Publisher: Del Rey

Author: Ari Marmell

Release Date: 7/24/2012

MSRP: $14.99 (Paperback), $9.99 (Digital)

Pages: 368

Recommended Audience: Young Adult

With the success of Darksiders II, it’s no surprise that a novel would come out. The Abomination Vault follows War and Death, two of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, before the events of the first game. This is an all-new, original adventure that uses the game’s ideas very well. Death and war are trying to keep the Grand Abominations in the wrong hands. These are weapons made of flesh and steel by the now-extinct Nephilim race. Of course, the White City is involved, and so are the angels. The Charred Council sends Death and War to stop this problem so it doesn’t tip the balance of the pact between Above and Below.

You get to see some insight into War and Death that wasn’t in the game, as well as sneak peeks at what Strife and Fury are like. They appear briefly in the novel, but it’s more than the games. I liked how Ari gave us a closer look at Dust and Death because their relationship isn’t really fleshed out in the games. The same goes for Despair, his horse. There are some pretty good fight scenes in the game, and I found they were well-written and entertaining. Ari really brings across the true power of death and his personality. One thing I was disappointed in was that he never appeared in his true form in the book. Death is a Grim Reaper, and in the game, he can turn into one, but never in the novel. The book is about the relationship between death and war. You truly see how tight-knit these two are and how much they care for each other.

The conversations in the book are well written and keep you drawn in. Ari does a wonderful job describing the environment and what’s around the characters, so you can paint a perfect picture in your head. Overall, The Abomination Vault is highly entertaining and gives us some insight that the games can’t or don’t offer. That is what I mainly came here for, and I feel satisfied after closing the back cover. I know Death and War more, as well as their relationships with their horses and weapons. Pick this up if you are a Darksiders fan, but hold off until you play the second game.