This review of StarCraft II: Flashpoint novel by Christie Golden is of the spoiler-free variety. Check out the entire Blizzard catalog in our Extensive Extended Universe post.

Ready for an SAT comparison? Flashpoint is to StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm as World of Warcraft: Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War is to Mists of Pandaria. Christie Golden’s latest effort comes on the heels of Devil’s Due, her previous work in the universe, and launches the story of James Raynor, his Raiders and their “allies” into the early workings of Blizzard’s second entry into the StarCraft II trilogy.

Fans looking for deeper understanding of the Zerg or Protoss won’t have much success with Flashpoint. Sure, Sarah Kerrigan is a main character of the novel. One that’s largely comatosed for the novel following the closing cinematic events of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. That’s not to suggest Flashpoint is lore that should be skipped. Completely the opposite in fact. Golden keeps the focus on the Terran struggles by returning to James Raynor, his Raiders, their struggle against Arcturus Mengsk and hope for redeeming the Queen of Blades.

Unlike the previous novels featuring back story to humanity’s most successful backwater Marshall, Flashpoint puts readers right in the thick of the universal struggle to be continued in Heart of the Swarm. Connected to past keys events in the lives of Raynor and Kerrigan via flashbacks, Golden describes the constant struggle the pair have had with trust. From leaders to friends, their past is littered with betrayal. A constant companion. Continue Reading

This review World of Warcraft: Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects novel by Christie Golden is of the spoiler-free variety.

Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects opens like many other recent World of Warcraft novelizations. We’re introduced to the star character, Thrall. Said character is then introduced to a challenging force known to any player that has been following the overall storyarc. Today, that’s Deathwing and the devastation his reentry left on Azeroth. Readers are quickly shown how inept Thrall is at his new craft, shamanism. An adjective rarely applied to the renowned – on both sides – leader. Despite his spiritual growth at he hands of Draka in The Shattering, he can barely keep up with his Earthen Ring brethren, leading them to dismiss him, a former Warchief.

Thrall. He’s known by many names, for many reasons. The greenskin is known by both factions, loved and hated independent of such fissures. Warcrafters know more about him than any other faction leaders, quite possibly any other figure in the decades-long universe. And yet, fans don’t know him. Fans know his deeds, the legends, what he’s created and what he has left behind. Golden rectifies this in Twilight of the Aspects. Continue Reading

Starcraft II: Devil’s Due, the sequel to Heaven’s Devils (see our review), is now available for pre-order from Amazon and other retailers. Amazon has it in hardcover and Kindle editions, which can be read on the iPad, all iOS devices running iOS4 or later, Android devices and more. The iBookstore also has the book available for pre-order.

The book is authored by Christie Golden, my favorite author for Blizzard’s universes. She also authored Heaven’s Devils, World of Warcraft: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, and World of Warcraft: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King.

Amazon also has a fresh description and excerpt for those who can’t wait to get their hands on the book:

The year is 2494. Almost five years ago, Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay were members of the Heaven’s Devils, an elite Confederate marine unit praised for its nerves of steeland combat expertise. After making a stand against their corrupt commanding officer, the two men were forced to go AWOL or risk being unjustly prosecuted and resocialized.Now, Raynor and Findlay are outlaws hounded by an unyielding interstellar marshal. Life, however, has never beenbetter. Each day is another chance to pilfer more credits from the Confederacy’s deep coffers. Each night holds the promise of spending their hard-earned profits in bars, brothels, and gambling halls. But a man can only run so far before the law—and his past—catch up with him. . . .

Devils’ Due recounts an unforgettable period of Jim Raynor’s life as he descends into the Koprulu sector’s criminal underworld alongside the street-savvy Findlay. Here, far from his humble upbringing on the fringe world of Shiloh, Raynor will face some of the most trying challenges of his life. The decisions he makes will alter his destiny forever and put his father’s oft-spoken wisdom, “A man is what he chooses to be,” to the ultimate test.
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World of Warcraft: The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm by Christie Golden has perhaps the longest name of any WoW novel to date, and definitely the largest amount of colons. The Shattering tells the story of the events leading up to “the shattering,” the event where Deathwing emerges from Deepholm and causes mass destruction across Azeroth. This is the first time a WoW novel has been released to advance the story in preparation for an expansion (namely Cataclysm), and seeing the events of The Shattering occurring in parallel with in-game events is quite exciting.

The Shattering is the first of three novels describing the events of the Cataclysm. We learn about the politics of the Alliance and the Horde leading up to Cataclysm and how the Twilight’s Hammer cult and other evil organizations seek to cause havoc in preparation for Deathwing’s arrival. The story alternates between Horde and Alliance events, intertwining them at times when the events happen to overlap.

As the Horde withdraw from Northrend, Garrosh is welcomed home as a war hero and celebrated by all the orcs an Thrall, but Cairne and Eitrigg have their doubts about the young hero. As Thrall feels the unrest of the elements, he takes leave from his seat as warchief to investigate and appoints Garrosh to lead in his absence. Meanwhile, skirmishes ignite Varian Wrynn, and his son Anduin and Jaina Proudmoore try to cool his temper. Anduin discovers his fate in Ironforge and helps mediate some heated discussions.

I have to say, this is one of the few Warcraft novels that really compelled me to keep reading it. Some of the other novels have felt slightly dry and arcane, but WoW players who are eager to transition from worrying about Arthas to Deathwing will find this content extremely relevant and exciting.

Many heroes from each side that players have interacted with or read about in other volumes play big roles in The Shattering. Golden makes each of the characters real and compelling while driving forward a cohesive narrative. There are a couple new characters introduced that really don’t feel relevant except to advance the plot, but I felt right at home in the world painted by the novel.

Much like Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, this is a must-read for WoW fans, especially those who will be picking up Cataclysm at release. You can pick it up from Amazon for $16 for the hardcover, or $8 if you don’t mind waiting until May for the paperback.

If you are rusty on your WoW lore and want to refresh before Cataclysm, consider picking up some of the other recent tomes:

• Warcraft: Mage
• Dragons of Outland Volume 1: Shadow Wing
• Warcraft: Death Knight
• Warcraft: Shaman