of cruelty. For Anduin Wrynn, king of Stormwind, and Sylvanas Windrunner, warchief of the Horde and queen of the Forsaken, there is little time to rebuild what remains, and even less to mourn what was lost. Azeroth's devastating wound has revealed a mysterious material known as Azerite. In the right hands, this strange golden substance is capable of incredible feats of creation; in the wrong ones, it could bring forth unthinkable destruction. As Alliance and Horde forces race to uncover the secrets of Azerite and heal the wounded world, Anduin enacts a desperate plan aimed at forging a lasting peace between the factions. For peace to be possible, generations of bloodshed and hatred must be put to rest. But there are truths that neither side is willing to accept and ambitions they are loath to relinquish. As Alliance and Horde alike grasp for the Azerite's power, their simmering conflict threatens to reignite all-out war - a war that would spell doom for Azeroth... Christie Golden is the award-winning author of over thirty-five novels and has over a million books in print. She has written several novels in the Star Wars and StarCraft universes, as well as the New York Times bestseller Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, a World of Warcraft tie-in.