in creative writing. She is represented by the talented John M. Cusick of Folio Literary. A Northern California native, she now resides in Utah with her husband, a legion of books, and a tiny five pound cat with a giant personality.
Courtney holds a B.A. in English literature with an emphasis in creative writing. She is represented by the talented John M. Cusick of Folio Literary. A Northern California native, she now resides in Utah with her husband, a legion of books, and a tiny five pound cat with a giant personality.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 29, 2023
I found this a bit boring in patches but really enjoyed seeing Neltharion’s character become more complex. Also love Nozdormu just saying “yeah idk” anytime anyone asked him a question 😂
January 21, 2025
First I started reading this, then I installed a trial of World of Warcraft (as I usually do, once every couple of years, to play for a couple a days and soothe the nostalgia) - which proved to be fatal to my PC as its anti-cheat system interfered with another anti-cheat system off a different game, which crashed my PC with no possibility of booting the damned thing. I had to open it up, clean the damned thing, and remove a faulty hard drive. It is up and running. First thing I did upon reaching desktop was to uninstall Warcraft.
Which gave me more time to finish this book.
Somewhere halfway I found it a bit sluggish, but then I realised Time takes on a different meaning when all the characters are Dragons and battles are fought by wing and talon - the plot is scattered across some 500 years, back into a past that is long forgotten, before the terror that is Deathwing the Destroyer, there was beloved Neltharion the Earth-Wanderer.
A couple of years ago, an announcement came about some new playable race to be introduced to the game, something called a Dracthyr, an ancient race of humanoid dragonkin. I remember thinking they sound like something Neltharion would create.
And lo and behold. Neltharion creating some sort of ideal warrior made from the blood of mortals and imbued with essence of dragons, during this here War of the Scaleborn.
“Neltharion roared in defiance of the whispers, to reject the idea that he was not capable, not powerful, not exceptional. He roared till they drowned in a cacophony of sound, until there was nothing left of their lies. And when he finished, the silence stunned him.”
Neltharion the protector and builder at heart, Neltharion with his face unreadable, thinking as always. To look into his future brings heartbreak.
“Pain... Agony... My hatred burns through the cavernous deeps. The world heaves with my torment. Its wretched kingdoms quake beneath my rage. But at last... The whole of Azeroth will break... And all will burn beneath the shadow of my wings.” - Deathwing the Destroyer.
Which gave me more time to finish this book.
Somewhere halfway I found it a bit sluggish, but then I realised Time takes on a different meaning when all the characters are Dragons and battles are fought by wing and talon - the plot is scattered across some 500 years, back into a past that is long forgotten, before the terror that is Deathwing the Destroyer, there was beloved Neltharion the Earth-Wanderer.
A couple of years ago, an announcement came about some new playable race to be introduced to the game, something called a Dracthyr, an ancient race of humanoid dragonkin. I remember thinking they sound like something Neltharion would create.
And lo and behold. Neltharion creating some sort of ideal warrior made from the blood of mortals and imbued with essence of dragons, during this here War of the Scaleborn.
“Neltharion roared in defiance of the whispers, to reject the idea that he was not capable, not powerful, not exceptional. He roared till they drowned in a cacophony of sound, until there was nothing left of their lies. And when he finished, the silence stunned him.”
Neltharion the protector and builder at heart, Neltharion with his face unreadable, thinking as always. To look into his future brings heartbreak.
“Pain... Agony... My hatred burns through the cavernous deeps. The world heaves with my torment. Its wretched kingdoms quake beneath my rage. But at last... The whole of Azeroth will break... And all will burn beneath the shadow of my wings.” - Deathwing the Destroyer.
January 2, 2025
• Perhaps the world did not need cities and buildings and Aspects either. •
🔥❄️⚡️
Eine spannende Darstellung vom War of the Scaleborn, einem Konflikt, der rund 20.000 Jahre in der Vergangenheit von World of Warcraft spielt. Trotz des historischen Kontexts kommt beim Lesen keine Langeweile auf - neben dem Krieg selbst sind auch die ursprüngliche Freundschaft zwischen Alexstrasza und Vyranoth, sowie Neltharions erste "Begegnung" mit den Old Gods von Azeroth Thema.
Insofern ist das Buch nicht nur ein perfektes Sprungbrett für die neuste Erweiterung Dragonflight, sondern es beleuchtet zugleich die Ursprünge vom späteren Deathwing. Fanservice vom Feinsten!
🔥❄️⚡️
Eine spannende Darstellung vom War of the Scaleborn, einem Konflikt, der rund 20.000 Jahre in der Vergangenheit von World of Warcraft spielt. Trotz des historischen Kontexts kommt beim Lesen keine Langeweile auf - neben dem Krieg selbst sind auch die ursprüngliche Freundschaft zwischen Alexstrasza und Vyranoth, sowie Neltharions erste "Begegnung" mit den Old Gods von Azeroth Thema.
Insofern ist das Buch nicht nur ein perfektes Sprungbrett für die neuste Erweiterung Dragonflight, sondern es beleuchtet zugleich die Ursprünge vom späteren Deathwing. Fanservice vom Feinsten!
April 1, 2025
As with many WoW books this one drags a bit and has some incredibly boring stretches.
That being said, the lore is great and I love getting the chance to see a more “human” side of all of the aspects. Alexstrasza specifically is so endearing in everything she does, mistake or not.
And as always, my biggest complaint is that most of this will never be put in the game.
That being said, the lore is great and I love getting the chance to see a more “human” side of all of the aspects. Alexstrasza specifically is so endearing in everything she does, mistake or not.
And as always, my biggest complaint is that most of this will never be put in the game.
April 26, 2024
I haven’t played the Dragonflight expansion of WoW, yet, but this book brought so much nostalgia for my read through of Dawn of the Aspects now almost ten years ago and my WoW days around that time as well. Not only was it nostalgic, but with new characters standing alongside ones I already had so much love for, it ushered in a new generation of WoW that I had not been exposed to.
Alexstrasza, Neltharion, and other well established characters were given so much more understanding and charm while new ones like Vyranoth came to win my heart as well.
Knowing the fate of half of the cast, this book takes place long before the rest of the WoW franchise, made me feel so much more for them. Poor Neltharion. We were given such a complex and conflicted character with him, but in the back of my head, I knew how his story ended long after the setting of this book.
Vyranoth and Alexstrasza taught me much about friendship, honesty, and what we owe to each other. How much pain, hardship, and loss can be prevented by being truly intimate with one another and holding space for each other’s hurt.
I cried for an hour after reading this. What a lovely book :)
Alexstrasza, Neltharion, and other well established characters were given so much more understanding and charm while new ones like Vyranoth came to win my heart as well.
Knowing the fate of half of the cast, this book takes place long before the rest of the WoW franchise, made me feel so much more for them. Poor Neltharion. We were given such a complex and conflicted character with him, but in the back of my head, I knew how his story ended long after the setting of this book.
Vyranoth and Alexstrasza taught me much about friendship, honesty, and what we owe to each other. How much pain, hardship, and loss can be prevented by being truly intimate with one another and holding space for each other’s hurt.
I cried for an hour after reading this. What a lovely book :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2024
Just Like the addon it doesn't feel like world of warcraft anymore. The book needs more dirt, struggle and gore and less we understand each others feelings. I was tortured more reading this book, than the characters going through their story.
May 25, 2024
I played world of Warcraft for over 15 years and read all the books. This is the first one I've read since finally quitting the game. I found the book exciting at first, but then the story seemed to broaden in scope until it outpaced the capacity of the book itself. Over time things started getting less and less detail and I was left with more and more summaries of vast wars battles that took place without me being there. It did have its shining moments, and it was an excellent piece of neltherion's story, but most of the characters that I wanted to know more about simply had nothing for me. I don't know if that was a case of there being more detail in the game or not but all I can say is my perspective from this book. I think the biggest thing that bothered me was Nozdormu's participation. I can't count the times he would show up only to go "lol I don't know, it's impossible to tell." His race did very little throughout this book, which felt strange. Overall I don't regret reading it, but it started a lot stronger than it finished and it left me wanting a lot of detail that I did not get. Not bad but it could have been great.
May 17, 2025
A rare DNF for me at 61%
it's not a bad book, but does struggle with pacing issues. My only real issue with the book (and Dragon flight in general) has to do with the treatment of Neltharion's character.
We are often told that his descent to madness was long, and that he was noble, trusted and beloved. But we are presented with a character who is already cruel, untrusting, and giving in to the whispers at the onset of being made Aspect. I assume this is largely a Blizzard decision, not one made by the author
The audiobook is fantastic, being read by Alextraza's voice actress! I hope to cycle back and eventually finish this book, but for now it'll sit unfinished
it's not a bad book, but does struggle with pacing issues. My only real issue with the book (and Dragon flight in general) has to do with the treatment of Neltharion's character.
We are often told that his descent to madness was long, and that he was noble, trusted and beloved. But we are presented with a character who is already cruel, untrusting, and giving in to the whispers at the onset of being made Aspect. I assume this is largely a Blizzard decision, not one made by the author
The audiobook is fantastic, being read by Alextraza's voice actress! I hope to cycle back and eventually finish this book, but for now it'll sit unfinished
February 12, 2024
A good lore backdrop for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. The beginning was quite slow even with hundreds of years of time-skips. A few interesting characters and depictions of dragon combat made it a fun read, most of the time!
December 19, 2023
Net kaip WoW fanui buvo labai meh...
June 6, 2025
Alexstraza is a hypocrite in this book and it makes me hate her even more
December 19, 2025
there’s a lot that can be said about this godawful piece of shit but i’ll leave it at this: what the fuck was with the constant aplogism for baby trafficking and non-consensually altering the unborn? and why was it that only six of the trafficked and altered babies took issue with what happened to them, and why did they all defect to the pro-genocide side instead of doing their own thing? and again, only six out of hundreds of victims of baby trafficking didn’t find being trafficked favorable?
May 21, 2025
(Updating the review to be more coherent)
I had inititally DNFed this book at 25% but decided to finish it for the sake of it.
It did not get any better.
Tie-In stories, regardless of nature/medium of the source material or the tie-in are often hit-or-miss. And this one is not only no exception, it misses with a lot of gusto:
The backstory of ingame-expansion this book is meant to elaborate on is already a massive mess that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
Which gives the idea that the author simultaneously had very little to work with, yet was faced with the herculean task to try and string the ingame events together coherently.
The result feels as if Miss Alameda simply gave up, wrote a generic fantasy battle story and slapped the relevant names onto the characters.
The result is a bland meandering around with ingame bits and bobs sprinkled in lackadaisically, often without even the attempt to satisfyingly explain why they are happening.
The best example is probably the explanation, or rather lack thereof, not just why Neltharion took on a human disguise, but why he is using it to command his troops of supersoldiers. The explanation the book provides in some way is that the mind-control device he uses to control his troops (which already had to be altered so he can use it for that purpose) is a titan artefact and thus couldn't be worn by a dragon?
Which leads to some questions:
If he already has it altered, why not alter it so he can use it in his true form?
If the supersoldiers he created 'require' a mind-control device, why did he create more of them instead of going back to the drawing board? And trying to say 'he had no time' doesn't work, because he went onto a wild goose chase for an artefact that can do what is needed.
So the actual answer why any of this happens is this:
Because it was in the cutscene animation. Someone thought it looked cool (even though it makes no sense) so it has to be in the book.
In general, the main problem and the reason I'd give this 0 stars if I could, is that the whole book is the embodiment of 'because the plot demands it'.
The canon characters- who this should focus on to flesh out their actions and personalities to fill in the story-gaps ingame- just... incompetent on purpose it feels. Not a single of their actions, train of thoughts, etc makes sense. They cannot use their abilities or knowledge, and they flipflop between behaviour within the same paragraph at times.
Because the plot demands it.
Another issue is that the book shares a weird titbit I've last seen in Jo Walton's Tooth and Claw . Tooth and Claw is by no means a bad book, a regency romance romp with dragons, but at various points the story feels as if Walton forgot she's writing dragons and not humans. But where in T&C it feels like an amusing slip-up, WotS really suffers from Miss Alameda all to often seemingly forgetting that she's writing dragons.
As mentioned earlier, the whole book feels as if it is but a run-of-the-mill, paint-by-the-numbers fantasy 'epic' with the relevant names slapped onto very bland characters.
To the point that I often found myself imagining the dragons in their humanoid forms, because the things they did became absurd the moment I tried imagining them as dragons.
From the locations they visit, the things they do and how they do them, every single little bit feels 'oh yeah, this is a generic fantasy story with human characters in mind'.
There is not a single moment in the entire book where the characters would feel anything beyond 'standard fantasy character who can do elemental magic/etc'
Nozdormu feels like a mere forced-mysterious soothsayer characters, Malygos is nothing but a standard magical scholar etc.
And one can't even say 'It's because they have yet to grow into their powers', because the book does not handle them like that.
They are simply bland.
To only thing, I'd argue, the book nails, are the very unfortunate implications you see in the game, sometimes ramping them up to 11.
It's plainly not an enjoyable read, the characters deserve better, and Miss Alameda deserved to be given better material to work with.
I had inititally DNFed this book at 25% but decided to finish it for the sake of it.
It did not get any better.
Tie-In stories, regardless of nature/medium of the source material or the tie-in are often hit-or-miss. And this one is not only no exception, it misses with a lot of gusto:
The backstory of ingame-expansion this book is meant to elaborate on is already a massive mess that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
Which gives the idea that the author simultaneously had very little to work with, yet was faced with the herculean task to try and string the ingame events together coherently.
The result feels as if Miss Alameda simply gave up, wrote a generic fantasy battle story and slapped the relevant names onto the characters.
The result is a bland meandering around with ingame bits and bobs sprinkled in lackadaisically, often without even the attempt to satisfyingly explain why they are happening.
The best example is probably the explanation, or rather lack thereof, not just why Neltharion took on a human disguise, but why he is using it to command his troops of supersoldiers. The explanation the book provides in some way is that the mind-control device he uses to control his troops (which already had to be altered so he can use it for that purpose) is a titan artefact and thus couldn't be worn by a dragon?
Which leads to some questions:
If he already has it altered, why not alter it so he can use it in his true form?
If the supersoldiers he created 'require' a mind-control device, why did he create more of them instead of going back to the drawing board? And trying to say 'he had no time' doesn't work, because he went onto a wild goose chase for an artefact that can do what is needed.
So the actual answer why any of this happens is this:
Because it was in the cutscene animation. Someone thought it looked cool (even though it makes no sense) so it has to be in the book.
In general, the main problem and the reason I'd give this 0 stars if I could, is that the whole book is the embodiment of 'because the plot demands it'.
The canon characters- who this should focus on to flesh out their actions and personalities to fill in the story-gaps ingame- just... incompetent on purpose it feels. Not a single of their actions, train of thoughts, etc makes sense. They cannot use their abilities or knowledge, and they flipflop between behaviour within the same paragraph at times.
Because the plot demands it.
Another issue is that the book shares a weird titbit I've last seen in Jo Walton's Tooth and Claw . Tooth and Claw is by no means a bad book, a regency romance romp with dragons, but at various points the story feels as if Walton forgot she's writing dragons and not humans. But where in T&C it feels like an amusing slip-up, WotS really suffers from Miss Alameda all to often seemingly forgetting that she's writing dragons.
As mentioned earlier, the whole book feels as if it is but a run-of-the-mill, paint-by-the-numbers fantasy 'epic' with the relevant names slapped onto very bland characters.
To the point that I often found myself imagining the dragons in their humanoid forms, because the things they did became absurd the moment I tried imagining them as dragons.
From the locations they visit, the things they do and how they do them, every single little bit feels 'oh yeah, this is a generic fantasy story with human characters in mind'.
There is not a single moment in the entire book where the characters would feel anything beyond 'standard fantasy character who can do elemental magic/etc'
Nozdormu feels like a mere forced-mysterious soothsayer characters, Malygos is nothing but a standard magical scholar etc.
And one can't even say 'It's because they have yet to grow into their powers', because the book does not handle them like that.
They are simply bland.
To only thing, I'd argue, the book nails, are the very unfortunate implications you see in the game, sometimes ramping them up to 11.
It's plainly not an enjoyable read, the characters deserve better, and Miss Alameda deserved to be given better material to work with.
July 17, 2025
This has taken me nearly 1 1/2 years to finish 😮💨 Having read all the former World of Warcraft books this was a disappointment to be honnest. My hopes were high as this was yet another book about the five aspects. But it fell short compared to all the other stories before it, which is so sad, as the story itself should and could have been a great one.
November 5, 2023
I do like this trend of doing like prequel novels that explain certain events of the past and I do hope this continue as this book is a lot of better then the pre-expansion books that felt they did nothing but explain why everyone hates everyone. This book explores the war between the Dragonflights and the Primalists and I do like that it tries to paint both sides as not being evil and we do get some nice moments seeing Neltharion being slowly driven to madness as he hears the old gods in his head. I do like that we see the construction of various iconic places like the Wyrmwrest temple as it is kind of cool along with how the Dragons learned to adopt disguises. My negatives are that I feel like it tries to make Vyranoth an emotional center but she does come off as a bit stupid a few times and I know they are trying to paint Iridikron as the master manipulator but it really did not take much to fool Vyranoth. I think there could been more done to make it seem that the Primalists were not the bad guys still not a bad story as I did enjoy reading to learn more about Dragons and I hope we get more dragon stories in wow's future.
July 9, 2024
Tediously juvenile fanfic-level writing that is only saved from being outright awful by some decently written and exciting battle scenes.
This review will contain vague and unspecific mentions of plot points in the book, but they might be considered spoilers by some.
Dragons that are centuries old are embarrassingly undignified, unintelligent, and petty. The author constructs the flimsiest reasons for these supposedly ancient and wise creatures to get into conflicts. Our main protagonist, the Dragon Queen Alexstrasza, dramatically worsens a horrific war by making a promise to a friend and breaking that same promise without even having the brain cells to give the choice a moment's serious consideration on the very same page. While she supposedly grows as a character throughout the lengthy time-scale that encompasses this novel, it is clumsily and seemingly half-heartedly written -- neither Alexstrasza nor the author herself seem to fully grasp the astronomical level of bone-headedness that the Dragon Queen and most of the other character embody.
At another point in the novel, young "drakes" (dragon teenagers) openly admit to being on the side of the enemy faction and thinking about a rebellion, and this revelation is shrugged off by Alexstrasza and the rest of the Aspects as if it is nothing, to disastrous results that cause hundreds of deaths and prolong the centuries long bloody feud between what are essentially two sub-types of dragons. What launched the war to begin with? The leader of the enemy faction, Iridikron, just wants to because he does, sitting in his volcanic lair twirling his dragon mustache with about as much believable motivation as your average Saturday morning cartoon villain.
Despite the negatives -- and there are a lot of them -- the dragon Aspects are amusing and often likable characters, Neltharion in particular probably being the most well written, believable and complex of the group. Unfortunately, the main characters often take a backseat to a constantly shifting cast of unimportant, underdeveloped characters that have no distinct personalities and incomprehensible and sometimes downright silly names that look like they were made in a random name generator for dragons.
The action scenes, especially when the dragons are displaying their full brutality and elemental powers, can be really fun and are generally well written, but unfortunately are undercut by the dragons constantly making Marvel level comic book quips at each other.
The writing isn't downright awful, but could be improved a lot by utilizing "show don't tell" and having more scenes with the characters interacting and have dialogue, instead of the author repeatedly monologuing about what's going on in their heads and what types of characters they are.
While this book is, ultimately, bad, I'm sure a lot of the blame doesn't go directly to Ms. Alameda but to the fact that she is trying to write a story that is a prequel to an MMO expansion. She clearly has things the characters are supposed to do, and a conclusion that is supposed to happen, but struggles to make going from point A to point B believable. This book really is only for diehard fantasy nerds that like dragons.
This review will contain vague and unspecific mentions of plot points in the book, but they might be considered spoilers by some.
Dragons that are centuries old are embarrassingly undignified, unintelligent, and petty. The author constructs the flimsiest reasons for these supposedly ancient and wise creatures to get into conflicts. Our main protagonist, the Dragon Queen Alexstrasza, dramatically worsens a horrific war by making a promise to a friend and breaking that same promise without even having the brain cells to give the choice a moment's serious consideration on the very same page. While she supposedly grows as a character throughout the lengthy time-scale that encompasses this novel, it is clumsily and seemingly half-heartedly written -- neither Alexstrasza nor the author herself seem to fully grasp the astronomical level of bone-headedness that the Dragon Queen and most of the other character embody.
At another point in the novel, young "drakes" (dragon teenagers) openly admit to being on the side of the enemy faction and thinking about a rebellion, and this revelation is shrugged off by Alexstrasza and the rest of the Aspects as if it is nothing, to disastrous results that cause hundreds of deaths and prolong the centuries long bloody feud between what are essentially two sub-types of dragons. What launched the war to begin with? The leader of the enemy faction, Iridikron, just wants to because he does, sitting in his volcanic lair twirling his dragon mustache with about as much believable motivation as your average Saturday morning cartoon villain.
Despite the negatives -- and there are a lot of them -- the dragon Aspects are amusing and often likable characters, Neltharion in particular probably being the most well written, believable and complex of the group. Unfortunately, the main characters often take a backseat to a constantly shifting cast of unimportant, underdeveloped characters that have no distinct personalities and incomprehensible and sometimes downright silly names that look like they were made in a random name generator for dragons.
The action scenes, especially when the dragons are displaying their full brutality and elemental powers, can be really fun and are generally well written, but unfortunately are undercut by the dragons constantly making Marvel level comic book quips at each other.
The writing isn't downright awful, but could be improved a lot by utilizing "show don't tell" and having more scenes with the characters interacting and have dialogue, instead of the author repeatedly monologuing about what's going on in their heads and what types of characters they are.
While this book is, ultimately, bad, I'm sure a lot of the blame doesn't go directly to Ms. Alameda but to the fact that she is trying to write a story that is a prequel to an MMO expansion. She clearly has things the characters are supposed to do, and a conclusion that is supposed to happen, but struggles to make going from point A to point B believable. This book really is only for diehard fantasy nerds that like dragons.
March 31, 2025
Alameda is a welcome Warcraft author in my eyes. Having not experienced DragonFlight, this did get me excited and invested in exploring the dragon isles and seeing the dragon aspects again. I think it's really interesting to see Nelfarion prior to him being fully evil too. It was nice to see his dynamic with the other aspects when he was on their side. It was also interesting to show the passage of time for dragons as well with the book going over hundreds of years, not too long for them.
I think what sets this back to me is certain narrative choices. I've always seen Alexstrazsa as an embodiment of good. It was interesting to be like actually she's made some morally grey choices with the whole egg thing. However, how it's hidden, lied about and it's only until the very end she's like that was bad made question her whole morality. She does vow to not do that again but, I can't help but think her word is not that strong considering she broke Vyranoth's promise immediately. Also, Vyranoth's reasoning to join the primalists bugged me. Vyranoth is so adamant that Raszageth is great despite Raszageth being uncannily evil. Also, Vyranoth made the aspects go to all this sites where the mortals had been murdered, she was like I cannot believe an ordered dragon would do this, this is awful. It's revealed to be Raszageth and she's not bothered at all!
Talinstrasz was awful! I understand being upset about being lied to and the lack of choice being ordered, but his actions afterwards were unforgivable. His actions caused many ordered dragons getting killed then helps the primalists capture ordered dragons! Alexstrazsa apologies to him for lying and he's not like I regret my actions as it was messed up. He's still got attitude despite being the worst! Lailastrasza deserves so much better.
Anyhow, I listened to a third of this as an audiobook and it was really well voice acted, highly recommended. It was a good dragon, fantasy read and a welcome addition to the Warcraft author collection. I hope they bring her back.
I think what sets this back to me is certain narrative choices. I've always seen Alexstrazsa as an embodiment of good. It was interesting to be like actually she's made some morally grey choices with the whole egg thing. However, how it's hidden, lied about and it's only until the very end she's like that was bad made question her whole morality. She does vow to not do that again but, I can't help but think her word is not that strong considering she broke Vyranoth's promise immediately. Also, Vyranoth's reasoning to join the primalists bugged me. Vyranoth is so adamant that Raszageth is great despite Raszageth being uncannily evil. Also, Vyranoth made the aspects go to all this sites where the mortals had been murdered, she was like I cannot believe an ordered dragon would do this, this is awful. It's revealed to be Raszageth and she's not bothered at all!
Talinstrasz was awful! I understand being upset about being lied to and the lack of choice being ordered, but his actions afterwards were unforgivable. His actions caused many ordered dragons getting killed then helps the primalists capture ordered dragons! Alexstrazsa apologies to him for lying and he's not like I regret my actions as it was messed up. He's still got attitude despite being the worst! Lailastrasza deserves so much better.
Anyhow, I listened to a third of this as an audiobook and it was really well voice acted, highly recommended. It was a good dragon, fantasy read and a welcome addition to the Warcraft author collection. I hope they bring her back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2025
Lisia Wojna
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Lisioł ponownie zanurzył się w świecie World of Warcraft za sprawą książki „Smocza Wojna” autorstwa Courtney Alamedy. Jest to spory kawałek lekkiej i przyjemnej fantastyki z dość przewidywalnymi elementami fabularnymi, posypanymi brutalnością wojny. W skrócie każda decyzja ma swoje konsekwencje.
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Smoczyca Alexstraza marzy o zjednoczeniu smoków. W tym celu związuje się ze Strażnikami i magią ładu, stając się podporządkowaną. Dzięki temu sojuszowi powstaje wielkie królestwo (Wylęgowiska),na którego czele staje Alexa jako Królowa oraz jeden z pięciu Aspektów. Każdy Aspekt prowadzi jeden ze smoczych rodów. Mamy więc czerwone, czarne, zielone, spiżowe i niebieskie smoki. Po drugiej stronie tej wagi stoi Vyranoth, przyjaciółka Alexstrazy, która pozostała smokiem pierwotnym, czyli nieskrępowanym sojuszem ze Strażnikami. Jest jeszcze Iridikron – niezwykle przebiegły smok, który wchłonął moc żywiołu ziemi. Ten zabawny jaszczur na I (Irek?) nienawidzi Aspektów i tworzy Wcielenia, czyli smoki z mocą żywiołów, żeby zniszczyć wymarzone królestwo Alexstrazy. Typowy Irek.
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Jak to wygląda w praktyce? Otóż wyobraźcie sobie światłego Lisioła pełnego wewnętrznego blasku, dobroci, miłosierdzia itp. Po drugiej stronie stoi zły kuzyn Lisioła, robiący wszystko tak, żeby światłość lisia została potraktowana jako ciemność. Wojna jest nieunikniona, nawet gdy dąży do niej tylko jedna ze stron. Odwieczna przyjaźń Vyranoth i Alexstrazy łamie się pod ciężarem niespełnionych obietnic. Alexstraza musi wybrać, co jest ważniejsze – bycie królową czy przyjaciółką? Do tego dochodzą wewnętrzne problemy, gdyż każdy z Aspektów ma swój własny pomysł na rozstrzygnięcie konfliktu i nawet Pan Czasu zaczyna widzieć coraz mniej światła w przyszłości.
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Wojna wymaga trudnych decyzji i żadna ze stron nie wychodzi z niej czysta. Fabuła książki jest jednak przewidywalna. Mamy tutaj wyraźną linię konfliktu: jasność – ciemność, cywilizacja – dzikość. Nieco z góry wiadomo, kto wygra, niemniej jednak droga do zwycięstwa usłana jest kolcami. Ile zostanie ze światłości u kresu zmagań?
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Lisioł ponownie zanurzył się w świecie World of Warcraft za sprawą książki „Smocza Wojna” autorstwa Courtney Alamedy. Jest to spory kawałek lekkiej i przyjemnej fantastyki z dość przewidywalnymi elementami fabularnymi, posypanymi brutalnością wojny. W skrócie każda decyzja ma swoje konsekwencje.
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Smoczyca Alexstraza marzy o zjednoczeniu smoków. W tym celu związuje się ze Strażnikami i magią ładu, stając się podporządkowaną. Dzięki temu sojuszowi powstaje wielkie królestwo (Wylęgowiska),na którego czele staje Alexa jako Królowa oraz jeden z pięciu Aspektów. Każdy Aspekt prowadzi jeden ze smoczych rodów. Mamy więc czerwone, czarne, zielone, spiżowe i niebieskie smoki. Po drugiej stronie tej wagi stoi Vyranoth, przyjaciółka Alexstrazy, która pozostała smokiem pierwotnym, czyli nieskrępowanym sojuszem ze Strażnikami. Jest jeszcze Iridikron – niezwykle przebiegły smok, który wchłonął moc żywiołu ziemi. Ten zabawny jaszczur na I (Irek?) nienawidzi Aspektów i tworzy Wcielenia, czyli smoki z mocą żywiołów, żeby zniszczyć wymarzone królestwo Alexstrazy. Typowy Irek.
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Jak to wygląda w praktyce? Otóż wyobraźcie sobie światłego Lisioła pełnego wewnętrznego blasku, dobroci, miłosierdzia itp. Po drugiej stronie stoi zły kuzyn Lisioła, robiący wszystko tak, żeby światłość lisia została potraktowana jako ciemność. Wojna jest nieunikniona, nawet gdy dąży do niej tylko jedna ze stron. Odwieczna przyjaźń Vyranoth i Alexstrazy łamie się pod ciężarem niespełnionych obietnic. Alexstraza musi wybrać, co jest ważniejsze – bycie królową czy przyjaciółką? Do tego dochodzą wewnętrzne problemy, gdyż każdy z Aspektów ma swój własny pomysł na rozstrzygnięcie konfliktu i nawet Pan Czasu zaczyna widzieć coraz mniej światła w przyszłości.
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Wojna wymaga trudnych decyzji i żadna ze stron nie wychodzi z niej czysta. Fabuła książki jest jednak przewidywalna. Mamy tutaj wyraźną linię konfliktu: jasność – ciemność, cywilizacja – dzikość. Nieco z góry wiadomo, kto wygra, niemniej jednak droga do zwycięstwa usłana jest kolcami. Ile zostanie ze światłości u kresu zmagań?
September 21, 2024
Poza jednym, moim zdaniem mało udanym filmem, nie jestem zbytnio rozeznany w uniwersum War of Warcraft. Poprzednie książki z tego cyklu też jakoś omijałem. Ale bardzo lubię smoki, więc kiedy nadarzyła się okazja, by przeczytać Smoczą wojnę, stwierdziłem, że zaryzykuję swój czas i już mogę powiedzieć, że się opłaciło. To porządne fantasy, gdzie bohaterami są tytułowe smoki, podzielone na dwie frakcję: tych, którzy przyjęli magię Ładu i smoki pierwotne takową odrzucające i pragnące pozostać wolnymi. Oba bieguny reprezentowane są przez licznych bohaterów jednak na pierwszy plan wybijają się królowa smoków Alexstraza i jej przyjaciółka Vyranoth, bo trzeba to też powiedzieć jest to książka o przyjaźni i jak łatwo ją zbudować i utracić, będąc wiernym swoim ideałom. To też historia o odpowiedzialności za swoje czyny i mimo że chodzi tu o potężne, prastare gady, łatwo odnieść to do naszego gatunku, bo zwyczajnie smoki w tej książce mają cechy ludzkie. Tak samo ulegają emocjom i namiętnością jak my, z tą różnicą, że dysponują magią, a z paszczy zionie im ogień. Akcja powieści rozgrywa się na przestrzeni stuleci, wiadomo i niechybnie zmierza do konfliktu. Sceny walk zostały opisane bardzo szczegółowo i można użyć stwierdzenia, że zapierają dech w piersiach. Widać, że autorka, która sama gra w WoW, ma wyobraźnie i zna się na tym świecie, bo jest w swoich opisach bardzo wiarygodna i rzetelna. To jest naprawdę 500 stron czystej zabawy, która trafi do każdego, nawet kogoś tak opornego w temacie gier komputerowych jak ja. Naprawdę bawiłem się przednio czytając Smoczą wojnę i mogę ją szczerze i mocno polecić, co też robię!
Za książkę dziękuję @insignis_media
Za książkę dziękuję @insignis_media
January 31, 2024
"War of the Dragonflights" by Ms. Alameda delves deep into the intricate lore of Azeroth, captivating both seasoned adventurers and newcomers alike. Set against the backdrop of the aftermath of Galakrond's menacing presence, the saga unveils the genesis of the revered Ordered Dragons, a tale brimming with intrigue and valor.
Though my last expedition to Azeroth was during the era of Wrath of the Lich King, the immersive narrative of "War of the Dragonflights" seamlessly bridges the gap, allowing me to reconnect with the realm through literature. From the dawn of the Aspects, every page unfolds with meticulous pacing, albeit occasionally meandering through superfluous details.
True to its title, the book plunges readers into the heart of battle, painting vivid panoramas of epic clashes and heroic endeavors. Ms. Alameda's vivid descriptions breathe life into the legendary dragons, evoking a symphony of imagination that resonates with each turn of the page.
Amidst the chaos of war, the narrative weaves a tapestry of enduring themes: friendship, kinship, and the harrowing sting of betrayal. Particularly noteworthy is the exploration of Neltharion's character, whose portrayal offers poignant insights into the enigmatic figure destined to become Deathwing.
In summary, "War of the Dragonflights" is a compelling odyssey that transcends the boundaries of mere fantasy. Through its rich tapestry of lore and unforgettable characters, it offers a journey that is as fulfilling as it is unforgettable.
February 25, 2024
War of the scaleborn is an excellent addition to the Warcraft mythology that enhances the lore without relying on strict knowledge of the world. I think someone with no knowledge of the game would find enjoyment in this.
While not everything clicks like forgettable original characters not in the game and some questions from the Dragonflight expansion that don’t get explained, much of the story works.
The central moral debate is written intelligently and while various characters worldviews are obviously flawed it is believable that they have come to those conclusions. You don’t think the characters are acting out of stupidity but out of ingrained ideals.
The book does some excellent descriptions of dragon on dragon battles and fully embraces the dynamic action and tactical strategy it would entail.
Deathwing is written very well and does a very good job showing the roots of where his eventual corruption start. His motives are relatable and understandable but they bring him to a point where you as the reader say “wait hold up your crossing the line”.
Alexstraza’s characterization was one that took awhile to hook me but in the end wound up being one of my favorite parts. Her resolve in her ideals by the end was great to see and something I wish the game showed. Unfortunately much of the character development and backbone this book provides is lost by the time of Dragonflight.
While not everything clicks like forgettable original characters not in the game and some questions from the Dragonflight expansion that don’t get explained, much of the story works.
The central moral debate is written intelligently and while various characters worldviews are obviously flawed it is believable that they have come to those conclusions. You don’t think the characters are acting out of stupidity but out of ingrained ideals.
The book does some excellent descriptions of dragon on dragon battles and fully embraces the dynamic action and tactical strategy it would entail.
Deathwing is written very well and does a very good job showing the roots of where his eventual corruption start. His motives are relatable and understandable but they bring him to a point where you as the reader say “wait hold up your crossing the line”.
Alexstraza’s characterization was one that took awhile to hook me but in the end wound up being one of my favorite parts. Her resolve in her ideals by the end was great to see and something I wish the game showed. Unfortunately much of the character development and backbone this book provides is lost by the time of Dragonflight.
January 4, 2025
It is surprisingly a very good Warcraft book. Surprisingly, because in my mind, the title initially felt forced—like something that had to happen rather than something that naturally fit.
The whole story provides an excellent background for the Aspects’ lore (especially for Dragonflight), showing that even noble and mighty heroes have made mistakes, often resorting to shady actions behind their friends’ backs.
One of the most interesting stories, in my opinion, is Neltharion’s. After reading War of the Scaleborns, I even feel sorry for him. I understand what he becomes later in the Warcraft universe, but here, we see a side of him that is truly devoted to Alexstrasza. Even though he plays by his own rules, he does so to protect Alexstrasza and her kingdom.
The one big downside of this book (and many others, 😉) is its release date. After finishing it, I immediately wanted to return to the in-game Dragon Isles—to dive back into the story, visit the places mentioned, and see all those characters again with a much better understanding of their relationships. But if this book had been released at least at the very beginning of Dragonflight, it would have made the expansion like five times more interesting and addictive.
The whole story provides an excellent background for the Aspects’ lore (especially for Dragonflight), showing that even noble and mighty heroes have made mistakes, often resorting to shady actions behind their friends’ backs.
One of the most interesting stories, in my opinion, is Neltharion’s. After reading War of the Scaleborns, I even feel sorry for him. I understand what he becomes later in the Warcraft universe, but here, we see a side of him that is truly devoted to Alexstrasza. Even though he plays by his own rules, he does so to protect Alexstrasza and her kingdom.
The one big downside of this book (and many others, 😉) is its release date. After finishing it, I immediately wanted to return to the in-game Dragon Isles—to dive back into the story, visit the places mentioned, and see all those characters again with a much better understanding of their relationships. But if this book had been released at least at the very beginning of Dragonflight, it would have made the expansion like five times more interesting and addictive.
April 16, 2025
The strongest for me was the journey into Neltharion's mind. I liked him as a character but this provided more context. What the book lacked was proper transition between the book itself and the game, I can find multiple examples when many things just weren't adressed anymore in the game or things were real bad for the characters and suddenly vanished or were solved automatically and quickly in the game. Abandonment of drakthyr just didn't make sense for me or that Neltharion didn't come back to them. If he was ashamed to admit to Alex that he made this plot during the peace, he could have just make it look like that he made them during the war.
I missed some known dragon characters from the game, for example Krasus or some blue dragons but I suppose they just weren't alive yet (which is weird), I guess they wanted another characters to shine.
Also, I still don't get why the dragons made a city that is almost scaled to human size with all the sidewalks etc. Also, I just couldn't imagine when the book described dragons over maps, figurines of the battle map etc. how they could handle such delicate small object with their claws. Nevermind.
The book was written in easy and understandable language which is fine for someone who's is not English the mother tongue.
I missed some known dragon characters from the game, for example Krasus or some blue dragons but I suppose they just weren't alive yet (which is weird), I guess they wanted another characters to shine.
Also, I still don't get why the dragons made a city that is almost scaled to human size with all the sidewalks etc. Also, I just couldn't imagine when the book described dragons over maps, figurines of the battle map etc. how they could handle such delicate small object with their claws. Nevermind.
The book was written in easy and understandable language which is fine for someone who's is not English the mother tongue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2024
I wish I'd come across this book before I played Dragonflight as it would have added a lot to the experience. It does a good job of fleshing out the Incarnates and their struggle with the Aspects.
What the book does well - way better than most of the Warcraft novels - is portraying the reasoning and motivation of the antagonists and problematizing the protagonists behavior. I think it also addresses some actually interesting moral questions about which choices are and are not okay to make on the behalf of others for their own sake. In that sense, the conflict of the book is more philosophically interesting than is mostly the case in the WoW-books.
Much of the book reads like a piece of war history, with troop advancements, strategic discussions and the eb and flow the the war. I quite like this genre, but it did make me miss some better maps in the books - especially since it is set in the pre-Shattering Azeroth which is not very familiar to readers.
I liked the portrayal of Vyranoth, Alexstrasza and, especially, Neltharion. Ysera and Nozdormu were a bit meh.
What the book does well - way better than most of the Warcraft novels - is portraying the reasoning and motivation of the antagonists and problematizing the protagonists behavior. I think it also addresses some actually interesting moral questions about which choices are and are not okay to make on the behalf of others for their own sake. In that sense, the conflict of the book is more philosophically interesting than is mostly the case in the WoW-books.
Much of the book reads like a piece of war history, with troop advancements, strategic discussions and the eb and flow the the war. I quite like this genre, but it did make me miss some better maps in the books - especially since it is set in the pre-Shattering Azeroth which is not very familiar to readers.
I liked the portrayal of Vyranoth, Alexstrasza and, especially, Neltharion. Ysera and Nozdormu were a bit meh.
January 16, 2025
Where to start with this? It started a little slow for me, but little did I realize that it was weaving a tapestry of connections that would have me tearing up later on. The slow start seemed to ramble on a little too long, thus why it doesn't have a higher rating.
Once I got to page 165, I couldn't put it down. One word to describe the whole thing...BRUTAL. there were several times I just had to walk away (with tears in my eyes, of course)
So many different emotional connections...disappointment, frustration, sadness, empathy, hope, disgust...if only the dragons knew then what we all know.
Neltharion - grounded, for now
Malygos - sassy
Nozdormu - aloof
Alexstrasza - passionate
Ysera - hopeful
Vyranoth - vengeful
Iridikron - plotting
My favorite quote that really sums it up..." when you are convinced of your own righteousness, no act becomes unconscionable", Vyranoth to Alexstrasza.
Once I got to page 165, I couldn't put it down. One word to describe the whole thing...BRUTAL. there were several times I just had to walk away (with tears in my eyes, of course)
So many different emotional connections...disappointment, frustration, sadness, empathy, hope, disgust...if only the dragons knew then what we all know.
Neltharion - grounded, for now
Malygos - sassy
Nozdormu - aloof
Alexstrasza - passionate
Ysera - hopeful
Vyranoth - vengeful
Iridikron - plotting
My favorite quote that really sums it up..." when you are convinced of your own righteousness, no act becomes unconscionable", Vyranoth to Alexstrasza.
May 19, 2024
I blasted through this in 3 days and was sad to get to the end of it.
The start was a little slow, but once you get through that the pacing picks up and continues to do so to the end. It was great seeing how the Aspects came to be and the hardships of the decisions they had to make truly were. They all had to settle into their new powers, Alexstrasza in her new role as leader, Nozdormu had to learn about the timeways. It also provided a new look on Neltharion.
While I did play a bit through Dragonflight, it didn't feel necessary for the story. Most of the characters that are introduced are found in previous expansions, so I did feel some connection to them. I think this was the first Warcraft book Courtney Alameda wrote and she captured the essence of the flights and the characters extremely well. I'd be delighted to read more from her in the Warcraft series.
The start was a little slow, but once you get through that the pacing picks up and continues to do so to the end. It was great seeing how the Aspects came to be and the hardships of the decisions they had to make truly were. They all had to settle into their new powers, Alexstrasza in her new role as leader, Nozdormu had to learn about the timeways. It also provided a new look on Neltharion.
While I did play a bit through Dragonflight, it didn't feel necessary for the story. Most of the characters that are introduced are found in previous expansions, so I did feel some connection to them. I think this was the first Warcraft book Courtney Alameda wrote and she captured the essence of the flights and the characters extremely well. I'd be delighted to read more from her in the Warcraft series.
February 7, 2024
4 Stars for making Nozdormu say “You’re just in time”.
Kidding, but I really liked this book overall. The window it gave into how the flights were was really fun and interesting. Seeing Neltharian and the Black flight was really cool, because there isn’t a lot out there to flesh out how they were before corruption. Pacing was a little weird at times - it felt like the pacing changed when they basically did the prequel story to the Dracthyr starting zone. Some of the fight scenes I had to reread to really get a good picture of what was happening. Beyond those minor gripes though, this was a really fun book, and enriched the story of Dragonflight!
Kidding, but I really liked this book overall. The window it gave into how the flights were was really fun and interesting. Seeing Neltharian and the Black flight was really cool, because there isn’t a lot out there to flesh out how they were before corruption. Pacing was a little weird at times - it felt like the pacing changed when they basically did the prequel story to the Dracthyr starting zone. Some of the fight scenes I had to reread to really get a good picture of what was happening. Beyond those minor gripes though, this was a really fun book, and enriched the story of Dragonflight!
May 12, 2024
I listened to this on audible. In the first few minutes I did not think I would like the reading as the narrator’s voice sounded too formal. However, it grew on me and I think it was a perfect fit, especially for Alexstrasa.
I enjoyed the story. It did good job of explaining what led to the Vault of the Incarnates, background on Vyranoth, and overall world building. I also liked continued descent into madness for Neltharion.
Like many Warcraft novels I wish that I could have read this before playing Dragonflight - like this coming out in Fall 2022 would have set the stage for the expansion.
I enjoyed the story. It did good job of explaining what led to the Vault of the Incarnates, background on Vyranoth, and overall world building. I also liked continued descent into madness for Neltharion.
Like many Warcraft novels I wish that I could have read this before playing Dragonflight - like this coming out in Fall 2022 would have set the stage for the expansion.
October 22, 2024
I went into this novel a little lukewarm and wanting only two things; To see the relationship between Alexstrasza and Vyranoth, and to get a better picture of Naltherian before his corruption. I got both in spades.
This is a must read for fans of the Warcraft series and especially those that have enjoyed the story of Dragonflight. I especially want to highlight Naltharian's role in this. Alameda did an excellent job of showing why Naltharian was so well loved by the other aspects, especially Alexstrasza. We see how the Void worked endlessly to corrupt him and how much of a fight he put up, there is so much tragedy to his story in this.
This is a must read for fans of the Warcraft series and especially those that have enjoyed the story of Dragonflight. I especially want to highlight Naltharian's role in this. Alameda did an excellent job of showing why Naltharian was so well loved by the other aspects, especially Alexstrasza. We see how the Void worked endlessly to corrupt him and how much of a fight he put up, there is so much tragedy to his story in this.
November 8, 2024
Honestly really great! Alameda does a great job of giving context to the motives of the Incarnates and the ego of the aspects. The way it spans known Azeroth is interesting and fun. It also gives context to why the Incarnates were sealed away rather than killed: Alexstrasza’s guilt would not allow her to kill them, so she found a solution that made her feel okay about it whether or not it was the right one.
I appreciate the grey areas explored in this book. The fight scenes were well-written, but just not my thing…and there were a lot of them!
No big lore moments, but really phenomenal character context! Especially for Alexstrasza, Vyranoth, and Neltharion.
I appreciate the grey areas explored in this book. The fight scenes were well-written, but just not my thing…and there were a lot of them!
No big lore moments, but really phenomenal character context! Especially for Alexstrasza, Vyranoth, and Neltharion.
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