Assassin's Creed: Renaissance (Assassin's Creed, #1)

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Assassin's Creed: Renaissance (Assassin's Creed #1)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 2,135 ratings · 241 reviews

'I will seek Vengeance upon those who betrayed my family. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I am an Assassin…'

Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honour, he will learn the art of the assassins.

Along the way, Ezio will call upon the wisdom of such great minds as Leonard...more

Paperback, 516 pages

Published November 11th 2009 by Ace (first published 2009)

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Dec 03, 2011 Archer rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, books-that-make-your-eyes-bleed, game-novelisations, books-for-people-who-don-t-like-goo, books-that-need-to-be-burned, books-that-should-be-better, fiction, historical, i-d-rather-have-my-testicles-fed-th, should-be-better, they-cut-down-trees-for-this, fucking-awful, piece-of-shit, thriller, serial-killer

Well, once again, hello dear readers

Today I am going to be venting my frustrations about one Oliver Bowden (real name Anton Gill, this author, in my opinion, deserves to be named and… well, we’ll get to what else he deserves later) and his adaptations of the Assassin’s Creed story.

Now let me just go on record and say, I read these books out of order. I read The Secret Crusade first (hey when a book is sold as the retelling of the events that spawned the series you’d naturally assume that that sh...more Well, once again, hello dear readers

Today I am going to be venting my frustrations about one Oliver Bowden (real name Anton Gill, this author, in my opinion, deserves to be named and… well, we’ll get to what else he deserves later) and his adaptations of the Assassin’s Creed story.

Now let me just go on record and say, I read these books out of order. I read The Secret Crusade first (hey when a book is sold as the retelling of the events that spawned the series you’d naturally assume that that should be read first) and now I’m reading Brotherhood. But let me just say this for the books… They make an amazing tale mediocre. Structurally, for the most part, there isn’t all that much wrong with the writing, it’s just dry, lacklustre, dull.

Now I’m not a published author or anything but I’ve researched this writer, he has 27 years experience in the writing game, and as such there is no excuse for the errors that Gill (No, sir, with respect I will not allow you to hide behind a pseudonym, you don’t deserve the honour) is frequently making; mispunctuated text, broken flow, poor desriptive text, dry narrative. Honestly I am surprised he has had so many books published.

So as I am a fan of the already successful AssCreed franchise, as many of my readers are no doubt aware, I find myself frustrated to the point of it being a chore to read these books because so very much is wrong with them. Now I know Ubisoft are commisioning them to make the story accessible to people other than gamers, and they should because the story is fucking kick ass, but honestly, they could at least find a better author, maybe an author that has actually understood the story line and the details of the tale, that could be an idea couldn’t it Ubi? Anton Gill, whilst claiming to be a renaissance historian, is making blinding historical innaccuracies in his text, innacuracies that are simply the work of a sloppy writer who has not researched the time period properly.

Now the historical errors I can let slide because no doubt he had a time frame to get the book out in, BUT, I cannot forgive the detail innacuracies of the characters. The big one being the Hidden Blade. In the original telling of the tale, i.e. the game, the original hidden blade Ezio is left by his father, is worn on the left hand. This is because the mechanism originally required the sacrifice of the ring finger because the bearer would be married to the Brotherhood of Assassin’s. So why did Gill put it on the right hand? This is wrong.

However, there were a few little snippets of Ezio’s life that were in the book that were not mentioned in Assassin’s Creed 2. These were memories of his first love, Christina. I think that these gave the character of Ezio a depth and very human storyline that has been missing from a lot of big franchise protagonists for many years. And obviously Ubisoft agreed because they actually included these little snippets as playable memories in the Brotherhood game to allow Ezio to remember Christina and to let the gamer more fully understand everything that he gave up to carry on his father’s work of hunting down Templars and protecting the masses from their malevolent schemes.

I know this sounds mostly like me being petty and picking for the sake of it, but these are the problems with the book that take an awesome concept the should work well as a novel and make it average at best. I have no doubts at all that if another author could have taken a stab at the tale then these books could have been better. Hell if Ubi had found a fan of the series that was also a writer and had told them “make it as awesome in text as it is on screen” then these adaptations would be best sellers in their own rights. But as it stands, these are books that die-hard fans should stay away from like they would the plague. They are better suited to teens whose parents won’t let them play the games, but are still interested in the franchise.

But to anyone who reads these books, don’t expect the sort of quality writing you get from authors like J.K., Butcher, Pullman or Nix. These books read as if they didn’t have enough polishing done and were put out ahead of schedule and have as such suffered.

Happy reading and don’t be another blade in the crowd

Archer
Spread the word!!

(less)

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Mar 06, 2011 Logan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Masochists

Recommended to Logan by: Sadists

Shelves: books-i-hate

I've never had faith in books (or movies) based on videogames, but since Assassin's Creed II is my favorite videogame of all time, I decided to risk this.

If you find my review incomprehensible, it's merely because this trash fried my brain cells to the point of blissful delirium.

Take the worst books you've ever read, burn them, mix the ashes with toad semen and the sweat of Dick Cheney, and you will alchemically create this book.

This book is so bad, even by "books-based-on-videogames" standards...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book just because I love the game. I was surprised to see that the book was true to the game. The conversations is almost the same and the environment is described just as you saw it in the game. Bowden did a good job in filling out the blanks that wasn't included in the game and it was fun to read more indepth of Ezio's thoughts and life, especially in his younger days.
The thing I thought was strange with this book is that this actually is the second game, but it is the first book...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Sophie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, owned

I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this book. I bought it mostly because I am somewhat obsessed with the game, and I wanted more Ezio, now please! I expected that at best it would be bearable to read because I don't tend to think too highly of novelizations of either movies or video games. But this was really good and fun.

Most of the story in the book is in the game as well, so the plot wasn't particularly surprising. But there were a few additional details - like, say, Leonardo's ho...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Dia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-2012, e-book, historical-fiction, fantasy, extras-novellas-spinoffs-and-more, reviewed

I have been in love with the AC game series when I first got Assassin’s Creed I as a birthday present for XBOX 360. I was in love with the plot, in love with the history and the story telling aspects of the game. Not to mention, stealth games are my kind of games, and the amazing graphics. Oh, and Altair is my kind of man. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up with the series or any gaming for that matter due to high school, so I quickly dropped gaming to study.

That is, until a week ago, when my bro...more I have been in love with the AC game series when I first got Assassin’s Creed I as a birthday present for XBOX 360. I was in love with the plot, in love with the history and the story telling aspects of the game. Not to mention, stealth games are my kind of games, and the amazing graphics. Oh, and Altair is my kind of man. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up with the series or any gaming for that matter due to high school, so I quickly dropped gaming to study.

That is, until a week ago, when my brother borrowed Assassin’s Creed II from a friend. I called dibs, and played non stop, and have come close to finishing the game. I was pretty sure I skipped a few things, so I just browsed through a few gaming sites. And then I found out Assassin’s Creed had been made into a book series.

Initial reaction was shock. I knew the franchise was big, but could it tackle handling a book series? Since video games give you the image, books can be so much harder, for the author has to create the image, which is why I probably gave the book 3 out of 5 stars.

Now don’t get me wrong, the book was great. It fills in plot holes that you would have thought otherwise. It follows the game beautifully; AC:R following ACII. Hell, even most of the dialogue stayed the same, with translation in the back.

But the thing is, it was such terrible writing. It was more like one of those companion books you get you get with the game in order to follow the plot of the game. Bowden’s overall writing style is quite poor and he has a terrible sense of syntax, often repeating words and having oddly structured sentences.

Simply because you follow a plot will not ensure you total success. This book could have been brilliant if written in a more figurative way. While playing the AC game series, I always felt that Altair and Ezio were extremely graceful and artful in both their movements and killing (shush, it’s not JUST A VIDEO GAME). Clearly, Bowden lacks that in his own skill.

A part of me wants to read the rest of the series, but I’m not in any rush to. Rather, I want to collect all the games and play them, and perhaps read the books when I’m bored or even confused by the family trees and plot.

3/5 Stars.(less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Raymond Hu rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a really cool book which interest me a lot. This book caught my eye and i read the whole thing mostly because it was a popular game turned into a book and i also wanted to read that action felt in the games.The book was confusing at first the first time i read it because of the setting switches and characters switches but after reading it the 2nd time i got that the storyline. I felt bad for the main character because he went throught a lot and lost a lot of people close to him. Al...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Mazohyst (Edel) rated it 1 of 5 stars

You'd think that after reading Forsaken, I'd have learned my lesson with this author. Unfortunately not.

If you want to know the story of Assassin's Creed, you're better off playing the games instead. If you're not a gamer, too bad. Play the game anyway, because you will not get the full AC experience. If you're a fan and enjoyed the AC games, stick to them

This book was just like Forsaken: boring, dull, dry, drab, a snooze fest, etc. In AC3, Haytham was by far the most "liveliest" character. The...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Andrea_99 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ASSASSIN'S CREED RINASCIMENTO E' UN ROMANZO CHE PARLA DI EZIO AUDITORE DA FIRENZE NATO NEL 1476.
SEMPRE NELLO STESSO ANNO EZIO VEDE I SUOI FAMILIARI GIOVANNI AUDITORE(IL PADRE),FEDERICO AUDITORE(FRATELLO DI EZIO E PRIMOGENITO DI GIOVANNI) E PETRUCCIO(FRATELLO DI FEDERICO E EZIO E ULTIMO FIGLIO DI GIOVANNI) IMPICCATI UNO ALLA VOLTA PER ESSERE ACCUSATI DI TRADIMENTO CONTRO LA CITTA' DI FIRENZE.
DA QUEL GIORNO EZIO E' COSTRETTO AD AFFRONTARE UNA VITA SOLITARIA OMICIDI ALLA RICERCA DEI RESPONSABILI.
IN...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Polina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can imagine this book being read by a teen who knows about the game but who can not play the game for some reason - for example, intelligent parents. While access to the video games rated M for "mature" (content may be suitable for those over 17 years of age) may be limited and rightfully so, the access to books is free, so this little thing will be a good substitute until the reader is old enough to not only read other books but also play the actual game.
It being a book based on a video gam...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Rahul rated it 4 of 5 stars

name of text:assassin's creed:renaissance|
author:Oliver Bowden
my rating: 4 stars

this books category is "a science fiction or fantasy book". This book is about a young man named Ezio Auditore. his brothers and father were hanged by a family friend named Ulberto alberti.Ezio joins a group of assassin's that his father and uncle are in it. the assassin's enemy are the templars so the group of assassin's hunt down the templars.threw out the story there is alot of parkour also there is a game based o...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Beatriz Lins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: awesome-protagonist, fiction, go-and-read-it, omfg, read-in-portuguese, unexpected-endings, badass-characters

I first heard about Assassin's Creed from my brother in-law. He loves the games, was constantly commenting how Ezio was badass, how his moves and kills were impressive, and how the graphics were fantastic. When the novel came out, I spent months craving it, only now having the courage to buy, and finally, read it.

Oliver Bowden transports us to Italy, 1472, where a young man is about the learn the power and secrets of his family. After a brutal attack and betrayal, Ezio takes the name Auditore to...more I first heard about Assassin's Creed from my brother in-law. He loves the games, was constantly commenting how Ezio was badass, how his moves and kills were impressive, and how the graphics were fantastic. When the novel came out, I spent months craving it, only now having the courage to buy, and finally, read it.

Oliver Bowden transports us to Italy, 1472, where a young man is about the learn the power and secrets of his family. After a brutal attack and betrayal, Ezio takes the name Auditore to a whole new level, seeking vengeance from those who took blood from the ones he loved. Ezio becomes an Assassin, as lethal and skillful as one can possibly get.

When I start reading a book in which the main character is an assassin, I immediately wonder if he's evil. I bet almost everyone cringed upon the words "I am an Assassin..." that's written in the back of Assassin's Creed. I know I did. So you can only guess how satisfied I was when I found out Ezio's not evil at all. He's what I would call fierce, in every single way. He loves his family and would do anything for them. At the same time, he kills without a drop of mercy, but only when he has to. I loved that. He's the kind of guy that I would be proud of, if I were his sister.

That said, I enjoyed his relationship - if multiple, and brief, encounters over the years can be called a relationship - with Cristina. I didn't expect him to be in love, and I certainly didn't expect for him to be so caring and ... cute... with Cristina. His love life was very, very different from the game, and by that, I was disappointed. But really, since I never played Assassin's Creed, my disappointment was short-lived.

To say Renaissance was a fast-paced book would be the understatement of the year. Ezio's 17 (if I'm not mistaken) when his story as an Assassin begins. At the end of the book, he's 44 years old. No, I didn't type that wrong. He's 44 years old. This means basically half of Ezio's life is described in 500 pages. I both love and hate that. I understand that the author wanted to show us what it means to be an Assassin. It's tiring and bloody. Ezio would spend years trying to find a guy, and months figuring out how to kill him. It makes the Order of the Assassins look way tougher than it sounds.

However - and that's the negative part of my review - it leaves no space whatsoever for character development. Sure, Ezio is more mature on the last chapters than he was on the first ones, but still, to write someone else's whole life, you have to describe their experiences, how they changed over each blow that life had landed upon them... and none of this happened with Ezio. It was so fast paced I was confused sometimes. The narrator would say that Ezio spent a long time searching for someone. I thought this "long time" would be weeks, months, or even a couple of years. And then I found out this "long time" was actually 8 years. How can you describe what happened to someone as special and broken as Ezio in 8 years with less than 3 pages? If the author keeps this pace up, how old will Ezio be on the third book? 89 years old?

Now, the ending itself. I liked it, but it was definitely not what I had expected. Really, it blew me away. I never thought Ezio's mission would be so important. I won't give anything away, but if I was playing the game, I'd have to pause to just absorb the ending for a moment. Just... what the hell?

Assassin's Creed is an excellent book for those who played, and enjoyed, the games. If you never played it - like me - you can read it anyway. It's a good way of learning Ezio Auditore's story, and reading an action-packed book.

Note: This review can also be found on my blog.(less)

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May 02, 2011 La Stamberga dei Lettori added it · review of another edition

Shelves: tancredi

Ultimamente sta prendendo piede l'usanza di derivare romanzi di genere da videogiochi di successo. Per lo più si tratta di romanzi di fantascienza o di horror, ma è possibile trovare qualcosa di diverso. Così è per il caso di Assassin's Creed, videogioco fantastorico di grandissimo successo. Che anche questo settore dell'intrattenimento stia oltrepassando i suoi limiti, puntando su una ricerca della qualità che a qualcuno potrebbe sembrare esagerata per un semplie prodotto d'intrattenimento, è c...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Dennis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Assassin's Creed Renaissance by Oliver Bowden is based on two of the Assassin's creed series games, Assassin's Creed 2 and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. It follows the life of a young adult from a noble family, whose name is Ezio Auditore, who finds out his true meaning in life, to become an Assassin. After his family was betrayed by other ruling families in Italy Ezio starts his adventure unlike anything he had ever imagined. On his journey he meets famous people from the renaissance era like L...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Nina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I found this a tiresome read. The way it was written really irritated me. The character, Ezio, irritated me. But the setting-I liked.

First I will acknowledge that this is a book based on a game. It is wasn't I would compare this to the likes of Robin Hobb and Brent Weeks with little of a positive nature.

You don't need to have played the game, just various games, to understand that the style is very game-like. I think generally, that it does follow too much with a game like style. It certainly le...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Cata rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biblioteca, 2012

Adorei a sinopse do livro. A vingança é um dos temas que mais gosto na literatura, pois proporcionam ao leitor momentos de emoções fortes, traições e conspirações. Por isso, quando o encontrei na BibliotecaPública Regional da Madeira não resisti a trazê-lo comigo.

O facto de ser baseado num jogo é algo que “nem me aquece, nem me arrefece”, uma vez que jogos de playstation/PC/ outras consolas não me interessam particularmente, por isso não vos posso dizer até que ponto o livro é fiel ao jogo.

A h...more Adorei a sinopse do livro. A vingança é um dos temas que mais gosto na literatura, pois proporcionam ao leitor momentos de emoções fortes, traições e conspirações. Por isso, quando o encontrei na BibliotecaPública Regional da Madeira não resisti a trazê-lo comigo.

O facto de ser baseado num jogo é algo que “nem me aquece, nem me arrefece”, uma vez que jogos de playstation/PC/ outras consolas não me interessam particularmente, por isso não vos posso dizer até que ponto o livro é fiel ao jogo.

A história começa quando Ezio Auditore tem 17 anos e a sua família é atraiçoada. Essa traição culmina no enforcamento do seu pai e dos seus dois irmãos e provoca sentimentos de raiva e revolta que iniciam Ezio numa procura épica por vingança. É que a morte dos seus familiares é apenas a ponta do icebergue de uma conspiração e de uma guerra antigas que poderão trazer consequências catastróficas para todo o mundo.

Assassin's Creed – Renascença é provavelmente o livro que me foi mais difícil avaliar este ano. Geralmente quando termino um livro tenho uma ideia bem clara do que gostei, do que não gostei e de como o livro me fez sentir e atribuo a classificação com base nesses critérios mesmo que demore alguns minutos a decidir-me sobre qual classificação os reflitirá melhor. Neste caso permaneci indecisa durante algumas horas entre atribuir 3 estrelas ou 3,5 estrelas acabando por optar pela primeira, devido ao motivos que exporei de seguida.

Apesar de ter algumas ideias que me agradaram imenso e que foram bem exploradas, como o conflito entre a Ordem dos Templários e a Ordem dos Assassinos por exemplo, e o aparecimento de personagens históricos importantes como os Médicis, Leonardo da Vinci e Rodrigo Borgia, o livro não me chegou a conquistar verdadeiramente; não foi daqueles livros que me viciaram e me instigaram aquele impulso de o ler sempre que houvesse oportunidade para tal.

Por fim, houve dois aspectos que não gostei particularmente. O primeiro foi o facto do dicionário italiano-português estar no fim do livro. De vez em quando apareciam palavras ou expressões em italiano e tinha de interromper a leitura ir ao fim do livro ver o seu significado. Não é nada prático e corta o ritmo de leitura. Seria melhor para o leitor se tivessem colocado o significado no fim da página. O segundo foi a vulgaridade de certos diálogos entre personagens, que chegam ao ponto de ser simplesmente ordinários. Talvez os italianos realmente falassem daquela maneira e com aqueles termos no séc XV, mas de facto foi algo que me desagradou bastante.

No geral este é um livro razoável, mas não memorável. Darei oportunidade ao próximo da série, porque o final foi um tanto ou quanto intrigante e fiquei curiosa para ver o rumo que a história seguirá.
(less)

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Jan 29, 2011 Tancredi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, storico, statunitensi

"Niente è reale, tutto è lecito."

Non primo e non ultimo caso di trasposizione in narrativa di un videogioco, Rinascimento è certamente uno dei più brillanti e riusciti.
Dietro lo pseudonimo Oliver Bowden si nasconde un ignoto docente universitario di storia, e non poteva essere altrimenti per un videogioco storico così ricco e ben curato che si è servito di un team di esperti in materia. Da solo l'autore riesce nei suoi compiti: trasportare in forma di romanzo tutta la storia del videogioco, agg...more "Niente è reale, tutto è lecito."

Non primo e non ultimo caso di trasposizione in narrativa di un videogioco, Rinascimento è certamente uno dei più brillanti e riusciti.
Dietro lo pseudonimo Oliver Bowden si nasconde un ignoto docente universitario di storia, e non poteva essere altrimenti per un videogioco storico così ricco e ben curato che si è servito di un team di esperti in materia. Da solo l'autore riesce nei suoi compiti: trasportare in forma di romanzo tutta la storia del videogioco, aggiungervi qualcosa di originale, e soprattutto dipingere uno sfondo storico credibile e verosimile. La sfida è vinta pienamente, la bravura dell'autore si avverte già nei primi passaggi, con delle belle pennellate capaci di ricostruire la società, i costumi ed i luoghi dell'Italia rinascimentale, dalla Firenze dei Medici a Venezia. Ottima è anche la caratterizzazione dei personaggi: lungi dall'indugiare in un'approfondita introspezione che avrebbe appesantito l'intreccio (un intreccio che rimane comunque concepito per un videogioco), con poche parole e pochi gesti riesce a creare un ritratto verosimile ed affatto superficiale per ogni personaggio coinvolto. Non viene meno nemmeno con i personaggi storici: Leonardo Da Vinci, Lorenzo de' Medici, Rodrigo Borgia, Niccolò Machiavelli appaiono vivi e realistici quanto mai.
Quanto alla trama, il merito va per lo più ai creatori del gioco: Bowden ha ripreso fedelmente tutte le scene del gioco, forse anche un po' troppo (è identico persino il finale prettamente fantastico, che forse stona un po' con un romanzo interamente storico). Per tre quarti del romanzo insomma si ha una esatta riproposizione del videogioco; tuttavia, è nell'ultima parte che l'autore ritaglia uno spazio per sé, occupando un lasso di tempo saltato dal videogioco. Una scelta azzeccata: i capitoli per così dire "inediti" gli danno l'opportunità di approfondire lo sviluppo del protagonista e di inserire altri personaggi, come il frate Savonarola, riuscendo a mantenere intatto il puzzle degli eventi storici.
In definitiva, chi ha giocato ad Assassin's creed ritroverà le stesse atmosfere del gioco e qualcosa in più; chi invece si accinge alla lettura senza conoscere il gioco originale, potrà godersi un ottimo romanzo storico arricchito di qualche elemento fantastico.(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Kelsey Jacobs rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would not normally read a novel based on a video game, because if the video game is worth playing, it should have a good story within it anyway.

Also, this novel is based on Assassin's Creed II, and I have only played most of the first one, and a few parts of Brotherhood. Something I abhor is reading a book in a series out of numerical order.

So with all that said, I enjoyed this for what it was. It certainly could have been worse. The writing was serviceable, and there was plenty of action. As...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Adriane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

I would like to start out this review by saying that I have never played the Assassin's Creed games. I've heard that they're excellent, but after finding out that there was a book series to go with the games I decided to read them first, being the nerd that I am. I learned very quickly that this is not a game based on a book, but a book based on a game. The book followed the same premise as it would a game, you know, the whole 'beat the bad-guy and get a prize afterwards' gig. At times I felt li...more I would like to start out this review by saying that I have never played the Assassin's Creed games. I've heard that they're excellent, but after finding out that there was a book series to go with the games I decided to read them first, being the nerd that I am. I learned very quickly that this is not a game based on a book, but a book based on a game. The book followed the same premise as it would a game, you know, the whole 'beat the bad-guy and get a prize afterwards' gig. At times I felt like the author was literally playing the game and writing down everything Ezio did. I wonder if he even copied down the dialogue word for word. It wouldn't surprise me. Now I'm not saying that the book was bad; The plot is interesting and intriguing and I absolutely loved all of the characters, especially the one's with historical significance like Leonardo Da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli. I loved the hints at Leonardo's inventions and Machiavelli's book, and it makes me wonder if any of the other characters in the series were real people at that time.

I guess my problem with this book was that... Bowden didn't have the original idea behind the book, ya know? It wasn't his baby, and because of that I think the book at times lacked description. When he could have gone in and described exactly what Ezio was doing, thinking or feeling, what was going on in his downtime, how his relationship with the other characters was growing. Bowden just didn't do that. He gave us a strict summary; a body with no life if you will. I wasn't captured by his words or transported to his world. It lacked the involvement and the feeling that the reader had been on a journey with the characters, which is probably what makes the game so well embraced. I bet that the game is as awesome as I've heard, for the plot and characters are magnificent and their greatness is why I've given the book 3 stars. It was the lack of heart and excitement in the writing that hurt the story, and the fact that I could never forget that the game came first. Fans of the game will probably like this book, and to all others I suggest playing the game a bit before picking up the book. I might pick up the next book and continue the series later, but not after playing the games a little bit. (less)

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Sep 21, 2011 Scott Vout rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-of-2011

Not sure why i stayed with this one to the end. Probably because i did not finish the video game.

If you played the video game you have read the book as it is basically a guided tour of the game.

Not sure what i was expecting here but what i got was the usual good vs evil with this incarnation of good winning.

A bit of a weak ending in my opinion as we are presented with what appeared to me to be space/time travellers explaining how the world got to this point and leaving 15th century Italy's versi...more

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Feb 20, 2010 Candace rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, video-games

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Exactly it looks like -- that is, a trashy novel adaptation of the PS3/360/PC game, Assassin's Creed II. But a friend gave me it for free, and I'm such a fan of the games I couldn't pass up reading it.

The book, much like the game, follows Ezio's life from seventeen, but the end is slightly changed, so it finishes when he's forty-four rather than forty. The framing narrative of Desmond in the modern day going back and reliving his ancestor's memories is completely absent here; it's all Ezio's POV...more Exactly it looks like -- that is, a trashy novel adaptation of the PS3/360/PC game, Assassin's Creed II. But a friend gave me it for free, and I'm such a fan of the games I couldn't pass up reading it.

The book, much like the game, follows Ezio's life from seventeen, but the end is slightly changed, so it finishes when he's forty-four rather than forty. The framing narrative of Desmond in the modern day going back and reliving his ancestor's memories is completely absent here; it's all Ezio's POV. It works... for the most part.

Much of the dialogue and events are lifted directly from the game, which is both a good and a bad thing. The author takes his own liberties and tries to change things to better fit the novel format, but sometimes it is awkward, incorrect or outright out of character. He insists Mario Auditore's villa is actually a castle (?), or that Ezio's eyes are 'cold blue-grey', when they're very clearly brown in the game. Maybe brown wasn't badass cold, calculating assassin enough for him, I don't know. But Ezio isn't a cold, calculating assassin, most of the time. He's angry, he almost enjoys killing, he shows off, makes it look messy and flashy. The author would have been better at writing cold, clinical Altaïr, because when he wasn't lifting game dialogue directly, Ezio lost a lot of his charm, for me.

There were other little things that bothered me, too, like Ezio basically dumping his mother and sister at a convent after they fled Florence. What the hell? His father and brothers were just killed by a close family friend and Ezio would just go and leave them? And Ezio's apparent obsession with Cristina, when he all but seems to forget about her in game. After twenty or so years, you... would have thought he'd gotten over her, especially with Rosa and such, but nope, the author seemed intent on forcing twu wuv on the manwhore assassin. Riiight.

Gratuitous Italian is used, just like in the game, except this time there aren't any subtitles, so you have to flip to the back of the book to find the glossary. Ruined the flow a lot, for me. The author also seemed to hate the word 'said' with a passion, used a thesaurus just as gratuitously as an Italian dictionary, and loved huge run-on sentences, like such: From the roof of the citadel, he could see that the courtyard was deserted, leapt down to the top of its colonnade, and dropped down to the ground. Which had me going 'bzuh?!' every time. It could have easily been two sentences!

I could go on and on about all the faults, but we'd be here all day, and it wasn't like I was expecting much anyway. It was decent, and there were one or two added scenes that were nice, like Ezio giving his family a proper funeral. But the 'sorry Ezio, you're just a plot device to move the series forward' ending the game had was here unsatisfying and nonsensical without Desmond. At least we're left feeling as bewildered as Ezio, I guess?(less)

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Jul 26, 2011 Sabrina rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised upon reading 'Assassin's Creed'. For a book to encompass every aspect of the game would be impossible - there are optional missions such as the Assassins' tombs and the glyphs that were more a part of Desmond Miles' story than Ezio's - so it obviously just tells the main story.

Oliver Bowden makes everything authentic, from the history surrounding both real Italy and the fictional parts (thieves, courtesans and mercenary factions for instance), to use of Italian throug...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Cole rated it 1 of 5 stars

I normally stay away from books based on videogames, but someone got me this as a gift because my favourite game of all time is Assassin’s Creed II. Bowden doesn’t follow the game very well. He put the hidden blades on the wrong hands. He got the purpose of the poison blade wrong. He portrayed Ezio as a guy who can’t fist fight or even fight with his hidden blades. He completely changed the ending. He took a cool character with a fascinating story and made him an incompetent Assassin. I understa...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Edina Jambor rated it 4 of 5 stars

I came across this book at Heathrow Airport when I was flying back to the United States. I was already familiar with the game but since the first did not have subtitles - at least not on xbox -, I decided to buy it and read it. It is not a classic work, to say the least, but it is an enjoyable retelling of the game. The plot was not surprising at all but it gave some additional insight and it roused my interest in the actual historical facts behind the fiction. Most of them are quite correct, wh...more

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Mar 01, 2010 João rated it 4 of 5 stars

I played the game and I enjoyed the story a lot so I decided to get the book hoping it would have more juice to the story. It didn't. It's mostly equal to the game with some minor changes and one or two details that don't really add much.

Since my native language is portuguese the words in italian didn't break the flow for me and were a really nice addition, I liked it the same way I liked it in the game (I played through the game all in italian because it added to the experience).

The game is a m...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Lea rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's come to my attention that once again, I've read a book based on a videogame that I have never played. Yes, I have watched gameplay footage, and like the style of the game, but the story was summarized. A young man's family is murdered, and he becomes an assassin to take his revenge. Okay, cool. Now what? This book told me exactly what. If you like the idea of the Assassin's Creed series, but can't be bothered to play the game (or simply don't own the console like me and would rather not buy...more

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Mar 02, 2010 Kati rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: het, 2010, in-english, fantasy, work-translations

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 26, 2010 Michelle added it · review of another edition

I am not much of a gamer, but when I saw my friend playing this game one night,I loved the storyline so much, I really wanted to play it. The next day I was walking by some books, and saw an actual book based off of the game. I was so thrilled, not only was I going to get a more in depth storyline than some game, but it was going to be about $100 cheaper considering I would have had to buy an Xbox just to play the game. This book is very great, and my heart was attatched to the main character al...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Johansolo rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: A los que quieran perder las ganas de leer.

Shelves: basura

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Esta novela es una porquería mal escrita.

Ante todo, la historia está basada en un videojuego, por lo que el argumento ya lo conocía (parece que mejor que el propio autor), así que no hay "factor sorpresa" aunque eso no me importa demasiado.

El problema es que está mal escrita. El estilo es pesado, los combates (y hay un montón ya que se basa en un videojuego en el que el protagonista es un asesino que mata mucho y con gran habilidad) son muy confusos con descripciones que carecen de lógica y que...more Esta novela es una porquería mal escrita.

Ante todo, la historia está basada en un videojuego, por lo que el argumento ya lo conocía (parece que mejor que el propio autor), así que no hay "factor sorpresa" aunque eso no me importa demasiado.

El problema es que está mal escrita. El estilo es pesado, los combates (y hay un montón ya que se basa en un videojuego en el que el protagonista es un asesino que mata mucho y con gran habilidad) son muy confusos con descripciones que carecen de lógica y que contradicen el sentido común (no por lo espectacular o acrobático sino porque describe tonterías). Si este tipo supiera escribir, podría haberle quedado una novela pseudohistórica con conspiraciones y toques de clockpunk y ciencia ficción bastante simpática ya que Ezzio es más chulo que un ocho, se desplaza por los tejados haciendo parkour, los combates son muy espectaculares y se relaciona con gente muy importante de su época. Pero escribe de pena.

En fin, a los detalles.

Un cambio importante, es que en esta novela, sólo se cuenta la historia de Ezzio, no hay nada de Desmond, Abstergo o el Animus. Esto no tendría porque ser malo, de hecho da bastante igual, pero si alguien se espera una versión novelada de la historia de la saga que se vaya olvidando.

Por otra parte, el autor se empeña en hacer una versión algo más realista de las la historia de Ezzio y no consigue que quede creíble y cuando Ezzio hace algunas de las cosas que salen en el videojuego (como volar con el ala delta que crea Leonardo Da Vinci o hacer el "salto de fe" desde gran altura queda completamente irreal. Por ejemplo, una de las cosas que me chocó mucho, fue en una escena en la que Ezzio tiene que matar a un monje en una abadía en Monterigionni. Para hacerlo va disfrazado de monje, se oculta entre la multitud en el patio y cuando empieza la misa y todo el mundo menos la víctima y él se han retirado al interior (por lo que están completamente solos) tiene una conversación con ese monje y lo mata. Sin testigos. Pues bastantes capítulos después vuelve a ese lugar y le reconocen. Pero si no lo había visto ni dios...

Además, cambia bastante los detalles de la historia, aunque no se el motivo, ya que los vuelve más ilógicos... ¿Qué pintan la madre y la hermana en un puto convento? ¿Por qué narices se empeña en insinuarnos que Leonardo Da Vinci es homosexual si no tiene absolutamente ninguna importancia para la trama? Si vas a hacer caso omiso de los detalles del videojuego, ¿por qué cojones narra el tutorial del juego?

Coño, si vas a cambiar cosas mejóralas, no pongas chorradas.

Por otra parte, en el videojuego, Ezzio tiene bastante carisma, va de chulo y de sobrado pero no demasiado y empatizas con él (como odiaba yo a los Pazzi y a Rodrigo Borgia). En la novela hay introspección y nos cuentan su vida interior y sus pensamientos, pero resulta aburrido y reiterativo.

Una última cosa, en el videojuego hay bastantes gadgets, tanto originales de la orden como creados o modificados por Leonardo. Pues me quema bastante es la tontería con la hoja oculta que porta Ezzio. En el videojuego lo lleva en la mano izquierda y el autor se empeña en que lo lleva en la derecha. Las mejoras que se van haciendo se incorporan a la hoja de la mano izquierda y no se tienen que desmontar como en la novela. En el videojuego el mecanismo de disparo está integrado en la muñequera, en la novela dan a entender que lo que hace es convertir la muñequera en una funda con resorte para una pistola. Es una tontería, pero me ha fastidiado mucho.

Al final, he dejado la novela justo cuando Savonarola roba el fruto a Ezzio (de una forma completamente distinta y con bastante menos sentido que en el videojuego), porque ya me había cansado de tanta tontería y pesadez. Es más me ha dejado sin ganas de leer durante casi toda esta semana, ha malgastado la mala leche matando ingleses y americanos en el AC3.(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Liliaamelia rated it 5 of 5 stars

I got this book because I am an Assassin's Creed fan myself. When I opened the first page, I was immediately blown away by my favourite characters of all time. Ezio Auditore Da Firenze.
This book is about Ezio who has tragically lost his father and brothers to the hands of the crude Templars. He had to run away to the safety of his Uncle's arms along with his remaining family members; his mother and sister. There in Monterrigioni, he learns about the assassins and take upon the restless quest to...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars

If anyone has played Assassin's Creed 2, this is the book version (with all the 'christina' memories that unlock in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood). Since I've played the game I was able to follow it easily and not get the characters mixed up. If you haven't played the game the descriptions might confuse you, and I would reccomend creating/keeping a character chart.

Ezio is not my favorite character in the series, but I grew to like him more by reading this book because I was able to follow his tho...more

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About Oliver Bowden

Anton Gill (aka Oliver Bowden) has been a full-time professional writer since 1984, and in the course of the last 27 years he has published 35 books. Gill was born in Ilford, Essex, the son of a German father and an English mother, and grew up in London. He is an acclaimed novelist and Renaissance historian currently living in Paris, France. Bowden has written novelizations of several of the Assas...more

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Books by Oliver Bowden

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Assassin's Creed, #2)

Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade (Assassin's Creed, #3)

Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Assassin's Creed, #4)

Assassin's Creed: Forsaken (Assassin's Creed, #5)

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