Diablo: Legacy of Blood | a Review
originally published on 20/12/2022;
Hello everyone, I am the prolific writer and reader of arcane texts, G.E.M.Simov, a warlord wielding unrivaled skill in the dark arts, here to tell you about Richard A. Knaak’s “Diablo: Legacy of Blood”.
I will review this book in the following fashion:
I'll be rating it on a 10/10 scale, with 3 points awarded per category, of which there will be three, and a final point that I will give out if I found the book touching in some sense. The three categories are: "Content", "Richness of Expression" and "Story".
Content
I need to preface this by saying that I read a translation of the book. While the translation itself was not bad, it is entirely likely that some of the issues I have with the book can be attributed to the translation, rather than to the book itself.
I would also like to inform the reader of this review that the book in question is part of the multi-media franchise “Diablo”, of which I am a fan. However, I am the type of fan that likes to complain about things relating to the things I am a fan of, which ought to inform you that I’ll try to approach this with as little bias as possible…
But there is another aspect to it that will affect me. The bias that is going to pull the strings of yours truly, without him even realizing, is that borne of the fact I first read it more than ten years ago. As such, it is something that’s a lot closer to my childhood than many other books I’ve read (and maybe reviewed), which means that it is somewhat valuable for me, if I am revisiting it.
In any case, I’d like this to be known before I start meting out justice.
This book is, funnily enough, very inoffensive, even though it deals with demons and Hell. In fact, I’d like to say it tells a very human story that is centered almost exclusively on people, and that the conflicts within it are ones that get instigated by people.
A great example of this is the Main Character, Norrec Vizharan (whom I would have called Norek Vizaran, coming off of the translated work; fortunately, I do research for these), whose plight is an unfortunately human thing. It all starts with the pursuit of wealth. These characters, these people - Norrec and his two friends/companions, Sadun and Fauztin - are driven by the need to procure money, with which money to then establish themselves.
In fact, the issue that gnaws at Norrec is so pronounced, it seems evident that he is a homeless man, as one could judge is applicable to both Sadun and Fauztin. The three of them do not have a permanent residence, owed up to the fact that they are mercenaries. These people do not have homes, they do not have a place to go back to, a place to call their own.
It is why Norrec’s dream is to buy himself some land and become a farmer, get himself a wife - a wife, not some special wife, but a wife - those are cravings that are perfectly human. Naturally, the humanity in those cravings originates in the concept of security, and the comparison of life as it was during childhood - when there was far more security in one’s life - which security is associated with whatever is present during said childhood… And in the case of most people, what is present is a mother, a father and a home.
It isn’t just that, of course, there are many other factors that clearly contribute. Sadun, himself, nudges Norrec towards that dream, and while Vizharan’s friend is performing the deed directly, the world outside, or, rather, the world itself is doing it indirectly. Norrec, much like any other person, can see that there is a measure of contentedness in the lives of people who have a home and a family. At the very least, there is someone on whose shoulder one can cry, or, if we’re not in the business for crying, there is someone on whom they can depend.
In the case of Norrec, he doesn’t have that, with the exception of Fauztin and Sadun… But, then he also doesn’t have them. Fauztin can always go back to the lands of Kehjistan, what with him being a Vizjerei sorcerer, while Sadun is not just used to city life, he thrives on it.
There is great uncertainty in the life of Norrec Vizharan, as is in the lives of Sadun and Fauztin. That’s something I find very relatable, especially in these dark times that loom over us in modernity (as of the end of August, 2022). There is no certainty, really, and without certainty comes a lack of security.
Indeed, I do feel as though I either need to find buried treasure, much like Norrec and his friends, so that I can afford a home, or I need to sign a deal with the demons of Hell, much like, say, Galeona from this very book. The conventional means of existing are, simply, not enough, it seems, and that is very well conveyed in this book.
Not just through Norrec and his friends, of course. There is also the first encounter Norrec has after ‘the Event’ (I will so call the procural of the Legacy of Blood) - these people in that inn all want money. Why would they want money? Why, because money is security, is it not? You can do everything you want to do - with money.
The interesting moments arise when one takes a look at other characters from the book - those who do not have a need for money - and compares them to those who do. Kara, as an example, does not need money. She has as much as she needs, and so what does she do? She makes use of her security, provided by the money she has and by the fact that she is a member of her order, by the fact that she has a place to go back to, a family, if you will, to which she can return, and does what needs to be done to preserve them.
Of course, she does so in an incredibly altruistic manner - it isn’t just her family she is preserving, it is the entirety of the world, with all the families therein, and one could say that this is a good deed. A selfless deed, even.
Comparing that to the deeds of those who do not have money, well… It seems very easy to say that the greed of these mercenaries was the death of them, for their reasons were very selfish, but is their greed not justifiable? Why, of course, I would like to save the world from imminent doom just so I can spend the rest of my life living paycheck to paycheck, throwing my life in the name of random lords and conquerors, to whom I am nothing but fodder, of course.
Now, was I talking about myself, in modernity, working for a big corporation, or was I talking about Norrec Vizharan’s situation prior to the Event? That’s a funky little tidbit, isn’t it?
Of course, there are others who have no need for money. A very good example, similar to Kara, would be Captain Hanos Jeronnan. He has all the money he needs, and he can do things that are altruistic, even if they could also be described as selfish. He wants to help because he fears to relive a dreadful moment in his past, perhaps, not because he wants to prevent others from experiencing that dreadful moment.
Still, his desires are aimed at conserving what he has, and in a slightly reaching sense, what everyone else has.
But then there are others who need no money. Augustus Malevolyn has anything a man could ask for, and yet there he is, camped out in the desert, looking for a treasure that will give him the power to have everything. One could wonder what it is that makes him do that, and as we look at the text of the book, it is evident.
He had no security. He made an attempt at securing himself, but ultimately failed. There was no security in his father’s house, for he was a bastard. He tried to gain security by taking his father’s life, but, alas, that was not enough, for the worlds and needs of those who know are seemingly greater.
There comes the question of how will I be remembered? There comes the uncertainty, the lack of security. I will die, and then… Then what? Or, maybe, I don’t want to die, so how do I go about it? The greatest magical artifact the world has ever seen, filled with the power to conquer the world - that will either make my name echo through the ages or make me nigh-eternal.
Augustus Malevolyn’s reasons to desire the Legacy of Blood seem almost reasonable when presented so, do they not? And they are in an incredibly peculiar alignment with the reasons of all other characters. A craving, or rather a need for security.
And that is very human, because what other being wields the concept of security itself?
Either way, this book does look at those. It also takes a very good look at the deterioration of the human mind when forced into isolation out of fear for the well being of others - topical, although slightly late, considering the fact that no one really cares about ‘the Virus’ that ravaged the world, and still is reaping around…
There are, however, other things to be considered.
One of those is the susceptibility of mankind to corruption. There are many times when Norrec is tempted, and there are many times when he finds himself willing to go along with it. A weakness of the soul seems to be implied, one so great that the only means of challenging it is intervention.
Divine intervention, on top of that.
The same applies for Malevolyn, who is totally corrupt by the desire for power from the very first scene that features him, up until his last. But he is the villain, is he not, so it makes sense for his will to be outstandingly weak in that regard… Why, though, is Norrec so weak? Is he not supposed to be the protagonist of the story, the hero, even?
He fails each challenge thrown before him, and the ones he manages to progress through, though ultimately fail, are only actually successfully overcome because of his bloodline. This implies that mankind is, by default, prone to lean towards malevolence, towards selfishness and evil. It implies that power corrupts, that wielding it is tantamount to being controlled by it, to craving its continued existence, rather than its most appropriate utilization.
I can roll with the second theme, but the first - that humanity is unworthy by design - is very unpleasant to me. It seems to present us, humans, as beings so consumed with our selfishness that we are incapable of anything selfless, especially when we have that aforementioned security, or even just the delusion that we possess it. It seems to hint that humanity is not truly reasonable, and that reason is anomalous, as it is in, say, Kara, who exists outside of humanity, outside of society. She is not normal, she is not an appropriate representative humanity, and thus she is not quite human.
Perhaps the issue here lies with the power that is granted to blood. Not just any blood, but to familial blood, to bloodlines. Norrec is only special because of his birth. Because of the circumstances of his existence's beginning, he is special and he is compatible with the Legacy of Blood. It's almost identical to the concept that royal folks were special because they were royalty, because their blood was kept pure, because they had blue vitae. The aristocracy was better because it was such by default.
It implies that there is some manner of predetermination, which is not established as being a thing, not in the Diablo Universe (at least until Diablo 3), and it is definitely not established as being a thing in this book. Not once are prophecies mentioned.
Maybe it isn't predetermination, though, even if greatness based on one's birth is some form of predetermination - being born stronger than anyone else means you will do things that make use of your exceptional strength and become great based off of it. Maybe it is a form of inequality, a confirmation that, yes, not all people are born equal. Some are very special because of their blood.
It might have something to do with spellcasters, too. It isn't implied that just anyone can do magic. In fact, it is implied that one's magical ability is greatly limited by one's lack of affinity for magic, which is the exact same thing as having one's birth determine one's affinity for it. Funnily enough, magic users are wise and knowledgeable, so it could be interpreted as a means of signifying intelligence…
Lastly, there's the concept of divine intervention and its necessity to set humanity on the right path. Naturally, the way it is presented is a very indirect means of intervening, but it is still intervention that is directly responsible for the resolution of things. In addition to that, it is not God who orchestrates the intervention, but an angel, as there is no God in the Diablo Universe… though the association between angels and God is one that can not be stressed enough.
Additionally, the presence of demons, and their influence, as well as Hell itself, is very evocative of Christianity, or at least themes explored in Christianity. It lends credence to the concept of humanity's weakness, of their lack of worth. The idea that one is a sinner, one is bad by default, seems to be enforced, as everyone, safe for the two good characters, is driven by greed. Not only that, but the previously discussed corruptability of humans also coincides with this.
The only reason things do go well is because there is intervention from up above, from the forces of good. On top of that, one of the good characters' goodness is hinted at being a fact due to his religious stalwartness.
Why am I pointing at these things and interpreting them so? Because the concept of certain entities, who appear reasonable, being good or evil PURELY by default, based on their birth, is horrible. There is also no potential for wiggle room, to make the claim that the demons are more selfish, rather than Evil, because every demon on display is purely evil, cruel and filled with malice, finding the murder of humans to be a gleeful affair. The angels are far less explored in the book, but they are presented as being the antithesis of the demons, and thus they're wholly good by default.
Being anything by default is very scuffed, especially when that thing is something related to demeanor or personality. By having these things be so, one sets an indirect example, one indicates that there are entities who are just that way. And if there is a lot of this in media, the supposition that it also applies to reality becomes less and less foreign, becoming an unintended pathway to unpleasant conceptions. Maybe considering a group of people to be a certain way just because they belong to a certain race, or they have a certain thing between their legs..?
In any case, there is a vast slew of things that are presented and examined, in some way, which I find to be satisfactory. Naturally, the way things are presented could have been better, and some others could have been avoided outright. However, the presence of these things did contribute to the story, and perhaps to the message, whether such a thing can be found within the book or not. 2/3
Richness of Expression
So, how does this book convey the exploration of the concepts mentioned in the Content part of this review? How incredible and impressive were the ways in which the author expressed the happenings in the book itself?
Answering those questions turns out to be a bit more challenging, at least in the case of yours truly, as reading a translated work puts a lot of the stress of expressing something onto the translator, rather than the author. After all, if I say "get good", someone could interpret it as either "become healthy" or "become better", in another language, and then the translator must make the appropriate selection.
Fantastically, or not, this book wound up decently well translated, so there weren't very many issues with the expression of what the author had said. Naturally, there were some mishaps, though they could apply to the translation, or rather transliteration instead of translation, of some things - mainly names.
I find it very strange and very unreasonable for a name to be, say, Nightshadow, and then get transliterated in the language it is supposedly being translated to, rather than being translated to. After all, there is a word for "night", there is a word for "shadow", so why can't the name be translated? Because of some, admittedly silly, rule.
Nevermind the fact that every language has its own version of the name "Smith", it does not get translated because it is a name now, whereas in the past it was literally an indication explaining that whoever bore that name was the son or daughter of the blacksmith, of the smith. Thus, there's no reason for it to not be translated.
But I might be getting off track. This is something that bothered me greatly, but it would not have been an issue in the original version of the text, so I'll let it slide. What I can't let slide, however, is the relative simplicity with which the expression of Richard A. Knaak is performed.
Naturally, simplicity is not a problem. In fact, some descriptions and moments do require simplicity, a vast amount of it, so that they can remain understandable and clear. However, there are also some scenes that can benefit from complexity, from an expansion into the world that's being revealed to the reader.
This book does this. There's a moment when more complexity is required, but the context of the scene does not suggest the appropriateness of such deep dives - an example would be Norrec performing a spell. He does not know what he has done, so the author going in depth and explaining it would be inappropriate. However, when Kara casts a spell, she knows VERY well what she is doing, and the context suggests a very slow pace that allows for richer explanation, there is no such explanation, still.
Instead, in both cases, the only thing that happens is that we, as the reader, are provided with a visual description of what takes place, as well as a description of the consequences of the preceding activities.
I must clarify that there is no problem with leaving things ambiguous, especially in the case of spell performance, but it is important to have a narrative reason. In Lord of the Rings, there is no elaboration on the way magic works - even though the reader can make assumptions based on things that are described - because the one experiencing it is, mostly, Frodo, or some other character with little to no understanding of magic. They can't understand what is happening and they veno means of deciphering the complexities of it.
That is applicable in Norrec's case, as he is not versed in these arts, but in Kara's case it is very much inappropriate, because she knows what she is doing.
Then again, this could have been purposefully done. The system depicted in the games is simple, but the things that make it simple are visual (and abstract) indicators that can not be replicated in a book without breaking the fourth wall and ruining the immersion of the story. Thus, explaining the way Mana works would have been very, very difficult, and maybe not worth it.
That does not negate the critique I've extended - that there is no explanation - but it provides a reasonably adequate explanation as to why it is so.
Other issues that can be discovered would be bound to events transpiring off screen, if we can so express ourselves. A number of scenes end with two characters together, about to continue their encounter, but then the scene ends and the next scene featuring these characters takes place later, meaning that whatever interesting interaction took place… Was, essentially, skipped.
That's not cool. I want to see the characters interacting with one another, especially in this book, in which most scenes take place with one character interacting with the world, or with other side characters, but not with main characters. There's a great sense of solitude and isolation - Norrec is on his own, Kara is mostly on her own, Malevolyn is on his own (although with Galeona), everyone is on his own.
There is no interaction with the other main characters, until the end, and then taking away interactions is really not nice.
In relation to pacing, this one does it very well. It was a very smooth read and, most of the time, I was on the edge of my proverbial seat, wanting to keep reading to find out what was going to happen, even though it was time to kick off my socks and end it for the night.
I'd also like to say that some scenes were very well written, and that the simplicity with which most things were expressed was helpful in their coming to fruition.
However, I have some issues. Maybe it was the fact that things seemed to be slightly glossed over, maybe it was the pacing, maybe there was simply something that I was missing, but it appeared to me as though the issue of character interactions being skipped was not the whole problem.
While things were, at their roots, very human, there was a lacking focus on the humanity of characters. It seemed as though there was no true submersion in the concepts that were considered. The loss of oneself is a very important and nuanced thing, and yet the way it is presented in this book makes it look as though it happens just like that. Norrec has no internal, or even external, dialogue or battle with the armor, there's nothing that hints at Malevolyn's mind breaking, other than the fact that it is already broken whenever the moment arrives…
Something is missing, and it was missing sorely enough that I found myself thinking that, if it were me writing this, I would have focused more on this and on that, and I would've written certain scenes differently, and so on and so forth. Having that thought indicates that there's a lot of good, but that good is not brought to fruition.
There was nothing that stuck out as exceptionally bad, not to me, at least, so… 1/3
Story
Legacy of Blood features an interesting story. Interesting, because it has some aspects I don't think I've seen in many (or any) other stories.
So, Norrec, a mercenary, along with his friends Sadun and Fauztin, find a dungeon (that Norrec has been dreaming of for a while). Therein, great treasures, and also a funky, red armor set. However, a trap gets sprung and hordes of undead assail them. Accidentally, or not (?), Norrec winds up touching the red armor set and a gauntlet glues itself to his hand, casting a massive spell.
Then, Norrec is walking through a snowy wasteland, clad in the red armor, and covered in blood. Fortunately for him, he lives. Unfortunately, so, too, does the armor - in a sense - and it is leading him somewhere, having full control of his body, with the exception of his head, which is uncovered.
The poor merc staggers through the world of Sanctuary, headed in that unknown direction, experiencing many trepidations that are caused and solved by the armor, until he winds up in Lut Gholein. There, he encounters Drognan, who provides him with a little bit of help before things go wrong and Norrec winds up in the desert, where things go down for a big ending.
Meanwhile, Augustus Malevolyn has discovered the helmet of Bartuc the Bloody, and he seeks the rest of his blood-red armor, for it was enchanted quite well by the masterful sorcerer, which sorcerer was so masterful he had bent the burning Hells to his will.
Augustus wants that power so he could take over the world and so he could continue Bartuc's legacy. In his employ, the witch Galeona, who has a dark secret, an X factor, is helping him look for the armor with the idea of controlling him via her feminine wiles. They catch wind of Norrec and head to Lut Gholein, with Malevolyn donning the helmet and slowly merging with Bartuc's consciousness. He attacks the town, while Galeona flees, having found the real location of Norrec and having decided he would be easier to control than the crazy Augustus.
Meanwhile, Kara, a newly fledged necromancer, is sent by her order to check out the dungeon disturbed by Norrec and his friends. She knows about Bartuc the Bloodied and seeks to preserve the balance, which would be heavily offset by his return. Kara uses some spells, and while something goes wrong, she manages to find out where Norrec is. She gives chase, but he's always one step ahead of her.
Then, as she boards a ship to pursue, things get VERY interesting, with sudden surprises of all varieties. While that's happening, Norrec's own ship adventures feature demons, so it's also very interesting.
Kara manages to get to Lut Gholein, but Norrec has, by now, left… or, rather, has been forced to leave. Nevertheless, Kara does what she can and winds up discovering the Arcane Sanctuary, where a certain old fellow with ties to Bartuc helps her.
It all comes to a violent end when all the characters finally encounter one another and things end in a, frankly, predictable, but ultimately satisfying manner.
There's very little to complain about in regards to the story. The characters were all unique in their own right, they had well established motivations and their personalities were interesting and recognizable. The dynamics between them were also very entertaining, as was the plot's development.
I must, again, reiterate just how interesting the concept of an armor that is somewhat sentient and capable of exerting control over its wearer is, and then I also feel as though the dynamic of the armor having a goal, and acting upon that goal, was very amusing. The fact that the Mcguffin was its own character was quite good.
The things I did not like were very few. Ii did not like the death of a certain character, even if that character somewhat deserved it, I did not like the fact that Norrec wound up getting corrupted by the influence of the armor by the end of the book, and I didn't like the fact that it seemed to be so disconnected from the Diablo games… Even if it was connected to them.
The events take place between Diablo 1 and Diablo 2. At the end of the book it becomes very obvious that the book actually ends at the Start of Act II of Diablo 2, even if the beginning of the book sets it slightly before that - or so I suspect. There is mention of the events of Diablo 1, and Norrec and company even went to Tristram! Not only that, but the attack on Lut Gholein performed by Augustus Malevolyn can explain away the lack of royal guards in the city, and why Greiz and his mercenaries are present.
So it seems as though the book is very loosely connected to the games, but in reality it is very seamlessly integrated into the lore. I quite like that, as well as the fact that the book is an engaging read with a solid story. 3/3
Legendary Point
Does this book get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? I think it does. I'm going to be short and sweet on this - I really enjoyed reading it now, after all those years, having become a proper connoisseur of things.
That enjoyment could stem from the nostalgia I feel over my childhood and how free and careless I was back then, but it could also stem from the fact that when one reads something as a wee lad, they don't really remember everything. So I had some memories, but not all of them, and reading the book allowed me to piece things together, as if I had a few pieces of a puzzle and only through the book I obtained the rest and was even able to complete said puzzle.
Enough with the metaphor, though. YES, this book gets the legendary point, because it is not only an impressively good piece of multimedia literature, it is also decently good on its own. 1/1
Conclusion
7/10. This is a good book. Naturally, the things within it could be very repulsive for squeamish readers, or for those who are more religiously inclined, or for those looking for something that this book is not. This is medium-high fantasy, presented quite darkly, and it is exactly what one would expect of a book with these words attached to it. It's also a great read for fans of the Diablo franchise, which desperately needs help in these dire times (Immortal).
I tuck it under my belt, another shining achievement that I proudly display. It's almost as good as I remember.