The Horadric Order. The Order was formed by the Archangel Tyrael by bringing mages from the world of Sanctuary together to combat the Prime Evils. Tal Rasha and Jered Cain were some of the founding members. Now the last of the Horadrim, Jered’s offspring Deckard Cain, is no longer the young man who once believed that the entire legacy of the Horadrim was a myth.  The events in Diablo I convinced him otherwise.

The Order follows Deckard and his ‘niece’ Leah as they travel Sanctuary to find a rumored new sect of Horadrim as the time draws near on a prophecy about the end of Sanctuary, the High Heavens, and all within. The demons from The Burning Hells are coming, time is all too precious, and the obstacles and hindrances are far too many to stop the end of the world.

In the story, as always seems to be the case, we come across heroes of many paths. This includes the monk Mikulov, who has read prophecies from the Vizjerei, Ivgorod, Zakarum and more. That is what leads him to follow the path laid before him, the path that leads to saving Deckard and Leah just as they are about to fall to followers of The Dark One.

While Deckard tries to force his body, no longer in it’s prime, on the quest to find this new Horadrim, he also feels haunted by the mistakes of his past and the darkening world of Sanctuary and it’s citizens. He is greatly concerned about eight year old Leah, who has some powerful abilities locked within her body, and also by the people in his past that have believed in him, followed him, and been let down by him, in his own heart and mind.

While he heads to the final event, the confrontation with Belial, Lord of Lies, and his servants, Deckard is forced to convince others to follow him, to believe in him, even while he is unsure of his chance of success, and doubts that there is much hope of succeeding. He rallies a group to venture into the heart of the demonic and undead forces to confront The Dark One, and Belial, and to save Leah from those who would turn her powers to bring about the destruction of Sanctuary.

While I wish to tell you that this book should be read before playing Diablo III, I know that with the book coming out on the same day as release, this is an unlikely possibility. I do think that anyone who considers themselves a fan of the game should definitely pick up this book. Kenyon does an amazing job bringing the characters of Deckard and Leah to life, and the characters he added make me long for the opportunity to meet them in the game itself.

Diablo III: The Order is available in hardcover on Amazon.com, as well as in Audiobook format narrated by the amazing Scott Brick, who has done both Warcraft novels, which can be found over on Audible. Visit Audible to get a free trial as a listener of All Things Azeroth. Be sure to listen to Shattered Soulstone episode 15, where the crew interviewed Nate Kenyon for a solid and entertaining 45 minute interview.

I truly need to apologize to Richard Knaak and the folks at Sea Lion Books. They provided me with a review copy, and somehow the review was lost in a mountain of emails, and is not being posted until now. I hope they will forgive me for this mistake. Please enjoy this review of Dragon Mound.

Dragon Mound is a novel written by best selling author Richard A Knaak, and is the first in a trilogy of books. The story introduces us to two main characters from the present day, Sir Evan Wytherling and Mardi Sinclair. Evan is a knight over 200 years old, who is on a seemingly never ending quest to find Sorcerer-King Novaris, and he may not rest until he does. Given all the seemingly necessary tools to do so, he set out over a century ago from the area of Pretor’s Hill on his quest, and now has come full circle, returning to the site or the battle of legend.

Mardi is a woman who has been well educated, but who still believes in the ideals from a time of Knights and honor. She does, though, have her doubts about the battle that the elders of Pretor’s Hill say had happened all those years ago, as all she has known is the boring town she has grown up in. When Evan arrives in town, horrified that a town was built on the land tainted by magic used the battle of the past, he is certain he will find terrible things as a result of the evil magic used. Instead, he meets the ever curious and talkative Mardi, who instantly takes to the knight, and there begins their adventure together.

Knaak is an author who is well known for writing well told stories with intriguing characters and events that draw the reader in, and this is no exception. The book is a voluminous tome, but getting through the book will be a reward that any dedicated reader will be very happy to have accomplished, as the story is one that is well worth the read. The story is a complex one, with shifts from present to the past, and the reader may need a bit of flippinf back and forth to keep some of it straight, but after a few chapters things begin to settle into place.

I look forward to book two in this trilogy, and and eager to see where the series concludes, and how the characters, locations, and heroes of the story resolve their own personal demons, and desires. As with many books, it may take book two to truly find your footing in the series, but reading only book one without the others released did not leave me missing too much. I give this 4 out of 5, and recommend our readers pick this book up.