Christie Golden Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Christie Golden

With nearly sixty novels spanning massive gaming universes, space operas, and gothic horror, knowing where to start with Christie Golden depends entirely on your fandom interests. Here are the three best entry points:

• For Fantasy and Gaming Fans: Start with Arthas: Rise of the Lich King or Rise of the Horde. These novels are widely considered the gold standard of World of Warcraft fiction and require very little prior lore knowledge.
• For Science Fiction and Star Wars Fans: Pick up Star Wars: Dark Disciple. It tells a complete, emotionally resonant story bridging the gap between key episodes of The Clone Wars.
• For Gothic Horror and D&D Fans: Start with her debut novel, Vampire of the Mists, which launched the iconic Ravenloft series and introduced the elven vampire Jander Sunstar.

World of Warcraft Chronological Reading Order

Christie Golden is perhaps best known for her contributions to Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft universe. While the franchise features books by other authors, reading Golden's novels in chronological order provides a cohesive narrative of Azeroth's history:

1. Rise of the Horde (2006) – Explores the origins of the orcs on Draenor, their corruption by the Burning Legion, and the tragic fall of the draenei.
2. Beyond the Dark Portal (2008, co-authored with Aaron Rosenberg) – Picks up after the Second War as the Alliance forces venture into the orc homeworld.
3. Lord of the Clans (2001) – The origin story of Thrall, detailing his enslavement, escape, and ultimate rise to lead the new Horde.
4. Arthas: Rise of the Lich King (2009) – Traces the tragic descent of Prince Arthas Menethil from a well-intentioned paladin to the terrifying Lich King.
5. The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm (2010) – Bridges the gap between the Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm expansions, focusing on political shifts in Orgrimmar and Stormwind.
6. Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects (2011) – Follows Thrall as he struggles to find his purpose after stepping down as Warchief, leading into a multiversal quest.
7. Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War (2012) – Documents the destruction of Theramore and the radical transformation of Jaina Proudmoore.
8. War Crimes (2014) – Focuses on the trial of Garrosh Hellscream in Pandaria, serving as the bridge to the Warlords of Draenor expansion.
9. Before the Storm (2018) – Sets the political and emotional stage for the Battle for Azeroth expansion, highlighting the fragile relationship between the Alliance and Horde.
10. Sylvanas (2022) – The definitive look at the history, motivations, and ultimate fate of Sylvanas Windrunner.

Note: Golden also penned the movie tie-in novels Warcraft: Durotan (a prequel) and Warcraft: The Official Movie Novelization in 2016. These are set in a separate cinematic universe and should be read independently of the main game continuity.

Star Trek: Voyager and Next Generation Continuity

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Golden became a defining voice for Star Trek: Voyager. Her Trek novels fall into three distinct blocks:

The Numbered Voyager Novels

These standalone stories take place during the television show's run and can be read in any order:

• The Murdered Sun (1996)
• Marooned (1997)
• Seven of Nine (1998)

The Dark Matters Trilogy

A self-contained science-fiction mystery set during the events of the series. Read these in order:

1. Cloak and Dagger (2000)
2. Ghost Dance (2000)
3. Shadow of Heaven (2000)

The Post-Finale Voyager Relaunch

For fans who want to know what happened to Captain Janeway and her crew after the ship returned to Earth in the television finale "Endgame", Golden wrote the official relaunch books. They must be read in this sequence:

1. Homecoming (2003)
2. The Farther Shore (2003)
3. Spirit Walk, Book 1: Old Wounds (2004)
4. Spirit Walk, Book 2: Enemy of My Enemy (2004)

Additionally, Golden co-authored The First Virtue (1999) with Michael Jan Friedman as part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation "Double Helix" crossover series, focusing on a young Jean-Luc Picard.

Star Wars: Canon vs. Legends

Golden has written books across both the Legends (expanded universe) and modern Disney-canon timelines. They are best read depending on which era you prefer:

Star Wars Canon (Modern Timeline)

• Dark Disciple (2015) – Based on unproduced scripts from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this follows Jedi Quinlan Vos and former Sith assassin Asajj Ventress on a mission to assassinate Count Dooku. It is highly recommended to read this after watching Season 6 of the animated show.
• Battlefront II: Inferno Squad (2017) – A prequel to the campaign mode of the video game, introducing Commander Iden Versio and her elite Imperial unit immediately following the destruction of the first Death Star.