Diablo III: Storm of Light

This book bridges the events between Acts 4 and 5 of Diablo 3: the video game. This book stands out for its focus on the politics and perspective on the Angiris Council, and Tyrael's (difficult) life and choices as a mortal Aspect of Wisdom.Worth picking up for any fan of Diablo 3. Possibly the best of the Diablo novels to date.

Hardcore Diablo Lore fanatics (such as myself) need no encouragement to pick up the latest canon Diablo story book.Even if that were not the case, I was so impressed with the author, Mr. Kenyon and his work on 'The Book of Cain' that I was more than prepared to pick up 'Storm of Light'.The insight and all around information given on Cain's youth, his past, his regrets, inner thoughts... was phenomonal, as was Mr. Kenyon's prose and manner in telling the story.The author once again does not disappoint in 'Storm of Light'.For those on the fence, I highly recommend reading the previous stories within Diablo lore prior to reading this book, such as The Sin War Trilogy, Moon of the Spider, Sword of Justice (as well as the other comic book installments associated with the series) and The Black Road.The reading material up above is not absolutely necessary in understanding the events of this story, however one of the major positives of 'Storm of Light' is its mentioning and inclusion of characters and referencing from the other books! I thought that was pretty awesome and came as quite the surprise. (Especially in regards to the 'The Black Road')As other reviewers have commented, the story does struggle slightly during the middle.I found the large ensemble cast of characters a double-edged sword (Pun intended) as I was impressedwith the inclusion of so many characters, yet it takes away from revealing too much of any single character or additional insights like 'The Book of Cain' did in regards to Deckard Cain.Now if only we could see said characters within the actual game, even if just a small cameo.Anyhow, happy reading everyone :D

The story is great. A very nice introduction to RoS, my only complaint about this book is that some of the letters on the right margin fade out. It does not detract from the story just a peeve of my own. The story itself is great for people who want to go more into the lore of the Diablo univer se. The problem with the formatting is only for the Kindle version only.

Thanks!

Amazing book that explains the events leading up to Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls aswell as the fates of many great heroes from previous novels. My only main gripe is that the adventures of the heroes leading up to this would of been an excellent couple of books on there own and the attempt to explain the years of time between characters making there reappearance would of really made you care about them more especially if you had not read the previous titles 'The Order', 'City of the Damned', 'The Sin War Trilogy' and the 'Sword of Justice' Graphic novels all of which I recommend reading even if you already read 'Storm of Light' as there great content in there own right.

Yet again another fantastic novel explaining in between game and expansion on how the story progressed. A few returning characters make this book one for the Diablo fans.

This was a nice book. Characters are fairly well developed and it contains a good amount of diablo-esq action actually. The story is a bit slow in the middle, but is overall good and more than adequately fills the story gap between D3 and ROS. Well worth it for anyone really into the story elements of the diablo franchise.

Another great chapter in the Diablo universe. This basically being a build up to the D3 expansion, it gives a much needed "lore boost" to those finding the game lacking.However, it's an excellent addition to any fantasy lover's library regardless of being a fan of the game or even the Diablo fiction. Nate Kenyon is quickly becoming one of my new favorite fiction authors.

English Version (German below)I have now read almost all the Diablo books and unfortunately have to say that this book is one of the worst in terms of content, as far as the previous books are concerned. There are too many "main characters" in it and no one has a chance to develop properly. Even old acquaintances like the necromancer Zayl, who actually has a great back story, seems downright silly and completely out of context.Unlike the rest of the books, the whole story just feels completely rushed, you can barely form a bond with the characters. The book is good, on the other hand, as it fills in the events "between" Act 4 and Diablo's "Reaper of Souls" expansion, what happened to the Black Soulstone and how it gets back to Sanctuary. Interesting insights into the mindset of the High Heavens and the angels, also about their origin story and the individual aspects of Heaven. In terms of character development, however, absolutely weak.Fewer characters and "proper" motivation would have been much more effective here. And to cut down well-known, well-written characters that their motivation and actions are more than questionable was not a good decision either. It would have been better not to use a well-known character, to use fewer characters and then to define them better and give them more background.In the end, the troupe remains separated into individual groups almost to the end and only in a few final paragraphs on the last pages they do throw everything "overboard" and then give each other recognition and appreciation. Quite naturally, as a sudden idea. And also a small section on the actual sarcasm on the part of the necromancer finally finds its way into the book and one could guess for a brief moment how multi-layered this character had actually been written in "Moon of the Spider".Neither the barbarian Gynvir is convincing as a real barbarian, nor the "successor-Deckard Cain", also the pseudo-leader Jacob of Staalbreak is only described very superficially and pours himself far too much into self-pity. The sorceress Shanar has a few interesting moments, but they are all just so "flat" and brief that you don't really get any insights into her talents. And the monk Mikulov just seems completely out of place and "competes" in some abilities (astral travel, "balance" and the like) in a clumsy way with the necromancer Zayl. And about the latter, all I have to say is: he was a great in "The Kingdom of Shadows" and especially in "Moon of the Spider". The latter book offered a great hook for a new comprehensive, exciting story in the Diablo series, instead this character was almost completely taken out of context, reduced to minimalist behaviour and seems completely out of place. A completely new character representing the caste of necromancers in "Storm of light" would have been quite sufficient and would not have been such a bitter disappointment.In summary: those who don't know the previous books will find the book quite nice. If you want to know more about the angels and the High Heavens, this is also the right book for you. If you want to experience great characters with whom you grow together and who excel in their multi-layered actions and interactions with their fellow humans and fellow heroes, you will be sorely disappointed.Can I recommend it - it depends. Except for the additional information about the creation of the angels and the High Heavens, this book is the weakest in the Diablo series. And it doesn't otherwise bring any interesting developments or great characters. The series can do that better - both in the games and in the associated books.------Deutsche VersionIch habe nun nahezu alle Diablo Bücher gelesen und muss leider sagen, dieses Buch ist inhaltlich eines der schlechtesten, was die bisherigen Bücher angeht. Es sind zu viele "Hauptcharaktere" enthalten und keiner hat eine Chance sich richtig zu entwickeln. Auch alte Bekannte wie der Nekromant Zayl, der eigentlich eine großartige Vorgeschichte hat, wirkt geradezu dumm und völlig aus dem Kontext gerissen.Anders als in den übrigen Büchern fühlt sich die gesamte Geschichte einfach nur völlig übereilt an, man kann kaum eine Bindung zu den Charakteren aufbauen. Gut ist das Buch hingegen, da es die Ereignisse "zwischen" Akt 4 und der Expansion "Reaper of Souls" von Diablo füllt, was mit dem schwarzen Seelenstein passiert ist und wie er zurück nach Sanktuario gelangt. Interessante Einblicke in die Denkweise der Hohen Himmel und der Engel, auch über deren Enstehungsgeschichte und die einzelnen Aspekte des Himmels. Hinsichtlich der Charakterentwicklung aber absolut schwach.Weniger Charaktere und "richtige" Motivation wäre hier viel effektiver gewesen. Und bekannte, gut geschriebene Charaktere schlussendlich so zu beschneiden, dass deren Motivation und Handeln mehr als fraglich ist war auch keine gute Entscheidung. Dann lieber keinen bekannten Charakter nehmen, weniger Charaktere und diese dafür dann besser ausdefinieren und mehr Hintergrund geben.Schlussendlich bleibt die Truppe fast bis zum Schluss eher in einzelnen Gruppen separiert und lediglich in ein paar finalen Absätzen auf den letzten Seiten, werfen sie quasi alles "über Bord" und geben sich dann doch noch Anerkennung und Wertschätzung. Ganz selbstverständlich, als plötzliche Idee. Und auch ein kleiner Abschnitt über den eigentlichen Sarkasmus seitens des Nekromanten findet schließlich Einzug in das Buch und man konnte für einen kurzen Moment erahnen, wie vielschichtig dieser Charakter eigentlich gerade in "Mond der Spinne" geschrieben worden war.Weder die Barbarin Gynvir überzeugt als echte Barbarin, noch der "Nachfolger-Deckard Cain", auch der Pseudo-Anführer Jacob of Staalbreak ist nur sehr oberflächlich beschrieben und ergießt sich viel zu sehr in Selbstmitleid. Die Zauberin Shanar hat ein paar interessante Momente, die aber alle nur so "flach" und kurz gehalten sind, dass man gar nicht wirklich Einblicke in ihre Talente bekommt. Und der Mönch Mikulov wirkt einfach völlig deplatziert und "konkurriert" in einigen Fähigkeiten (Astralreise, "Balance" u.ä.) auf plumpe Art und Weise mit dem Nekromanten Zayl. Und zu letzterem bleibt mir nur zu sagen: er vollzog eine spannende Entwichlung in "Das Königreich der Schatten" und vor allem in "Mond der Spinne" war er großartig. Letzteres Buch bot einen großartigen Aufhänger für eine neue umfassende, spannende Geschichte in der Diablo Reihe, statt dessen wurde dieser Charakter nahezu völlig aus dem Kontext geholt, reduziert auf minimalistisches Verhalten und auf wirkt völlig deplatziert. Ein völlig neuer Charakter, der die Kaste der Nekromanten in "Storm of light" vertritt, hätte völlig ausgereicht und wäre nicht so eine herbe Enttäuschung gewesen.Zusammenfassend: wer die Vorgänger Bücher nicht kennt, wird das Buch ganz nett finden. Wer mehr über die Engel und die Hohen Himmel wissen möchte, ist hier ebenfalls richtig. Wer großartige Charaktere erleben möchte, mit denen man zusammen wächst und die sich durch ihr vielschichtiges Handeln und die Interaktion mit ihren Mitmenschen und Mithelden auszeichnen, der wird herbe enttäuscht werden.Kann ich es empfehlen – das komm darauf an. Bis auf die zusätzlichen Informationen über die Entstehung der Engel und der Hohen Himmel ist dieses Buch das Schwächste in der Diablo Reihe. Und es bringt sonst keine interessanten Entwicklungen oder großartige Charaktere mit sich. Das kann die Serie besser - sowohl in den Spielen als auch in den zugehörigen Büchern.

Great read! Definitely recommend it to all you Diablo fans.

Cumple espectativas. Una vez tienes la jerga de estos libros los siguientes son sencillos de leer. Lo mismo para la saga WoW.

on par with the rest of the lore

Good quality!