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.

Contents

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).

Contributing Artists

The work of numerous artists, both Blizzard employees and many others, is featured in the book. No official list is yet available, but one of the contributors, Jean-Baptiste Monge, posted some news on his blog in early October, 2011. [4]

I have worked some months ago for Blizzard Entertainment on the great and so expected artbook Diablo III : Book of Cain - published by Insight Editions.

I have been so happy first when they wrote me. In fact I have been a Diablo player addict for years so it's like a complete circle : in front of the computer to play like a fool and in front of my table to draw their creatures like a fool. YEAH ! And after I have been completely excited when I knew who would draw with me on the artbook. I feel very honored and privileged.

A few names to catch your attention : James Gurney, Adrian Smith, Iain McCaig, <John Howe, Brom, ... and sooo many great artists.

I have got 23 sketch pictures (with soft watercolor for a few) inside, this is crazy and I hope that you will apreciate them all. I have tried to keep the mood and thanks to the Blizzard Team, it was impossible to do mistakes about the story and elements, that I was tended to add ;-) (professional deformation certainly !)

Book publisher Insight Editions provided additional artist credits in October 2011.[5] They include:

• Brom, Mark Gibbons, Jim Gurney, John Howe, Alan Lee, Iain McCaig, Jean-Baptiste Monge, Adrian Smith, and Petar Meseldzija.

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.

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