Diablo III: The Order

Greetings and salutations! :DFor fans of the Diablo series, or for those that fancy Diablo universe lore...I highly recommend Diablo 3: The Order!Mr. Nate Kenyon did a phenomenal job in telling yet another tale of Sanctuary. The transitions are well written, and the story flows rather magnificently.As other people have stated in their reviews, the author was quite descriptive and remained true to the overall feeling of the dark, gritty atmosphere of the Diablo series.The Order essentially fills in some story line and plot from the Diablo series; taking place after the destruction of the Worldstone. Although the story involves many characters, you won't find an incredible depth to each and every one... but still manages to keep seemingly every character interesting. Also, "The Order" introduces and reveals information about Leah in her younger years... but where "The Order" truly shines is in its telling of Cain, his history and much of his plight, both past and present.... much of which was incredibly surprising to me; information that is not revealed or gleaned in the Diablo game series.Forgive me for my nergasm, but the most exciting part of the book.. albeit brief, is the mentioning of certain characters from the other novels, such as Legacy of Blood!I find myself enjoying the Diablo universe far more when novels and characters from the same universe crossover.I don't want to ruin the surprise so I'll leave it at that, but fans won't be disappointed as they venture into the later chapters of the story.I found that I greatly enjoyed this captivating story. A must read for Diablo fans, especially for those seeking to gain more insight in the life of Cain. My respect and admiration for the character of Deckard Cain grew tenfold after reading "The Order". Here I thought Leah suffered quite a bit... and yet, arguably, Cain seems to better fit the title of "Tragic Hero".Here's to hoping the characters from the other novels make an appearance in future installments and expansions of Diablo 3! (Actually involvement in the storyline.. not a cameo)(Tangent time!) Its a tad disappointing... that despite everything Cain has been through, the dangers he has faced... enemies, demons, etc... I still find myself just.. disappointed in the route that the writers decided to take in Diablo 3 involving Deckard Cain.

Nate Kenyon's Diablo III prequel is compelling and informative; what Diablo III itself should have been. Kenyon's words make the character of Deckard Cain take on new life as a living, breathing scholar of Sanctuary, rather than that old guy at the campfire who ID's your junk. Cain's past is revealed to carry true heartbreak and deeper grief than most players of Diablo can imagine: his guilt over the outbreaks at Tristram are only the start! Cain's family history is dealt with in greater detail, and Kenyon does a marvelous job of showing the reader exactly why Leah refers to him with such affection. There is real character development on Cain's behalf, here.Leah is not as well-written, although she has some shining moments that could have been worked on further in the game's story, but are sadly neglected entirely. Her story of learning to fight with a bow is quite well-done, and more's the shame that Blizzard did nothing to capitalize upon Kenyon's genius. However, exciting points aside, Leah remains a frightened little girl for much of the story, and her ignorance and disbelief in the Burning Hells is, unfortunately, explained away with Jungian flair; her memory is suppressed by the trauma of the book's climax.These are not necessarily Kenyon's failings, however. He no doubt had to write within Blizzard's parameters for the story, and the story dictated certain events happen but not be told in Diablo III. With that consideration, Kenyon did extremely well by the universe's history and novelcrafting in general.All told; Kenyon puts together a strong cast of main and supporting characters, and the struggle he details for them is palpable throughout the novel.If you are a fan of Diablo in general or just like good story-telling driven by character drama, The Order by Nate Kenyon is an excellent read.

This book stands out as being the only one in the Diablo series of books to actually feature characters from the games, and to have any more than a tangential link to those plots. The Sin War series is set 3000 years before the games, and the various stories in the Archive are either non-canon or barely linked to the central storyline as portrayed in the three games. As such, regardless of its other qualities or faults, you actually feel like you're reading a Diablo story rather than a general fantasy story with "Diablo" written on the cover.I'd agree with the otherwise ludicrous 1-star review in that it is pretty slow going at first. I feel the author doesn't really convey exactly what Deckard is trying to achieve or the urgency of that task, and as such you're spending your time waiting for a hook that stubbornly refuses to appear for a few chapters. Any other complaints are, in my opinion, typical of all such licensed novels and aren't really particular to this book specifically. The writing style can feel quite pedestrian, some of the descriptions fall a little flat and sound silly, giving the impression that the author is trying too hard. For example, his description of Hell, as viewed by one character, is meant to sound maddeningly depraved and horrific, yet rather than the Lovecraftian terror he reaches for, you just get a kind of mild disgust - more akin to looking at a bowl of worms that the darkest recesses of Hell. Again, those are things I've found in all licensed, franchise books like this. Of the Diablo books, this is the least guilty of those faults, Knaak's being the most guilty by far.Cain's world-weariness is conveyed well, you get the feeling that he's just a dusty bag of old bones, animated only by the importance of his task. Leah comes across as haunted, distant and lost. She's been abandoned by her biological mother, then brought up to the age of 8 by a woman slowly being consumed by the awful memories of what happened in Tristram in the first Diablo game; a woman who seemingly alternates between hating Leah and being terrified of her. The fondness she later speaks of "Uncle Deckard" with is developed in this book as she goes from pariah to surrogate daughter of creaky old Cain. It's interesting to see the contrast with her warmer and more open personality in Diablo III, and frames her reluctance to accept Cain's belief in the prophecy of The End Times as less a lack of trust and more an attempt to block out her traumatic childhood memories.This book is solid rather than spectacular, and while not exactly a fantasy classic, judged as what it is - further backstory and lore in the Diablo setting - it's a great success and has been rated accordingly.

Great read. The story is interesting if you like the lore of the Diablo series. Would recommend

I am a huge Diablo lore enthusiast and this book has satisfied my need for expansion of events prior to the game Diablo 3. If you are looking for a well paced read set in sanctuary i definitely advise reading this.

Sets up the plot for diablo 3 and does a great job developing the relationship between Cain and leah. A must read for diablo fans

Le di un 4 de 5, porque esperaba un poco mas de detalles acerca de Leah, pero no esta nada mal.La novela narra los eventos que preceden al juego de Diablo 3, Narra la historia de como Deckard Conoció y adoptó a Leah y todas las aventuras que pasaron con ella para encontrar a los ultimos horadrim.Recomiendo este libro a todos los fans de la saga Diablo. y especialmente a los que han jugado o quieren jugar Diablo 3.