Sylvanas book (spoilers)

Lore Story
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So I finished the (audio)book. Must I say Patty did not disappoint. Her narration made the book a worthy listen regardless of the content.

Now everyone knows I’m a die hard Sylvanas fan, so I had to get my hands on this. I did not stop until I finished it. I have mixed feelings about it.

I found Sylvanas’ journey to be realistic and well presented. Golden gave us a good insight of her mind and feelings. I appreciate the accurate portrayal of her character from both her life as elf and as undead.

I especially appreciate it that they made things right regarding the Wrathgate events. That was a retcon I could never accept and sticking to the Wotlk narrative was the best thing they could do.

I’m all about cheesy romance and I enjoyed the Sylvanas - Nathanos affairs, well I’m not too fond of one particular “hot scene”, not because I didn’t think it could be inserted in her book, but because the whole setting and timing of it was really awkward and illogical. I call it “a Hollywood moment”.

The book does fairly well on answering most of my questions, but it doesn’t change the fact that the story is ultimately dumb and Sylvanas’ arc is just a waste of resources and character development.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think a person taking a dark path when dealing with severe PTSD is relatable and realistic, but I still struggle to understand how she fell for the Jailor’s trick, even with the Valkyr taking her around Shadowlands. Is it that the story was changed mid way and the Jailor was supposed to be a good guy after all? Why is it that the Shadowlands looked so bad then and now it’s all fine, everything is fair and dandy?

Will we end up in a few expansions realizing Zovaal was right all along and Sylvanas got thrown in the Maw for no reason?

Overall, I liked the book even though I’m disappointed in the story as a whole. I regret losing such a great character and I hate seeing yet another Horde leader canned and “judged” by the Holy Alliance of Humans and Friends.

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Just like the “love moment” between Turalyon and Alleria was always awkward and out of place, as they did it right after the death of Lirath if I’m not mistaken because Alleria was too sad about it. :sweat_smile:

However, about Sylvanas and Nathanos, is it really canon now that she loved him because…he was really ugly and felt compassion about him? and she found him ugly just because he was a Human, or because he was really deformed even in life? and was it a true love or just passion and after it he was just his “pet” (as a ranger, it’s fitting :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: )

Just curious about it as I haven’t read the book yet…and the Windrunner sisters were always the “exceptions” among the High Elves who didn’t really like the presence of the Humans that much anyway, so Im not sure if it was true love even in their case, or some awkward rivalry between them and some sense of “ownership” of Humans pets anyway…

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I like the Windrunner mother scorning Alleria for spending too much time with humans. She would have been a proud member of the Horde if she was still alive.

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My question would be… is there any Sylvanas-story left open? Does she want to want to make things right with anyone? Any personal missions left after her Janitor-duties? Anything hinting at any capacity in which she might rejoin the plot in the future? Any personal growth she thinks she needs to go through? Or is this a pretty definite ending to her story?

As far as I hear her main goal was a world in which people weren’t sent to the Maw and more of a choice in choosing the afterlife you prefer, including the possibility of being reunited with your loved ones, yes? Considering Pelagos pretty much promised the same things that mission seems to have been a success, and if we’re not doing another major Shadowlands plot in the future, which I would assume after this desaster, it should stay that way.

I’m not reading that book, but I would like to have a picture of when and how I would have to expect to be sujected to that character again…

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I find Golden’s choice of words really weird to be honest. I mean, Nathanos must have had a different physique than the average pretty elf. I guess he had a rough and unkept masculinity that she found attractive and was, by elven standards, ugliness.

I can’t speak for either Alleria or Veressa but I feel like the book emphasized enough that the Sylvanas-Nathanos relationship was based on true feelings that managed somehow to stay with them even after death.

It’s not a definite ending of the story.

She doesn’t have any personal missions in mind and the book hints that her punishment is a near impossible task. The only personal issue I see her fixing would be finding Nathanos in the Maw but other than that I think she is out of the picture until they need her again.

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Fair enough. Though I’d correct that to “until the devs want to use her again”, since I don’t see her having any specific skillset or knowledge that we’d ever need her for personally. But I’m sure the devs can find a way, when they think her face is needed for marketing.

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They will probably bring Illidan and Sylvanas back at the same time.
Both are now deeply connected to Tyrande, so if they ever wanted another “elf” front, then Illidan and Sylvanas would be the high contenders, followed by Tyrande.

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Thanks for the answers…also, it is true that in the book Zul’jin and the Amani are showed as just a little bit more intelligent than monkeys ??

I mean, considering the quests in Quel’thalas and their general characterization in other books and novels, I had not a lot of doubts about Golden presenting them as such as well…

I hope at least she mentioned that technically the High Elves were indeed the invaders and conquerors of their lands and so their aggressions are not completely unjustified… even if apparently the Amani are so stupid that they can be tricked by the Farstriders Rangers like Halduron masking themselves as old and frail elves :sweat_smile:

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Yes, that’s what I meant. I’m guessing she will be back in a few expansions as a neutral character with antihero vibes that will help both factions defeat some greater evil, much like Illidan.

Kinda, yes, but it’s also emphasized that they are ruthless enemies who caused a great deal of damage to the elves.

No mention of that at all. (But maybe I missed it because I had the book read to me). The elves are portrayed as innocent as they could be and absolute victims of the conflict.

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I haven’t gotten to Zul’jin yet, howevever the Amani aren’t really portrayed as anything more or less than an enemy to the high elves and are certainly felt more through the effects of their actions against the High Elves than anything they really do.

The Hauldron thing is him boasting on a party so take it with a semitruck of salt :smiley:

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Was it an exxageration when I read that most of the drama with the trolls is about how it affects the family life, and that the poor little brother might have to do a musical performance without the support of his sisters, because of the inconvenience of war?

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Trolls aren’t even involved in Lorath having to go on his own to the party, with it being left ambiguous what the actual business their parents were on was. They become more prominent, when concerning their part in the Horde invasion of Quel’thalas.

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After finishing the book myself overall i liked it, however if there is one thing it abundantly drives home it’s just how hard the Shadowlands and ending of BfA don’t gel, with the rest of the story. I believe that the author did the best she could, with what she was given, however it would be lying to say that the Shadowlands justifications were not the weakest part of the book, in my eyes.

The book is strangely framed and it doesn’t really make sense, until a certain distance into the book, where it’s revealed why Sylvanas singled out Anduin to try and convince him, unlike all the others and how it affected both of them. (Something distinctly missing out of the game between freeing the other people and 9.1.0’s shark parkour.)

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The epilogue basically sees her grinding Thorgast for the forseeable future, after briefly reconnecting with her sisters aiming to find Nathanos. If they’re going to pull her back into the fray it will be most porbably, in relation to Aleria’s void problem, whenever that thing comes up.

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IIRC, it’s something from the Tides of Darkness book where Halduron is introduced.

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From what i gathred, both from actually playing the game and exploring it and the book, Zovaal was esentially the arbitrer, but when he was split his currently active half, lacked compassion, and all souls were being judged by uncompassionate automaa based on a oracle template. That made it split loved ones apart, have no problem with letting the Kyrian mind wipe souls and give them Purpouse, had no problem with the knowledge that the Scourge and thus Zovaal was operating outside his cage. It was indeed flawed, and that just made Sylvannas’s choice more logical.

The Arbitrer could in just a moment live and understand the full life of a soul, it is why, through all those experience Zovaal decided the Universe, the Pattern of the First ones is Flawed, mostly cause mortals were being influenced by Gods, Demons and other celestial forces to walk given paths with no real choice regards their destiny. He also saw all the schemings being played in the living universe, there was no secret hidden from the one Arbitrer. It is why he could not explain things to his brothers and sisters, as they were designed differently, and could not understand.

What’s more interesting is the foresight the Firstones had. As they allready knew, by design that all this would happen. It’s hinted that the First ones might be primordial essences of the cosmos, and each of them created a realm, one of light, one of shadow, one of chaos, one of order. While the crux realms that governed reality were Life and Death. In between all these 6 there was a 7, the reality of the known Warcraft universe, where all creations fights to enter and dominate.

She essentially did what she was set to do, even though initially she trusted the Jailer, in the end she got exactly what she wanted, while now having new powers gifted by the Zovaal, and unexpectedly recovering her soul.

In game all the dark rangers are vanishing, hinting she might create a new faction in the Maw, to thus reach her new goals, similar to the army Ilidan built to achieve his. I’m pretty sure her arch is far from over, it’s only began.

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Such a beautiful lesson the authors gave us there. Genocide and villainy were a bit of a mistake, but at least they did get the job done albeit with a detour. Whew. Happily ever after after all.

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Oh, btw… Did Sylvanas help to stop the Legion… because they were destroying souls instead of sending them on? Or was there any reason given?

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She made the deal active after Vol’jin died, as those were the initial prophetsies, but outside the soul cage incident it’s pretty much skipped over.

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I’m done with the book and I feel stupid for giving it a chance. Meh, sorry, but no.

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