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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsJaina Proudmoore: Tides of War available for preorder on Amazon
by Anne Stickney 
Nov 15th 2011 at 6:00PM
The next novel in the Warcraft series, Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War, is now available for preorder on Amazon. Tides of War is being written by Christie Golden, who has given us some really amazing novels over the past couple of years in both The Shattering and Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects. So far, all we know about Tides of War is that it involves Jaina, that she has some changes coming, and that her story is going to begin to take the tension between the Alliance and the Horde up a few notches, according to the World of Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo Swag Show panel at the San Diego Comic Con earlier this year.
According to Amazon, the release date for the title is June 12, 2012 -- but be aware that release dates may change at any time. Regardless of release date, it's looking like this novel is going to cover a lot of territory for the Alliance, something that most players have been feeling as being lacking in Cataclysm -- and with Golden's track record, it's guaranteed to be a book you won't want to miss. You can preorder your copy of the hardcover edition for $17.16, or preorder the Kindle edition for $12.99.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
According to Amazon, the release date for the title is June 12, 2012 -- but be aware that release dates may change at any time. Regardless of release date, it's looking like this novel is going to cover a lot of territory for the Alliance, something that most players have been feeling as being lacking in Cataclysm -- and with Golden's track record, it's guaranteed to be a book you won't want to miss. You can preorder your copy of the hardcover edition for $17.16, or preorder the Kindle edition for $12.99.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from leveling up a new goblin or worgen to breaking news and strategies on endgame play.
Filed under: Podcasting, Blizzard, Lore
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
Hobstadt Nov 16th 2011 10:50AM
@ Nagaina.
Wolfheart happened before 4.0.1
With "bye bye Night Elves" I mean something like total Horde Victory in Ashenvale. Specifially, every tree cut down, every Night Elf building razed, and not a single living Night Elf in the entire zone. Night Elf and worgen players can go to Darkshore -> Stonetalon -> Desolace -> Feralas instead, Alliance don't NEED Ashenvale and Dustwallow to quest in.
"Because Blizzard has never actually killed off a faction leader."
Cairne?
Bolvar (he got better, and turned neutral)?
Magni?
Killik Nov 16th 2011 10:56AM
Not to address your post point by point, but the Broken Front in Icecrown was the first time I really thought "Oh dear, the Horde is running a bit amok." Attacking Alliance troops when there was a clearly more urgent threat is just not smart, but it seems to be a pattern of behaviour that has thrived under Hellscream's leadership.
Btw, for my money Hellscream himself isn't evil. He's just over-enthusiastic meathead, doing the best job he can of leading the Horde. The trouble is, he's a figurehead for less-reconstructed orcs who yearn for the days of the Old Horde, who commit atrocities in an attempt to gain Hellscream's favour. He comes down hard on that stuff when he becomes aware of it - he's just a lot more ignorant than a faction leader should be.
Nagaina Nov 16th 2011 12:48PM
Magni's not dead, he's a chunk of enchanted rock. Bolvar's not dead, he's the new Lich King.
Cairne, admittedly, is dead, though I hope his disembodied spirit plagues Garrosh Hellscream's microscopic conscience like a splinter that can never be removed.
Jormund Fenris Nov 16th 2011 8:56AM
Jaina looks PISSED OFF.
Still looking fabulous in royal purple though.
Hobstadt Nov 16th 2011 11:13AM
@ Eternauta.
"And while we're at it, why not give the Horde the entire continent of Kalimdor?"
They'll already have most of it. The only Alliance territories left after Theramore is less than half of Ashenvale which is under siege anywhere, a few doomed outposts in Stonetalon Mountains, the remains of Darkshore, a besieged strongold in Feralas, and a tree and two islands far from the coast. Unless the Cenarion Circle joins the Alliance. Can't see that happening ever.
It's more reasonable than imagining the Night Elves defeating the Horde, with the Horde being free to throw everything they have on Kalimdor into the fight, now that Theramore is gone. Especially since the so-called huge victory in Wolfheart still gave the Horde superiority in Ashenvale, even with thousands of Horde soldiers fighting in Barrens. Imagine what will happen with all those troops rushing into Ashenvale?
My main is Night Elf, and I used to have pride in that race. No more. When a force large enough to attack Orgrimmar gets slaughtered outside the gates by a few hundred Goblins, then the attacking army clearly suck. Or Goblins are more awesome than I thought.
Not that the other Alliance races fight any better. Five Forsaken, for example, massacred the entire, so-called, elite 7th Legion.
Matthew Nov 16th 2011 4:29PM
Too far out, but like all things, it will be here before we know it.
Matthew Nov 16th 2011 4:29PM
By the way - I met Christie at Blizzcon (last year) - she's a really Nice Person!
arawn.chernobog Nov 17th 2011 10:12AM
I just hope this whole ordeal sends the Alliance into a potent militant rage, uniting all of it's RAW MILITARY POWER under one Commander's hand (likely Varian to counter Garrosh - Warlord vs Warlord) with full faction support.
Elves, ye want the Horde out of Ashenvale? Us Dwarves can make it 'appen... mow down a few trees and our Steam Tanks will leave naught but rubble of the Horde's camps an' the Gnomes will burn it all fer good measure, the time fer "protectin' the forest" 'as long passed, blood for blood, the Lion of War awakens.
Dewey Nov 17th 2011 2:16PM
To address the point that people think Cataclysm didn't have enough Alliance lore, I think they've been alternating with each release. There's no official evidence of that that I'm aware of, but consider:
1. In vanilla, Allies had all these epic quest lines. Horde mostly just collected 6 of this and killed 10 of that. Allies had a very personal reason to fight Onyxia, Horde just wanted some loot. And the final raid boss was Kel'thuzad, a traitor to the Alliance, though most people didn't really get to fight him. Pretty Alliance-centric.
2. BC swung back the other way a little, with a big redemption arc for the Blood Elves and the orcs meeting the Mag'har (And, unfortunately, Garrosh). Kael'thas and Illidan still meant more to the Alliance, and there was an arc for the draenai (But it felt a little undercooked to me), but the Horde got some spotlight.
3. Wrath is a very Alliance expansion. With the exception of Sylvanas' grudge against Arthas and the Horde meeting the taunka, all the major plot twists and motivators are more Alliance-centric, even the Wrathgate. The gnomes, dwarves and humans all learn more about their origins. The Alliance has much more interesting storlines in Dragonblight and Grizzly Hills. The neutral leader guiding both sides is a human paladin. The villain is a traitor to the Alliance. It's the Alliance's show.
4. Cataclysm gives you an orc for your neutral leader (Although Malfurion is pretty important, too), but I'd say it's the most balanced one to date, myself. There's a whole lot of night elf lore for the Alliance, while the Horde is learning how to live under Garrosh. I think the Horde has a stronger storyline, but not necessarily a more important role.
If anything, I'd say it's simply the Alliance's turn in MoP. But, again, that's just my observations, nothing official or anything.