What do you think?
Rate this book
Diablo #11
Diablo III: Book of Tyrael
Delve deeper into the dark fantasy world of the Diablo universe in this illustrated tome as a mortal angel reveals history and lore.One of the most exciting and visceral action role-playing games in recent memory, Diablo® has become a worldwide gaming phenomenon. Diablo Book of Tyrael takes fans even further into the universe with a detailed and beautifully crafted artifact that focuses on the renowned champion Tyrael. As a former archangel of the High Heavens, he ranks among the most important and influential characters in the Diablo franchise. Here, in this illustrated and comprehensive tome, he reveals never-before-known secrets about the history of the world, the dark threats that yet face mankind, and his decision to join the ranks of humanity as a mortal. Featuring stunning original art throughout, this beautifully illustrated follow-up to Diablo Book of Cain will also feature letters from Leah and additional fragments of Cain’s writings, all curated by Tyrael as he weaves together a complex and fascinating story for the members of the Horadrim.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2013
15 people are currently reading
858 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 19, 2014
The Book of Tyrael is a follow up to the previously released Book of Cain. It's part art book and part guide to the Diablo universe.
While it is titled the Book of Tyrael the majority of the entries are actually written by Deckard Cain with notes and comments from Tyrael. The book picks up after the events of Diablo III and helps to lead in to Reaper of Souls. There's plenty of info on people and places, and in the usual Blizzard style the artwork is absolutely fantastic. I've been getting back in to Diablo recently and this book was perfect for that.
While it is titled the Book of Tyrael the majority of the entries are actually written by Deckard Cain with notes and comments from Tyrael. The book picks up after the events of Diablo III and helps to lead in to Reaper of Souls. There's plenty of info on people and places, and in the usual Blizzard style the artwork is absolutely fantastic. I've been getting back in to Diablo recently and this book was perfect for that.
July 31, 2024
It's basically the Book of Cain 2 but I live for Tyrael's little additions and his little journal entries or whatever it is 🙏
August 9, 2020
If you got the "Book of Cain" and enjoyed it, then it's likely you will enjoy the second book in this style called "Book of Tyrael". In Diablo III we see that Cain is killed and at first you think Lea is going to take up his tale as chronicler, but we all know her fate at the end. Instead it is Tyrael that takes up the charge of continuing where Cain left off. This book is kind of a hodgepodge of tales where it combines a lot of research from all three voices in the Diablo histories. Only a short portion of the book is "written" by Tyrael, before it switches over to an overall history of the land.
This book takes place between Diablo III and the expansion pack Reaper of Souls, to give people an idea of where this sits in the lore. It's designed in the same way as the "Book of Cain" and, unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my hands on the hardcover edition, so I was stuck with the paper back. They kept up the same spirit of the "dusty old" book that looked like it had fading pages. On that front everything is beautiful. However, on a few pages here and there the backgrounds are a tad dark. They're certainly not unreadable, I think they just printed darker than the original design team probably expected them too.
In the end if you're a fan of Diablo and you want to expand the lore of your archive then this is an awesome addition to your collection of Diablo books. I wonder if they will print more like this in the future as they seemed to have sold alright, we'll see what happens if a Diablo IV ever comes about in the future.
This book takes place between Diablo III and the expansion pack Reaper of Souls, to give people an idea of where this sits in the lore. It's designed in the same way as the "Book of Cain" and, unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my hands on the hardcover edition, so I was stuck with the paper back. They kept up the same spirit of the "dusty old" book that looked like it had fading pages. On that front everything is beautiful. However, on a few pages here and there the backgrounds are a tad dark. They're certainly not unreadable, I think they just printed darker than the original design team probably expected them too.
In the end if you're a fan of Diablo and you want to expand the lore of your archive then this is an awesome addition to your collection of Diablo books. I wonder if they will print more like this in the future as they seemed to have sold alright, we'll see what happens if a Diablo IV ever comes about in the future.
January 11, 2016
I usually regard a book as nothing more than the means to get to the story within its pages. The object itself is largely irrelevant, as the story is the main thing that holds my attention. This book, however, is an entirely different thing. Every single page is a work of art in itself and the illustration at the end is both beautiful and saddening. The Book of Tyrael and The Book of Cain are the only books I've ever felt represent more than just the story. They truly feel like artifacts plucked right out of Sanctuary, filled with the wisdom of the two beloved characters. As far as role-playing goes, the sense of immersion created by these books is truly wonderful.
November 10, 2015
SUch a beautiful book with all its drawings, pictures etc !
November 20, 2013
In case you missed it, the Book of Tyrael is on sale now. The book itself is a collaborative effort from many talented artists both within and outside of Blizzard. Like the Book of Cain it is published by Insight Editions and they have done a phenomenal job yet again. I’ve finally gotten the book in my hands and have had the time to sit down with it and I’m now ready to give my review of this most recent entry in Diablo lore.
Premise
Like the Book of Cain, the Book of Tyrael is written as an in-game reference manual. Unlike the BoC, which was a loose collection of notes and journals from Deckard Cain to be given to Leah, the BoT has a better defined purpose. This book is akin to a training manual for the new Horadric Order and the challenges they may face in the aftermath of the events of Diablo III. It goes back and forth between notes from Tyrael himself to additional writings of Cain to journal entries and notes from Leah.
The book is divided into sections on the most important things a new Horadrim will need know about the challenges he or she will face in the coming days. I’ll go into detail on each of these sections later in the review.
BoT Front Cover
Materials and Construction
The Book of Tyrael is another amazing example of the craftsmanship of the team at Insight Editions. Like the Book of Cain, images just don’t do the cover justice. The front and back covers are embossed, making it not only appealing to the eye but to the touch as well. Where the BoC was designed as a worn and weathered journal with a cover that had very grainy texture, the BoT is something you’d expect from a being of the High Heavens. It has a smoother finisher and the filigree adorning it’s surface give it a far more intricate texture.
The book is printed on a slightly heavier paper stock to support the dyeing and the quality of the images that are found on almost every page. The edges of the pages themselves are dyed gold adding to the heavenly aesthetic.
BoT Back Cover
Art Design and Production
As I read through the pages I noticed a few themes that play throughout the entirety of the book. There are two very distinct styles found within; the writings of Tyrael and those of Leah and Cain.
Leah and Cain’s writings make up the vast majority of the book and go back and forth between clean typeface for Cain’s encyclopedic like notes and Leah’s hand written journals. Their pages are all stained brown and given a well worn aesthetic. The images of these pages are all very detailed and well shaded since these images that are designed to be guides for the reader to visualize what’s being written about it.
Tyrael’s sections are quite the opposite. Every page is crisp and clean. There are accents bordering most of the pages and almost all of the artwork adorning his sections are done by Joseph Lacroix, the artist who drew the Diablo III comics. Joseph’s very angular line art style gives all of Tyrael’s sections a very orderly appearance in keeping with the general themes of angels and the High Heavens. The stark differences in the art styles and page designs make for very interesting contrast throughout the book.
One of the bigger changes in the Book of Tyrael and the Book of Cain is the cohesiveness of the writing itself. Whereas the BoC was a loose collection of notes, the BoT has a clear purpose and is well organized in its flow from cover to cover. There is some overlap between the BoT and the BoC but most of these occurrences are simple introductions with a note that Cain wrote more in-depth about those topics in the BoC.
Malthael vs Demon Horde
Saving the Best for Last, The Lore
As I touched on earlier, the premise behind the BoT is that it is a manual being given to the members of the new Horadric Order. The book is divided into three main parts; Adria, The Fate of the Black Soulstone and an appendix of miscellaneous information. I’ll keep spoilers to a minimum.
In part one Tyrael relates notes that Cain had accumulated on Adria in addition to some of his own warnings for the Horadrim to be vigilant, because Adria is still a threat lurking in the shadows. While it doesn’t go to in-depth into Adria’s history it does touch on her obsession with the Black Soulstone. One of the more interesting parts of this section has little to do with Adria at all. It talks about Zoltun Kulle while he was a member of the original Horadrim and a more detailed description about the construction of the Black Soulstone itself. We get to know a lot more about the origins of Kulle and how Adria used his groundwork to capture the souls of the Lords of Hell.
Part two talks about the aftermath of the devastation of Heaven and how the angels are rebuilding. What happens when you keep the most unholiest of artifacts in the center of Heaven? Let’s just say bad things. Tyrael, now mortal, is the only person seeing the change taking place in the Angiris Council and this motivates him to action and sets the stage for upcoming book Storm of Light. We also see a foreshadowing to Malthael’s change into Death when Tyrael visits the Pools of Wisdom in Malthael’s long abandoned realm.
Part two also goes onto to talk about the History of Westmarch and gives clues as to why Tyrael later chooses this place to hide the Black Soulstone. It seems there were some ulterior motives in play when Rakkis chose the location of his capital. We also get a small teaser on the formation of the Crusaders. While the Crusader’s were originally described as a break away of the paladin order it seems this isn’t exactly the case and they were founded separately and in secret.
The final section of the book is, to me, the most interesting. It has the most current revision of the timeline of Sanctuary and chronicles everything from the battles of Anu and Tathamet to the creation of the Prime Evil. I have to say Blizzard did a good job in balancing the retcons between previous timelines and the descriptions of events within the games and novels. We also have an appendix of important people found throughout Sanctuary’s history. Ever wonder what the name of the Rogue who fought beside Adian was in Diablo I? She and the sorcerer have been given identities. This collection of information takes up almost half the book and touches on the obvious characters like Nihlathak and Charsi but it even gives background on mobs like Pindleskin. Every page is literally packed to the brim with history and background on a very vast swath of characters from the games and books.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely loved the Book of Cain, but the Book of Tyrael blows it out of the water in every catergory. Everything from the structure and layout to the artwork and narrative have been streamlined and given a sense of cohesiveness that the BoC was missing. If you liked the BoC, enjoy the lore of the series or even just a fan of the game you will love the BoT. I may be reading a bit to much into some of the people referenced in the BoT, but I find the selection of many of characters listed in the appendix a little to random to be coincidental. Why mention Norrec Vizharan but not Kara Nightshade? Why was no one from the Black Road mentioned? I wonder if these may be subtle clues to some of the supporting cast we may find in the Reaper of Souls.
Lore fan yourself? Have more in-depth questions on the Book of Tyrael? Stop by the forums, drop me an e-mail at neinball [at] blizzpro.com or hit me up on twitter @Neinballgamer
http://www.blizzpro.com/blog/2013/10/...
Watch our interview with author Matt Burns, and Blizzard Entertainment publishing lead Micky Neilson!
http://www.blizzpro.com/blog/2013/10/...
Premise
Like the Book of Cain, the Book of Tyrael is written as an in-game reference manual. Unlike the BoC, which was a loose collection of notes and journals from Deckard Cain to be given to Leah, the BoT has a better defined purpose. This book is akin to a training manual for the new Horadric Order and the challenges they may face in the aftermath of the events of Diablo III. It goes back and forth between notes from Tyrael himself to additional writings of Cain to journal entries and notes from Leah.
The book is divided into sections on the most important things a new Horadrim will need know about the challenges he or she will face in the coming days. I’ll go into detail on each of these sections later in the review.
BoT Front Cover
Materials and Construction
The Book of Tyrael is another amazing example of the craftsmanship of the team at Insight Editions. Like the Book of Cain, images just don’t do the cover justice. The front and back covers are embossed, making it not only appealing to the eye but to the touch as well. Where the BoC was designed as a worn and weathered journal with a cover that had very grainy texture, the BoT is something you’d expect from a being of the High Heavens. It has a smoother finisher and the filigree adorning it’s surface give it a far more intricate texture.
The book is printed on a slightly heavier paper stock to support the dyeing and the quality of the images that are found on almost every page. The edges of the pages themselves are dyed gold adding to the heavenly aesthetic.
BoT Back Cover
Art Design and Production
As I read through the pages I noticed a few themes that play throughout the entirety of the book. There are two very distinct styles found within; the writings of Tyrael and those of Leah and Cain.
Leah and Cain’s writings make up the vast majority of the book and go back and forth between clean typeface for Cain’s encyclopedic like notes and Leah’s hand written journals. Their pages are all stained brown and given a well worn aesthetic. The images of these pages are all very detailed and well shaded since these images that are designed to be guides for the reader to visualize what’s being written about it.
Tyrael’s sections are quite the opposite. Every page is crisp and clean. There are accents bordering most of the pages and almost all of the artwork adorning his sections are done by Joseph Lacroix, the artist who drew the Diablo III comics. Joseph’s very angular line art style gives all of Tyrael’s sections a very orderly appearance in keeping with the general themes of angels and the High Heavens. The stark differences in the art styles and page designs make for very interesting contrast throughout the book.
One of the bigger changes in the Book of Tyrael and the Book of Cain is the cohesiveness of the writing itself. Whereas the BoC was a loose collection of notes, the BoT has a clear purpose and is well organized in its flow from cover to cover. There is some overlap between the BoT and the BoC but most of these occurrences are simple introductions with a note that Cain wrote more in-depth about those topics in the BoC.
Malthael vs Demon Horde
Saving the Best for Last, The Lore
As I touched on earlier, the premise behind the BoT is that it is a manual being given to the members of the new Horadric Order. The book is divided into three main parts; Adria, The Fate of the Black Soulstone and an appendix of miscellaneous information. I’ll keep spoilers to a minimum.
In part one Tyrael relates notes that Cain had accumulated on Adria in addition to some of his own warnings for the Horadrim to be vigilant, because Adria is still a threat lurking in the shadows. While it doesn’t go to in-depth into Adria’s history it does touch on her obsession with the Black Soulstone. One of the more interesting parts of this section has little to do with Adria at all. It talks about Zoltun Kulle while he was a member of the original Horadrim and a more detailed description about the construction of the Black Soulstone itself. We get to know a lot more about the origins of Kulle and how Adria used his groundwork to capture the souls of the Lords of Hell.
Part two talks about the aftermath of the devastation of Heaven and how the angels are rebuilding. What happens when you keep the most unholiest of artifacts in the center of Heaven? Let’s just say bad things. Tyrael, now mortal, is the only person seeing the change taking place in the Angiris Council and this motivates him to action and sets the stage for upcoming book Storm of Light. We also see a foreshadowing to Malthael’s change into Death when Tyrael visits the Pools of Wisdom in Malthael’s long abandoned realm.
Part two also goes onto to talk about the History of Westmarch and gives clues as to why Tyrael later chooses this place to hide the Black Soulstone. It seems there were some ulterior motives in play when Rakkis chose the location of his capital. We also get a small teaser on the formation of the Crusaders. While the Crusader’s were originally described as a break away of the paladin order it seems this isn’t exactly the case and they were founded separately and in secret.
The final section of the book is, to me, the most interesting. It has the most current revision of the timeline of Sanctuary and chronicles everything from the battles of Anu and Tathamet to the creation of the Prime Evil. I have to say Blizzard did a good job in balancing the retcons between previous timelines and the descriptions of events within the games and novels. We also have an appendix of important people found throughout Sanctuary’s history. Ever wonder what the name of the Rogue who fought beside Adian was in Diablo I? She and the sorcerer have been given identities. This collection of information takes up almost half the book and touches on the obvious characters like Nihlathak and Charsi but it even gives background on mobs like Pindleskin. Every page is literally packed to the brim with history and background on a very vast swath of characters from the games and books.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely loved the Book of Cain, but the Book of Tyrael blows it out of the water in every catergory. Everything from the structure and layout to the artwork and narrative have been streamlined and given a sense of cohesiveness that the BoC was missing. If you liked the BoC, enjoy the lore of the series or even just a fan of the game you will love the BoT. I may be reading a bit to much into some of the people referenced in the BoT, but I find the selection of many of characters listed in the appendix a little to random to be coincidental. Why mention Norrec Vizharan but not Kara Nightshade? Why was no one from the Black Road mentioned? I wonder if these may be subtle clues to some of the supporting cast we may find in the Reaper of Souls.
Lore fan yourself? Have more in-depth questions on the Book of Tyrael? Stop by the forums, drop me an e-mail at neinball [at] blizzpro.com or hit me up on twitter @Neinballgamer
http://www.blizzpro.com/blog/2013/10/...
Watch our interview with author Matt Burns, and Blizzard Entertainment publishing lead Micky Neilson!
http://www.blizzpro.com/blog/2013/10/...
November 11, 2019
Após o Book of Cain, um atlas ilustrado interessante e único dentro do merchandising desta série, ver o lançamento de algo que parecia uma continuação desinspirada pareceu-me uma manobra demasiado mercantilista e desinteressante.
Alguns anos depois tive a oportunidade de o ler e afinal reconheço que me precipitei no meu julgamento. Sim, é basicamente uma cópia do Book of Cain, com a diferença que desta vez o autor ficcional é o Tyrael e cobre eventos posteriores à morte do seu antecessor, mas o material mantém-se interessante, algo que não esperava depois de o BoC parecer tão exaustivo.
A última secção é a menos interessante, consistindo numa espécie de glossário das personagens mais (e menos) relevantes da mitologia do Diablo, não apenas dos jogos mas também de material acessório como livros, bd's e os contos promocionais do D3. As secções anteriores, que se debruçam sobre as vidas interligadas de Cain, Leah e Adria, e sobre a história das civilizações humanas de Sanctuary, são muito mais interessantes, e dão o valor ao livro.
Acresce a já habitual excelente apresentação visual e as ilustrações de grande qualidade.
Infelizmente a versão original em capa dura tornou-se quase num item de coleção, mas existe uma versão mais pequena em capa mole para quem se interessar mais pelo conteúdo que pelo formato.
Alguns anos depois tive a oportunidade de o ler e afinal reconheço que me precipitei no meu julgamento. Sim, é basicamente uma cópia do Book of Cain, com a diferença que desta vez o autor ficcional é o Tyrael e cobre eventos posteriores à morte do seu antecessor, mas o material mantém-se interessante, algo que não esperava depois de o BoC parecer tão exaustivo.
A última secção é a menos interessante, consistindo numa espécie de glossário das personagens mais (e menos) relevantes da mitologia do Diablo, não apenas dos jogos mas também de material acessório como livros, bd's e os contos promocionais do D3. As secções anteriores, que se debruçam sobre as vidas interligadas de Cain, Leah e Adria, e sobre a história das civilizações humanas de Sanctuary, são muito mais interessantes, e dão o valor ao livro.
Acresce a já habitual excelente apresentação visual e as ilustrações de grande qualidade.
Infelizmente a versão original em capa dura tornou-se quase num item de coleção, mas existe uma versão mais pequena em capa mole para quem se interessar mais pelo conteúdo que pelo formato.
July 6, 2017
Parte libro de arte, parte introducción al universo de uno de mis videojuegos favoritos escrito en primera persona por el mismísimo arcángel de la justicia. Te sumergen en el mundo fantástico de Santuario con la recolección de toda la fantasía en ambos tomos. El acabado dorado de las páginas al filo de las hojas y el troquel de las portadas, más los mapas encartados son detalles que se ven cada vez menos en este tipo de libros y que se aprecian mucho. Me gusta ver y disfrutar los libros principalmente por su contenido pero también por mi profesión por su diseño: el único detalle es que considero que el fondo que tiene la intención de imitar algo similar a un papiro o textura antigua utilizado en el diseño se ve un poco oscuro para mi gusto por lo que vuelve en algunas instancias algo lenta o pesada la lectura.
August 2, 2017
Like "Book of Cain", "Book of Tyrael" is a great peace of artwork and an immersive experience.
However it has two main issues. First, it repeats itself too much. Some of its stories are given three or four times in the different sections. Second, the book is supposed to be written by Tyrael but comprised mostly of pieces by Cain some of which include notes by Leah. This makes it rather confusing. For my part, I was unsure who was supposed to be the author throughout the book.
So all in all, it seems like a somewhat rushed sequel to the excellent "Book of Cain"
However it has two main issues. First, it repeats itself too much. Some of its stories are given three or four times in the different sections. Second, the book is supposed to be written by Tyrael but comprised mostly of pieces by Cain some of which include notes by Leah. This makes it rather confusing. For my part, I was unsure who was supposed to be the author throughout the book.
So all in all, it seems like a somewhat rushed sequel to the excellent "Book of Cain"
November 27, 2017
Una pena que no llegase traducido al español tal y como llegó "El libro de Caín".
El libro es, básicamente, como una enciclopedia. Salen anotaciones de Leah, Caín, la historia de cómo surgieron los Horadrim, High Heavens y Burning Hells, etc. También los distintos clanes, sectas y figuras de la historia de Diablo a destacar.
A parte de los datos curiosos, tengo que decir que las ilustraciones son una pasada, aunque en algunos tramos cuesta de leer el texto, pues la tipografía es muy fina y el color de las páginas muy oscuro.
El libro es, básicamente, como una enciclopedia. Salen anotaciones de Leah, Caín, la historia de cómo surgieron los Horadrim, High Heavens y Burning Hells, etc. También los distintos clanes, sectas y figuras de la historia de Diablo a destacar.
A parte de los datos curiosos, tengo que decir que las ilustraciones son una pasada, aunque en algunos tramos cuesta de leer el texto, pues la tipografía es muy fina y el color de las páginas muy oscuro.
November 13, 2019
As with “The Book of Cain,” this lore guide was made more interesting to read by the fact that its perspective would shift, containing many layers of quotations. For example, Tyrael including an excerpt from Deckard Cain’s notes, themselves containing quotes from some other fictional scholar, perhaps annotated by Leah or Tyrael. Moving between the different levels of perspective made this book more interesting than it necessarily had to be, and shows the (real) author’s dedication to immersion.
August 30, 2019
More related to the game. More fun to read than Book of Cain.
July 5, 2021
the illustrations are so good! sadly not Kindle compatible.
August 30, 2019
actualy surprisingly helpfull
December 14, 2013
Book Of Tyrael is a follow up to Book Of Cain, and both books are "behind the scenes" look into the lore of Sanctuary, the world in which the Diablo video games are set in. While Book Of Cain was published to tease the release of Diablo III, Book Of Tyrael is a prologue of sorts to the upcoming Diablo III expansion Reaper Of Souls.
Unlike the previous book, this book is surprisingly coy on the events that would take place in the expansion. However, it offers many spoilers for Diablo III, so if you haven't played that game but wish to, you may want to put off reading this book until you've played the game.
So, this book. Its concept is this: Tyrael has collected the writings of Deckard Cain, who died early in Diablo III, and added a random scrawling here and there to pass the whole thing off as "his". Hey, it's Tyrael. He has never done anything to its completion without needing someone to bail his useless rear end out, so it's not like he's going to change anytime soon. Tyrael is now presenting "his" book to a member of the newly revitalized Horadrim, so that the fellow is well-prepared to face the upcoming drama in the expansion.
Let's pretend that the trailer for the expansion - also known as Tyrael Gets His Ass Kicked... Again (Someone Call The Nephelem!) - doesn't exist. Therefore, all the reader will know from reading this book is that the newly revitalised Horadrim - sprung from the wells of a magical place called Deus Ex Machina, I hear - is charged to proect the Black Soulstone. The Black Soulstone is like the super version of the soulstones in the previous games. Well, let's hope this Horadrim does a better job than the last batch, but I doubt it, not when they are being "guided" by Tyrael.
If that seems like Déjà vu, well, it is. It's same with the Crusaders, introduced here because that class is going to be playable in the expansion. The problem with the Crusader is that, at this point, that class seems like a redesigned version of the Diablo II class of Paladin. I'd expect the people behind the lore to come up with a different origin for this class, but no. Just like the Paladins, the Crusaders are a bunch of militant folks from the Church of Zakarum that broke off when the founder felt that the Church had become too corrupted for its own good. Are they even trying anymore?
Content-wise, this one has far more substantial lore than the previous book. It covers some of the materials present in the previous book, only in far more detail. I like that. There is a section on Adria, and the authors take pains to mention that she and Maghda are very close, to the point that they even wear the same type of clothes. Now, you can say that maybe the Coven is just like McDonald's, where everyone wears a uniform, but the accompanying illustration begs to differ. And then there are some more in-depth look at the history of Sanctuary, including events in the previous Diablo III game, and a short glimpse of key NPCs and organizations that showed up in all Diablo games up to this point.
The writing is fine, much more readable and less flowery than the previous book, but this book is far less attractive than the previous book. I love how Book Of Cain was printed on paper that looked and felt like old worn parchment. Here, the paper used is... shiny - really shiny, like modern day pages liberally soaked in gold glitter. Some pages are so dark that the words are hard to read. I find it odd that the content is better here, but everything looks worse. The occasional full-page illustrations can be hit or miss. The ones that focus on a single subject are gorgeous, but those portraying an event are often too busy for their own good - it's hard to figure out what is happening in them even when I squint and peer closely at the page.
Oh, and after all these years, they finally gave a canon name to the Rogue and Mage in the first Diablo game.
I have a much more pleasant experience reading this book compared to the previous book. This one feels more like a "real" book compared to the banal fluff present in the previous book. I just wish it is as pretty too. At any rate, this one is worth a look if you're a fan of those games and have some money to burn. Like most media tie-ins, though, it won't be of much relevance to people who are not familiar with those games.
Unlike the previous book, this book is surprisingly coy on the events that would take place in the expansion. However, it offers many spoilers for Diablo III, so if you haven't played that game but wish to, you may want to put off reading this book until you've played the game.
So, this book. Its concept is this: Tyrael has collected the writings of Deckard Cain, who died early in Diablo III, and added a random scrawling here and there to pass the whole thing off as "his". Hey, it's Tyrael. He has never done anything to its completion without needing someone to bail his useless rear end out, so it's not like he's going to change anytime soon. Tyrael is now presenting "his" book to a member of the newly revitalized Horadrim, so that the fellow is well-prepared to face the upcoming drama in the expansion.
Let's pretend that the trailer for the expansion - also known as Tyrael Gets His Ass Kicked... Again (Someone Call The Nephelem!) - doesn't exist. Therefore, all the reader will know from reading this book is that the newly revitalised Horadrim - sprung from the wells of a magical place called Deus Ex Machina, I hear - is charged to proect the Black Soulstone. The Black Soulstone is like the super version of the soulstones in the previous games. Well, let's hope this Horadrim does a better job than the last batch, but I doubt it, not when they are being "guided" by Tyrael.
If that seems like Déjà vu, well, it is. It's same with the Crusaders, introduced here because that class is going to be playable in the expansion. The problem with the Crusader is that, at this point, that class seems like a redesigned version of the Diablo II class of Paladin. I'd expect the people behind the lore to come up with a different origin for this class, but no. Just like the Paladins, the Crusaders are a bunch of militant folks from the Church of Zakarum that broke off when the founder felt that the Church had become too corrupted for its own good. Are they even trying anymore?
Content-wise, this one has far more substantial lore than the previous book. It covers some of the materials present in the previous book, only in far more detail. I like that. There is a section on Adria, and the authors take pains to mention that she and Maghda are very close, to the point that they even wear the same type of clothes. Now, you can say that maybe the Coven is just like McDonald's, where everyone wears a uniform, but the accompanying illustration begs to differ. And then there are some more in-depth look at the history of Sanctuary, including events in the previous Diablo III game, and a short glimpse of key NPCs and organizations that showed up in all Diablo games up to this point.
The writing is fine, much more readable and less flowery than the previous book, but this book is far less attractive than the previous book. I love how Book Of Cain was printed on paper that looked and felt like old worn parchment. Here, the paper used is... shiny - really shiny, like modern day pages liberally soaked in gold glitter. Some pages are so dark that the words are hard to read. I find it odd that the content is better here, but everything looks worse. The occasional full-page illustrations can be hit or miss. The ones that focus on a single subject are gorgeous, but those portraying an event are often too busy for their own good - it's hard to figure out what is happening in them even when I squint and peer closely at the page.
Oh, and after all these years, they finally gave a canon name to the Rogue and Mage in the first Diablo game.
I have a much more pleasant experience reading this book compared to the previous book. This one feels more like a "real" book compared to the banal fluff present in the previous book. I just wish it is as pretty too. At any rate, this one is worth a look if you're a fan of those games and have some money to burn. Like most media tie-ins, though, it won't be of much relevance to people who are not familiar with those games.
November 28, 2016
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
My familiarity with the Diablo franchise has slackened since playing Diablo and Diablo II while still in school. Fortunately, I remembered enough that I was able to follow most of this book, but that should say something about the audience. This book is for fans of the game, those looking for an introduction to the world of Diablo would be better served by playing the game.
Book of Tyrael is both a summation of the franchise to the end of Diablo III and background and origins of various groups and characters. It includes both artwork and simulated manuscripts. The latter are presented as parchment, or other older styled paper. This means some pages have as many as three different authors. Much of the materials presented here were written by Deckerd Cain, with commentary by Tyrael and Leah. As a complete package is very well done with even the paperback volume cover featuring some embossing.
My familiarity with the Diablo franchise has slackened since playing Diablo and Diablo II while still in school. Fortunately, I remembered enough that I was able to follow most of this book, but that should say something about the audience. This book is for fans of the game, those looking for an introduction to the world of Diablo would be better served by playing the game.
Book of Tyrael is both a summation of the franchise to the end of Diablo III and background and origins of various groups and characters. It includes both artwork and simulated manuscripts. The latter are presented as parchment, or other older styled paper. This means some pages have as many as three different authors. Much of the materials presented here were written by Deckerd Cain, with commentary by Tyrael and Leah. As a complete package is very well done with even the paperback volume cover featuring some embossing.
June 11, 2017
As with pretty much all of these expanded-universe 'world building' reference books, the in-character writing is pretty dire, but the sumptuous illustrations and overall 'texture' make it well worth a quick skim. It's supposed to serve as an encyclopedic tome for a crack-squad of demon hunters, but it's written in brief, vague, simple prose that a 14 year old could have come up with. Lord help humanity if this is all the Horadrim have to work with when fighting the forces of the Hells...
February 8, 2014
While the previous book ("Book of Cain") was slightly better, this is still a must have for every Diablo lore fan. It contains gorgeous drawings, some really interesting lore about all the factions and remarkable characters of Sanctuary. The book itself is, just as the previous one, of high quality and a joy to hold in your hands.
August 14, 2014
Book 2 and I must say that Book 1 was way better. The art contents is great but most of the pages were so difficult to read since the background is so dark. I would've assumed Tyrael to have better font choice and paper choices to write such important details. Contents were also very repetitive.
October 11, 2015
Muy groso libro, un gran compendio de mucha de la info que hay dando vueltas de Diablo, entre novelas y juegos. La encuadernación es hermosa, aporta mucho a la fantasía de que realmente estás leyendo un libro escrito por Tyrael. Súper recomendado a cualquier fan de Diablo.
June 22, 2018
More history around the Diablo games
I have enjoyed the Diablo games immensely and the story lines so having it all here in the form of a journal just added realistic quality to it all.
I have enjoyed the Diablo games immensely and the story lines so having it all here in the form of a journal just added realistic quality to it all.
January 6, 2014
Interesting perspective on Tyrael, but I'm kind of tired about Leah's delusions over her mother. Seemed like she whined a lot in the side notes and kind of detracted from the over all experience.
July 7, 2015
A nice read for Diablo lore fans. The art isn't as impressive or extensive as the Book of Cain but I pretty much knew what I was getting into with it before I bought it.
January 31, 2017
Diablo was the first "real" PC game I played "back in the day", and reading this book brought back a lot of memories while also teaching me about the people of the game. An all around great read.
October 24, 2018
Very well deveoped content for the Diablo Universe!
July 3, 2022
Originally finished 10.30.2013
Just re-read this now due to Diablo Immortal; needed a refresher
Just re-read this now due to Diablo Immortal; needed a refresher
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews