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Diablo #3
Царството на сянката
От зората на времето ангелското войнство на небесния Рай и демоничната орда на горящия Ад водят непрестанна битка за съдбата на всичко живо. Сега тази битка се е пренесла в света на смъртните...и нито един човек, демон или ангел няма да остане невредим...
Легенди се разказват за изгубения град Урех, смятан от мнозина за портал към рая. Ако може да се вярва на хорските приказки, на всеки две хиляди години, когато звездите се разположат подходящо и сянката на планината Нимир падне върху руините, градът се завръща за кратко в света на смъртните, разкривайки несметните си богатства на смелчаците, престрашили се да ги потърсят.
След цял живот, отдаден на проучвания, магьосникът Куов Цин повежда своя отряд от наемници и авантюристи през изпълнените с опасности джунгли на Кеджистан, за да присъстват на прераждането на града. Ала никой от групата не подозира за ужасяващия кошмар, пред който им предстои да се изправят. Сияйният Урех се оказва мрачен портал, който неустоимо ги притегля към...
ЦАРСТВОТО НА СЯНКАТА
Една вълшебна история за мечове и магия, създадена по мотиви от популярната компютърна игра.
Легенди се разказват за изгубения град Урех, смятан от мнозина за портал към рая. Ако може да се вярва на хорските приказки, на всеки две хиляди години, когато звездите се разположат подходящо и сянката на планината Нимир падне върху руините, градът се завръща за кратко в света на смъртните, разкривайки несметните си богатства на смелчаците, престрашили се да ги потърсят.
След цял живот, отдаден на проучвания, магьосникът Куов Цин повежда своя отряд от наемници и авантюристи през изпълнените с опасности джунгли на Кеджистан, за да присъстват на прераждането на града. Ала никой от групата не подозира за ужасяващия кошмар, пред който им предстои да се изправят. Сияйният Урех се оказва мрачен портал, който неустоимо ги притегля към...
ЦАРСТВОТО НА СЯНКАТА
Една вълшебна история за мечове и магия, създадена по мотиви от популярната компютърна игра.
344 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2002
25 people are currently reading
1025 people want to read
About the author
Richard A. Knaak
282 books1,477 followersRichard A. Knaak is the bestselling author of Dragonlance novels, the Dragonrealm and Black City Saint series (his own creations), six novels for Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, and six works in the Warcraft universe. He has also written several non-series fantasy books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
November 21, 2021
Couldn't finish it. I love Richard Knaak's work and *Diablo,* but I just couldn't get into this, although it is written well from a technical perspective. The main characters weren't distinctive. The world/setting was abstract and not atmospheric or uniquely *Diablo* (the book's participation in *Diablo* lore was its main appeal to me). I was about 40% in before I realized I didn't know what was going on and that I just wasn't invested in the characters. I'll read more Knaak and *Diablo* in the future but moving on for now.
March 13, 2018
Very satisfied with this one. You get pieces the whole way through as things slowly escalate. Once the time comes BLAM pieces start falling into place and hooks you like a hungry fish. The first 2 books before this were not bad by any means, but did not grab me like this book did. There was action through out, and when the action was absent world building and character development took over and still kept you turning pages.
March 1, 2017
From the beginning to the end, the story is well developed and there's always something happening at all times. The end fits perfectly the whole story. So far, it's been the best book of Diablo
February 15, 2023
Second time i have read this book, the first time i gave it 5 stars now i dropped it to 4. It just didnt have that surprise element the second time around maybe thats why i dropped the rating. Still a good book definatly worth a read.
January 4, 2016
Kingdom of Shadow has its plot holes, but it's a rather entertaining tale with a few fascinating characters. Another fun romp with necromancers (Knaak seems to love them) in the world of Diablo.
February 22, 2020
There are some books that make you rethink a given topic or perspective. There are some books written so well, they elevate the art of writing and the genre they belong to as a whole.
This is not one of them. The Kingdom of Shadow is not the kind of book that will blow your mind, rearrange your neurons, make you question reality, that kind of thing. It is cliche, drugged to the gills with very standard tropes that are accented with Diablo's lore and setting... but all of this comes together to make it one very fun ride, and perhaps one of the better examples of game tie-in/shared-world universe novels.
How does it work? One thing Knaak does well is to use a relatively obscure class of magic user that doesn't really get much coverage in the fantasy genre -- necromancers, mainly heroic ones. This allows the story to remain relatively generic and still retain a distinct flavor to it. Zayl, a Rathmian necromancer and one of the two main protagonists of this book, is a breath of fresh air; where necromancers tend to be stooped, ugly, bearing a scythe and unspeakably evil*, he's youthful, undoubtedly on the side of good, and wields a bone dagger instead! Okay, the last is still a bit stereotypical, but we can work around that.
Zayl, his unique magics and his odd sidekick Humbart are really what carry this novel, because Kentril Dumon -- ostensibly the main character -- splits his time between being a gruff mercenary, a besotted man, and a man in denial. I would honestly say that if he were not in this book, it would probably be somewhere around 2 stars, such is his importance.
Another thing I thought worked pretty well was transporting the feel and vibe of Diablo into a book. At its core, the Diablo franchise has always had a certain, bleak Dark Souls-ish vibe where the light dims, and all things good inevitably fade or become corrupted. This book does that very well, and there's definitely a strong dark fantasy theme running through it (necromancy, nasty jungle critters, characters, even the plot reveal later on).
What didn't work was the pacing -- events unfolded far too fast without any real buildup, and this is a shame, because otherwise it worked pretty fine. I never felt bored or annoyed with the book, I just wished there could be more put into the payoff. I'd say that a few more pages of buildup could really have made it a stronger novel. The midsection in particular seemed way too fleeting. What if we had more time to explore the setting itself? Diablo is unique enough that this could have been interesting. Beyond that, the romance is pretty bad; it's your typical 'meet a young princess, fall for her, oh she's in love with you too, surprise!' And this happens in days! I'm capable of suspending disbelief, but that is way, way beyond my limits.
Should you read this? Well, I think that depends on what you're looking for. If you enjoy something profound and deep, something to ponder during and after reading -- Sabriel and its sequels are probably better at everything, except the god-awful romance. If you want crazy good doot doot Mr. Skeltal fun, Gideon the Ninth should be your pick! But if you're looking for a popcorn read with some very over-the-top dialogue thrown in, Knaak's books are really good at doing that -- and The Kingdom of Shadow is a good place to start, especially since there is a spin-off sequel that stars Zayl.
*Yes, I'm aware Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Sabriel and Lirael exist -- but those remain the exception rather than the rule. Also, this came out in 2002, when there was still a dearth of good necromancers. Thankfully, that's less of a case now!
This is not one of them. The Kingdom of Shadow is not the kind of book that will blow your mind, rearrange your neurons, make you question reality, that kind of thing. It is cliche, drugged to the gills with very standard tropes that are accented with Diablo's lore and setting... but all of this comes together to make it one very fun ride, and perhaps one of the better examples of game tie-in/shared-world universe novels.
How does it work? One thing Knaak does well is to use a relatively obscure class of magic user that doesn't really get much coverage in the fantasy genre -- necromancers, mainly heroic ones. This allows the story to remain relatively generic and still retain a distinct flavor to it. Zayl, a Rathmian necromancer and one of the two main protagonists of this book, is a breath of fresh air; where necromancers tend to be stooped, ugly, bearing a scythe and unspeakably evil*, he's youthful, undoubtedly on the side of good, and wields a bone dagger instead! Okay, the last is still a bit stereotypical, but we can work around that.
Zayl, his unique magics and his odd sidekick Humbart are really what carry this novel, because Kentril Dumon -- ostensibly the main character -- splits his time between being a gruff mercenary, a besotted man, and a man in denial. I would honestly say that if he were not in this book, it would probably be somewhere around 2 stars, such is his importance.
Another thing I thought worked pretty well was transporting the feel and vibe of Diablo into a book. At its core, the Diablo franchise has always had a certain, bleak Dark Souls-ish vibe where the light dims, and all things good inevitably fade or become corrupted. This book does that very well, and there's definitely a strong dark fantasy theme running through it (necromancy, nasty jungle critters, characters, even the plot reveal later on).
What didn't work was the pacing -- events unfolded far too fast without any real buildup, and this is a shame, because otherwise it worked pretty fine. I never felt bored or annoyed with the book, I just wished there could be more put into the payoff. I'd say that a few more pages of buildup could really have made it a stronger novel. The midsection in particular seemed way too fleeting. What if we had more time to explore the setting itself? Diablo is unique enough that this could have been interesting. Beyond that, the romance is pretty bad; it's your typical 'meet a young princess, fall for her, oh she's in love with you too, surprise!' And this happens in days! I'm capable of suspending disbelief, but that is way, way beyond my limits.
Should you read this? Well, I think that depends on what you're looking for. If you enjoy something profound and deep, something to ponder during and after reading -- Sabriel and its sequels are probably better at everything, except the god-awful romance. If you want crazy good doot doot Mr. Skeltal fun, Gideon the Ninth should be your pick! But if you're looking for a popcorn read with some very over-the-top dialogue thrown in, Knaak's books are really good at doing that -- and The Kingdom of Shadow is a good place to start, especially since there is a spin-off sequel that stars Zayl.
*Yes, I'm aware Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Sabriel and Lirael exist -- but those remain the exception rather than the rule. Also, this came out in 2002, when there was still a dearth of good necromancers. Thankfully, that's less of a case now!
December 24, 2021
I have read this book. I feel sad and angry and I feel like I have wasted my time. Just like characters in this book - I have just expressed my feelings directly.
Characters are so flat, when they fall down from the ledge they just float to the bottom. There is this band of sell-swords which is like block of bad chocolate, flat and blank. When you need disposable body, you just break part of it and you are done with that. They have absolutely no personality and for a writer who writes a book about evil clones in an evil castle, creating mindless character clones is succeeding much better when he even expects.
There is mercenary captain which is only character having any generic traits of character. He is a leader, because.. Well, you know, people just follow him. He also has a sidekick which is so badly written for most of the book I thought there must be something off with him and we will end up with shocking twist, but hey, he is really like that.
The necromancer is dropping blood everywhere and using blood magic without any consequences - just three drops of blood and you are free to go. He is so overpowered, he might kill Diablo itself with one strike. Or will he? No, surely it cannot be that bad.
I think only die hard Diablo fans might overlook such bad writing and find something amusing here. It is not even worth paper it is printed on.
Characters are so flat, when they fall down from the ledge they just float to the bottom. There is this band of sell-swords which is like block of bad chocolate, flat and blank. When you need disposable body, you just break part of it and you are done with that. They have absolutely no personality and for a writer who writes a book about evil clones in an evil castle, creating mindless character clones is succeeding much better when he even expects.
There is mercenary captain which is only character having any generic traits of character. He is a leader, because.. Well, you know, people just follow him. He also has a sidekick which is so badly written for most of the book I thought there must be something off with him and we will end up with shocking twist, but hey, he is really like that.
The necromancer is dropping blood everywhere and using blood magic without any consequences - just three drops of blood and you are free to go. He is so overpowered, he might kill Diablo itself with one strike. Or will he? No, surely it cannot be that bad.
I think only die hard Diablo fans might overlook such bad writing and find something amusing here. It is not even worth paper it is printed on.
October 18, 2021
The third Diablo novel and the second by Richard A. Knaak, this is a really good one. I kind of hated Mel Odom's The Black Road, which was the Diablo novel that came out before this one, but this return to Knaak is a return to form.
It's a Diablo story more in name than anything else, it could pretty much be set in any other fantasy universe, but the themes of undeath and a demon/angel with a significant part to play, mostly off the page, fit the universe pretty well. I wouldn't be surprised if Knaak had this lying around and then adapted it to the Diablo universe, it really wouldn't be hard to do. That being said, the story is pretty great.
We follow a mercenary band as they restore a cursed city back to existence from a weird limbo state, and are received as champions and heroes. As the story goes on both the characters and reader start finding out that not all is as it seems, and it gets pretty exciting and fun as the actions shifts between the mercenary warrior leader, promised the hand of the princess of the kingdom and the sorcerer figuring out how damned the place really is. Recommended, you don't even need to know much about Diablo or the continuity of the universe, it works by itself as an exciting fantasy mystery.
It's a Diablo story more in name than anything else, it could pretty much be set in any other fantasy universe, but the themes of undeath and a demon/angel with a significant part to play, mostly off the page, fit the universe pretty well. I wouldn't be surprised if Knaak had this lying around and then adapted it to the Diablo universe, it really wouldn't be hard to do. That being said, the story is pretty great.
We follow a mercenary band as they restore a cursed city back to existence from a weird limbo state, and are received as champions and heroes. As the story goes on both the characters and reader start finding out that not all is as it seems, and it gets pretty exciting and fun as the actions shifts between the mercenary warrior leader, promised the hand of the princess of the kingdom and the sorcerer figuring out how damned the place really is. Recommended, you don't even need to know much about Diablo or the continuity of the universe, it works by itself as an exciting fantasy mystery.
June 12, 2024
Everyone has a book they read and re-read. For me, it's this one. I've read it at least 4 times. And I mean read, not listen. I don't read for sh**! I feel like if it wasn't for audiobooks I'd be illiterate. So yeah this is one of my favorite books.
With that said, let's keep objectivity:
If you like Diablo this might be a bit too out of the canon. If you care about the characters... Well one of them is great. One and a half to be exact. As long as you are into an edgy boi with a talking skull and magic ability. The other characters are meh. The main character is meh.
The atmosphere is cool and dark the story itself borders horror, the book has no connection to any of the previous games or the new ones, or much of the game really.
Franky, I should give it a 3 but it's my favorite kind of entertainment, and I'm the one deciding. It's written well it has plot twists and I love the atmosphere and the edgy boi.
If you are a teen or looking for something quick that's the one! If you are looking for serious high fantasy - May I direct you to Fionavar?
With that said, let's keep objectivity:
If you like Diablo this might be a bit too out of the canon. If you care about the characters... Well one of them is great. One and a half to be exact. As long as you are into an edgy boi with a talking skull and magic ability. The other characters are meh. The main character is meh.
The atmosphere is cool and dark the story itself borders horror, the book has no connection to any of the previous games or the new ones, or much of the game really.
Franky, I should give it a 3 but it's my favorite kind of entertainment, and I'm the one deciding. It's written well it has plot twists and I love the atmosphere and the edgy boi.
If you are a teen or looking for something quick that's the one! If you are looking for serious high fantasy - May I direct you to Fionavar?
May 19, 2023
This is a solid entry in the lore of the Diablo universe. It certainly follows the formula that I've come to expect of Diablo (that really doesn't have the negative connotation that it sounds like -- if it ain't broke, don't fix it, yeah?) but it does so in its own way.
This story hits the ground running, and the plot and backstory unfolds steadily with no lack of action. By the last few chapters, I was sitting forward, quite literally at the edge of my seat, to get to some kind of resolution. This is the kind of book that really reminds me that not all books need to have some kind of subtext or deeper meaning to be good. Sometimes, a solid story with decent characters and plenty of action does the trick.
I really enjoyed some of the Diablo 2 game mechanic shout-outs, especially the attention to making the skills from the game story-canonical. Richard A. Knaak never really fails with regard to knowing his material.
This story hits the ground running, and the plot and backstory unfolds steadily with no lack of action. By the last few chapters, I was sitting forward, quite literally at the edge of my seat, to get to some kind of resolution. This is the kind of book that really reminds me that not all books need to have some kind of subtext or deeper meaning to be good. Sometimes, a solid story with decent characters and plenty of action does the trick.
I really enjoyed some of the Diablo 2 game mechanic shout-outs, especially the attention to making the skills from the game story-canonical. Richard A. Knaak never really fails with regard to knowing his material.
May 3, 2020
Nejlepší knižní Diablo. Krystalicky čistá fantasy z kategorie "meč a magie", okořeněná kapkou tajemna a mystiky, a psaná opět tím typickým akčním a dynamickým stylem, díky kterému mě Knaak bavil a pořád ještě dost baví. Znalci herní předlohy budou nadšeni dvojnásob, opět si totiž užijí tuny referencí v podobě monster, lokací, kouzel a rozvíjení mytologie. Svěžím elementem je pak přítomnost odlehčujících prvků, kterým vévodí oživená lebka žoldáka Humbarta; herní série vždy byla striktně vážná a osudová, zde však občasný nadhled vůbec nepřekáží a naopak si myslím, že ještě posiluje čtivost knihy. Kdo má rád brakovou, přímočarou fantasy z atraktivního prostředí, a užije si barvité popisy soubojů více, než komplikované vztahy mezi postavami, s Královstvím stínu se trefí do černého.
August 4, 2025
When I was younger I loved the books or Richard A. Knaak. I’m a big fan of the Blizzard games and the universe of WarCraft, StarCraft and Diablo brings a lot of interest in me. I have read all WarCraft books and I can tell that they really engage me with their story. With Diablo books I have more struggles, maybe because I’m not that big of a fan of the game.
The Shadow Kingdom is a great book… for teenagers. The phase in it is fast, but you can really easily understand what will happen when there is a “plot-twist”. The book is engaging, but also a bit flat in terms of heroes and characters development. Overall it’s a great read for the beach or in a misty mountain day. It’s fast to read and not that heavy to digest.
The Shadow Kingdom is a great book… for teenagers. The phase in it is fast, but you can really easily understand what will happen when there is a “plot-twist”. The book is engaging, but also a bit flat in terms of heroes and characters development. Overall it’s a great read for the beach or in a misty mountain day. It’s fast to read and not that heavy to digest.
March 15, 2022
This is a really good one, and it's a little more directly connected to Diablo than the previous books seemed to be. I like this also put the other books into order more.
I liked all of this, it grabs you immediately from the first page. The characters were awesome, my favorites being Zayl and Humbart. Every book needs a sassy skull pal.
And I enjoyed the ending a lot. I love that she loved him even in the end, and it shows that he truly love her. I like it leaves you feeling that she was saved cause she faded, not burned or twisted.
I liked all of this, it grabs you immediately from the first page. The characters were awesome, my favorites being Zayl and Humbart. Every book needs a sassy skull pal.
And I enjoyed the ending a lot. I love that she loved him even in the end, and it shows that he truly love her. I like it leaves you feeling that she was saved cause she faded, not burned or twisted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2022
I usually like books based on games, but this one... I don't even know where to start with this one. Uninteresting characters without depth, Inconsistancies, plotholes, very uninispiring lore, and it certainly didn't feel like diablo at all.
It felt like reading the script to GoT season 8. I could clearly see from miles away what kind of effect they wanted to achieve, and it was shuehorned into the plot.
It felt like reading the script to GoT season 8. I could clearly see from miles away what kind of effect they wanted to achieve, and it was shuehorned into the plot.
October 8, 2020
There were a few original and very creative ideas throughout the story. Also, kudos for finally bringing in Diablo as a character, which did not happen in the first two novels from the
Diablo
series. However, the ending was a bit weird and I did not like it very much. Overall, an enjoyable fantasy tale.
October 11, 2023
It's alright. The beginning is slow and boring, the language so exaggerated that often it's just cringy. the story doesn't go anywhere (and when it does, you could see it coming from chapters before), and I almost gave up reading this. But either the author got into a rhythm, or I did, or the story did (I'm guessing all three of us) and the book does get significantly better in the second half.
August 11, 2019
I am completely new to the Diablo franchise, I just played the old Diablo game for a while. So to me, this is an okay story that has nothing to do with Diablo.
November 27, 2019
Great fantasy novel keeping you at your toes
March 5, 2020
Lulls you into a false sense of security by being based off a video game, but is genuinely unsettling at it's core and the imagery will stick with you all through the night.
June 2, 2022
Entertaining
December 20, 2025
Great concept, weak storytelling.
December 30, 2020
Fun old style classic fitting for the diablo universe
May 31, 2020
A quick, action-packed, and mildly entertaining read, sparking some nostalgia for the younger days when I played Diablo II.
February 17, 2017
Necromancer is best, great to have a book with him as a main character. Humbart us some nice comic relief, never gets annoying.
And Gorst is pretty badass.
And Gorst is pretty badass.
November 10, 2016
In this entry of the Diablo series, a sorcerer and his mercenaries go to Mount Nymyr to witness the rebirth of Ureh. But they come to upon the usual problems that plague these type of stories pore on it’s caratchers. The way that the story was able to lead the reader down such a dark and exciting road was such a cool way to proceed with this one. The action in it was nice and fast paced. I thought that the Zaul Caratcher had to be one of the most interesting caratchers in the book. I mean that he was able to stand out from the others in the pact in a really dominating way. That’s not to say that the other caratchers in this book weren’t able to bring their own type of awesomeness to the table. The action ion this was pretty awesomeness to the table. The action was pretty good. The Diablos has never been oner of those full force action roller coaster rides that most Video Game inspired books that the Halo and Doom series are known for. But it still kept a nice pace. The bad part of the book was that there were times that it did seem to slow down. But not enough to make it boring. So I have to say to all the Diablo fans out there that this one is definitely one that you are going to want to add to your collection. It has every thing that you could want in a novelized adventure. I am proud to say that the hero’s and the villians in this dramatic escapade have rightly deserved their four stars.
March 3, 2022
Everyone has a book they read and re-read. For me it's this one. I've read it at least 4 times. And I mean read, not listened. I don't read for sh**! I feel like if it wasn't for audiobooks I'd be illiterate. So yeah this is one of my favourite books.
With that said, let's keep objectivity:
If you like Diablo this might be a bit too out of the canon. If you care about the characters... Well one of them is great. One and a half to be exact. As long as you are into an edgy boi with a talking skul and magic ability. The other characters are meeh. The main character is meeh.
The atmosphere is cool and dark the story itself borders horror, the book has no connection to any of the previous, or much of the game really.
Franky I should give it a 3 but it's my favourite kind of trash. It's written well it has plot twists and I love the atmosphere and the edgy boi.
If you are a teen or looking for something quick that's the one. If you look for serious high fantasy, probably not.
With that said, let's keep objectivity:
If you like Diablo this might be a bit too out of the canon. If you care about the characters... Well one of them is great. One and a half to be exact. As long as you are into an edgy boi with a talking skul and magic ability. The other characters are meeh. The main character is meeh.
The atmosphere is cool and dark the story itself borders horror, the book has no connection to any of the previous, or much of the game really.
Franky I should give it a 3 but it's my favourite kind of trash. It's written well it has plot twists and I love the atmosphere and the edgy boi.
If you are a teen or looking for something quick that's the one. If you look for serious high fantasy, probably not.
Read
January 2, 2023I originally read this book as a teenager, long before Diablo 3 or other expansions of the Diablo universe were released. As a lover of fictional lore, and series that expand on existing lore, I found this book an absolute treat.
The Kingdom of Shadow revolves around the ancient city of Ureh (adding interesting background and history, as well as a unique look at life in Kehjistan), and a figuring out the fate of this long lost to history city.
The characters are decently well defined and unique in their motivations, as well as seeming more human in a universe as dark as Diablo.
If you like Diablo, and want more, read this.
If you like Necromancers as detectives, read this.
The Kingdom of Shadow revolves around the ancient city of Ureh (adding interesting background and history, as well as a unique look at life in Kehjistan), and a figuring out the fate of this long lost to history city.
The characters are decently well defined and unique in their motivations, as well as seeming more human in a universe as dark as Diablo.
If you like Diablo, and want more, read this.
If you like Necromancers as detectives, read this.
April 18, 2016
I really enjoyed this book for many reasons: Nostalgia, gritty atmosphere, hints of darkness is holy places, and appropriate bloodshed/gore and death as expected from any Diablo story. You don't have to have played the games to enjoy this novel, although the nostalgia is clearly there. This story tells an excellent tale of a kingdom where not everything is as it seems. Characters work through discovery, clues, and are even driven to the brink of madness to decipher where evil lies in this "Kingdom of Shadow".
May 27, 2011
I don't normally write reviews, so this says something. I found this to be a great fantasy book. I am a big fan of the games so I was bound to be disappointed, but I wasn't. Knaak really captured the spirit of the games and wrote a great story that included not only the darkness of the games but also a love story. It was also much better written than I expected it to be. I definitely recommend it and can't wait to read the other books in the series written by Knaak.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews