Fantasy

Sea of Sorrows

Sea of Sorrows

  • Downloads：6601
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-16 09:57:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ree Soesbee
  • ISBN：1416589627
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The lost kingdom of Orr lies beneath the ocean waves， an entire civilization swallowed by an ancient cataclysm。 For centuries， it has lain dormant in the depths， its ancient secrets lost。

Until now。

The Elder Dragon Zhaitan has risen。 In its wake， the drowned kingdom of Orr is reborn—and another is destroyed。 The city of Lion’s Arch， for generations a cornerstone of civilization in Tyria， is brutally swept beneath the waves， leaving nothing but ruins。 Among the survivors is Cobiah Marriner， a human sailor shipwrecked by the tsunami and stranded at sea。 When he is rescued by a ferocious charr， Cobiah knows that he’s been plunged into a world forever changed。

Now， Zhaitan’s undead servants dominate the sea， destroying port after port and slaughtering anything in their path。 In the midst of ruin， Cobiah vows to see Lion’s Arch rebuilt。 Amid the storm of the dragon’s rising， Cobiah must become a hero to his crew and an admiral to the pirate fleet， and face the ghosts of his past。 Only then will he master the Sea of Sorrows and crush the armada of Orr。

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Reviews

Hallien ，

Sea of Sorrows is a brilliant read and a must read for anyone interested in the lore of Guild Wars。 What makes this book so good though is the fact that I think it stands perfectly well on its own and will be an enjoyable read even for those who do not know anything about the video game world。 This book is masterfuly written and the only gripe I have with it is wishing that the first part was longer。 The whole ride was good， but I think the first third of the book is the best。 I want to read mor Sea of Sorrows is a brilliant read and a must read for anyone interested in the lore of Guild Wars。 What makes this book so good though is the fact that I think it stands perfectly well on its own and will be an enjoyable read even for those who do not know anything about the video game world。 This book is masterfuly written and the only gripe I have with it is wishing that the first part was longer。 The whole ride was good， but I think the first third of the book is the best。 I want to read more books by Soesbee！ 。。。more

Fieloes ，

Loved the way it was written， it was hard to put down。 Can't wait to visit markers of their presence in game and hear their legends being told in the greats cities。 Loved the way it was written， it was hard to put down。 Can't wait to visit markers of their presence in game and hear their legends being told in the greats cities。 。。。more

Alex Lacey ，

Honestly I wanted to like this book but I just couldn't。 Far too much information that ultimately felt redundant。 Throughout the book terrible things happen and then someone will just chime in with a cheesy or snarky comment。 Personally， this book didn't work for me。 To be fair， I'm not a dedicated guild wars player and maybe if I was more invested in the world， it would appeal more。 The cover is very nice though。 Honestly I wanted to like this book but I just couldn't。 Far too much information that ultimately felt redundant。 Throughout the book terrible things happen and then someone will just chime in with a cheesy or snarky comment。 Personally， this book didn't work for me。 To be fair， I'm not a dedicated guild wars player and maybe if I was more invested in the world， it would appeal more。 The cover is very nice though。 。。。more

Al ，

Of the three GW novels， this was by far my favorite。 The characters felt most true to the game and the plot was the most cohesive。

Jason Ray Ray Carney ，

This was a great read。 If you enjoy Guild Wars 2， you will love it。 It tells the story of one of the game's most famous cities， Lion's Arch。 It follows a pirate ship captain who becomes a leader in Lion's Arch， Cobiah Marriner。 What really impressed about this novel was the writer's demand of the language of sailing and the ocean。 I live in a coastal area with a lot of sailing， and this so rang true as far as representations of oceans， sailing， and the sea。 I would smell the salt wind， hear the This was a great read。 If you enjoy Guild Wars 2， you will love it。 It tells the story of one of the game's most famous cities， Lion's Arch。 It follows a pirate ship captain who becomes a leader in Lion's Arch， Cobiah Marriner。 What really impressed about this novel was the writer's demand of the language of sailing and the ocean。 I live in a coastal area with a lot of sailing， and this so rang true as far as representations of oceans， sailing， and the sea。 I would smell the salt wind， hear the bells， and get the sense of changing tides。 The novel is structured in several parts and the narrative incorporates many years。 You begin with the protagonist's childhood; you end in their late prime。 This is a rare approach for most game novels， in my opinion， which are often cinematic in their narrative pacing。 This is the third and last Guild Wars novel。 It was published several years ago， so I assume they are not writing any more。 I wish they would。 The world is so enchanting。 The Charr， Asurans， Norn， are all so cool and create an intriguing mixture of theme。 （There are no Sylvari in this novel because it takes place before they emerge from the "Pale Tree。" 。。。more

Uri Gutman ，

It got me thrilled。 It got me crying。 It got all of my emotions， and it scarred me， in a very good way。This book needs to be recognized。 It's outline is pure genius， the way we see the main events that happened to Cobiah across a large timeline。 I got nothin even remotely negative to say about this one。 It's exactly what it needs to be， and more。 All I have now is to wish for more like this。 It got me thrilled。 It got me crying。 It got all of my emotions， and it scarred me， in a very good way。This book needs to be recognized。 It's outline is pure genius， the way we see the main events that happened to Cobiah across a large timeline。 I got nothin even remotely negative to say about this one。 It's exactly what it needs to be， and more。 All I have now is to wish for more like this。 。。。more

Tapio Kurkinen ，

Again to preface this， I have over 10k hours on the two games combined so I'm quite versed in the lore and captured by the world of Tyria。 I think this is by far the best of the three books。 Ree Soesbee's writing is way more flowery and descriptive and it really fits the almost play-like structure of the book。 I also thoroughly enjoyed the way the story was split into chunks and how the city of Lion's Arch felt like a major character with an actual arc inside the story。 Politic tension was done Again to preface this， I have over 10k hours on the two games combined so I'm quite versed in the lore and captured by the world of Tyria。 I think this is by far the best of the three books。 Ree Soesbee's writing is way more flowery and descriptive and it really fits the almost play-like structure of the book。 I also thoroughly enjoyed the way the story was split into chunks and how the city of Lion's Arch felt like a major character with an actual arc inside the story。 Politic tension was done surprisingly well but some of the combat scenes felt a bit confusing because of a lack of consistency in abilities and decisions on some characters' behalfs。 I felt this one also had a problem of trying to wrap everything up way too fast near the end but it wasn't nearly as bad as with the other GW books。 I'm a fan of having a whole chapter after the final climactic fight to tie everything up nicely without a hurry。 In my opinion， it would have worked really well if （view spoiler）[ there was one more chapter 10 years later to see how the city recovered。 （hide spoiler）]Good light fantasy read。 This is the only Guild Wars book I would recommend to someone who doesn't play the game but it still has some problems that hinder it from being great。 。。。more

Azeban13 ，

I played Guildwars 2 for a few years and was a big fan of it。 I love the lore and was happy that I came across the books。Overall， I really enjoyed this book。 There's pirates and basically zombies/undead（in a different setting than most books）。 You got to learn more about the history of Lion's Arch which was cool。 I also really loved the characters， especially a lot of the supporting ones。 I'll be honest I liked some of them even more than the main character。 （Sykox is best！）I felt like the book I played Guildwars 2 for a few years and was a big fan of it。 I love the lore and was happy that I came across the books。Overall， I really enjoyed this book。 There's pirates and basically zombies/undead（in a different setting than most books）。 You got to learn more about the history of Lion's Arch which was cool。 I also really loved the characters， especially a lot of the supporting ones。 I'll be honest I liked some of them even more than the main character。 （Sykox is best！）I felt like the book had a little bit of everything which made it enjoyable（action， humor， etc）。 It was definitely a light read and something that I just picked up here and there to get back into reading as I was recovering from a very long slump + being distracted with finishing video game backlog and life。 I also enjoyed that it had a happy ending。 The time jumps and splitting the book up was a little weird。 It didn't make me hate the book by any means， though。 There were a couple chapters that were a bit of a slog to get through because I felt that the story wasn't really moving and it was filler in a bad way。 I also was a tiny bit annoyed at some of the miscommunication or lack thereof that went on in the book。 I felt it was pretty silly and childish but it didn't ruin the story for me。 It might have just been me but I felt like most of the book went at a decent pace but towards the end it almost seemed a little rushed。 Overall， I was happy to read this and will definitely read it again。 I would recommend this book to anyone that has played or is a fan of GW。 I'd also recommend it to anyone that is interested in pirates， a hint of politics， and zombies not in a modern setting。 。。。more

Bunny Huynh ，

Recently， I’m trying to finish off all the books that were started long ago but constantly interrupted by other books or my study schedules。 Leaving the book undone makes me feel like abandon a friend without giving us a chance to know each other。 Guild Wars 2 Sea of Sorrows is one of the books I was eager to buy but never finish。 Why？ I’ll explain below。Guild Wars 2 already published three books as Sea of Sorrows is the latest one。 In compared to other franchise， Guild Wars has a humble number Recently， I’m trying to finish off all the books that were started long ago but constantly interrupted by other books or my study schedules。 Leaving the book undone makes me feel like abandon a friend without giving us a chance to know each other。 Guild Wars 2 Sea of Sorrows is one of the books I was eager to buy but never finish。 Why？ I’ll explain below。Guild Wars 2 already published three books as Sea of Sorrows is the latest one。 In compared to other franchise， Guild Wars has a humble number of adaptation fictions。 Perhaps， the books were not as successful as expected。Sea of Sorrows is written by See Soesbee， a fantasy novel writer and later a video game Narrative， Lore and Continuity Designer for Guild Wars universe since Guild Wars: Nightfall。 Though the book was beautifully introduced as an appealing narrative of how Cobiah Marriner—the founder of the new Lion’s Arch rebuilt and devoted his life to fight against the dreadful Orrian undead army。 The real plot failed to deliver the main concept as mentioned。The novel followed Cobiah since he was a child till the end of the Great Krytan Blockade event。 However， the plot sadly failed to deliver the main idea due to its constant shifting focus。 In the first quarter， I thought the book would narrative Cobiah’ life; then maybe it is about how he would fight the Orr in the second quarter。 But no， he started to rebuild Lion’s Arch with a new mission and vision in the third quarter which I was like， “Oh， so now it will be about how he created this independent city to its fullest glory”; then again， 20 years had passed… until the Great Krytan Blockade event which ultimately helped the sea city gained its full independence from Kryta。 So if you ask me to summarize the book in one sentence， I don’t know！ I have a complex feeling for this book because it was a boring novel until some last few chapters of the final battle against the Orrian armada。 Soesbee though did a kind of uninterested job for most of the book， she created an epic final battle that I would love to see it on screen。 However， I still don’t see Sea of Sorrows in my favourite book list。Here what kept postponing my reading of this book:Writing style: as mentioned in my Diablo The Sin War trilogy review， I love the kind of writing styles that uses a lot of analogy and a decent amount of time in describing characters’ emotions。 Soesbee mainly focused on narrating the events rather than building up and helping readers to feel the characters。 Character Development: No character development。 For the whole book， none of the characters can mesmerize me。 My feeling is: “There is a character named…” As a reader who loves to create a strong affection to fantasy characters， this book disappointed me completely！ Main characters like Cobiah， Isaye， and Matcha acted very immature， especially the main couple。 I cannot believe a couple who knows and lives together roughly 20 years still has big trouble with understanding and communication。 Isaye—the main female protagonist is supposed to be a strong， determined， and smart woman but for the rest of the book， she annoyed me by her entitling attitude and behaviours。 I dislike characters who act on their own because they believe in their righteous intention without any priming discussion。 When she was misunderstood， she would leave with the attitude of “Anyway， I wasn’t exactly eager to explain myself to someone who called me a grog-snarfing murrelow。” I was like “The f***， can you just discuss with him your intention before you act？” Cobiah is a hot-tempered character， immature and often acted rudely when feeling betrayed but he’s not a person without reasons。 Oh， come on！Something missing in the background: I don’t know what exactly it is because this feeling isn’t very obvious while playing the game。 However， when the game is set aside， that feeling rose up strongly that at some points， it troubled me a little。 In my perspective， I think the executed process of the main “Union Concept” is a problem to build up a strong lore foundation。 Sometimes I think the book tried so hard to deliver the union message。 I will try to discusss about this in another blog post。On the bright side， I love some very-asuran dialogues by Matcha and Yomm。 Their intellect arrogant sarcasm is super fun to read。 Another thing I especially love is how Cobiah views the concept of being a captain and his ship。 A ship， a place he belongs to does not have to a literal ship， it can be his Lion’s Arch or anywhere he feels obligated to protect and nurture。 Lastly， fans would learn a lot about the Lion’s Arch before Scarlet’s maniac assault。Though I said the Union concept execution could be one of the issues that prevent the Guild Wars lore to take a flight， reading about having comrades and friends and family around makes me wanna go home！ It is so lonely to be alone all the time。Rating: 3/5 。。。more

Ted Wolf ，

This book is for players of the MMORPG Guild Wars 2 and provides lore to make the game more enjoyable for players。 Non-players， might get some enjoyment out of this， but they shouldn’t expect it to be a great work of literature， it isn’t。It centers around the lore of Lion’s Arch and Orr。 Learn about the relationship between Lion’s Arch and Kryta， The Drummond Priory， Livia and The Shining Blade， and more。I enjoyed the epic sea battle in the last part of the book。

kazerniel ，

I admit I dropped this novel after a few chapters。 It was just so boring， every plot point happened the most predictable way。 The characterisations were one-dimensional and the dialogues bland。 Aside of the larger plot of （view spoiler）[Orr's rising （hide spoiler）] there was literally nothing that motivated me to read even that far。 The last straw that broke my camel's back was when the protagonist somehow were able to make out minute details of what happened on the horizon， like no， I can only I admit I dropped this novel after a few chapters。 It was just so boring， every plot point happened the most predictable way。 The characterisations were one-dimensional and the dialogues bland。 Aside of the larger plot of （view spoiler）[Orr's rising （hide spoiler）] there was literally nothing that motivated me to read even that far。 The last straw that broke my camel's back was when the protagonist somehow were able to make out minute details of what happened on the horizon， like no， I can only suspend my disbelief so far。 。。。more

Fernando Dias ，

Chronologically， this is the first of the three novels in the Guild Wars universe。A truly enjoyable book that tells the story of Cobiah Marriner， founder of Lion's Arch as we know it now， and his crew's adventures and misadventures around the seas of Tyria。It is a welcome addition to the lore and gladly we see many references to this novel in Guild Wars 2 itself。 Chronologically， this is the first of the three novels in the Guild Wars universe。A truly enjoyable book that tells the story of Cobiah Marriner， founder of Lion's Arch as we know it now， and his crew's adventures and misadventures around the seas of Tyria。It is a welcome addition to the lore and gladly we see many references to this novel in Guild Wars 2 itself。 。。。more

Kastarnia Kozal ，

Tho I dislike the big jumps in time， it did not bother me too much with this book。I'm a sucker to learn the lore about the games I like。It was fun to see few easter eggs in the book eue"It's the capricooorrrrnnn" （I'm still wondering what happened to that ship！）Good interesting story， nice and lovable characters， I did enjoy this very much。 <3 Tho I dislike the big jumps in time， it did not bother me too much with this book。I'm a sucker to learn the lore about the games I like。It was fun to see few easter eggs in the book eue"It's the capricooorrrrnnn" （I'm still wondering what happened to that ship！）Good interesting story， nice and lovable characters， I did enjoy this very much。 <3 。。。more

ThanatosBlood ，

Clearly the best of the three Guild Wars novels。 It's epic and exciting， full of intrigues and characters with strong personalities。 Really enjoyed it， specially the last Act。 Clearly the best of the three Guild Wars novels。 It's epic and exciting， full of intrigues and characters with strong personalities。 Really enjoyed it， specially the last Act。 。。。more

Ellis Johnson ，

This book surprised me！ It's the best in the series by far， and for once I have no lore qualms。 It fills in some interesting gaps， and really lays a solid foundation for the personal story （so， while maybe irrelevant at this point， it's still enjoyable and has some good information to give）。 It also has the best characters of all three books I think， and the most solid take on the way magic manifests。 This book surprised me！ It's the best in the series by far， and for once I have no lore qualms。 It fills in some interesting gaps， and really lays a solid foundation for the personal story （so， while maybe irrelevant at this point， it's still enjoyable and has some good information to give）。 It also has the best characters of all three books I think， and the most solid take on the way magic manifests。 。。。more

PuckSwaen ，

I had some trouble reading this， I will admit。 Mainly because of the main character。 Though I did enjoy the world around this main character。 The MC acted often very immature in my opinion though you follow him through the years， you would think he'd become more wise and mature but， not really in my opinion。 Still an interesting read。 I had some trouble reading this， I will admit。 Mainly because of the main character。 Though I did enjoy the world around this main character。 The MC acted often very immature in my opinion though you follow him through the years， you would think he'd become more wise and mature but， not really in my opinion。 Still an interesting read。 。。。more

Ryan Blakley ，

Amazing bookAmazing book with amazing characters im sad to see them go now that I've finished them and I'll miss my adventures with them。 Amazing bookAmazing book with amazing characters im sad to see them go now that I've finished them and I'll miss my adventures with them。 。。。more

Megz Pritchard ，

such a good read

Ана Хелс ，

Онлайн игрите са нещо， към което винаги има две основни реакции – или ги обожавате， кълнете се в тях， там са ви приятелите， живота， смисъла， вселената и всичко останало， или ги мразите тихичко， или не толкова скромно， като загуба на време， нерви， усилия， съществувание и реална комуникация。 Хм， това последното май е по-скоро описание на Фейсбук от която и да е гледна точка， но отрочето на Зукърбърг е вече самостоятелен субект， и със сигурност има отдавна достатъчно изкуствен интелект， за да насъс Онлайн игрите са нещо， към което винаги има две основни реакции – или ги обожавате， кълнете се в тях， там са ви приятелите， живота， смисъла， вселената и всичко останало， или ги мразите тихичко， или не толкова скромно， като загуба на време， нерви， усилия， съществувание и реална комуникация。 Хм， това последното май е по-скоро описание на Фейсбук от която и да е гледна точка， но отрочето на Зукърбърг е вече самостоятелен субект， и със сигурност има отдавна достатъчно изкуствен интелект， за да насъска тостера и пералнята срещу вас， ако решите да си изтриете профила。 Аз лично не бих рискувала， но ако сте по-авантюристично настроени – пишете после колко лошо хапе кафемашината。Та， игрите по принцип в днешно време вървят честичко и с полезен елемент в книжна форма， или поне в комиксова， нещичко за абстиненцията， която напада след финалните кредити на последната мисия， оставяща не един или двама играча по света в унинието， сравнимо за мен със затварянето на последната страница на наистина въздействаща книга。 Като умерено играещ и съвсем неумерено четящ човек разбирам нуждата на студията да си имат и странични златни кокошчици и кравички， от които да съберат някой и друг долар， но качеството на подобни допълнителни проекти обикновено не прости рие земята， ами достига като свредел до ядрото， и излиза някъде в Китай， а там предполагам на всичко дето не прилича на ориз и бамбукови пръчки се радват。Настоящата книжка е доста странно вдъхновение от доста популярната Guild wars， но обективно погледнато – това е морски пиратски роман， изключително подозрително напомнящ на последния Карибски пирати с все мъртвите кораби със зомби чайки и недовършен екипаж， настояващ за някакво криво отмъщение。 Тукашният Джак Спароу не е и наполовина толкова забавен， вероятно защото от един момент нататък му се появяват жена， деца， приятели и прочие， но почва с драматична история за ограбено детство， преминава през сблъсък със зомби другарчета， и финишира в създаването на град на свободните， много любезни и въобще добродушни пирати， притискани от някакъв гад， дето е местния цар и си иска данъците， щото， така де， те са на негова територия。 Гад， ви казвам。Историята е простичка， развиваща се във времето и е просто поредица от сцени， които биха изглеждали наистина добре като прикуъл на карибските обесници， но като самостоятелна книжка， освен ако наистина не си падате по морски битки и пиратщини， трудно ще ви хареса。 Героите са готините полу-лоши момчета в стил Косъма， а злите са обикновено алчни богаташи или някакви грозници， живеещи на дъното на океана в полу-разкапано състояние。 Бързо четимо и бързо забравимо – и това си има своето очарование， особено ако си имате един пресантимент към морето и момчета с триъгълни шапки и превръзка на окото。 。。。more

Frances Vermeulen ，

De minste van de drie Guild Wars boeken wat mij betreft。 Het verhaal is opgedeeld in drie of vier aparte stukken， waardoor ik telkens weer opnieuw in het verhaal moest komen。 Jammer， want de achtergrond over de vernietiging van Lion's Arch en de wederopbouw is best interessant！ De minste van de drie Guild Wars boeken wat mij betreft。 Het verhaal is opgedeeld in drie of vier aparte stukken， waardoor ik telkens weer opnieuw in het verhaal moest komen。 Jammer， want de achtergrond over de vernietiging van Lion's Arch en de wederopbouw is best interessant！ 。。。more

Jordan Power ，

I think Ree knocked Sea of Sorrows out of the park - especially when it came to the physical world。 The open seas， the shoreline city of Lion's Arch。 Every bit of it felt real。 The pacing feels slightly fast in some parts， as time jumps to account for long sailing trips。 Still， Sea of Sorrows is my favorite in the Guild Wars series。 I think Ree knocked Sea of Sorrows out of the park - especially when it came to the physical world。 The open seas， the shoreline city of Lion's Arch。 Every bit of it felt real。 The pacing feels slightly fast in some parts， as time jumps to account for long sailing trips。 Still， Sea of Sorrows is my favorite in the Guild Wars series。 。。。more

Kimberly ，

Finally a proper ending！ That’s what I needed for this finale！ Now I can say that， even if it was the longest book of the trilogy， it was enjoyable like the other two。 Pretty proud of finally completed this series， IN ONE MONTH 😝🤯

Sommer Walker ，

Fun Read for True Guild Wars FansIf you are a die hard fan of Guild Wars then this book is a lot of fun to read。 Thoroughly enjoyed it。

Chin-Ning Chong ，

Wonderful！I didn't expect to like this book so much， but I loved it！！ I love reading the history of Lion's Arch， of how it flooded the first time， of the Dead Ships rising， of Zhaitan awakening， of the ships and the sea and politics and mad plans that work out just fine。 It was a beautiful book！！ Wonderful！I didn't expect to like this book so much， but I loved it！！ I love reading the history of Lion's Arch， of how it flooded the first time， of the Dead Ships rising， of Zhaitan awakening， of the ships and the sea and politics and mad plans that work out just fine。 It was a beautiful book！！ 。。。more

Aaron ，

I really enjoyed this book。 Plenty to love in it for any fans of Guild Wars 2 Lore。

Rowie ，

Sea of Sorrows reads like a play to me。 It is divided into several acts and the dialogue （especially in the first few chapters） would fit better when actors shout them on stage， almost blinded by the spotlights hanging above them。 It was so over the top and dramatic at first that I couldn't take it too serious。 I bet it's not easy being Cobiah Marriner。 It takes only a couple of chapters for him to lose everything - with dramatic flair that Shakespeare might've approved of。This does get better。 Sea of Sorrows reads like a play to me。 It is divided into several acts and the dialogue （especially in the first few chapters） would fit better when actors shout them on stage， almost blinded by the spotlights hanging above them。 It was so over the top and dramatic at first that I couldn't take it too serious。 I bet it's not easy being Cobiah Marriner。 It takes only a couple of chapters for him to lose everything - with dramatic flair that Shakespeare might've approved of。This does get better。 The dramatic flair stays， but at least the characters start to feel fleshed out。 They're not just carbon copies meant to demonstrate one of the races of Tyria， but they clearly have their own goals and needs。 Sometimes the goals even seem to be different than what we had come to expect。 As the characters grow older， the dialogue （usually） feels more layered。 This book is a wonderful guideline for how the different races in Tyria can speak。 Better yet it's a historical seafaring extravaganza， which gives the game itsself more depth。I like that Sea of Sorrows is different than what you would expect of a novel about an MMORPG。 This is not your actionpacked fullfledged adventure， but the history of a figure that has meant much for the world in this game。 If you're a lore enthusiast this book might just fullfill some of the cravings for a story。 If you're not this will have many dragged out scenes， over the top dialogue and not enough heartracing fighting。 I'm a bit in between。 I appreciate what this book does for the world of Guild Wars 2。 It gives a part of it more context like reading a historical non-fiction work would， only with the added dramatic flair of a play。 I'm down for this， but it wasn't what I wanted to read at the moment。 And so this book only fed my reading slump as I forced my way through the book。 I appreciate it， but I couldn't fully enjoy it。 Now， don't get me wrong， there are actionscenes。 Huge chunks of this fictional memoir happen on the sea。 And even though the characters don't have many places to explore on a ship， it's the most exciting。 Maybe because it makes sure the focus stays on the characterization or the action。 Of course this book will have swordfighting and canonballs。 There's even seafaring zombies and ghosts of the past。 But there's also growing up and a man settling down in a city to become part of its council。 It doesn't help that the characters all blame Cobiah for choosing this path， it makes the scenes feel even more dragged out。 Even though I did enjoy the policits involving asura。In some ways I feel like this is a gem that's not polished enough。 Sea of Sorrows might be in need of a good editor， one that knows its way with dialogue。 In one of my creative writing lessons I was taught that a book shouldn't contain descriptions or even words that don't contribute to the story。 In the last act the three previous parts do all come together but for the longest time this seems to be a collection of tales in a lifetime。 I couldn't place a lot of the scenes and how it benefitted the story。 Sometimes in life things don't add up。 I haven't decided if I want my books to give me a cohesive story to fill that void or if I like it when some things happen without reason， just like in our world。 Just when I decided I accepted that this book went for the latter， the plot holes get solved。 I know that should be a good thing and that my complaining is silly， but reading through all of it， it didn't feel satisfying。 For all the nagging about dialogue I have to give credit where credits due。 The descriptions of the characters， objects and places really made the world come alive。 I can easily picture what it looks like。 To me， it even seems that someone that hasn't played the game could do the same。 But the eloborate and imaginative descriptions couldn't save the fact that I think this story might have actually been better suited as a script for a play。 Ree Soesbee， if you're ever in want of a new career， maybe you should try being a playwright。 。。。more

Jacky ，

it was written really well， I guess I'm just not good with naval battles and the like。 Also， I hoped to read more about Orr and not Lion's Arch。 It's more likely a 3。5 stars。 it was written really well， I guess I'm just not good with naval battles and the like。 Also， I hoped to read more about Orr and not Lion's Arch。 It's more likely a 3。5 stars。 。。。more

Andrea D。 McCarthage ，

The Bottom Line - Should you read this book？NO， UNLESS - you are an avid fan of Guild Wars 2 and its setting， in which case this novel will allow you to delve deeper into the history of Lion's Arch。It's only real merit is its pedigree; if you are acquainted with the lore of the game， you will probably enjoy it。 I found great pleasure in recognising locations from Lion's Arch and connecting them with the stories found here。 As a stand-alone work， it's mediocre at best， and at times outright tedio The Bottom Line - Should you read this book？NO， UNLESS - you are an avid fan of Guild Wars 2 and its setting， in which case this novel will allow you to delve deeper into the history of Lion's Arch。It's only real merit is its pedigree; if you are acquainted with the lore of the game， you will probably enjoy it。 I found great pleasure in recognising locations from Lion's Arch and connecting them with the stories found here。 As a stand-alone work， it's mediocre at best， and at times outright tedious in terms of prose。But the cover game ridiculous！ 。。。more

Tristan ，

So I was really excited to start this book。 Guild Wars is one of my favourite games out there and I honestly haven't played that much of it。 I love the world， the lore， the science and magic of everything that's something that gets replicated in this book。 It's just as inviting as the source inspiration， with that equally as inviting depth and fascination that would come with a fantasy game。One issue I do have is that there are a lot of time jumps in the book and during those skipped years we mi So I was really excited to start this book。 Guild Wars is one of my favourite games out there and I honestly haven't played that much of it。 I love the world， the lore， the science and magic of everything that's something that gets replicated in this book。 It's just as inviting as the source inspiration， with that equally as inviting depth and fascination that would come with a fantasy game。One issue I do have is that there are a lot of time jumps in the book and during those skipped years we miss out on events that， while get mentioned， never get explored。 And without giving anything away the moments that do get missed would make for interesting reading and add to the story。I did enjoy the progression of the story。 It felt natural， it wasn't rushed， things happened in their own time。 The growth of all of the characters was really nice to see。 They not only aged （as one should expect） but they still carried the injuries， physical and mental， of their past experiences were as such were left more wiser， or crippled what had happened to each of them。I absolutely love the cover it is so gorgeous， the more you look the more you see。 It has that water colour feel， again something that is a reflection of the popular video game this story happens in。 Another addition to the book are two things I did quite liked。 The first of which is the timeline that explains the history of major events in the world， and secondly is of course a map of the world which only adds to the escapism and adds a scrap of reality and realism to this amazing fantasy world。 。。。more

Gerben ，

Sea of Sorrows by Ree Soesbee is perhaps the best of the three Guild Wars novels。 I was already familiar with the Guild Wars franchise， having played both games before reading this book。 Therefore， I am writing this review with the assumption that potential readers know at least a bit about the lore of Guild Wars。 Story summaryIn Sea of Sorrows， you follow the human Cobiah and his colorful band of companions through the destruction and rebuilding of Lion's Arch during the awakening of the Elder Sea of Sorrows by Ree Soesbee is perhaps the best of the three Guild Wars novels。 I was already familiar with the Guild Wars franchise， having played both games before reading this book。 Therefore， I am writing this review with the assumption that potential readers know at least a bit about the lore of Guild Wars。 Story summaryIn Sea of Sorrows， you follow the human Cobiah and his colorful band of companions through the destruction and rebuilding of Lion's Arch during the awakening of the Elder Dragon Zhaitan and the return of Orr。The book is split into four acts， each about ten years apart。 In the first act， Cobiah is still a young lad， who， due to circumstances， is forced to join the Indomitable， a large ship of the line。 At the end of Act II， things have gone horribly wrong and he ends up on the Charr ship Havoc。 Cobiah quickly befriends the smart Asura Macha， and the bulky， rust-colored Charr engineer Sykox （which is remarkable， since the humans and Charr are at war）。The Havoc's crew ends up sailing to Lion's Arch， Kryta's capital。 Lion's Arch is all but destroyed by the awakening of Zhaitan。 Cobiah and his band， now grown to include more humans and even two Norn brothers， decide to build a new and open-to-all city on the old capitals' ruins。 In Act III， we see the new Lion's Arch prosper under the rule of the Captains Council， and is able to withstand all attacks from Orrian ships。 For ten years， things are smooth sailing for its citizens。 Charr， human， Asura and Norn live and trade in peace。 Kryta has built a new capital， and King Baede mostly ignores the 'lawless pirate den'。 However， when Baede dies， his heir is not so content with the state of Kryta's former capital。 In Act IV， the prince sails on Lion's Arch， blocking the trade and threatens invasion。 During the blockade， Cobiah is captured but eventually leads the assembled Krytan fleet against a large army of Orrian ships， including the Indomitable。。。ReflectionRee Soesbee establishes the races of Guild Wars in a very charming way。 The Asura especially are very witty， explaining the uttermost simple situations in difficult， scientific jargon。 The Charr， while at first one-dimensional beasts in the eyes of humans， turn into caring， albeit rough， feline warriors。 Sykox especially becomes a dear friend to Cobiah and the others， going as far as to consider them his 'warband' （that's family to Charr）。 I've laughed out loud at some of the one-liners being thrown about in the midst of battles。The story is easily digestible and understandable， which makes for a light and enjoyable read。 There's no filler， which also means no pauses。 The story moves forward at a swift pace， leaving the reader little time to reflect upon what has happened。Like the story， the plot is fairly simple。 The attentive reader will not be surprised by the stories' twists and turns， especially the movements of the main antagonist Zhaitan and his minions。Magic usage is a bit strange in this book， since it often uses abilities straight from the game Guild Wars 2。 The references are far from subtle， often interrupting the scene。 While some may enjoy the link to the book's origins， I found them to be quite blatant。Another thing that keeps interrupting the scene is all the technical naval jargon。 If you are unfamiliar with terms like sailors berth， stem and stern， yardarm， mizzenmasts， quarterdecks or triangular jibs， you're in for a treat。 While some of the terms can be guessed from their context， it makes tracking a character through an action scene very difficult。 ConclusionDefinitely pick up this book if you enjoy a fast paced， action filled story with memorable characters set in the Guild Wars universe。 A light read， all the more fun if you're no stranger to the lore of ArenaNet's games。 Ree Soesbee is currently ArenaNet's Narrative Designer。 Sea of Sorrows is a standalone novel， meaning you can read it without having read the other two novels （those being Ghosts of Ascalon and Edge of Destiny respectively）。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Sea of Sorrows

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Sea of Sorrows&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Sea of Sorrows&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0