Book of Dracul

The Travel Book is the leather and metal bound book containing the chronicles of Gabriel Belmont's rise as a hero of light and fall into darkness as the Prince of Darkness, Dracula. After that point, the Travel Book is abandoned, and the story of Dracula's reign is instead recorded in the Book of Dracul.

The Travel Book is first seen in the title screen of the first Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. At that time the book featured a replica of the God Mask and a normal colored hardcover. It served as the menu screens for the player, as well as a record of all characters, creatures and items encountered by Gabriel. Each "chapter" is a stage containing levels. Each stage is narrated by Zobek, describing Gabriel's quest and his fall into darkness. Following Zobek's apparent death, Gabriel briefly took up recording in the book, describing his feelings after the failure of his quest, and his final fall after drinking Laura's blood, and becoming a vampire.

Exactly what happened to the Travel Book is unknown, but at some point after the conclusion of the Resurrection DLC chapter, Dracula chooses to use a different book, with a stylized dragon face and a red hardcover, to record his history and memories. This tome, the Book of Dracul, is the book that Dracula is reading during the title screen and reload screens in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. It is kept in a secret chamber behind his throne both in the past as well as in his memories and helps him remember his good side, and his plan to defeat Zobek and Satan with the help of Alucard.

Alucard is also shown reading the Book of Dracul on the title screen and reload sequences in the Revelations DLC chapter. The book itself plays no significance in the story of the DLC.

Gallery

Render (Travel Book)

Concept Art (Book of Dracul)

Trivia

• The Travel Book is used as the menu screen in the first game, while the Book of Dracul is used as a physical prop in the second one.
• Zobek's narration is the first time Gabriel is referred to as "the Prince of Darkness."
• The Travel Book seems to fit with the concept of members of the Brotherhood of Light recording their adventures, which are found on scrolls hidden throughout the games.
• If the game is paused at any time, the books will have a short description of what is presently happening; the Travel Book describes the scene as if by an outside narrator, while the Book of Dracul describes the mission in first-person, in the words of Dracula or Alucard. If paused during a cutscene, the book will instead have whatever current dialogue is being said.
• Zobek narrates the story during Lords of Shadow chapter loading screens. Gabriel narrates after the battle with Satan up until the death of the Forgotten One.
  • As the book first appears to be Zobek's property, it is unknown how Gabriel was able to find it and use it himself.
• The Book of Dracul is named in a similar fashion to the books of the Bible.