The Horde has burned Stormwind, and its survivors flee north to Lordaeron under Anduin Lothar. The human kings agree, grudgingly, to an Alliance with Lothar in command and the young paladin Turalyon and the high elf ranger Alleria Windrunner at his side. On the other side, Orgrim Doomhammer leads the Horde north with new allies.
What this adds if you've played the games
Warcraft II's briefings only sketch the Second War, and this tells it from the ground. It turns Turalyon and Alleria into people, which matters now that both are back in the games from Legion on, and it shows Orgrim Doomhammer as a leader, Gul'dan's scheming and where the first death knights came from. The prose is plain and the battles pile up, so read it for the history rather than the writing.
Where it fits
- Adaptation ofWarcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Retells the Second War from the Warcraft II campaigns, with human and orc leaders as viewpoint characters. Same story, so either order works.
- Comes beforeWorld of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal
Continues from Tides of Darkness with the same Alliance heroes two years on, and assumes you know how the Second War ended. Read Tides first.
Editions
Pocket Star paperback
No store links for this edition yet. Search for the title at your usual store.