Book of Cain

The Book of Cain is the shorter, alternate title of Diablo: the Eternal Conflict: The Illustrated Guide, an item of Diablo III Merchandise, first seen via a listing on Amazon.com in June 2011.[1] The initial listing was taken down[2] a week after it went online, but a new listing with slightly different details was posted again in September 2011. The new info has the 148-page book with a projected release date of November 25, 2011.[3]

The book is an "in-world" piece of literature, formatted as though it was written and illustrated by Deckard Cain. It recounts the events of Diablo II, includes additional stories of the Angels and Demons and their battles, and summarizes the history of events during the twenty years between the conclusion of events in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, and the start of Diablo III.

Product Description

Book of Cain new cover art.

From the initial Amazon.com product listing.

In Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo I and Diablo II, the recurring character of Deckard Cain delivered quests, accompanied the brave adventurer, and, as the last of the Horadrim, provided a link to the greater history of the world of Sanctuary. Ever mysterious during these appearances, Cain hinted at a larger story, providing snippets of it in his notebook. Diablo III: Book of Cain is Cain is a formal record of this greater tale -- a dissertation on the lore of the Diablo universe, told by one who has witnessed and participated in some of the epic events that make up the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells.

Designed as an "in-world" artifact from the Diablo universe, Diablo III: Book of Cain includes Cain's revealing meditations, as well as dozens of sketches and color artworks depicting the angelic and demonic beings who wage constant war with one another.

For players of the eagerly anticipated Diablo III, this mysterious tome will provide a deeper understanding of the franchise and its storyline.

The book can still be pre-ordered from some Amazon portals:

Amazon.com listing. Posted September 2011, release date listed as November 25, 2011.
Amazon.co.uk listing. Release date is listed as December 15, 2011 (First version, was removed).
Amazon.ca listing. Release date is listed as November 2011. (First version, was removed).
Amazon.de listing. Release date is listed as November 24, 2011. (First version, not removed).

Deckard Cain's Journal

Original cover art from June 2011.

Fans immediately noted the similarities between this product and Deckard Cain's Journal, a 34-page, illustration-packed diary-like creation that Blizzard posted on the Diablo 3 site shortly after the game's reveal.

That journal is a first person account, by Deckard Cain, of the plot events of Diablo I and Diablo II. There’s no new plot info in it, or anything from Diablo III or any plot/lore events that weren’t covered in D1/D2/D2X, but it’s a nice presentation. There’s plenty of artwork in it too, mostly illustrations of Diablo III things that aren’t necessarily related to what the words are describing.

It's possible that the Book of Cain is just an expanded version of Deckard Cain's Journal, but that's not yet known. The Book of Cain would almost certainly contain much additional information and game world lore, while Cain's Journal was just the familiar events of D1 and D2 retold from Cain's perspective, with artwork that seemed to have come from Diablo III rather than being related to the actual D1/D2 history.

Gallery

The new Amazon.com listing, updated in late September 2011, shows new cover art and several sample pages. They're unfortunately small, just 400px wide and not legible, but they do give some sense of the book's content and style.