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We Review War of the Scaleborn: the Latest World of Warcraft Novel
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28 giorni fa
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Paryah
The latest World of Warcraft novel, War of the Scaleborn by Courtney Alameda, details the origin of the enmity between the Aspects and the Primal Incarnates, the growth of power in dragon societies and the decisions that caused the schism between them, and the alien forces that meddled in, manipulated, and used dragons for their own purposes.
Courtney Alameda is a YA horror writer. She has acclaim in that field - she was nominated for the coveted Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel in 2015 - and has also written for Blizzard's Diablo franchise. Ms. Alameda is a fine writer and a good storyteller. Unfortunately Blizzard seems to take a heavy hand with its franchise writers, resulting in somewhat choppy prose in places, and an assumption that the reader is a current player, requiring foreknowledge of events and situations. The characterizations and balance between making dragon protagonists relatable but also very much not human is excellent.
The purpose of this book seems to be an explanation of the relationship between Alexstrasza and the enigmatic Vyranoth. Like an in-game cinematic, this novel does not stand alone. The reader is assumed to have historical and geographical knowledge of Azeroth and the Dragonflights, which can make it somewhat inaccessible to a new fan. To a new player, or a player new to lore and history, the geography of the world that the book is set in makes no sense. This story is set pre-Sundering, but the reader is expected to know this. Is that fair? Possibly. Many readers will be those who have read every one of the previous books and who know this history perhaps better than the writer herself. But many will not. That said, unlike an in-game cinematic, this book is not necessary to enjoy the story in the game. It provides more depth and detail for those who wish it, and an examination of long-time characters and newer ones alike.
This telling of an old conflict which drove a wedge between factions of a species and affected their very evolution raises some interesting questions about leadership, reward, and choice that are very pertinent to today's world. One of the triggers for part of the conflict revolves around the fact that prenatal primal-dragons can be influenced into being Primals or Dragons by their egg being infused with "energies" of one kind or another. By itself, this is not an issue. The issue comes in with consent. Adult dragons can also undergo this change. So is it ok to infuse abandoned eggs? Is it ok to steal and infuse eggs? Is it ok to infuse eggs pre-hatching and not let whatever hatches decide for itself? Choice is a theme that runs throughout. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and, as Alexstrasza discovers, a right choice on one day may turn out to have been very much the wrong choice on another, be it egg-infusion, choice of allies, or accepting a boon with strings attached.
This conflict is afforded another level of complexity because the dragons themselves are being meddled with. Titans, Old Gods, and the elements - through Iridikron - are are all inserting their will into the evolution of a species.
The Titans gifted the five dragon aspects extraordinary powers and actual physical change, along with a less powerful version of these gifts for their followers, the Dragonflights. But at what cost? Alexstrasza is made queen with responsibility for her race - or this new branch of her race - squarely on her shoulders, and the threat of the gift of enlightenment being withdrawn if she goes against the will of the Titan, Tyr. The book allows her to examine this Damoclean situation in which she finds herself.
Iridikron eschews the gift of the Titans. For him, the Damoclean aspect is all. He will be no-god's puppet, but in order to compete on an evolutionary level, must find power and change of his own. He employs the elements for this and in doing so becomes what he despises, both evolved and controlling.
And then there is Neltharion. The most insidious influence of all is the Old Gods, turning him to their will as they desperately try to compete with the Titans. Here the evolution is as GMO as it comes, with Neltharion setting up labs and experiments to genetically engineer a more perfect species.
One is led to wonder who Blizzard's target audience is here. Those who are looking for more enlightenment about events in the game will get a lesson in history, but not one that, unlike in Shadowlands, is as necessary. Lore aficionados will find themselves irritated by odd retcons. In an IP as large and sprawling as Warcraft, some retcons are inevitable. Once all of the disparate data about a character or event are pulled together and evaluated, there are going to be contradictions. It is up to the writer working with Blizzard to tease out the threads that will become canon, and discard those that contradict the chosen path. These small things are part of the nature of writing lore for a universe and history that has already been told so many times by so many different writers in so many different media. This is understandable, but these retcons need precedent and, if there is likely to be a question from the reader, explanation. The lore conversant may be confused by some choices. The casual reader may just be confused.
Overall, the book is interesting to the initiated, but also frustrating. It tells us a history. It gives us insight into characters. But in some ways it leaves more questions than it answers. If you love Alexstrasza, want to know more about Vyranoth, or are interested in how the War of the Scaleborn happened, as opposed to what happened, then this book is for you. If you are new to Warcraft lore, there are friendlier places to start your journey.
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