XolokReads reviewed World of Warcraft: Illidan by William King (World of Warcraft, #15)
It's like the previous titles featuring the character of Illidan but in this one the characters have a personality and motivation
4 stars
Illidan by William King definitely gets a boost from not being a sequel to the War of the Ancients by Richard Knaak. This Illidan has more depth is a more engaging character. King accomplishes so much by showing rather than telling. We aren't told how characters feel about each other because we can just observe it. You know, like a novel.
The novel covers the events in Outland from before players reached in World of Warcraft to some time thereafter. The story focuses on Illidan, but mostly through the eyes of others: Maiev his jailer and hunter, Akama his reluctant servant, and Vandel his student. Illidan is much more scary in this book because he has a personality and motivations that the reader can recognize in their own life or in people they've met. King explores the mind of an overconfident leader who is still effective enough to be dangerous. …
Illidan by William King definitely gets a boost from not being a sequel to the War of the Ancients by Richard Knaak. This Illidan has more depth is a more engaging character. King accomplishes so much by showing rather than telling. We aren't told how characters feel about each other because we can just observe it. You know, like a novel.
The novel covers the events in Outland from before players reached in World of Warcraft to some time thereafter. The story focuses on Illidan, but mostly through the eyes of others: Maiev his jailer and hunter, Akama his reluctant servant, and Vandel his student. Illidan is much more scary in this book because he has a personality and motivations that the reader can recognize in their own life or in people they've met. King explores the mind of an overconfident leader who is still effective enough to be dangerous. We explore Akama making choices motivated by survival and trying to pull the good out of evil. We see Maiev driven by a singular goal and the facades she puts up to pursue what she feels is righteous. Lastly we see Vandel who follows this dangerous leader and his doubts along the way. Nobody feels wholly good or wholly bad in this and there are parallels in real life. We have seen leaders who promise one thing only to secure loyalty to pursue something else. We have followed people or know people who have followed a person hoping that the leader will have all the answers. King's Illidan is unsettling because he's believable, not because he has super powers.
