World of Warcraft: Grimoire of the Shadowlands and Beyond

World of Warcraft

by Sean Copeland

The afterlives await in this sprawling compendium, lovingly crafted by the World of Warcraft game team and official Blizzard Entertainment historian Sean Copeland.
What lies beyond the veil of death? Journey past this mortal coil and discover the secrets of the afterlives. Study the practices around death and dying on Azeroth, then follow a Broker through the groves of Ardenweald, over the gleaming towers of Bastion, and into the depths of the Maw for a detailed voyage unlike any other. Featuring gorgeous artwork never glimpsed by mortal eyes, a stunning fold-out map, and fresh secrets straight from the game team, Grimoire of the Shadowlands and Beyond is made to be treasured for eternity.

In his authorial debut, Blizzard Entertainment historian Sean Copeland opens the vaults of both World of Warcraft and his years of hidden knowledge for all curious souls.

Genres: Warcraft, World Of Warcraft, Fantasy, Gaming

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 2021

Reviews

[Felipe Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le daría un 3 pero el arte y la calidad del libro es fantástica, y por lo de siempre haber querido un libro de este tipo. Ahora bien, me encanta todo el lore de este juego, su universo y personajes, como la mirada desde un brocker y sus investigaciones de la muerte, me deja debiendo más información. Siento que queda corto en lo prometido de darnos profundidad y se queda con detalles ya conocidos (al menos por alguien que este con el lore al día).
Me quedo con su arte y el valor sentimental.

[Kryptomite · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all Warcraft lore books, I feel like this one was a bit light on lore. I do wish it would have delved into the death rituals of all the races instead of just three easy ones. If you play the game often and pay attention, you'll likely know almost everything covered inside. However, Shadowlands has such a sprawling segmented amount of lore, and so much is thrown at you at once, that I ended up quite enjoying the book because it was laid out so well. The perspective its written from (a compilation by one of the brokers written to his superior) is believable and interesting. They often question the actions of other groups from their race, and is still seeking answers to some of their questions, which made me want to go out and search for them too. Definitely a step up from Exploring Azeroth.

[Merryn Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine, but nothing special. Great illustrations and summary of what we know so far about the shadowlands. Having only played in the night fae covenant it was interesting to read about the other covenant campaigns and how they affected the storylines. I was hoping for more new information about the next patch maybe but it was not to be found in this book.

An enjoyable read but nothing new.

[Nightstar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun refresher on the lore of the Shadowlands, with some really lovely illustrations!

While actually playing through the expansion, it was difficult to pick up on a lot of the lore because there were so many other things happening all the freaking time, so it was nice being able to read about it outside of the stresses of the game environment. I did feel as though the book could've expanded on several areas (especially in regard to the covenants and the afterlives of the various races), but there was enough information to keep my attention, and I enjoyed the section on the Maw in particular. I also liked the additional nuggets of information sprinkled throughout by the "narrator" that hinted at secrets we may learn of in the future.

Overall, it was a brief but interesting addition to the extensive lore of the WoW universe :)

[Cata Grui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little compendium, gathering together most of the information related to the Shadowlands and its covenants. Some interesting facts here and there as well, a bit of extra lore not found in-game. Overall nice addition to the lore, though it does add a bunch of puzzles and questions related to the whole cosmology of the universe. It also provides a decent backdrop of information, somewhat explored more in depth in game during the Chains of Domination patch. The way it’s written, from the broker’s perspective, adds a bit more details around the mysterious race, as well, overall increasing the hints and tidbits of information. The ending also raises some interesting questions, opening up the discussions and speculations.

[E.J. Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd book to review, because there's certainly not an argument for reading this if you're not already a Warcraft fan, and even if you play the game you still may not enjoy it. But if, like me, you really enjoy the Shadowlands lore (I know that's weird as hell) then this does give you more of an insight into the world of the Shadowlands. Admittedly you'll probably get to the end of it with about 30 questions though.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the way that this detailed how to Broker's see the Shadowlands and all of the current happenings. Absolutely gave me some questions to think about, which is really fun to ounce off my other Warcraft Lore entrenched friends to see how they interpreted the Broker's view point, as well as the whole bit about how that cartels see Ve'nari besides what she tells us about.

All in all, really nice delve into the Shadowlands. Could have given more, but I'm happy with what I got.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide to the shadowlands and while I am a bit disappointed in that it really does not add a lot of new information about the shadowlands it is still a great book that collects a lot of the information from the game. There a few hints in the book about possible things that might affect the story and the art is really good which is common for all of the warcraft lore books.

[Josiah Peralta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the narrator's perspective throughout

[Evil Milk Hotel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am on my hands and knees begging Blizzard to please stop retconning lore. “It’s from an unreliable POV” just say you don’t know what the lore is and go.

[Elena Druță · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dacă sunteți fanii jocului sau a universului WoW, cu siguranță o să vă placă acest volum. E informativ, plin de ilustrații minunate, viziuni despre Shadowlands și tot ce ascunde acest tărâm.