The Lost Horadrim Finds Fun Beyond Diablo Connections | Review

Matthew J. Kirby’s The Lost Horadrim novel offers Diablo IV fans a look into the early adventures of Lorath and Donan filled with action and all manner of demon killing.

Set as a prequel to Diablo IV‘s final story expansion, The Lord of Hatred, The Lost Horadrim actually takes fans much further back. Rather than serving as a direct lead-up to the new events of the game, The Lost Horadrim puts the focus on a younger (even angrier) Lorath, alongside former angel Tyrael, and Donan. 

As the last of the Horadrim they’re hoping to find a way to expand their ranks and rebuild the order so they can better protect Sanctuary from the next threat, and the next. To that end, they find themselves traveling to the islands of Skovos where a Horadrim expedition had disappeared. There they hope to either find their missing brethren or the Horadric vault hidden within the isles that contain artifacts that could help them in their quest. 

They arrival isn’t exactly met with enthusiasm. The Askari amazons have seemingly fared better following the “reaping” than others, but are deeply distrustful of outsiders. Combined with the increasing threat of the Drowned and strange happenings going on within their own ranks, Lorath, Tyrael, and Donan realize they may have stumbled into something much bigger. 

In order to survive and make new, necessary allies, they’ll have to set aside their fears and personal demons. I don’t want to dive too much into spoilers so I’m leaving the description here fairly vague. Suffice it to say the book serves as a pretty solid introduction to Skovos and Adreona before the events of the game brings Lorath back to them. 

Generally speaking, I had a lot of fun with this book. Even if you know little about the overall lore of Diablo—and these specific characters—Lost Horadrim works incredibly well on its own. It manages to feel like a fun, pulpy sword and sorcery style story that brings together all the action you would expect while keeping the plot moving at a fast clip. 

And yes, it moves rather quickly. Coming in under 300 pages, the story doesn’t waste time and gets down to business. And yet, thanks to Kirby’s prose, it doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s rushing things either. Rather, his pacing trusts the reader to understand how certain characters and events get from A to B without having to walk them through the entire process. This is something too many fantasy stories tend to do; detailing every step of the journey characters take.

Kirby takes a more direct approach, keeping the focus on the important plot/character points and excising the fluff. More importantly, however, they manage to do this without feeling like it’s shortchanging anything. There are still some great character beats and themes explored, and not to mention some really impressive action sequences. These feel pulled straight out of the game and epic in all the right ways. 

For me, this makes Lost Horadrim an easy recommendation. We don’t have nearly enough fantasy/sword and sorcery adventures that manage to work on its own and can be completed in a sitting or two. 

For fans of the games, there’s even more to unpack and enjoy. To be honest, I can’t sit here and say I’m the biggest Diablo franchise fan. I’ve played the last couple main games and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I’m not overly steeped in the lore of it all. As such, I’m sure there are several references/Easter eggs that went over my head. What I was able to pick up on, however, felt naturally placed (not just overt winks for fan service) and genuinely added to the characters we already know. 

If you’re not big on Diablo in general, there’s still a really fun and solid fantasy book to enjoy that doesn’t require an intimate knowledge of the games or characters. If you are a fan, looking to dive deeper into the characters from the newest expansion, there’s even more to love. Between those two elements The Lost Horadrim is exactly what you want out of a tie-in novel.