Graphic Novel Reviews: Ghostlands (The Sunwell Trilogy Book 3)

*Last day of special 3-day posting*

Warcraft: Ghostlands (Book 3 in The Sunwell Trilogy)

written by Richard A Knaak

art by Jae-Hwan Kim

This volume returns to the primary plot of the first book with the heroes having to deal once and for all with Dar'Khan. Secrets are revealed, heroes have to fight, and tension ensues. This is what could have made volume 2 a substantially better volume, but I guess they needed filler so this could be the ending. This last volume is a strong story and gets us to the nice tidy bow we would hope for in a manga series. 

As mentioned, the heroes finally have to battle Dar'Khan, who was revealed to be the big bad of the series in the first volume. We discover that he has his own desires and whims outside of his willingness to serve the evil Arthas. He wants to the power of the Sunwell for himself and no one else. He wants to have perfect utter god-like power; at least as a villain he has the normal modus operandi. This is the main focus of this volume without many side events occurring. 

Ghostlands wraps up the series strongly and lets us know where characters are going after it is finished. This makes the last book interesting to read from an entire series stand-point. If this had been the only volume in the series though it probably would have been just as interesting to read. This series could have easily been condensed down to two books and been a more successful addition to the Warcraft franchise. Releasing strong merchandise only makes their trademark stronger, but by releasing a sub-par second book it takes away greatly from the first and third volumes. If I was rating the entire series together it would receive 3 Faerie points because of this. If you are a Warcraft fanatic I would recommend spending the time to read the trilogy, but if you are not and just thinking about reading it for the dragons and fantasy there is simply stronger literature out there that will be more of a pleasant read. Spend your time elsewhere.   

Until next time... Stay Optimistic!!!