Commentaries on the Fourth War

The Commentaries on the Fourth War is a 628 K.C. book by Sir Edrington W. Grunwald, in which the author outlines the history leading up to the events of the Fourth War. Grunwald also provides commentary on the politics of bot

h the Grand Alliance and the New Horde, along with personal stories and experiences as a soldier in the Stormwind Royal Army. According to Grunwald, he argues that the outbreak of hostilities following the War on Argus deserves to be titled the 'real' Fourth War, as opposed to previous conflicts like the War on Pandaria. Furthermore, he adds that while the Alliance is not blameless in starting the war, the Horde, specifically the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner, bears the blame for making the first strike with the Burning of Teldrassil.

As a veteran of the Royal Army, Grunwald expresses to having a biased account of the war in the introduction to his work. Notably, he comments heavily on the military conduct and politics of the Alliance, critiquing conservative war-hawks for their eagerness to go to war. He also makes comments against the deep-seeded biases and prejudices that he argues undermine the status of the Alliance as a 'civilizing force,' while still calling for the destruction of the Forsaken as a people and the pacification of the Horde. He concludes that the Alliance can achieve victory and a lasting peace by avoiding a "[descent] into barbarity as the Horde have" and instead offering the Horde "the hand of freedom and peace -- the promise of a conclusive end that does not end with the ultimate destruction of one side."

Not being a historian by trade, Sir Edrington Grunwald's work features a number of historical errors and issues in interpretation. Principally, his work features a 'theatrical' nature to it as opposed to purely scholarly one. He often places words in the mouths of renowned figures, suggesting an interpretation of the events as opposed to depending solely on historical sources. Moreover, his presentation of battles, even ones he fought and survived, are at times incorrect -- specifically regarding his troop and casualty numbers. Finally, since the work is written so close to the time of the events it writes of, it risks bordering on presentism.

Publishing Information
"Rights of Copying and Distribution owned by the C. & S. Publishing House""Published in the Year 628 in the King's Calendar""Printed in Stormwind City -- Mage Quarter, 223 Ambersteel Street""Head Publisher, Jason Redd""Royal Library of Stormwind Cataloging-in-Publication Information:""Grunwald, Edrington W.""Commentaries on the Fourth War / Edrington W. Grunwald -- Catalog No. 913-0-342-58299-2"

Table of Contents

 * 1) Prologue
 * 2) Chapter 1: The War on Argus
 * 3) Chapter 2: Azerite and the False Peace
 * 4) Chapter 3: Escalation
 * 5) Chapter 4: The Tipping Point
 * 6) Chapter 5: Retaliation
 * 7) Conclusion

Misc. Information
Out of Character Note: The book, although only sixty pages, is supposed to be a much larger work around the usual 250 to 300 pages for a historical monograph. For reasons of time, I did not choose to write a full-length work on the content coming out for Battle for Azeroth. Instead, Commentaries of the Fourth War represents the "highlights" of Edrington's work, touching upon the key points and big picture of the book. I encourage readers and players to get the 'vibe' from the book and fill in the blanks from there regarding the smaller details. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy the read!

Please leave any comments or criticisms in the comments section of this page or send them through private messages via my Wikia account.