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Diablo: The Sin War #1
Birthright
Since the beginning of time, the angelic forces of the High Heavens and the demonic hordes of the Burning Hells have been locked in an eternal conflict for the fate of all Creation. That struggle has now spilled over into Sanctuary -- the world of men. Determined to win mankind over to their respective causes, the forces of good and evil wage a secret war for mortal souls. This is the tale of the Sin War -- the conflict that would forever change the destiny of man.
Three thousand years before the darkening of Tristram, Uldyssian, son of Diomedes, was a simple farmer from the village of Seram. Content with his quiet, idyllic life, Uldyssian is shocked as dark events rapidly unfold around him. Mistakenly blamed for the grisly murders of two traveling missionaries, Uldyssian is forced to flee his homeland and set out on a perilous quest to redeem his good name. To his horror, he has begun to manifest strange new powers -- powers no mortal man has ever dreamed of. Now, Uldyssian must grapple with the energies building within him -- lest they consume the last vestiges of his humanity.
Three thousand years before the darkening of Tristram, Uldyssian, son of Diomedes, was a simple farmer from the village of Seram. Content with his quiet, idyllic life, Uldyssian is shocked as dark events rapidly unfold around him. Mistakenly blamed for the grisly murders of two traveling missionaries, Uldyssian is forced to flee his homeland and set out on a perilous quest to redeem his good name. To his horror, he has begun to manifest strange new powers -- powers no mortal man has ever dreamed of. Now, Uldyssian must grapple with the energies building within him -- lest they consume the last vestiges of his humanity.
326 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
220 people are currently reading
1722 people want to read
About the author
Richard A. Knaak
283 books1,478 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 126 reviews
July 30, 2023
جمله لعنت بر دهانی که بیموقع باز شود مصداق رابطه من با این کتابه!!! تنها دلیلی که شروع کردم این مجموعه رو بخونم رو دروایستی بوده و تنها دلیلی که ادامش میدم ناتوانی من در نه گفتنه
پ.ن:ایشالا فرد مورد نظر هیچوقت این ریویو رو پیدا نکنه.
پ.ن:عاشق سانسور این کتابم. بهم ابراز علاقه کردن🤣🤣 وات د فاز🤣🤣🤣
پ.ن:ایشالا فرد مورد نظر هیچوقت این ریویو رو پیدا نکنه.
پ.ن:عاشق سانسور این کتابم. بهم ابراز علاقه کردن🤣🤣 وات د فاز🤣🤣🤣
July 17, 2024
2 Stars
not a typical 2-star hate, not have a 3-star necessities.
the concept was interesting.
but,
complicated organizations in a primitive society (I figured out who is who in the Last pages of book.)
ordinary story. just the questions in my mind made me keep reading. (& still no answer for some of them tho, it's just the first book, but I don't think I continue this series.)
slow-pace & somehow plain plot. (just the ending was good)
the characters were meh. the protagonist was stupid! I was always mad at him. I don't like him. & the only character I cared about was very minor & gone.
p.s. after I read the book, I figured it is based on a game which I had no idea about. so it was the reason I was a little confused or not about to linked with the story.
not a typical 2-star hate, not have a 3-star necessities.
the concept was interesting.
but,
complicated organizations in a primitive society (I figured out who is who in the Last pages of book.)
ordinary story. just the questions in my mind made me keep reading. (& still no answer for some of them tho, it's just the first book, but I don't think I continue this series.)
slow-pace & somehow plain plot. (just the ending was good)
the characters were meh. the protagonist was stupid! I was always mad at him. I don't like him. & the only character I cared about was very minor & gone.
p.s. after I read the book, I figured it is based on a game which I had no idea about. so it was the reason I was a little confused or not about to linked with the story.
June 1, 2015
سه گانه جنگ گناه برای مجموعه دیابلو، حکم سه گانه نبرد باستانیان برای مجموعه وارکرفت رو داره. داستان چند هزار سال پیش از خط اصلی داستان دیابلو رو روایت می کنه و درواقع دنیای دیابلو و پناهگاه رو طراحی می کنه و شکل میده.
قلم و نوشتار ناک با وجود پیچیدگی و سختی و ثقلش، شیرینی های خودش رو هم داره. تصویرسازی ها بسیار زنده ان و آهنگ جملات متن به قدری زیباست که خودش به تنهایی میتونه دلیلی برای ادامه ی خوندن باشه.
فضای داستان بسیار ملتهب و تاریکه. که از شروع تا پایان کتاب، خواننده نمیتونه آرامش رو تجربه کنه. مثل الدیزیان - شخصیت اصلی کتاب - که تمام انگیزه و تلاشش برای آرامشیه که محکوم شده به از دست دادنش.
خود داستان دیابلو که ستگ بناش رو این سه گانه میچینه، از دو نظر بسیار جالب و قابل توجهه.
از دیدگاه نخست، این کتاب مصداق بارز اومانیسمه. در جهان سه جبهه وجود داره.
جبهه شر، که اهریمنان سه گانه جهنم هستن، و خب به معنای واقعی نقش شر رو ایفا می کنن.
جبهه خیر، که ایزدان بهشت هستن و به هیچ عنوان سفید نیستن و رنگشون کاملن خاکستریه. از نظر اخلاقی، بیشتر به انسان هایی قدرتمند شباهت دارن تا جبهه نیک جهان. چیزهایی مثل غرور، حسادت، کوته فکری و خودخواهی رو به راحتی توی ایزدان میشه دید.
و جبهه انسان ها، که به خاطر ماهیت و ذاتشون این پتانسیل رو دارن که از تمام ایزدان و تمام اهریمنان بالاتر و قوی تر بشن. و به خاطر ویژگی های خاکستری ایزدان، انسان ها دنبال کمک به جبهه خیر برای پیروزیش بر شر نیستن. خیر و شر رو فقط دو جبهه خاکستری می دونن و میخوان از زیر سلطه هردو خارج بشن و شاید حتا فرمانروای هردو باشن...
از دیدگاه دوم، در تمام آثار فانتزی و حتا غیرفانتزی، ارتباط با مرده ها و به خصوص زنده کردنشون یک تابو محسوب میشه. جادوگرهایی که با مرگ سر و کار دارن، "نکرومنسر" خونده میشن. نکرومنسر ها توی دنیا هایی مثل اسکایریم یا وارکرفت وجود دارن و همیشه به عنوان هولناک ترین و پلید ترین نوع جادوگر بهشون نگاه میشه.
دیابلو، تنها و تنها مجموعه ایه که نه تنها نکرومنسی رو یک عمل شیطانی نمیدونه، بلکه حتا چند نکرومنسر رو به عنوان قهرمان خودش هم معرفی می کنه و از این جهت بی نظیره. این انتخاب هوشمندانه، جای پرداخت بسیار زیادی رو هم برای نویسنده های کتاب ها باز کرده تا بتونن به درگیری های شخصی و فکری نکرومنسر ها بپردازن، چیزی که به خاطر عدم حضور نکرومنسر ها بین شخصیت های قهرمان، سابقه نداشته. به شخصه فصل هایی از کتاب که درباره شخصیت نکرومنسر بود رو از بقیه بیشتر دوست داشتم.
یکی از چیزایی که توی کتاب روی اعصابم بود، اصرار بیش از حد ناک به استفاده از لقب افراد به جای اسمشون بود. به جای "الدیزیان به آکیلیوس گفت" نوشته بود " کشاورز به شکارچی گفت" و خب این تا حدی قابل قبوله، اما یکم زیاده روی شده بود.
در کل غافلگیری ها و فضاسازی های بینظیر ناک رو دوست داشتم. هرچند به فضا به تیرگی دنیای دیابلویی که میشناختم نبود، اما اون حس و حال رو خیلی خوب ساخته بود.
قلم و نوشتار ناک با وجود پیچیدگی و سختی و ثقلش، شیرینی های خودش رو هم داره. تصویرسازی ها بسیار زنده ان و آهنگ جملات متن به قدری زیباست که خودش به تنهایی میتونه دلیلی برای ادامه ی خوندن باشه.
فضای داستان بسیار ملتهب و تاریکه. که از شروع تا پایان کتاب، خواننده نمیتونه آرامش رو تجربه کنه. مثل الدیزیان - شخصیت اصلی کتاب - که تمام انگیزه و تلاشش برای آرامشیه که محکوم شده به از دست دادنش.
خود داستان دیابلو که ستگ بناش رو این سه گانه میچینه، از دو نظر بسیار جالب و قابل توجهه.
از دیدگاه نخست، این کتاب مصداق بارز اومانیسمه. در جهان سه جبهه وجود داره.
جبهه شر، که اهریمنان سه گانه جهنم هستن، و خب به معنای واقعی نقش شر رو ایفا می کنن.
جبهه خیر، که ایزدان بهشت هستن و به هیچ عنوان سفید نیستن و رنگشون کاملن خاکستریه. از نظر اخلاقی، بیشتر به انسان هایی قدرتمند شباهت دارن تا جبهه نیک جهان. چیزهایی مثل غرور، حسادت، کوته فکری و خودخواهی رو به راحتی توی ایزدان میشه دید.
و جبهه انسان ها، که به خاطر ماهیت و ذاتشون این پتانسیل رو دارن که از تمام ایزدان و تمام اهریمنان بالاتر و قوی تر بشن. و به خاطر ویژگی های خاکستری ایزدان، انسان ها دنبال کمک به جبهه خیر برای پیروزیش بر شر نیستن. خیر و شر رو فقط دو جبهه خاکستری می دونن و میخوان از زیر سلطه هردو خارج بشن و شاید حتا فرمانروای هردو باشن...
از دیدگاه دوم، در تمام آثار فانتزی و حتا غیرفانتزی، ارتباط با مرده ها و به خصوص زنده کردنشون یک تابو محسوب میشه. جادوگرهایی که با مرگ سر و کار دارن، "نکرومنسر" خونده میشن. نکرومنسر ها توی دنیا هایی مثل اسکایریم یا وارکرفت وجود دارن و همیشه به عنوان هولناک ترین و پلید ترین نوع جادوگر بهشون نگاه میشه.
دیابلو، تنها و تنها مجموعه ایه که نه تنها نکرومنسی رو یک عمل شیطانی نمیدونه، بلکه حتا چند نکرومنسر رو به عنوان قهرمان خودش هم معرفی می کنه و از این جهت بی نظیره. این انتخاب هوشمندانه، جای پرداخت بسیار زیادی رو هم برای نویسنده های کتاب ها باز کرده تا بتونن به درگیری های شخصی و فکری نکرومنسر ها بپردازن، چیزی که به خاطر عدم حضور نکرومنسر ها بین شخصیت های قهرمان، سابقه نداشته. به شخصه فصل هایی از کتاب که درباره شخصیت نکرومنسر بود رو از بقیه بیشتر دوست داشتم.
یکی از چیزایی که توی کتاب روی اعصابم بود، اصرار بیش از حد ناک به استفاده از لقب افراد به جای اسمشون بود. به جای "الدیزیان به آکیلیوس گفت" نوشته بود " کشاورز به شکارچی گفت" و خب این تا حدی قابل قبوله، اما یکم زیاده روی شده بود.
در کل غافلگیری ها و فضاسازی های بینظیر ناک رو دوست داشتم. هرچند به فضا به تیرگی دنیای دیابلویی که میشناختم نبود، اما اون حس و حال رو خیلی خوب ساخته بود.
December 27, 2014
Uldyssian is the hero, I think, and his friends are trying to help him, we think. The women seemingly have nothing more to do than be mysterious or fawn over him. The story goes from point A to point B, introduces some characters who are quickly dispatched, our main character develops some nonsensical powers, he's blamed for murder, then he must run. His friends join him, along with the mysterious woman, and they flee to where? The forest. And then they go in circles and get attacked. Everyone is worried, but no one knows what to do and altogether - between cut scenes with the bad guy - I wonder what I'm reading and why I'm reading it.
My buddy Jon put the question out there: Should we even finish this book? I voted yes because 1- I thought, against all hope, it might get better and 2- we couldn't legitimately warn people away from it if we didn't finish it ourselves. And, quite honestly, as I read on, I realized I had to find out how bad this book would get. It was a train wreck. All told, the group in the story did a little more wandering around, got into some nasty fights, fled, and in the end, kinda won, I think. (This is a trilogy, but there is no way you could pay me to read the rest.) I made a fickle prediction about how the book would end. One plot guess: the best buddy would bite the dust (spoiler: he did) and the second was the mysterious woman would hook back up with the fallen angel guy. After the best bud went bye bye, I started to actually pay attention. Would I go 2 for 2? It didn't look hopeful as I reached the last few pages. My lucky streak was about to be up. But the last paragraph literally had the mystery woman revealing her devious plans to reunite with her beloved fallen angel guy. I laughed hard for a good 30 seconds. I will remember the book simply b/c I guessed the contrived and unoriginal ending. This book is that bad.
My buddy Jon put the question out there: Should we even finish this book? I voted yes because 1- I thought, against all hope, it might get better and 2- we couldn't legitimately warn people away from it if we didn't finish it ourselves. And, quite honestly, as I read on, I realized I had to find out how bad this book would get. It was a train wreck. All told, the group in the story did a little more wandering around, got into some nasty fights, fled, and in the end, kinda won, I think. (This is a trilogy, but there is no way you could pay me to read the rest.) I made a fickle prediction about how the book would end. One plot guess: the best buddy would bite the dust (spoiler: he did) and the second was the mysterious woman would hook back up with the fallen angel guy. After the best bud went bye bye, I started to actually pay attention. Would I go 2 for 2? It didn't look hopeful as I reached the last few pages. My lucky streak was about to be up. But the last paragraph literally had the mystery woman revealing her devious plans to reunite with her beloved fallen angel guy. I laughed hard for a good 30 seconds. I will remember the book simply b/c I guessed the contrived and unoriginal ending. This book is that bad.
October 14, 2014
Just as it says under the star: it was OK. No great, sometimes a bit good, often "meh" but overally OK. Not so tragic for a game-related novel but could do with a lot of improvement. If you are not into Diablo lore you will not lose out much if you shall skip this one.
January 16, 2025
It is tough to review books like this, written based on video games. Because reading them is far different for someone who just picked it up from a bookstore's shelf than one who sought it adamantly yearning for an extra bit of lore to satiate their ravenous hunger for the video game franchise. I am from the latter. I went on word after word to know more about the world and the lore behind the world of Diablo and Sanctuary, yet, as I was reading it, I kept comparing the narration with The Song of Ice and Fire. It might not be a fair comparison, but I couldn't help myself.
Knaak has tried hard to compel the reader's imagination to run wild by offering mysteries and deceptive clues, just as Martin has done in his books; however, he has failed to keep the readers on toes, for he delivers answers in the next chapter—or in some cases, the next paragraph.
Characters are utterly flat, as is always the case with the stories having biblical tone—their either good or bad—although one character remains an exception: Mendeln. Regardless of my love for the franchise, half the reason I kept reading at a relatively fast pace was this character. Although the ending is not so enigmatic for the main character and plot, it leaves you inquisitive only for Mendeln—a side character.
I would recommend this book only to the Diablo franchise's avid players, not the rest. If you have played the game, I think you must read this book, which is the first entry of a series of novels centred around the game.
Knaak has tried hard to compel the reader's imagination to run wild by offering mysteries and deceptive clues, just as Martin has done in his books; however, he has failed to keep the readers on toes, for he delivers answers in the next chapter—or in some cases, the next paragraph.
Characters are utterly flat, as is always the case with the stories having biblical tone—their either good or bad—although one character remains an exception: Mendeln. Regardless of my love for the franchise, half the reason I kept reading at a relatively fast pace was this character. Although the ending is not so enigmatic for the main character and plot, it leaves you inquisitive only for Mendeln—a side character.
I would recommend this book only to the Diablo franchise's avid players, not the rest. If you have played the game, I think you must read this book, which is the first entry of a series of novels centred around the game.
August 22, 2018
Rate: 3.5
نکته: موقع خوندن نسخه ویدا حتما حتما نسخه انگلیسی دم دستتون باشه. -من تا اینجا که بخشای مهم رو چک کردم با زبان اصلی یه اشتباه خیلی عجیب و غریب دیدم که اگه ندیده بودم کل داستان برام عوض میشد :| -
اما بریم سراغ ریویو. -امتیاز : ۳.۵ از ۵ -
به هیچ وجه کتاب بدی نیست، اما به هیچ وجه هم شاهکار نیست. داستان با اینکه جذاب و پیچیدهست، اما تا حدودی کلیشهایه و برای خواننده عادی میشه، مخصوصا اکشن که بعد مدتی هیجانش کم میشه.
برام لذتبخش بود ولی نمیدونم چرا، ولی واقعا حس و حال یه کتاب های فانتزی رو بهم نداد.
نکته بعدی جادوی داستانه که تا حدود خیلی زیادی مصنوعی و غیرقابل درک بود.
بعلاوه، متوجه هیچ جمله، تشبیه و... هوشمندانه ای نشدم.
ولی از طرف دیگه، شخصیت پردازی خیلی قوی و سوالات و معماهای زیاد باعث شد که سطح داستان خیلی بالاتر بره.
نویسنده ماهرانه سوال ایجاد میکرد و ماهرانه و کاملا به اندازه کافی به بعضی جواب میداد و در همون حال کاملا شمارو کنجکاو نگه می داشت.
توصیف ها واقعا خوب بود و صحنه های پیچیده-که کم هم نبود- رو میشد به راحتی تصور کرد و نثر روون بود، اما میتونست خیلی زیباتر بشه.
داستان نه کاملا قابل پیشبینیه و نه کاملا غیر قابل پیشبینی، ولی پیچیدگیش کاملا مجذوبتون میکنه.
راستش، کتابای خیلی بهتری هست که میتونید بخونید، ولی دیابلو اگر به کتابای فانتزی علاقه دارید، کتاب جذابیه- اگر علاقه زیادی به فانتزی ندارید فکر نکنم خوشتون بیاد-
نکته: موقع خوندن نسخه ویدا حتما حتما نسخه انگلیسی دم دستتون باشه. -من تا اینجا که بخشای مهم رو چک کردم با زبان اصلی یه اشتباه خیلی عجیب و غریب دیدم که اگه ندیده بودم کل داستان برام عوض میشد :| -
اما بریم سراغ ریویو. -امتیاز : ۳.۵ از ۵ -
به هیچ وجه کتاب بدی نیست، اما به هیچ وجه هم شاهکار نیست. داستان با اینکه جذاب و پیچیدهست، اما تا حدودی کلیشهایه و برای خواننده عادی میشه، مخصوصا اکشن که بعد مدتی هیجانش کم میشه.
برام لذتبخش بود ولی نمیدونم چرا، ولی واقعا حس و حال یه کتاب های فانتزی رو بهم نداد.
نکته بعدی جادوی داستانه که تا حدود خیلی زیادی مصنوعی و غیرقابل درک بود.
بعلاوه، متوجه هیچ جمله، تشبیه و... هوشمندانه ای نشدم.
ولی از طرف دیگه، شخصیت پردازی خیلی قوی و سوالات و معماهای زیاد باعث شد که سطح داستان خیلی بالاتر بره.
نویسنده ماهرانه سوال ایجاد میکرد و ماهرانه و کاملا به اندازه کافی به بعضی جواب میداد و در همون حال کاملا شمارو کنجکاو نگه می داشت.
توصیف ها واقعا خوب بود و صحنه های پیچیده-که کم هم نبود- رو میشد به راحتی تصور کرد و نثر روون بود، اما میتونست خیلی زیباتر بشه.
داستان نه کاملا قابل پیشبینیه و نه کاملا غیر قابل پیشبینی، ولی پیچیدگیش کاملا مجذوبتون میکنه.
راستش، کتابای خیلی بهتری هست که میتونید بخونید، ولی دیابلو اگر به کتابای فانتزی علاقه دارید، کتاب جذابیه- اگر علاقه زیادی به فانتزی ندارید فکر نکنم خوشتون بیاد-
July 18, 2014
A decent enough plot, but poorly written by Knaak. I know this is supposed to be light reading, for a juvenile audience, but having read many books from this author before, also inspired on Blizzard's games, I felt kinda disappointed. Will finish the trilogy because why the hell not, but wouldn't recommend anyone starting it. At least, like I said, the plot is somewhat interesting. Too bad characters are bland, predictable, there are no twists, and you pretty much figure everything out on the first 25 pages.
February 26, 2021
This book was great! I love reading the stories behind my favorite video game series. It really gives the video game a whole new level of understanding I'm a completely new dimension when you play.
I did want to mention that this book gave me the feeling of it being simply Xerox copied with a pretty cover. This was surprising to me because you would think a big company like Blizzard would be able to put out a little bit better quality of book. But that's not a big deal really.
I did want to mention in this review that I thought that the action scenes were very well detailed however the love scenes fell flat. Maybe it's because I'm a romantic at heart but I wanted a little bit more in the love scenes than what was given.
All in all the book was well written and the story was very well executed. I even got very upset at this book at the end because one of my favorite characters will not be making an appearance in the next two books of the series 😢 But I digress. My point is, that for a book to bring out that kind of emotion in me means that it was really well written and I was able to get into the story enough to be upset at something like that happening in the storyline.
Can't wait to read the next two books!
I did want to mention that this book gave me the feeling of it being simply Xerox copied with a pretty cover. This was surprising to me because you would think a big company like Blizzard would be able to put out a little bit better quality of book. But that's not a big deal really.
I did want to mention in this review that I thought that the action scenes were very well detailed however the love scenes fell flat. Maybe it's because I'm a romantic at heart but I wanted a little bit more in the love scenes than what was given.
All in all the book was well written and the story was very well executed. I even got very upset at this book at the end because one of my favorite characters will not be making an appearance in the next two books of the series 😢 But I digress. My point is, that for a book to bring out that kind of emotion in me means that it was really well written and I was able to get into the story enough to be upset at something like that happening in the storyline.
Can't wait to read the next two books!
July 8, 2023
Maybe more a 3.5? 3.75? I hate this star scale.
I was never bored, which is a great compliment, despite the general plot being a pretty standard “hero’s journey” (which I obviously have no problem with). The writing style was not for me. In particular, the author had a tendency to refer to characters as their relation to other people, which really drove me nuts, especially for the female characters (Serenthia is her own woman, can we stop calling her “Cyrus’s daughter,” please?) Anyway. I’m not sure why this is, but I never find the main character all that compelling, and Uldyssian is no exception. The supporting characters are far more interesting, in particular everyone’s favorite demoness (#teamlilith) and Uldyssian’s little brother, Mendeln, who seems to be a budding necromancer (yay!). I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.
I was never bored, which is a great compliment, despite the general plot being a pretty standard “hero’s journey” (which I obviously have no problem with). The writing style was not for me. In particular, the author had a tendency to refer to characters as their relation to other people, which really drove me nuts, especially for the female characters (Serenthia is her own woman, can we stop calling her “Cyrus’s daughter,” please?) Anyway. I’m not sure why this is, but I never find the main character all that compelling, and Uldyssian is no exception. The supporting characters are far more interesting, in particular everyone’s favorite demoness (#teamlilith) and Uldyssian’s little brother, Mendeln, who seems to be a budding necromancer (yay!). I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.
September 27, 2024
Dragonlance. Conan. WarCraft. Shattered Light. Diablo. All formidable names (Well, except for Shattered Light). Richard owes his career to the first, but by continuously writing within this universe of media tie-ins he has eternally chained himself to them. He does have his own works — four stand-alone novels and a ten-book series called The Dragonrealm — but they get nowhere near the amount of press these other works do. Even with the exposure he’s received by associating with such media giants, I know no one else who reads him let alone recognizes his name when I mention it. By writing in these other worlds and within other author’s guidelines, Richard Knaak has deprived himself of developing his own brand. I have read enough decent books by him that he should be a larger draw than he currently is, and there seems to be no other explanation for this.
Which is rather sad, as Knaak does provide an excellent story — on occasion. I discovered Richard in the Dragonlance series in his terrific books The Legend of Huma and Kaz the Minotaur and followed him into his own world, The Dragonrealm. I enjoyed the first six books of this series, but the stories steadily decreased in creativity and sustainability after that. I’ve read two of his stand-alones, rather enjoying Frostwing but finding King of the Grey to be simply okay. For me, his best work by far has been within the Dragonlance collection. Despite the hit-or-miss quality of Knaak’s books and the narrow spectrum within which he allows himself to write, I really haven’t read a ‘bad’ book by him. Until this one.
Knaak should have swapped his Birthright for a bowl of porridge. He would have been better served.
There is not much good to say about this book. Every single character but the protagonist is interesting. Yet only one of these secondary characters is worth further reading — and my curiosity has not been aroused enough for me to read any further in this proposed trilogy.
The novel tells the story of Sanctuary (the name the devils and angels know earth by) and the eternal war between what passes for heaven and hell in Diablo. It is the story of one man, hunted for heinous crimes he did not — could not — commit and the path to justice and redemption he is forced to follow, first as an unwitting pawn of the combatants, then as an unwitting pawn of his own boringly dull lack of intelligence and his sheer dumb luck. We are also forced to follow along, not with our character and his obligatory sidekicks, but as detached observers. Something separates us from Knaak’s characters; there is no empathy, no collaboration, no living vicariously through any one of them.
Every step our trepid ‘hero’ takes in the right direction is through the inadvertent guidance of his friends or plain old luck — the kind he considers bad luck and is too dumb to realize it’s saved his backside yet again. And no, sadly this novel is neither spoof nor humor piece.
Our hero is arrested, duped, ambushed, injured, defeated, victorious. He kills, he loves, he tries to think, he tries to be a friend, he sees friends die and grotesqueries abound. He faces demons and devils, warriors and women, worship and wonder. He overly-discusses every single one of these occurrences with himself and without learning a thing from any of them. I weary of his thoughts long before the end of the book draws near. From first word to last, Knaak elicits within me a tearless ennui.
The book is loaded with blundering prose. There is a heavy attachment to -ly words, childish phrasing, and extraneous unnecessary and convoluted wording. There is lots of very poor, redundant, and often ridiculous word usage. There are even numerous mistaken identities, naming a character on one page and then, on the ensuing page, having a different character (sometimes not even present in the scene) continuing the action in question. This book is a prime example of careless writing in my opinion. These weren’t errors caused by typesetters and printers. These are definitely author errors and possibly editor errors, depending upon whether or not the editor’s job description still mentions story continuity.
“I will say this succinctly and clearly only one more time!” (p. 47)
This is a bad book, filled with hokey writing. Please don’t waste time reading this! Would I recommend Birthright (Diablo: The Sin War, Book I) by Richard A. Knaak to my friends? Absolutely not – NO!
Which is rather sad, as Knaak does provide an excellent story — on occasion. I discovered Richard in the Dragonlance series in his terrific books The Legend of Huma and Kaz the Minotaur and followed him into his own world, The Dragonrealm. I enjoyed the first six books of this series, but the stories steadily decreased in creativity and sustainability after that. I’ve read two of his stand-alones, rather enjoying Frostwing but finding King of the Grey to be simply okay. For me, his best work by far has been within the Dragonlance collection. Despite the hit-or-miss quality of Knaak’s books and the narrow spectrum within which he allows himself to write, I really haven’t read a ‘bad’ book by him. Until this one.
Knaak should have swapped his Birthright for a bowl of porridge. He would have been better served.
There is not much good to say about this book. Every single character but the protagonist is interesting. Yet only one of these secondary characters is worth further reading — and my curiosity has not been aroused enough for me to read any further in this proposed trilogy.
The novel tells the story of Sanctuary (the name the devils and angels know earth by) and the eternal war between what passes for heaven and hell in Diablo. It is the story of one man, hunted for heinous crimes he did not — could not — commit and the path to justice and redemption he is forced to follow, first as an unwitting pawn of the combatants, then as an unwitting pawn of his own boringly dull lack of intelligence and his sheer dumb luck. We are also forced to follow along, not with our character and his obligatory sidekicks, but as detached observers. Something separates us from Knaak’s characters; there is no empathy, no collaboration, no living vicariously through any one of them.
Every step our trepid ‘hero’ takes in the right direction is through the inadvertent guidance of his friends or plain old luck — the kind he considers bad luck and is too dumb to realize it’s saved his backside yet again. And no, sadly this novel is neither spoof nor humor piece.
Our hero is arrested, duped, ambushed, injured, defeated, victorious. He kills, he loves, he tries to think, he tries to be a friend, he sees friends die and grotesqueries abound. He faces demons and devils, warriors and women, worship and wonder. He overly-discusses every single one of these occurrences with himself and without learning a thing from any of them. I weary of his thoughts long before the end of the book draws near. From first word to last, Knaak elicits within me a tearless ennui.
The book is loaded with blundering prose. There is a heavy attachment to -ly words, childish phrasing, and extraneous unnecessary and convoluted wording. There is lots of very poor, redundant, and often ridiculous word usage. There are even numerous mistaken identities, naming a character on one page and then, on the ensuing page, having a different character (sometimes not even present in the scene) continuing the action in question. This book is a prime example of careless writing in my opinion. These weren’t errors caused by typesetters and printers. These are definitely author errors and possibly editor errors, depending upon whether or not the editor’s job description still mentions story continuity.
“I will say this succinctly and clearly only one more time!” (p. 47)
This is a bad book, filled with hokey writing. Please don’t waste time reading this! Would I recommend Birthright (Diablo: The Sin War, Book I) by Richard A. Knaak to my friends? Absolutely not – NO!
July 15, 2014
Can we stop ripping off Greek myth? This book was atrociously blatant in this regard. Come on, the book uses names like Uldyssian, Achillios, the town Partha (for Parthenon), Romus the former cutthroat (because, hey, we need a dash of Roman myth, too), Lillith the temptress, Lucion the son of Mephisto. Yeah, no, I couldn't see the foreshadowing from a mile away if I was blind and dumb. I really hope that most of this was Blizzard's fault and wouldn't have spent a dime on this book had I known it was going to be this bad.
May 13, 2023
Lore är en intressant sak. Sin War-trilogin är fokuserad runt händelsen i lore med samma namn, som tar plats ett par tusen år före händelsen av Diablo-serien. Och eftersom det är så långt före, har väldigt få av dessa händelser någon större effekt. Speciellt eftersom Sin War skrevs mellan Diablo II och III, och de viktigaste bitarna återberättas i Diablo III.
Men ändå är det fascinerande. Richard Knaak har här skapat en historia utan någon relevans som ändå fångar dig. En av de bästa delarna av Diablo har alltid varit den expansiva världen, och dessa böcker beskriver en värld före den världen vi känner på ett nästan lika bra sätt. Man kan tro att världen ska kunna finnas, och viktigare, man kan tro att denna världen slutligen leder till världen i Diablo.
Jag började läsa denna bok för att lära mig mer Diablo lore. Boken lägger dock inte till mycket förutom det som är relevant rörande det titulära "Sin War", men kriget i sig har en relativt stor plats i lore, så jag skulle säga att den nyfikenheten har blivit behagad. Speciellt gillade jag hur Knaak skriver om de två dominanta religionerna vid tiden, de s.k. Cathedral of Light och Triune. De är helt döda i Diablos nutid (och har ingen lore relevans utanför detta krig), men man blir ändå intresserad i dem och hur de fungerade.
Den svagaste delen är nog karaktärerna? De är alla relativt platta. Uldyssian, vår huvudperson, får lite mer djup, och jag hoppas att han kommer utvecklas mer i senare böcker. Jag hoppas alla dessa kommer utvecklas mer. Två böcker kvar.
Achilios förtjänade bättre.
Lucion är dock en skräckinjagande antagonist. Lite underanvänd men har ändå en stark närvaro genom boken. Hans syster, Lilith, är menad att vara en starkare och mer personlig fiende, och jag gillade atmosfären hon hade i boken men den faktiska karaktären var rätt monoton.
Ett annat problem boken har är att Uldyssian har dessa krafter som gör att han är lösningen till nästan varenda problem gruppen stöter på, vilket ger resten av huvudpersoner mindre chans att lysa. Dock tror jag att denna boken handlar mer om Uldyssian och hur hans krafter ändrar världen och personerna runtomkring honom, och på det sättet är det intressant att ha flera perspektiv och faktumet att Uldyssian har så mycket vikt är en viktig del i hans karaktär. Men forfarande, jag skulle vilja se lite mer av de andra.
Achilios förtjänade bättre.
I sammanfattning, det är en bra bok som har några svagheter men i storhet lyckas med att expandera världen av Diablo och ha en väldigt Diablo-lik känsla som verkligen ger dig inlevande i denna mörka och rika miljö.
4/5, skulle rekommendera denna bok starkt om du gillar Diablo, speciellt om du gillar dess rika historia, värld och lore. Achilios förtjänade dock bättre.
Men ändå är det fascinerande. Richard Knaak har här skapat en historia utan någon relevans som ändå fångar dig. En av de bästa delarna av Diablo har alltid varit den expansiva världen, och dessa böcker beskriver en värld före den världen vi känner på ett nästan lika bra sätt. Man kan tro att världen ska kunna finnas, och viktigare, man kan tro att denna världen slutligen leder till världen i Diablo.
Jag började läsa denna bok för att lära mig mer Diablo lore. Boken lägger dock inte till mycket förutom det som är relevant rörande det titulära "Sin War", men kriget i sig har en relativt stor plats i lore, så jag skulle säga att den nyfikenheten har blivit behagad. Speciellt gillade jag hur Knaak skriver om de två dominanta religionerna vid tiden, de s.k. Cathedral of Light och Triune. De är helt döda i Diablos nutid (och har ingen lore relevans utanför detta krig), men man blir ändå intresserad i dem och hur de fungerade.
Den svagaste delen är nog karaktärerna? De är alla relativt platta. Uldyssian, vår huvudperson, får lite mer djup, och jag hoppas att han kommer utvecklas mer i senare böcker. Jag hoppas alla dessa kommer utvecklas mer. Två böcker kvar.
Achilios förtjänade bättre.
Lucion är dock en skräckinjagande antagonist. Lite underanvänd men har ändå en stark närvaro genom boken. Hans syster, Lilith, är menad att vara en starkare och mer personlig fiende, och jag gillade atmosfären hon hade i boken men den faktiska karaktären var rätt monoton.
Ett annat problem boken har är att Uldyssian har dessa krafter som gör att han är lösningen till nästan varenda problem gruppen stöter på, vilket ger resten av huvudpersoner mindre chans att lysa. Dock tror jag att denna boken handlar mer om Uldyssian och hur hans krafter ändrar världen och personerna runtomkring honom, och på det sättet är det intressant att ha flera perspektiv och faktumet att Uldyssian har så mycket vikt är en viktig del i hans karaktär. Men forfarande, jag skulle vilja se lite mer av de andra.
Achilios förtjänade bättre.
I sammanfattning, det är en bra bok som har några svagheter men i storhet lyckas med att expandera världen av Diablo och ha en väldigt Diablo-lik känsla som verkligen ger dig inlevande i denna mörka och rika miljö.
4/5, skulle rekommendera denna bok starkt om du gillar Diablo, speciellt om du gillar dess rika historia, värld och lore. Achilios förtjänade dock bättre.
July 4, 2024
ogolnie spoko bo po ksiazce na podstawie gry nie spodziewalam sie zbyt wiele...? ale czuje sie zaskoczona tym jak latwo mnie wciagnela. jezyk typu prosty troche young adult core momentami ale nie nazbyt prosty wiec bylo okej. 3 gwiazdki to za malo, 4 to za duzo wiec oceniam tak w teorii na 3.5, moze 3.75 i niedlugo zajme sie kolejna czescia hihi 🫶 me omw to read every possible diablo book
March 2, 2013
Opinião em:
https://readingssunshine.wordpress.co...
O meu namorado é completamente viciado no jogo do Diablo, então eu ofereci-lhe o livro, mas… quem acabou por lê-lo fui eu (para variar). Depois de o jogo não dar no meu computador, decidi experimentar o livro…
O primeiro volume da trilogia The Sin War, é uma boa adição ao conhecimento de todo o universo do Diablo (jogo) incluído principalmente Tyrael e Inarius.
Há três mil anos atrás, Uldyssian, filho de Diomedes, era apenas um agricultou na vila de Seram. Possuía uma vida tranquila, o que lhe de dava uma grande felicidade, pelo menos até ao dia que á sua volta começam a surgir uns ambientes um quanto ou tanto escuros. Sendo responsabilizado por crimes que não cometeu, dois assassinatos de missionários intenerántes, Uldyssian é forçado então a por-se em fuga da sua terra natal e forçadamente mete-se numa missão perigosa para limpar o seu nome.
Não esperava era que se começasse a acontecer-lhe coisas estranhas que nunca lhe passou pela cabeça, poderes, ele tinha poderes que nenhum outro mortal tinha. Assim Uldyssian tem que lidar com estes novos poderes para que estes não devorei a pouca humanidade que lhe resta.
Acho que Knaak fez um bom trabalho com os ambientes e todos os cenários “criados” que fizeram com que me sentisse lá, acho que apesar de tudo isso é importante, para mim pelo menos e ver tudo a acontecer a minha frente é fantástico. As personagens são, claro, profundas e muito “vivas” que me fez querer estar com elas e me fez temer por elas.
A história é deveras interessante e é tudo tão intenso, vão gostar de Uldyssian e dos restantes personagens, e todo o mundo sobrenatural que envolve o livro.
Mas se alguém o for ler, é necessário ter uma coisa a mão… o próximo volume.
Acho que lhe vou oferecer os restantes *cof*cof*
https://readingssunshine.wordpress.co...
O meu namorado é completamente viciado no jogo do Diablo, então eu ofereci-lhe o livro, mas… quem acabou por lê-lo fui eu (para variar). Depois de o jogo não dar no meu computador, decidi experimentar o livro…
O primeiro volume da trilogia The Sin War, é uma boa adição ao conhecimento de todo o universo do Diablo (jogo) incluído principalmente Tyrael e Inarius.
Há três mil anos atrás, Uldyssian, filho de Diomedes, era apenas um agricultou na vila de Seram. Possuía uma vida tranquila, o que lhe de dava uma grande felicidade, pelo menos até ao dia que á sua volta começam a surgir uns ambientes um quanto ou tanto escuros. Sendo responsabilizado por crimes que não cometeu, dois assassinatos de missionários intenerántes, Uldyssian é forçado então a por-se em fuga da sua terra natal e forçadamente mete-se numa missão perigosa para limpar o seu nome.
Não esperava era que se começasse a acontecer-lhe coisas estranhas que nunca lhe passou pela cabeça, poderes, ele tinha poderes que nenhum outro mortal tinha. Assim Uldyssian tem que lidar com estes novos poderes para que estes não devorei a pouca humanidade que lhe resta.
Acho que Knaak fez um bom trabalho com os ambientes e todos os cenários “criados” que fizeram com que me sentisse lá, acho que apesar de tudo isso é importante, para mim pelo menos e ver tudo a acontecer a minha frente é fantástico. As personagens são, claro, profundas e muito “vivas” que me fez querer estar com elas e me fez temer por elas.
A história é deveras interessante e é tudo tão intenso, vão gostar de Uldyssian e dos restantes personagens, e todo o mundo sobrenatural que envolve o livro.
Mas se alguém o for ler, é necessário ter uma coisa a mão… o próximo volume.
Acho que lhe vou oferecer os restantes *cof*cof*
July 25, 2016
Dear gods, this books is bad. Not only as a book of it's own, but as part of the Diablo's lore. It's a shame that the most important piece of lore outside the games started so bad.
Full disclosure, I'm a big Diablo fan and not only I played the games since the very first one but I'm also quite fond of the game's lore. So while most just see in the games a fun hack n slash RPG, I really see a great universe and story. Having said that, this book is awful.
The story feels like a bad fanfic, where the author got carried away and forgot everything that made that universe great in the first place. Characters are flat and one dimensional, the pacing is really slow, and as far as Diablo's lore goes this feels more like X-men than a gothic tale of magic.
I mean...this is a universe where magic exist and is widely know. Where ancient mage clans fight each other for generations. So when a random farmer summons a storm amidst some supernatural murder, it's not much of a stretch to find reason within this universe. But the manner things unfold and how the characters react to it, it's plain idiotic both for the book's universe and the reader. (minor spoilers ahead)
It just hurt my suspension of disbelief when the main characters after learning he has powers, instead of trying to figure out where it came from and how to use it and it's limitations, his first instinct is to share with others. This make no sense whatsoever! There could be the argument that he was being manipulated somehow, but even then the way it unfold through out the book is just stupid!
Bad, this book is just bad. Which is a shame cause I really think that Diablo has a interesting universe that has it's own spin on the classic fantasy genre and this book does it no justice.
Full disclosure, I'm a big Diablo fan and not only I played the games since the very first one but I'm also quite fond of the game's lore. So while most just see in the games a fun hack n slash RPG, I really see a great universe and story. Having said that, this book is awful.
The story feels like a bad fanfic, where the author got carried away and forgot everything that made that universe great in the first place. Characters are flat and one dimensional, the pacing is really slow, and as far as Diablo's lore goes this feels more like X-men than a gothic tale of magic.
I mean...this is a universe where magic exist and is widely know. Where ancient mage clans fight each other for generations. So when a random farmer summons a storm amidst some supernatural murder, it's not much of a stretch to find reason within this universe. But the manner things unfold and how the characters react to it, it's plain idiotic both for the book's universe and the reader. (minor spoilers ahead)
It just hurt my suspension of disbelief when the main characters after learning he has powers, instead of trying to figure out where it came from and how to use it and it's limitations, his first instinct is to share with others. This make no sense whatsoever! There could be the argument that he was being manipulated somehow, but even then the way it unfold through out the book is just stupid!
Bad, this book is just bad. Which is a shame cause I really think that Diablo has a interesting universe that has it's own spin on the classic fantasy genre and this book does it no justice.
July 26, 2020
تا اینجا که به نظرم مجموعه وارکرفت این نویسنده قویتر بوده. با این حال ایده های جالبی در این داستان هست.
ببینم کتاب دوم و سوم چی میشه..
ببینم کتاب دوم و سوم چی میشه..
February 27, 2016
من توی کتاب خوندن آدم سختگیری نیستم اما گاهی با کتاب هایی روبرو می شم که نمی تونم یکباره بخونمشون. و علارغم میل باطنیم مدام به خودم و حس کنجکاویم افسار می زنم تا بیشتر از چهل صفحه از اون رو توی یه روز نخونم.
این کتاب یکی از این کتاب ها بود، چیزی که اونقدر لذیذ بود تا من رو وادار کنه آروم آروم بخونشم، که اگه تموم بشه من چه کنم بدون این کتاب؟
نویسنده بی شک یکی از نویسنده های مورد علاقه ی منه و داستان هم توی سبک مورد علاقه ی من نوشته شده. از طرفی وقتی ترجمه ی خوبِ دوست عزیزم، بهداد احمدی، پای کار میاد خوندن کتاب لذت بخش تر هم می شه. ترجمه ای که علاوه بر روان بودن به دلیل اشراف مترجم به داستان نویسی و البته سبکِ کتاب، به شدت خوش پخت و خوش مزه است.
البته نباید از ضرباهنگ کمِ ابتدای داستان گذشت که البته دلیل خوبی پشتش نهفته است. با دنیایی روبرو هستیم متفاوت از دنیای ما و قراره این دنیا معرفی بشه و شخصیت اصلی ویژگی هاش رو برای ما بروز بده. که البته شاید می شد کمی بیشتر توی ماجراها این کار رو بکنه اما در نهایت تصمیم نویسنده همین بوده و ما بهش احترام میذاریم.
ممنون از ناک و بهداد عزیز. دی:
این کتاب یکی از این کتاب ها بود، چیزی که اونقدر لذیذ بود تا من رو وادار کنه آروم آروم بخونشم، که اگه تموم بشه من چه کنم بدون این کتاب؟
نویسنده بی شک یکی از نویسنده های مورد علاقه ی منه و داستان هم توی سبک مورد علاقه ی من نوشته شده. از طرفی وقتی ترجمه ی خوبِ دوست عزیزم، بهداد احمدی، پای کار میاد خوندن کتاب لذت بخش تر هم می شه. ترجمه ای که علاوه بر روان بودن به دلیل اشراف مترجم به داستان نویسی و البته سبکِ کتاب، به شدت خوش پخت و خوش مزه است.
البته نباید از ضرباهنگ کمِ ابتدای داستان گذشت که البته دلیل خوبی پشتش نهفته است. با دنیایی روبرو هستیم متفاوت از دنیای ما و قراره این دنیا معرفی بشه و شخصیت اصلی ویژگی هاش رو برای ما بروز بده. که البته شاید می شد کمی بیشتر توی ماجراها این کار رو بکنه اما در نهایت تصمیم نویسنده همین بوده و ما بهش احترام میذاریم.
ممنون از ناک و بهداد عزیز. دی:
June 15, 2011
The characters are alive and just deep enough that you'll feel for them and worry about their safety or sanity. The protagonist is very likeable and the plot twists keep you on your toes throughout the story. I couldn't find anything I didn't really like about it. The slow parts are not very long and in the usual Knaak style, things just keep moving along. Excellent background story to the world of Sanctuary.
February 5, 2012
It's an ok book. I would have honestly expected a lot more from this book, considering how much effort Blizzard puts in their games and how good they are..
If you're not a Diablo fan, I do not recommend it.
If you're not a Diablo fan, I do not recommend it.
July 17, 2015
ریوو به زودی
August 17, 2023
I first became aware of these books around the time of the Diablo IV release (June 2023), after listening to/watching some lore-related podcasts & videos. Unfortunately, the way those other sources told the story was far more compelling than this book. It’s an interesting story, but the writing is so contrived it’s almost painful. Imagine someone writing a book based on the pseudo-medieval language style of the game. It’s fun in-game, because it’s intermittent. It gets old and clunky really fast in book form.
Three and a half stars. I already own the other two, so I’ll read them. I *do* want to see how the details play out. After that…I might just donate them to the library. And I’ll definitely check reviews before buying any other novelizations.
Three and a half stars. I already own the other two, so I’ll read them. I *do* want to see how the details play out. After that…I might just donate them to the library. And I’ll definitely check reviews before buying any other novelizations.
October 25, 2020
So haunting and intriguing, also including distinctive symbolic characters that make the reader not stop until the very last words. Loved it, and gonna read the other books!
March 8, 2017
A savage plague ravaged the land called Sanctuary. One of the townships affected was Seram - a peaceful village whom Uldyssian ul-Diomed, a humble farmer, called home. His family was one of those affected by it, and many a missionary from the various religious sects told him that they can cure his family should he join them and believe. There was no cure. Only he and Mendeln, his brother, were left. Uldyssian became jaded and grew to loathe the sects.
His trouble started the day he met Lylia, a mysterious city girl, and found in her a kindred spirit as she too felt animosity towards the sects as she had lost her family to their infighting. Not long after, several missionaries were found dead and his knife was found lodged in one of them. Being accused of the deed without a proper investigation, he starts manifesting strange powers: his cell doors unlock, the inquisitor is struck by lightning, a terrible storm starts to manifest, and an earthquake to cover their escape… All through the power of his will.
He flees the village, but is followed by his brother Mendeln, his best friend Achilios, and the two girls battling for his affection, Serenthia, daughter of the town trader and the mysterious Lylia. He starts travelling towards Kehjan, where the mage guilds lie in order to find out more about his powers… his “Birthright”.
Richard Kanaak tells a story of discovery of one’s self, of love and loss… Of unrequited love, the bond of family and the burdens of leadership. This is a complex tale and builds up the characters quite nicely. This is not just a “hack and slash” story.
Now, it’s been years since I last played Diablo (Hellfire to be exact), and I am very much unfamiliar with the world building that the developers have done since then, but I understand that the “Sin Wars” Trilogy acts as some kind of prequel to the entire Diablo series. I would very much like to see how these events leads up to the original game. If it does, I would be so happy.
This books isn’t for minors. Aside from the violence, there are several instances of “bumping uglies” but they’re artistically done. Recommended for Diablo players.
His trouble started the day he met Lylia, a mysterious city girl, and found in her a kindred spirit as she too felt animosity towards the sects as she had lost her family to their infighting. Not long after, several missionaries were found dead and his knife was found lodged in one of them. Being accused of the deed without a proper investigation, he starts manifesting strange powers: his cell doors unlock, the inquisitor is struck by lightning, a terrible storm starts to manifest, and an earthquake to cover their escape… All through the power of his will.
He flees the village, but is followed by his brother Mendeln, his best friend Achilios, and the two girls battling for his affection, Serenthia, daughter of the town trader and the mysterious Lylia. He starts travelling towards Kehjan, where the mage guilds lie in order to find out more about his powers… his “Birthright”.
Richard Kanaak tells a story of discovery of one’s self, of love and loss… Of unrequited love, the bond of family and the burdens of leadership. This is a complex tale and builds up the characters quite nicely. This is not just a “hack and slash” story.
Now, it’s been years since I last played Diablo (Hellfire to be exact), and I am very much unfamiliar with the world building that the developers have done since then, but I understand that the “Sin Wars” Trilogy acts as some kind of prequel to the entire Diablo series. I would very much like to see how these events leads up to the original game. If it does, I would be so happy.
This books isn’t for minors. Aside from the violence, there are several instances of “bumping uglies” but they’re artistically done. Recommended for Diablo players.
October 7, 2013
This is the first novel I'm reading since I was in high school. I've been playing a lot of Diablo III and I'm a huge fan of the Diablo-series in general so I decided to tryout The Sin War novels since they're the first ones chronologically.
I found the story really interesting since it takes place in a time period not seen in any of the games and long before the first Diablo game, thus there's a lot of backstory regarding the birth of the nephalem and the angels' and demons' roles in the creation of Sanctuary. You won't know most of the characters in the trilogy but there are still a few familiar faces and quite a few characters related to them which was really cool to read about. I instantly fell in love with the main characters and Knaak is doing an excellent job writing in detail about all the characters and places so that you really feel you're there. The beginning of Birthright, taking place in the small, cosy village called Seram, and the events panning out there was my favorite part and it really set a good tone for the rest of the trilogy.
I found the story really interesting since it takes place in a time period not seen in any of the games and long before the first Diablo game, thus there's a lot of backstory regarding the birth of the nephalem and the angels' and demons' roles in the creation of Sanctuary. You won't know most of the characters in the trilogy but there are still a few familiar faces and quite a few characters related to them which was really cool to read about. I instantly fell in love with the main characters and Knaak is doing an excellent job writing in detail about all the characters and places so that you really feel you're there. The beginning of Birthright, taking place in the small, cosy village called Seram, and the events panning out there was my favorite part and it really set a good tone for the rest of the trilogy.
May 25, 2022
This was really interesting because it put a lot a of story details into order. Like how human's have magical abilities that aren't tied to demonic or angelic, such as the necromancers. It also changes the stories idea to a two-side war, between demons and angels, into a three-way war.
I liked a lot about this, specially Mendeln's side of the story which fascinated me. I don't care for wishy-washy characters, and Uldyssian does hit this in some ways, but it's completely understandable for him in this story. I do hope that he becomes a more resilient character in the next book.
I liked a lot about this, specially Mendeln's side of the story which fascinated me. I don't care for wishy-washy characters, and Uldyssian does hit this in some ways, but it's completely understandable for him in this story. I do hope that he becomes a more resilient character in the next book.
June 3, 2017
I grew up playing this game series with my grandfather so this book was very nostalgic to me. The story is like that of any good fantasy novel and while in some respect is predictable the characters and environment of diablo are unique and capture your attention.
September 8, 2017
Die Story, die dieses Buch erzählen möchte ich gar nicht schlecht, nur der Autor konnte sie nicht schreiben. Ich habe mich bis zur Hälfte durchgequält, es aber dann abgebrochen.
Den Stern bekommt es nur für die Story die schön hätte sein können.
Den Stern bekommt es nur für die Story die schön hätte sein können.
August 31, 2010
Diablo was a smash hit game and now awesome books.
October 26, 2010
I don't really mess around too much with fantasy novels and I figured that Diablo would be a good way to start out. Boy was I wrong.
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