I love reading books, and I love the Diablo universe and its lore, however one thing saddens me, Richard A. Knaak.
I have nothing personal against him, but i absolutely loath his writing style, like how I love the WarCraft universe, Knaak keeps butchering up my favorite lore characters and inserting his own ones.
Not only that, but Knaak's writing style in general is bad, he repeats words for lack of better description "Orbs, Behemoth, Leviathan" but also inserts stupid idiotic nonsense that really doesn't belong "Rhonin and Raptor Army from Night of the Dragon."
Yes I suppose you can call this rant, but really the true purpose of this thread is to see from you guys if reading Knaak's work on the Diablo universe worth it?
Was it worth it? Sure it was. But it's not like it was a huge investment of my time and energy to read his books either. His writing style isn't that interesting and his prose is kind of weak, but few published authors aren't that willing to write video game books. It doesn't do huge favors to their credibility as a writer and fans themselves will question the author's personal commitment to a universe they care so much about. I think Knaak did fine in telling stories in the Diablo books, but it was nothing that special really. I think the Diablo books could've easily been much much worse. While I really couldn't stand the Sin War Trilogy, I thought Legacy of Blood was very well done.
As for Knaak ruining your precious Warcraft universe, I'm not sure what to say about that. I don't follow Warcraft lore that closely but it seems like a more anything goes kind of lore with magics and characters far more fantastical than Diablo's.
Was it worth it? Sure it was. But it's not like it was a huge investment of my time and energy to read his books either. His writing style isn't that interesting and his prose is kind of weak, but few published authors aren't that willing to write video game books. It doesn't do huge favors to their credibility as a writer and fans themselves will question the author's personal commitment to a universe they care so much about. I think Knaak did fine in telling stories in the Diablo books, but it was nothing that special really. I think the Diablo books could've easily been much much worse. While I really couldn't stand the Sin War Trilogy, I thought Legacy of Blood was very well done.
As for Knaak ruining your precious Warcraft universe, I'm not sure what to say about that. I don't follow Warcraft lore that closely but it seems like a more anything goes kind of lore with magics and characters far more fantastical than Diablo's.
Yes I admit I'm a fan of the WarCraft universe, (WarCraft 3 foreva!) just like how I love all BLizzard's franchises. =)
I'm not necessarily worried about the time invested into the books, I'm worried about if Knaak goes all out -lack of a better term- retarded in his books like he did with the WarCraft franchise (just read some of his books from there if you want to know), because I would hate for my favorite franchise to be ruined and/or changed completely by Knaak.
With Knaak the Hack, read a few of his books. He has people like Illidan slapping High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, which is complete bs. It's like the WoW version of Tyrael slapping Cain or something. Totally out of character. Knack just changes everything about all the characters he touches. Thats the main reason why I could never stand the guy.
Hmm. Well I honestly can't speak for his novelization of Warcraft, but you guys seem to have some valid concerns. I don't think there's anyway, however, that he can just come along and ruin the Diablo franchise's lore. As for the Sin War Trilogy, I'm pretty sure he was provided with an outline of how the story needs to be. So Blizzard's writers likely had a scenario for the Nephalem, the Worldstone, etc. I don't think Knaak would've just come up with his own story entirely on what happened to the universe. He was just provided with the basic outline of what the outcome of the story would be and he wrote it all in.
Hmm. Well I honestly can't speak for his novelization of Warcraft, but you guys seem to have some valid concerns. I don't think there's anyway, however, that he can just come along and ruin the Diablo franchise's lore. As for the Sin War Trilogy, I'm pretty sure he was provided with an outline of how the story needs to be. So Blizzard's writers likely had a scenario for the Nephalem, the Worldstone, etc. I don't think Knaak would've just come up with his own story entirely on what happened to the universe. He was just provided with the basic outline of what the outcome of the story would be and he wrote it all in.
True, admittedly I am biased from the WarCraft franchise, but what is your (addressed to community also) view/review on the Sin War trilogy, is it good? Okay? Mediocre?
It was pretty boring and predictable. The worst part of the book was the dialogue. The characters spoke to each other in such a cliche way. Every time Uldyssian (the main protagonist) spoke he was just always angry and stern. Completely one dimensional and boring. And his bitch girlfriend that was really just a demon, she said typical siren demon things like, "My love..." "Uldyssian, my love..." "My dear..." "Dearest Uldyssian". Like she always spoke EXACTLY like you'd expect a demon temptress to talk and it drove me crazy.
Without being able to relate to the main character, I tried relating to Mendeln, Uldyssian's brother who was like this introverted weirdo but somehow even he became rather boring. The point (if any) to reading those books is if you want an explanation on the Nephalem and some of the greater points of Diablo's story. But it is by no means character driven. It's all just plot.
Think of like the movie, The Davinci Code. Tom Hanks' character has like one single characterization: he's claustrophobic. That's it. Besides that, there is no character development in the entire movie and it's all plot driven. That's the same weakness that The Sin War suffers from.
It was pretty boring and predictable. The worst part of the book was the dialogue. The characters spoke to each other in such a cliche way. Every time Uldyssian (the main protagonist) spoke he was just always angry and stern. Completely one dimensional and boring. And his bitch girlfriend that was really just a demon, she said typical siren demon things like, "My love..." "Uldyssian, my love..." "My dear..." "Dearest Uldyssian". Like she always spoke EXACTLY like you'd expect a demon temptress to talk and it drove me crazy.
Without being able to relate to the main character, I tried relating to Mendeln, Uldyssian's brother who was like this introverted weirdo but somehow even he became rather boring. The point (if any) to reading those books is if you want an explanation on the Nephalem and some of the greater points of Diablo's story. But it is by no means character driven. It's all just plot.
Think of like the movie, The Davinci Code. Tom Hanks' character has like one single characterization: he's claustrophobic. That's it. Besides that, there is no character development in the entire movie and it's all plot driven. That's the same weakness that The Sin War suffers from.
Ugh I see.. well if it is a lorebuff book I'll check it out (might even but it), at least the main protagonist isn't one who beats himself up for every decision (Malfurion from Stormrage).
I really do think the biggest reason of the Sin War books was to explain a lot of things for Diablo 3. It was kind of a nice effort actually on their part. I pictured the Sin War in my mind as a totally different thing than in the book. I pictured a story of the Horadrim in full force. Stories of how the precarious order was united under Tyrael and their great moments when they barely managed to contain a full on catastrophe. The characters could have been interesting people from the different mage clans. Since the Horadrim was an order of the different mage clans, you really could highlight differences in cultures all over Sanctuary. And we know so little of the clans as it is that it would've been extremely engrossing to read about them. I liked imagining a mage clan to the west of Sanctuary that relied less on magic actually and more just on spying, sabotage, and guerrilla tactics. And I like thinking that this guy circled in the red was probably from that clan.
The guy circled in green I like to imagine as being from the Taan mage clan because he reminds me of Ormus. The guy in blue I like to imagine as being Tal Rasha himself. The guy in orange maybe would be a Druid and from the north near the Arreat region. The colors went away a bit as I saved that .jpg but the orange circled guy is the upper left. The one in white may simply be a knight from the west, but I never would imagine all the Horadrim being just mages, but powerful warriors as well. I'm not so sure about the other two, but my point is, is you have lots of interesting possibilities in the Sin War. And I didn't really like what the focus of those books were.
only Warcraft books from Knaak i read so far were the War of the Ancients trilogy and that was pretty well made (considering how much Blizzard plays with Nozdormu and time overall) and the behaviors didnt seem odd (Illidan definitely looked power hungry, even though i really hoped i'd get to read how he got his warglaives).
The Sin War trilogy on the other hand i found quite interesting. mostly because i didnt pay much attention to the dialogues but rather on the general story. the whole Triune Cult plot was great and i'm wondering how its gonna fit back to Sanctuary for Diablo III since the people now know about the Prime Evils, even if most consider them just something out of a legend (after 20 years its quite awkward but alright...).
I really do think the biggest reason of the Sin War books was to explain a lot of things for Diablo 3. It was kind of a nice effort actually on their part. I pictured the Sin War in my mind as a totally different thing than in the book. I pictured a story of the Horadrim in full force. Stories of how the precarious order was united under Tyrael and their great moments when they barely managed to contain a full on catastrophe.
You do realize the Sin War Trilogy by Knack was only a piece of the Sin War right? Granted, it seems that it was the very most important piece of the Sin War but it was by no means the entirety of the event. The Sin War could be expanded upon many times. For instance, in the D1 manual it describes the family feud between Bartuc and Horazon at the end of a segment about the Sin War.
I think Knack is a fantastic writer personally...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"I want to say something but I'll keep it to myself I guess and leave this useless post behind to make you aware that there WAS something... "
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
Yes, Umpa. I DO realize that. I never thought for a moment that this was the Sin War in its entirety. I was merely saying that I would have preferred to read about a different front of the Sin War rather than the one focusing on the Nephalem. So I was hoping to get one thing, but got another. Which in itself was not a big deal for me. I just thought the books weren't very well written. But like I said, if you want to know about that part of Diablo's story, it's fun to read. And only to a point. I was having fun with it until the characters just kept boring me to death which distracted me even from the story eventually.
only Warcraft books from Knaak i read so far were the War of the Ancients trilogy and that was pretty well made (considering how much Blizzard plays with Nozdormu and time overall) and the behaviors didnt seem odd (Illidan definitely looked power hungry, even though i really hoped i'd get to read how he got his warglaives).
The Sin War trilogy on the other hand i found quite interesting. mostly because i didnt pay much attention to the dialogues but rather on the general story. the whole Triune Cult plot was great and i'm wondering how its gonna fit back to Sanctuary for Diablo III since the people now know about the Prime Evils, even if most consider them just something out of a legend (after 20 years its quite awkward but alright...).
WotA was okay for a lorebuff... not for character development.
I understand that Malfurion is young but he beats himself up for every single decision :
Learning Druidism - I feel Guilty about Illidan
Going into Emerald Dream - What about Tyrande, she's alone
Riding a hippogriff - Tyrande will be sad because she can't come
Making Brox's axe - I might screw up
Riding a Dragon Aspect (Ysera): Oh my god I'm gonna screw this up
Going into Emerald Dream to destroy 'spell shield' - Oh god I left Tyrande alone again
Fighting Xavius (first time) - Oh my god the eyes! I'm screwed!
Casting spell with Illidan with Demon Soul - Oh my god this only way to save everyone and it's so wrong!
Sentencing Illidan to 10,000 years imprisonment - I dunno if this is the right desicison... crap
Seriously, this is the wise, all-knowing, powerful Malfurion I witnessed in WarCraft 3?
Though I'll give the WoTA trilogy the combat scenes, though repetetive and overblown it was slightly entertaining to read.
he wasnt wise and all powerful back then so i can see reason in his doubt.
but i cant say you're wrong either, its a matter of personal taste too. and you definitely read more novels than i have so i cant argue about your general opinion.
Lioncash has a very good point. Except, he forgets to take one point into effect. WotA takes place 10,000 years ago, and was created from scratch. The only thing that was still there is the characters and scenery, the plot was completely new.
And lets go with the Warhammer 40k example. Then lets go back 10,000 years where 99% of the characters were not even there, and the land is different. You can write a good story, and use artistic creativity.
And the same rules apply to Diablo as they do to Warcraft and Warhammer. If you go back way, way into the past, you gain a good bit more artistic freedom, and if your story sucks, as Knaak the Hack's usually do, it's your own fault. Especially when people like Jeff Grubb, Christie Golden, and Chris Metzen can do such great stories, stories that make you want to turn the page and not throw the book down in disgust, you really, honestly, have no excuse.
You have a valid point Lioncash, but as LinkX said the WotA trilogy was basically created from scratch, you have alot a room to maneuver in.
The thing is that Richard A. Knaak had to ruin it by inserting 'his own' characters in there, by 'time travel' and all this other goody good things, it was really for a lack of a better term, idiotic.
the same rules apply in the Diablo world. Richard A Knaak is working with set rules and restrictions he has to work round. In there somewhere has to be a little give, just for Knaak to work abit of himself into the world.
I'm not sure we know exactly what the preexisting conditions were for the books when Knaak was commissioned to write them. At the very least, he was given a plot outline, a list of things that characters must accomplish and events that would need to unfold. But if it was much more of a rigid outline than this that he was given, what's the point of even having him write the books if they tell him everything to do in it.
I'm saying this cause I think the safest assumption so far is that he's given a plot outline and even a rough character outline and he takes it from there. And plot-related things, like I said it's a fun book if you wish to get more out of the Diablo story, learn more about the foundations of things that are only teased at in the games and manuals. I've just said that beyond that there is not much for me to enjoy. Because I feel like each character is an exaggerated caricature or one personality type. And so the characters are kind of bland, and I don't really care that much about what happens to them. This was especially the case with Uldyssian. At no point in the book did he grow as a character. He was just the same stern angry guy throughout the whole book. Stupid even, as he was constantly influenced by Lilith. Maybe she used her demonic powers to help influence him, but then again he's becoming all powerful, right? I'm only saying he was a boring character and I never was able to get attached to him or any of the other characters that are supposed to be important. The Diablo books are plot driven, as have the games always been. This is why I've always argued that Diablo has never really been an RPG to begin with.
Your are merely going from point a to point b. Every cinematic in fact in D2 is happening minus your character. The one time we see you is when your hand is hold a hammer and you're smashing the Soulstone. There is no importance to who your character is in that game. And I feel a similar approach was taken to the books. Now obviously as these are novels, there will be specific characters. But they're really each just there to represent a single thing. There is nothing multi-dimensional about any of them. That's just the limitations of the books. I'm not sure how much of that is Knaak's fault because I don't know exactly what limitations were imposed on him as he began writing the book. I do think there were numerous times throughout the book though where he could've experimented with the dialogue more and find ways to make the characters more easy to relate to in some way.
Just because I may find that as his weakness, it doesn't mean Knaak has no strengths. Overall I feel he's a fun storyteller. He's good at moving the plot forward anyway. You can't really expect literary pieces with the Diablo books. You just have to see them for what they are. Books based on a video game. In many cases you're lucky to get someone even half as good as Knaak to be willing to write such a book. I would imagine many published authors trying to be taken seriously would steer away from video game novelizations.
But Knaak also seems to care about the Diablo franchise and what it means to the fans. He tries to give them what they want and he's very open in interviews. He doesn't just have this attitude like, "Fuck, dude! I don't know! I was just paid to write the books, okay?"
Well, like you say, I have the right to my opinion, and you have the right to your opinion.
Quote from Daanland »
many writers sell out v easily, and it becomes apparent very quickly that their material lacks substance anymore. richard is far from that.
I do have to disagree with this though. Someone with very, very little knowledge of the world they are writing in, like Knaak the Hack, is the very definition of a sell out.
I would refer you to the GOOD Blizzard authors if you would like to see how it is supposed to be done:
Aaron Rosenberg
Charles L. Grant
Chris Metzen
Christie Golden
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Granted, I may of just been spoiled by High Quality writers. For all I know, Knaak the Hack may be the norm for "good" writers. Though, if that is the case, I must of gotten very lucky in nearly all of my books.
(And please, don't take this post as if it were an attack, it is far from it. I just strongly disagree with your point of view. )
when you start writing your own material, lets see how that turns out. feel free of course in your own time to rewrite the books as you see fit, and post them up for the general publics opinion.
So in other words we don't have a right to criticize unless we can come up with something better, is that it? I thought all you needed to have an opinion about this topic was an immense collection of books as well as decades of reading experience. Are you saying you're a published author. Astonishing, again!
keep in mind, that blizzard proof read every line and if they deem it to be incorrect, outlandish, "never going to happen!" or the like it would never have been published.
Fair enough. Except my complaint was not even about the plot, it was about the lack of character development which I personally, personally, find boring in novels. And it's not like Blizzard acting as editors are going to produce the best product. They're game developers not book publishers firsthand.
blizzard agreed with every line, so feel free to change your bashing towards blizzard. your heated debate has little or no substance left to it, in my humble opinion of course:)
richard knaack is a great writer, he has a style, and is consistant with it. ive been reading fantasy and sci-fi books for over 20 years, and have an immense collection of books. i can say with some degree of informed opinion that he is a talented writer with a defined style. many writers sell out v easily, and it becomes apparent very quickly that their material lacks substance anymore. richard is far from that.
the OP and his friend are welcome to their opinion, but thats all it will ever be.
when you start writing your own material, lets see how that turns out. feel free of course in your own time to rewrite the books as you see fit, and post them up for the general publics opinion.
keep in mind, that blizzard proof read every line and if they deem it to be incorrect, outlandish, "never going to happen!" or the like it would never have been published.
blizzard agreed with every line, so feel free to change your bashing towards blizzard. your heated debate has little or no substance left to it, in my humble opinion of course:)
i bid you good day, and good gaming
I am entitled to my opinion thank you very much, but I have basis of forming said opinion and not just pulling it out of my ass.
If you compare Knaak with other Blizzard authors (specifically on the Warcraft franchise), such as Jeff Grub and Christie Golden, you will see the vast differences and frankly Knaak is mediocre and I would call his works 'popcorn books' they're quick and easy and don't require substantial time to make.
Now I assume that Blizzard's lore department (Metzen) proof-reads works but he/they give Knaak a whole lot of room to maneuver in, how do I know this? Cases of Knaak's idiotic mistakes/work:
1) Time Travel from War of the Ancients Trilogy (A strenuous concept at best and is best left alone unless you have a proper concept of making it work, Knaak doesn't do this and it only serves for his previously made characters [plus a new one] to make their way in the story where otherwise can be removed and still would've made a good if not better story).
2) Time Reform in War of the Ancients Trilogy (Knaak majorly screws around with lore here, where Hakkar dies in WC2, he dies in the trilogy, thus his actions in WC2 never happened. Not only that but the night elf and orc encounter between Cenarius and Grom Hellscream are all screwy and no one has an idea how to fit this, because Broxigar (the new character mentioned) is an orc and has met Cenarius, thus night elves has previous experiences with orcs).
3) Perfect Character - Rhonin from Day of the Dragon (From the beginning of this novel, Knaak introduces Rhonin, the chief protagonist in the story. And to flesh out this character, Knaak describes this character in detail and his flaws. However, throughout the story we see nothing of character's flaws thus drastically slowing potential character development, if not stopping it completely).
4) Idiotic Events that serve no purpose AKA The Raptor Army from Night of the Dragon (This is the most idiotic thing that I have ever had the misfortune to encounter in Knaak's works. Literally, the whole event is Rhonin with a side character teleport out of danger zone and end up recruiting raptors and ride them back into danger zone to fight the antagonists. Really? The only mention of these raptors previous to this event in the story is at the beginning of the book where they are attacking a city.)
Again, I'm sure Blizzard proof reads author's works but again at the same time is is plausible to assume that these authors have alot of room to manuever in, and so far this hasn't worked well with Knaak.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I have nothing personal against him, but i absolutely loath his writing style, like how I love the WarCraft universe, Knaak keeps butchering up my favorite lore characters and inserting his own ones.
Not only that, but Knaak's writing style in general is bad, he repeats words for lack of better description "Orbs, Behemoth, Leviathan" but also inserts stupid idiotic nonsense that really doesn't belong "Rhonin and Raptor Army from Night of the Dragon."
Yes I suppose you can call this rant, but really the true purpose of this thread is to see from you guys if reading Knaak's work on the Diablo universe worth it?
As for Knaak ruining your precious Warcraft universe, I'm not sure what to say about that. I don't follow Warcraft lore that closely but it seems like a more anything goes kind of lore with magics and characters far more fantastical than Diablo's.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
Yes I admit I'm a fan of the WarCraft universe, (WarCraft 3 foreva!) just like how I love all BLizzard's franchises. =)
I'm not necessarily worried about the time invested into the books, I'm worried about if Knaak goes all out -lack of a better term- retarded in his books like he did with the WarCraft franchise (just read some of his books from there if you want to know), because I would hate for my favorite franchise to be ruined and/or changed completely by Knaak.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
True, admittedly I am biased from the WarCraft franchise, but what is your (addressed to community also) view/review on the Sin War trilogy, is it good? Okay? Mediocre?
Without being able to relate to the main character, I tried relating to Mendeln, Uldyssian's brother who was like this introverted weirdo but somehow even he became rather boring. The point (if any) to reading those books is if you want an explanation on the Nephalem and some of the greater points of Diablo's story. But it is by no means character driven. It's all just plot.
Think of like the movie, The Davinci Code. Tom Hanks' character has like one single characterization: he's claustrophobic. That's it. Besides that, there is no character development in the entire movie and it's all plot driven. That's the same weakness that The Sin War suffers from.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
Ugh I see.. well if it is a lorebuff book I'll check it out (might even but it), at least the main protagonist isn't one who beats himself up for every decision (Malfurion from Stormrage).
The guy circled in green I like to imagine as being from the Taan mage clan because he reminds me of Ormus. The guy in blue I like to imagine as being Tal Rasha himself. The guy in orange maybe would be a Druid and from the north near the Arreat region. The colors went away a bit as I saved that .jpg but the orange circled guy is the upper left. The one in white may simply be a knight from the west, but I never would imagine all the Horadrim being just mages, but powerful warriors as well. I'm not so sure about the other two, but my point is, is you have lots of interesting possibilities in the Sin War. And I didn't really like what the focus of those books were.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
The Sin War trilogy on the other hand i found quite interesting. mostly because i didnt pay much attention to the dialogues but rather on the general story. the whole Triune Cult plot was great and i'm wondering how its gonna fit back to Sanctuary for Diablo III since the people now know about the Prime Evils, even if most consider them just something out of a legend (after 20 years its quite awkward but alright...).
You do realize the Sin War Trilogy by Knack was only a piece of the Sin War right? Granted, it seems that it was the very most important piece of the Sin War but it was by no means the entirety of the event. The Sin War could be expanded upon many times. For instance, in the D1 manual it describes the family feud between Bartuc and Horazon at the end of a segment about the Sin War.
I think Knack is a fantastic writer personally...
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
WotA was okay for a lorebuff... not for character development.
I understand that Malfurion is young but he beats himself up for every single decision
:
Learning Druidism - I feel Guilty about Illidan
Going into Emerald Dream - What about Tyrande, she's alone
Riding a hippogriff - Tyrande will be sad because she can't come
Making Brox's axe - I might screw up
Riding a Dragon Aspect (Ysera): Oh my god I'm gonna screw this up
Going into Emerald Dream to destroy 'spell shield' - Oh god I left Tyrande alone again
Fighting Xavius (first time) - Oh my god the eyes! I'm screwed!
Casting spell with Illidan with Demon Soul - Oh my god this only way to save everyone and it's so wrong!
Sentencing Illidan to 10,000 years imprisonment - I dunno if this is the right desicison... crap
Seriously, this is the wise, all-knowing, powerful Malfurion I witnessed in WarCraft 3?
Though I'll give the WoTA trilogy the combat scenes, though repetetive and overblown it was slightly entertaining to read.
but i cant say you're wrong either, its a matter of personal taste too. and you definitely read more novels than i have so i cant argue about your general opinion.
And lets go with the Warhammer 40k example. Then lets go back 10,000 years where 99% of the characters were not even there, and the land is different. You can write a good story, and use artistic creativity.
And the same rules apply to Diablo as they do to Warcraft and Warhammer. If you go back way, way into the past, you gain a good bit more artistic freedom, and if your story sucks, as Knaak the Hack's usually do, it's your own fault. Especially when people like Jeff Grubb, Christie Golden, and Chris Metzen can do such great stories, stories that make you want to turn the page and not throw the book down in disgust, you really, honestly, have no excuse.
The thing is that Richard A. Knaak had to ruin it by inserting 'his own' characters in there, by 'time travel' and all this other goody good things, it was really for a lack of a better term, idiotic.
I'm saying this cause I think the safest assumption so far is that he's given a plot outline and even a rough character outline and he takes it from there. And plot-related things, like I said it's a fun book if you wish to get more out of the Diablo story, learn more about the foundations of things that are only teased at in the games and manuals. I've just said that beyond that there is not much for me to enjoy. Because I feel like each character is an exaggerated caricature or one personality type. And so the characters are kind of bland, and I don't really care that much about what happens to them. This was especially the case with Uldyssian. At no point in the book did he grow as a character. He was just the same stern angry guy throughout the whole book. Stupid even, as he was constantly influenced by Lilith. Maybe she used her demonic powers to help influence him, but then again he's becoming all powerful, right? I'm only saying he was a boring character and I never was able to get attached to him or any of the other characters that are supposed to be important. The Diablo books are plot driven, as have the games always been. This is why I've always argued that Diablo has never really been an RPG to begin with.
Your are merely going from point a to point b. Every cinematic in fact in D2 is happening minus your character. The one time we see you is when your hand is hold a hammer and you're smashing the Soulstone. There is no importance to who your character is in that game. And I feel a similar approach was taken to the books. Now obviously as these are novels, there will be specific characters. But they're really each just there to represent a single thing. There is nothing multi-dimensional about any of them. That's just the limitations of the books. I'm not sure how much of that is Knaak's fault because I don't know exactly what limitations were imposed on him as he began writing the book. I do think there were numerous times throughout the book though where he could've experimented with the dialogue more and find ways to make the characters more easy to relate to in some way.
Just because I may find that as his weakness, it doesn't mean Knaak has no strengths. Overall I feel he's a fun storyteller. He's good at moving the plot forward anyway. You can't really expect literary pieces with the Diablo books. You just have to see them for what they are. Books based on a video game. In many cases you're lucky to get someone even half as good as Knaak to be willing to write such a book. I would imagine many published authors trying to be taken seriously would steer away from video game novelizations.
But Knaak also seems to care about the Diablo franchise and what it means to the fans. He tries to give them what they want and he's very open in interviews. He doesn't just have this attitude like, "Fuck, dude! I don't know! I was just paid to write the books, okay?"
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
I do have to disagree with this though. Someone with very, very little knowledge of the world they are writing in, like Knaak the Hack, is the very definition of a sell out.
I would refer you to the GOOD Blizzard authors if you would like to see how it is supposed to be done:
Granted, I may of just been spoiled by High Quality writers. For all I know, Knaak the Hack may be the norm for "good" writers. Though, if that is the case, I must of gotten very lucky in nearly all of my books.
(And please, don't take this post as if it were an attack, it is far from it. I just strongly disagree with your point of view. )
Astonishing!
So just how many fantasy and sci-fi books and how many years of having read them is required for our opinions to be informed?
I'm certainly not calling him a sellout. Who's saying that?
But let me guess...your opinion will be much, much more, right?
So in other words we don't have a right to criticize unless we can come up with something better, is that it? I thought all you needed to have an opinion about this topic was an immense collection of books as well as decades of reading experience. Are you saying you're a published author. Astonishing, again!
Fair enough. Except my complaint was not even about the plot, it was about the lack of character development which I personally, personally, find boring in novels. And it's not like Blizzard acting as editors are going to produce the best product. They're game developers not book publishers firsthand.
Humble, my ass.
Gosh, thanks. You couldn't be anymore sarcastic right now, but thanks for real!
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
I am entitled to my opinion thank you very much, but I have basis of forming said opinion and not just pulling it out of my ass.
If you compare Knaak with other Blizzard authors (specifically on the Warcraft franchise), such as Jeff Grub and Christie Golden, you will see the vast differences and frankly Knaak is mediocre and I would call his works 'popcorn books' they're quick and easy and don't require substantial time to make.
Now I assume that Blizzard's lore department (Metzen) proof-reads works but he/they give Knaak a whole lot of room to maneuver in, how do I know this? Cases of Knaak's idiotic mistakes/work:
1) Time Travel from War of the Ancients Trilogy (A strenuous concept at best and is best left alone unless you have a proper concept of making it work, Knaak doesn't do this and it only serves for his previously made characters [plus a new one] to make their way in the story where otherwise can be removed and still would've made a good if not better story).
2) Time Reform in War of the Ancients Trilogy (Knaak majorly screws around with lore here, where Hakkar dies in WC2, he dies in the trilogy, thus his actions in WC2 never happened. Not only that but the night elf and orc encounter between Cenarius and Grom Hellscream are all screwy and no one has an idea how to fit this, because Broxigar (the new character mentioned) is an orc and has met Cenarius, thus night elves has previous experiences with orcs).
3) Perfect Character - Rhonin from Day of the Dragon (From the beginning of this novel, Knaak introduces Rhonin, the chief protagonist in the story. And to flesh out this character, Knaak describes this character in detail and his flaws. However, throughout the story we see nothing of character's flaws thus drastically slowing potential character development, if not stopping it completely).
4) Idiotic Events that serve no purpose AKA The Raptor Army from Night of the Dragon (This is the most idiotic thing that I have ever had the misfortune to encounter in Knaak's works. Literally, the whole event is Rhonin with a side character teleport out of danger zone and end up recruiting raptors and ride them back into danger zone to fight the antagonists. Really? The only mention of these raptors previous to this event in the story is at the beginning of the book where they are attacking a city.)
Again, I'm sure Blizzard proof reads author's works but again at the same time is is plausible to assume that these authors have alot of room to manuever in, and so far this hasn't worked well with Knaak.