File this under "Not sure if good idea. Probably not good idea."

Not only will our friend and the king of Stormwind (and my heart) Varian Wrynn be getting his own novel soon, but said novel will also be released as an audiobook. Richard Knaak's Wolfheart will not just be released as a novel, but also as a recording with special effects, in-game sounds and narration. The novel is scheduled to be released this September 13 and the audiobook is expected not long after. [Link]

Now, I don't buy audio books, mostly because I know I'd tune it out and never get the story, but an audio book with in-game sounds? This sounds (ha!) like a big gimmick meant only to appeal to the huge nerds fans and serves no purpose other than being, well, a gimmick. Maybe I'm being silly because it's a World of Warcraft novel, but it seems to me that while you certainly want to appeal to fans of the game(s) new and old, it's also good business to appeal to other people who might be potential new subscribers, or at least book buyers. Plus, you're not playing the game when you listen to an audio book, and after you've heard the same sounds over and over again while playing, I'm not so keen on listening to it while I'm trying to hear a story.

Of course, it doesn't really matter to someone who is not going to be buying this book. I've read an excerpt provided a few weeks back and it put me off reading any of Knaak's work. I think after two paragraphs my Gary Stu meter pegged out an exploded. It was seriously that bad.