Beyond the Dark Portal

Beyond the Dark Portal is a novel by both Aaron Rosenberg and Christie Golden which focuses on the events of Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal. It was released on June 24, 2008.

The aging orc shaman Ner'zhul has seized control of the Horde and reopened the Dark Portal. His brutal warriors once again encroach upon Azeroth, laying siege to the newly constructed stronghold of Nethergarde Keep. There, the archmage Khadgar and the Alliance commander, Turalyon, lead humanity and its elven and dwarven allies in fighting this new invasion.

Even so, disturbing questions arise. Khadgar learns of orcish incursions farther abroad: small groups of orcs who seem to pursue a goal other than simple conquest. Worse yet, black dragons have been sighted as well, and they appear to be aiding the orcs. To counter Ner'zhul's dark schemes, the Alliance must now invade the orcs' ruined homeworld of Draenor. Can Khadgar and his companions stop the nefarious shaman in time to stave off the destruction of two worlds?

This novel contains examples of:


 * After the End: The situation on Draenor in a nutshell.
 * Artifact of Doom: A lot of them.
 * The Archer: Alleria.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: Turalyon and Alleria. So much so that you wonder what he sees in her.
 * Big Bad: Subverted. Ner'zhul is nothing like the Lich King who destroys Arthas' sanity and unleashes the Scourge on the world. He's a weak, broken, and half-sane shell of a once great man.
 * Blood Knight: Alleria.
 * EVERY SINGLE ORC IN THE HORDE.
 * Broken Pedestal: How every orc more or less reacts to Ner'zhul.
 * The Cameo: Arthas.
 * Cool Old Guy: Khadgar.
 * The Dragon: Gorefiend. Also doubles as a Names to Run Away From Really Fast.
 * Earthshattering Kaboom:.
 * Fantastic Racism: Alleria positively drips this. Turalyon who was pretty racist in the previous book is appalled by her actions.
 * Fate Worse Than Death:
 * Foregone Conclusion:
 * Heel Realization: Ner'zhul has one of these.
 * Jerkass: Alleria's treatment of Turalyon at the orphanage.
 * Only Sane Man: Rexxar points out that the Horde has been so decimated by war that they could settle on Azeroth without displacing the native races. Grom Hellscream asks where's the glory in that.
 * The Quisling: King Perenolde to a despicable degree.
 * Amusingly, his own son gives him a What the Hell, Hero? speech about it.
 * The So-Called Coward: Turalyon by Alleria. It almost forfeits all sympathy for her.