The Book of Adria: Some Life in Diablo III After All?

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Before Diablo III first released, Blizzard put out the Book of Cain, a lovingly crafted lore repository that has become one of my all-time favourite pieces of gaming memorabilia. To mark Reaper of Souls’ launch, they released the somewhat less impressive Book of Tyrael, which added more to Diablo’s backstory.

A cutscene from Diablo III: Reaper of SoulsAnd that was pretty much that, except now something interesting has happened. Amazon has now posted a listing for a third installment of this series: the Book of Adria.

Well.

I’m trying not to get my hopes up here, and I’m not being entirely successful.

I had pretty much written Diablo III off as a dead game at this point. I’m desperate for a conclusion to the multiple cliffhangers left by Reaper of Souls, but it’s been so long without any meaningful updates to the game or even the suggestion of such that I had figured Blizzard had abandoned the project for some incomprehensible reason.

And a new book definitely doesn’t mean that a new expansion pack is around the corner. Maybe they’re just churning out a new book for the sake of getting a little extra cash from the Diablo brand name.

But each of the previous Book of X installments were tied to a major release. And this is coming on the heels of the announcement of new comic books in the Diablo universe, so it does feel as if some momentum is building here. Gamescom and BlizzCon are both coming soon, so there’s at least the opportunity for a major announcement in the near future.

We do know that Blizzard is working on something related to Diablo. They’ve been hiring new developers for the Diablo franchise for a while now. The general assumption was that it was for Diablo IV or some other new game, but it seems too early for an announcement of either of those things. If the Book of Adria is tied to a new release — which I grant is far from certain — it’s more likely to be for Diablo III content than anything else.

The treachery of Adria in Diablo IIIIf nothing else, a new source of Diablo lore is appealing, especially as seen through the eyes of Adria. She was one of the most memorable characters of Diablo III, and delving into her writings could provide fascinating insights into not just the Burning Hells, but her psychology as a character, as well.

Finally, as an aside, this news comes at an interest time for me personally as I’ve recently been getting back into playing D3. I’m doing so very casually, but I wanted something mindless to relax with, and it occurred to me I’d never finished the story on my necromancer. My gripes from before remain, but I can’t deny Corpse Explosion is ridiculously satisfying to use.

Sad Music, Dark Stories, and Finding Beauty in Sorrow

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If you’ve been following my “Song of the Month” segment, you’ve probably noticed by now that I don’t exactly listen to a lot of happy music. Even the songs I listen to that do sound peppy and upbeat at first glance usually have crushingly dark lyrics.

Emi9ly Haines, leader singer of MetricYou may find it strange or even unhealthy that I spend so much time listening to music that is so full of pain and heartbreak, but the fact is sad music makes me feel good. And there’s a reason for that, a reason that cuts to the heart of my artistic sensibilities and perhaps even includes a bit of a life lesson.

I don’t think happiness and sadness are really opposites. Or at least not in the sense that they cancel each other out. You can feel both at the same time.

Some of my happiest memories are from some of the unhappiest times in my life. Despair has a way of reminding you what really matters, and allowing you to appreciate the beauty in life.

I currently have about 230 songs on my MP3 player. Of those, the only one that predates 1990 is Bad Moon Rising by Credence Clearwater Revival. It’s not exactly a happy song to begin with, but it’s especially sad for me.

For whatever reason, Bad Moon Rising was in heavy rotation on my father’s favourite classic rock station around the time my parents were divorcing. Thus that song has always been associated with one of the most painful periods of my life (my parents splitting up wasn’t the only thing going wrong at that point).

Choosing to regularly revisit a song with such painful associations may seem masochistic, but it reminds me that I survived that time. It was horrible, but I’m still here. There were good times after that, and hopefully there are still good times to come.

Chvrches (Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, and Martin Doherty), a band whose music is sorrowful and lovely in equal measureIt also reminds me that as painful as that time was, it was also a time when I did a lot of growing as a person. It was a time when I was exposed to many wonderful new places and new experiences, and it helped shape my life for years to come in very positive ways.

And therein lies the appeal of sad songs. Music that manages to be both sorrowful and beautiful reminds me that even in the darkest moments there is still the potential for growth, and discovery, and beauty.

I apply a similar sensibility when it comes to story-telling, both my own and that of others. As I’ve said before, I enjoy dark stories, but it needs to be done right. You need to be able to still find the moments of warmth and joy even in the darkest story. Stories where nothing bad happens are boring, but so are stories that spend all their time wallowing in awfulness.

My favourite stories therefore are not the ones that make me happy, nor the ones that make me sad. They’re the ones that do both at once. The ones that really stick with me are those that can still find grace and hope in the darkest moments, or fill you with such joy it makes your heart hurt.

Because in the end, that’s what life is about. You take the good with the bad. Even when everything is seemingly going well, regrets and insecurities can rise up to swallow you, and even when everything seems hopeless, you can still find little moments of peace and beauty to lessen your burdens and put a smile on your face.