Customer Reviews

Birthright (Diablo: The Sin War, Book 1) (Bk. 1)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've read a few other novels by Knaak and every one of them has been fantastic. I'm not sure why he wrote this one the way he did but alot of important things were missing, such as an easy to follow story line, likeable charachters, and occasionally cohesion. There were alot of moments where the story gave to much of itself away. It's nice to see the Diablo story coming into play from the begining but it could have been alot better. Not terrible, but not great either.

I first want to say, I didn't intend on writing a review for these books. But between just finishing the third book, the impending release of the next game they are based on, and the small number of reviews up here, I figured I should review it to give some more feedback to fans of the game on whether this is worth their time and money. I would also like to say I am a big fan of Blizzard's games, and have read now all the Diablo and Starcraft books. I'm going to copy and paste this review across all three books, but don't worry, I won't give you any spoilers (not that there is much to give).

To get right down to it, the books are based on a man named Uldyssian, his brother Mendeln, and a woman named Serenthia and their fight for freedom for their world basically from angels and demons. The angels and demons have set up followings in the world of Sanctuary to recruit worshipers. It sounds interesting, the execution was poor. Uldyssian and Serenthia basically have a magic power that allows them to do whatever they want, and all they have to do is think it hard enough. Mendeln is pretty much the first necromancer and while his magic isn't the, "just think it hard enough" type, he just magically has the right words pop out of his mouth to get the job done with very little actual training. The ties into the actual games themselves are pretty slim and as a stand alone to someone who hasn't played the games, the books don't hold up well and they add hardly anything to the lore of the universe itself.

The first book is decent, but slow. The second book is slow and slightly less decent. The third book is slow, and the ending is atrocious. I can't say much more without spoiling the ending unfortunately. As others have mentioned, Knaak says on basically every other page that this person isn't their name, but the son of, the brother of, the daughter of. It gets really old, really fast. You never at anytime think the characters are in any real trouble for their lives and this also applies to the atrocious ending the the books, which I promised not to spoil. There is no character growth hardly at all except that they devolve slightly as their powers grow stronger, but it is never expanded on or anything. For some reason I can't understand Knaak and Chris Metzen (who is basically lore master at Blizzard and approves everything that goes into all Blizzard books) seem to go out of their way to reverse typical thinking and make the angels out to be worse than the demons. They did something similar in the Warcraft universe where they went out of their way to make the orcs less evil, except they didn't do it nearly as well. Maybe they thought they were being original, all they ended up being was boring.

Really that is all I can comfortably say without spoiling anything, but otherwise, I strongly recommend avoiding these books to everyone, even the hardest of the hardcore Diablo fans who want to know everything about the universe the game is set in. What makes these books even more disappointing is how well Richard Knaak did the other books in the Diablo universe and how good my friend said he did with the books in the Warcraft universe.

Decent book, not bad, but is rediculously slow paced to me. The series is definatly my least favorite of knaacks. The characters are ok, but the don't really stand out much at all. I've seen mny reviews of other books citing underdeveloped/poor characters, this is the 1st book that I can really agree with those statements.

It's alright if you want to waste a good chunck of time/for the collection, but if you just want to know backstory I would suggest finding a nice summary, instead of wading through the book.

Also, I think its worth noting the game it is based on is a hack and slash, complete opposite of the book.

I personally found this story not to be as exiting as other books Knakk has written however it is a fun journey.

The story is very slow to unfold thus creating a small boredom factor in certain parts of the book. However as you near the middle of the book you are forced to read on as the twists and turns within the story lines leave many questions unanswered which is always something to look forward to.

I will read the other books in this series as i want these unfull filled questions to finally have an answer. great travel book but by far not the best ive read.

3/5

the first book in the sin war trilogy was a decent starter book to the trilogy. i know there are some poo-pooers saying that knaak`s work in this was lacking. however, i`d like to tell potential buyers that this book is a pretty good ride, through and through, and well worth your money. the tension throughout is palpable, the mystery intense. read the sample and see what i mean...

I do not recommend this series at all to anyone but the most die-hard of fans.

I bought this series because, as a fan of Blizzard's adapted novels and the Diablo II video-game, I was intrigued by the backstory of the Diablo universe. However, upon reading the series, I found that not only does this novel explain next to nothing about the Diablo universe, it is also very poorly written. I've enjoyed Richard A. Knaak's works before but this series was thoroughly uninspired.

Even for a fantasy book, there were just too many instances requiring an extreme leap of faith. While most fantasy themes revolving around magic require effort, will, and preparation such as words of casting, reagents, etc., magic in this book happens simply by thinking about it (huh?). This is strange more-so because typical "casting" wizards are present in the storyline and the differences are not described but simply explained as being that way. The story makes you feel that these characters have god-like powers but are simply too ignorant to realize as much.

Furthermore, none of the characters experience much, if any at all, growth throughout the series and are completely predictable and stereotypical. The characters are simply dull, unoriginal, and cliche (strong older brother, good and reliable best friend, eccentric but occasionally useful younger brother, damsel-in-distress childhood friend). Any recognizable connections to the Diablo universe are not explained but simply assumed to be and felt very forced as if Knaak included them as obligations. It's also disappointing that what few connections he made to the Diablo universe were even incorrect.

The weakest links of the story are the beginning and ending; the beginning explains nothing and is beyond cliche while the ending is completely over-the-top. Aside from that, the bulk of the story itself plods and clips along at a decent pace and the action is acceptable, though in most cases is completely far-fetched. But still, the only reason I finished the series at all is that I bought the series together and had little else to read. I kept hoping that Knaak would redeem himself by the end of the series but alas, he did not.

It is awesome! I love you! Blizzard! Just buy it! That is what I say!
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

I have to admit, I haven't really ever played the Diablo games. Playing for a good 20 minutes on Diablo II 10 years ago doesn't count.

That being said, you don't need to be a fan of the games or have played through them to enjoy/understand this story!

The story is very rich and never dull. I can't recall a single moment where I was bored. The storyline has me hooked, never faltering! Only complaint on the story is predictability. You can definitely see the plot twists before they're fully revealed. I was still anxious and excited to see them unfold.

The characters all have distinct personalities, and none of them are ever neglected. However, I still was never emotionally attached to any of them. They're still interesting regardless.

I really recommend this book, even for those who have not played the games. It's shortcomings are very small, while the overall book is thoroughly enjoyable.

Least favorite diablo books. The author otherwise makes some real quality stories, and while this will give you a bit of origins that is invaluable for someone really interested in the series, these books themselves feel really mediocre. The characters are not very likable, though the villains are. Read it I guess if you're bored and really like diablo, but read his other books first.

this is a awesome history, it is just as good as i imagined.for sure i will buy the other books to see what hapens.