Product Description

When missionaries come to speak to the people of Kehjan-a once-united but now splintered city in the eastern part of the world-many listen, but little is understood other than the fact that angels and demons vie to steer the course of human destiny. However, one person who has no use for either side is Uldyssian, son of Diomedes. He questions the significance of either sect in the lives of common folk. Then, both missionaries are brutally slain, and the evidence points to Uldyssian, who is about to learn he himself has a destiny far beyond anything he ever imagined.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57903 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Aside from his extensive work in Dragonlance, Richard A. Knaak is best known for his popular Dragonrealm series. His other works include several contemporary fantasies, including Frostwing (Time Warner) and King of the Grey (Time Warner). In addition to LEGACY OF BLOOD, he has written Day of the Dragon for the Warcraft series and will soon return to Diablo for a second tale.

Customer Reviews

Birthright and The Serpent Scales Review
I've been an avid fan of the Diablo video games for some time and having not had the opportunity to read any of the previous Diablo books I found myself owning a copy of Birthright.

The plot centres on Uldyssian a farmer from the small village of Seram who is constantly plagued by the deaths of his immediate family to a pestilence. His only surviving relative is his brother Mendeln, who also takes on the roll as a focus point in the series.

After an altercation with a missionary from the Cathedral of Light he is thrust into the spotlight following the missionary's gruesome demise.

The writing in this series is pretty good, although I do feel that it improves greatly by the second novel, almost as if Richard Knack has expanded his vocabulary, as in 'Birthright' you will come to notice the overuse of certain words. To name one specifically 'countenance', which just so happens to be used dozens of times in this - essentially short novel. With that said though by 'Scales of the Serpent' the writing and vocab is much improved and it's never really 'bad', quite the opposite.

The first novel, as you would expect from a trilogy, is very much about setting the scene and introducing the characters and it does so very well. The characters are portrayed adequately and support the main plot twists effectively, whilst some get less page space than others, you will find yourself siding with one or two of the main bunch and cringing at the others.

'Birthright' focuses predominantly on telling you the story behind the Temple of the Triune, one of the two major religions in the Sin War universe, whilst the second novel 'Sacles of The Serpent' concentrates its focus on the Cathedral of Light. Whilst the two religions are essentially painted as the main threat it soon becomes clear
that the common enemy is a demoness by the name of Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto. The writer has fun having the characters wage war against the temples whilst putting down obstacles from Lilith, who appears very much like a Loki/Puck esque villan, very mischievous but a threat none the less. I personally feel that so far, Lilith has been an excellent villain partly to the fact that Knack has done a really good job making her down right annoying.

The general pace is steady throughout but it really picks up speed in the second novel and whilst it does introduce a few new characters it doesn't stall the plot too much. You will be grateful to know that the second novel answers many questions from the first, enough to satisfy whilst asking many more presumably to setup the concluding novel.

The third novel has finally been released and I will be picking it up shortly, but for those who were waiting to see if the completed form was worth their time then I can assure you it certainly is. A short but enjoyable read for fans of the Diablo franchise.

Not his best, but a good read nonetheless!
The Sin War... it was briefly mentioned in "The Black Road" by Mel Odom. When I'd read that book, I thought that the Sin War would be a really boring series of events. However in the hands of Knaak, the Sin War takes on an interesting shape.

The war in question is narrated through a trilogy of books, and though the storytelling is cracking, it lacks the touch Knaak demonstrated in Legacy of Blood, Kingdom or Shadow or even Moon of the Spider.

The story in the first of the trilogy - Birthright revolves around the brothers Ul Diomed and their friends, who get thrown into the middle of what turns out to be the beginning of the Sin War.
As expected, religion is the focal point of the events and the storyline. The protagonist Uldyssian and his brother and friends get caught in the fight between the Triune and The Cathedral of Light. There's more to it than meets the eye, as the brothers start discovering startling secrets about themselves and realize that they can actually do something to affect the mayhem they usually find themselves in the midst of.
Other characters play a significant part in the story, primarily the head of the Triune and a mysterious green-eyed seductress who's Uldyssian's love interest in this story. There are also appearances from a couple of old familiar characters from previous books in the Diablo series.

The storytelling keeps you reading and turning the pages - as one has come to expect from Richard Knaak. There are aspects of it though, which could have been handled better, hence the missing star in the rating. Also, the editing of the book is not the best, so don't be surprised to find the odd typo.
As expected, the book ends on a pivotal juncture... a good starting point for the next book in the series - Scales of the Serpant.

I would recommend this book for a pleasantly entertaining read. However be ready to commit to reading the remaining 2 in the series (no surprises there).

good book
at first the book sems predictible and mundane. but when i got into it i was full of twists. if you liked the Diablo games you'll really like this. and of couse the romour is that these books lead right to diablo 3. it does introdue some new charachters (like mephi's son and daughter).
good book.