World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal

Novelization of the classic "Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness" computer game's expansion - "Beyond the Dark Portal". The story centers around numerous key figures of both the alliance and Horde, and previews the "World of WarCraft: Burning Crusade" expansion's key areas. It tells the story of the original expedition to defeat the Horde in their homeworld of Draenor after they have threatened Azeroth a second time. Golden's depiction of the character's invloved are true to the letter. Telling the tale of Ner'Zhul and his morbid side that would ultimately lead to him becoming the original "Lich King". You won't see the battles or warfare described in the novel as you would the game, but that is to be expected. Overall it is an excellent job by an author who is given material that has already "been written" and drafting it out into novel form. It is also an interesting look at how Draenor was devestated and destroyed from the world that it was to the continent that it became. Many issues and points could have been elaborated on a bit more, but that would have easily turned both "The Tides of Darkness" and "Beyond the Dark Portal" into a trilogy (if not an entire series of it's own). \ This is a definate must-read for any fan of WarCraft or World of WarCraft alike.

This book is awesome, and Christie Golden is probably the best WoW lore writer around.

Okay, so I am biased toward World of Warcraft novels. On the other hand, I have read WoW novels that I was sorely disappointed in. This, however, was not one of those. The story follows the adventures of the wizard Khadgar, the High Vale elf Ranger Alleria Windrunner, and the Paladin Turalyon as they try to deal with Nerzhul, the original Lich King. Even if I wasn't a fan of the lore behind the game, I still would've enjoyed this novel. The authors do a good job of sticking to story-telling and writing a good fantasy novel, rather than just trying to make a product for WoW fans.

If you want to know more about the events of Warcraft 2:Beyond the dark portal,the backstory of WOW:The burning crusade,or just want to read a good Warcraft book then get your hands on this one.Rosenberg and Golden combined efforts in this book are amazing and you will enjoy every moment of reading.

I have been playing WoW for a long while and am a huge fan of the whole setting. This book fits in really well into the WoW universe. I highly recommend this to both serious WoW fans and newcomers alike