The Last Guardian

By: Jeff Grubb

The Last Guardian is a novel set in the World of Warcraft universe, specifically in The New World era.  

Plot: The Last Guardian of Tirisfal is a wizard named Medivh, who is a recluse living in the tower of Karazhan, suffering from a battle from within between good and evil.  In all his years, he has never had an apprentice, until now...

Khadgar, a young mage sent from the Kirin Tor, to apprentice under the old, slightly eccentric Medivh.  At first everything in the tower is as it was expected to be, but when Khadgar discovers that the last guardian is from a lineage of incredibly powerful wizards empowered by a council to combat the forces of the Burning Legion, he starts to notice something terribly wrong with his mentor.

Review:  The hardest part of reading this novel is getting through the very long beginning.  It starts off extremely slow.  The book has a flow like a boulder rolling down a slight incline.  At first the rock is moving at a snail's pace, but by the end the speed is unreal.  The end of the novel moves at such blazing speed that by the last page's end, the reader is left thinking: Oh, it's over?

Despite all that, the tale is well crafted, and intriguing.  Medivh invokes sympathy, when the reader is finally let in on his big secret.  Even though the book starts slow, the ending is well worth the wait.  Also, the book is an essential read for any Warcraft fan, as it is referred to by many other novels in the World of Warcraft.