Upcoming Diablo 4 novel takes us to Skovos leading into the Lord of Hatred expansion

A new Diablo novel is coming soon: The Lost Horadrim by Matthew J. Kirby (also available as an audiobook read by Ralph Ineson, who plays Lorath) is due out on April 21, 2026. That’s a short week before Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred comes out, and the novel should lead us into the expansion’s story, following Lorath as he journeys to Skovos to uncover the titular lost Horadrim. (Or perhaps is the lost Horadrim. It’s a little hard to say.) Here’s the description of the book:

In this dark fantasy adventure, journey to the Skovos Isles and uncover their mysteries: a lost expedition of mages, a dangerous monster, and a boiling political conflict—the official prequel to Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred.

An ancient brotherhood of mages and wizards sworn to defend humanity against evil is on the brink of destruction.

Their last good chance at survival is to journey to the far-off Skovos Isles and uncover the fate of a long-lost expedition sent to unlock a vault hidden deep within its lands.

But what awaits them is more than they bargained for. The Amazon warriors who call Skovos home face two dangerous threats: the rumblings of a disquieted public, and an undead creature attacking them from all sides.

The leader of the mages, Lorath, and Captain Adreona of the Amazons must band together in an unlikely alliance to unlock these mysteries . . . or else the mortal realm may be in terrible danger.

It’s a description that doesn’t seem to have been written by someone familiar with the lore of Diablo, but we can glean a few facts from it. We already know that we’re going to Skovos in the Lord of Hatred expansion, but we also know that Lorath already tried to go to Skovos before Vessel of Hatred. In Book of Lorath, which takes place immediately after the main Diablo 4 story campaign, Lorath paid a ship to take him to Skovos, but Askari ships chased him away, running his ship aground and questioning him. According to Lorath, “they did not respond well when I announced myself as Horadrim.”

In that abbreviated visit, Lorath had hoped to seek out a delegation of Horadrim that Tyreal had sent to Skovos years before, whose whereabouts (and fate) remain in question.

During his journeys after Vessel of Hatred, Lorath went looking for Neyrelle, but also for relics and knowledge. While Book of Lorath chronicles parts of this journey, with descriptions of relics he encountered, Lorath never explains what he’s looking for or what he intends to do when he finds it. With this new book, it seems likely that Lorath made a second trip to Skovos, where he was better received… and perhaps found what he was looking for.

We’ll see what happens when The Lost Horadrim comes on in April 21, followed by Lord of Hatred on April 28.