At BlizzCon one item in the store captured my interest: an artbook focusing on the Wrath of the Lich King cinematic. Sadly I wasn’t able to get a copy but I did Google the title and discovered that Insight Editions – the same folks who printed the artbook found in the Wrath Collector’s Edition – would be publishing the book (under the title The Cinematic Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King) in January.

Of the three cinematics released to promote World of Warcraft and its expansion, all but the latest have been montage affairs showing the contrast between Horde and Alliance whilst highlighting new races. The latest however, took a different turn; following the Lich King as he raised the dead blue dragon Sindragosa from the dead while his father Terenas II monologued, offering his son advice on how to become a good ruler. Irony aside it is one of the most powerful pieces ever to come out of the Blizzard Film Department.

The Cinematic Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is a deceptive volume; softbacked, the cover features beautiful artwork of the Frost Queen, Sindragosa, crouching atop a rocky atol. Yet inside is everything you would ever want to know about the cinematic’s creation, from the original storyboards for a montage to a translation of the lyrics sung throughout the final version (which is actually remarkably revealing, not to mention incredibly apt).

Split between around 80% artwork and 20% text, the book is a treasure trove and also includes a summary of Arthas’ life and how the orc shaman Ner’zhul became the Lich King which spread through the text so by the end, whether a WoW player or not, you will be fully up-to-date with the backstory which is so important to Wrath of the Lich King. The artwork is remarkable with concept drawings for all the major figures as well as some never before seen pieces which see Terenas II presenting his baby son to the people of Lordaeron or how the Lich King could have aged in the five years he has sat meditating on the Frozen Throne since Arthas’ merger.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the story of Sindragosa, the original consort of Malygos the Spellweaver, leader of the Blue Dragonflight. Up until BlizzCon she did not exist but slowly her name filtered into the consciousness of gamers around the world, a dragon who was flung into the snowy north and left to die, lonely and in agony far from the ancestral graveyard in the Dragonblight, all laid out not only in within the text but also in a short illustrated booklet called simply ‘The Fall of Sindragosa’. As well as appearing in the login screen for Wrath (which was instituted with patch 3.0.2, also known as ‘Echoes of Doom’), she also had a starring role within the cinematic and the book explains her sorrowful history and awful future as the Lich King’s mascot, a frost wrym raised from the icy depths to serve as a figurehead for the Scourge.

The Cinematic Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King also features two art cards held in envelopes nestled between the pages of the book; one featuring Arthas as a Death Knight clutching Frostmourne and the second Sindragosa swooping through the air. It’s a beautiful touch which not only makes the book feel even more worthwhile but also means you can put two pieces of its amazing artwork on your wall.

Split into three sections, nothing is left out; there are studies of the Lich King, his Death Knight minions, their weapons and Sindragosa. The storyboards includes the original idea of focusing on Northrend, the Tuskaar and an example of the Lich king’s power, freezing the ships of the Alliance and Horde forces. If ever there was a direct trail showing how the minds at Blizzard’s Film Department work then this is it as every move from the original concept to the final piece is there in painfully beautiful detail.

The thick pages are mainly printed on silver paper with concept art, actual renderings from the animation proccess and painstaking explanation of the whole process. Indeed it’s this level of visual and written detail which makes the book stand out; if you ever wanted to know precisely how Blizzard went from the storyboarding to the final cinematic then everything you need is right here in this 154 page tome. While very much a coffee table book, it would have been nice if Insight Editions had produced a hardback version or a slipcase as the book will bend easily. That aside, it’s aimed squarely at anyone who – like me – didn’t make it to BlizzCon. It’s a real must-have addition which goes perfectly alongside the art books which were included in the Collector’s Editions of World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade and, of course, Wrath of the Lich King.