Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed #2

by Oliver Bowden, Claire Jouanneau (Traductrice)

« Je vais me rendre au coeur d’un empire corrompu pour anéantir mes ennemis. Rome n’a pas été construite en un jour et ne sera pas conquise par un seul assassin. Je suis Ezio Auditore et voici ma confrérie. »

Rome, autrefois glorieuse, est désormais en ruine. La cité n’est plus que souffrance et décadence. Les citoyens vivent dans l’ombre de l’impitoyable famille Borgia. Un seul homme peut libérer le peuple de cette tyrannie : Ezio Auditore, le Maître Assassin.

Mais Ezio va transcender ses limites dans une telle quête. Car Cesare Borgia, un homme aussi dangereux et malfaisant que son père, le pape, n’aura de répit que lorsqu’il aura conquis l’Italie. Et en ces temps troublés, la conspiration et la traîtrise sont partout... y compris au sein des rangs de la Confrérie.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Video Games, Science Fiction

483 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

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 Assassin's Creed console games.

Oliver Bowden is a pen-name (a pseudonym adopted by the author) in order to hide his true identity. However, his profession and location are accurate.

According to Bowden's interview with UbiWorkshop, he is an avid gamer and gains much of his inspiration for character development throughout the writing process from playing the Assassin's Creed series.

Gill ceased being Oliver Bowden some years back and the author Andrew Holmes (Sleb, 64 Clarke) has published the last six titles of the Assassin's Creed series (The Secret Crusade, Forsaken, Black Flag, Unity, Underworld, and Desert Oath) using this pen-name.

Reviews

[Asif Alli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that far exceeds the games plot and story. It goes more in to detail and simply floods your mind with great thoughts. Its one of those books where they don't get to the point very quickly and you have to be patient with it. Do not skip pages, or even chapters if you find it boring. And unless you play the game, or have read the first book, It might not be that easy to understand like the powers of the apple and how it plays in the story. But everything else in the story is pretty easy to catch on. A simple villain and hero story, but that's how its supposed to be.If it was complex, like one of those sagas where you have to read the first one, then I would not have enjoyed this book as much as I did, because I did not read the first one. But I pretty much got the idea. This book is perfect for any assassin's creed fan, or for readers who just want a wild ride, because that is simply what this book is. Now,I must go, for I am on my way to barnes and nobles to buy the first book,so I fully enjoy the second one.

[Shaunak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have one word for everyone, and that's "Awesome". The book is so much better than the game. In the game they only showed the basic idea of what the book is, but the book it shows us what we missed out in the game. I guess being a gamer might have its disadvantages, but if you already know the story from the game then there are no surprises left for you. No matter which assassins creed it is, it always leaves you in the end saying " What the @#$% happened?). Oliver Bowden has done a amazing job of putting a game into a book, maybe there might be a movie about this series as well. Just a bit shorter though.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you want to know to story of a master assassin?

This book is about the story of a master Assassin- Ezio Auditore. The novel is based on one of the most famous game, Assassins creed, more specifically, AC brotherhood. If you played the game before, you're going to understand the story a bit deeper. Because the books story simply tells more than the game itself. If you didn't play the game before, it's your best chance to understand Assassin's creed. But you won't understand a lot of things, so I still recommend you to read the previous books, since you have a lot of catching up to do. Both the story and it's characters are well written. The story starts with Ezio's successful assassination of a evil pope, and lots of problems came after it...

One thing I really like about this book, is how it keeps the original story just like in the game but simply tells more. And the events always keep you engaged, just like how the game keeps you engaged. However, the book also narrates all the violence and killing in great detail. I like it personally, but for people who dislike violence and blood, it's going to be a hard time reading the book. The author describes almost every kill in detail. And those words are so strong it actually forms a image in my mind. Again, it is in great detail.

I will recommend this book to all AC fans, game fans, or readers that likes action/adventure book. But I strong suggest people who can't take the blood and violence not to read the book, because there is a lot of killing and fighting scenes in the book.

[Liviu Szoke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ceva mai bună decât volumul precedent, dar nu cu mult mai răsărită: mai alertă, mai bine închegată, mai bine scrisă, cu personaje parcă ceva mai bine conturate, cu scopuri ceva mai bine definite, chiar dacă se cunoaște că e doar o serie de misiuni de îndeplinit, cum e și normal, în cazul novelizării unui joc (pe care nu l-am jucat niciodată, ca să fim bine înțeleși). Elementul de fantasy este în continuare foarte discret (Mărul din Eden dat spre păstrare lui Ezio Auditore de către însăși Minerva - da, acea Minerva), însă avem de-a face din plin cu fantezia creatorilor jocului atunci când Ezio scapă, la limită, ce-i drept, din niște situații de-a dreptul imposibile (și să nu uităm că sunt implicate mai toate personalitățile acelei perioade, căci Renașterea, titlul primului volum, nu se referă neapărat la renașterea Ordinului Asasinilor, ci și la acea perioadă înfloritoare ce-a culminat cu secolele cincisprezece-șaisprezece: Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli, Lucrezia Borgia, Cezare Borgia, Rodrigo Borgia, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Sandro Boticcelli și cred că mai sunt câțiva). Până voi apuca să scriu recenzia, pe care, am stabilit deja, o voi scrie după ce voi citi și cel de-al treilea volum (o recenzie în bloc, așadar), sper să mă lămuresc dacă pe la 1500 orașul Valencia făcea parte din regiunea spaniolă Catalunia.

[Shaikha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

”I will journey to the black heart of a corrupt Empire to root out my foes. But Rome wasn't built in a day and it won't be restored by a lone assassin. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. This is my brotherhood.”

Much better than the first book! Ezio is officially my new favorite Assassin.🖤

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Assassin's Creed: Revelations last week, I immediately moved on to the second book in the series, Brotherhood. This immediately picks off where the last book ended, so I would strongly recommend reading it as the second part of the series. Very little time is wasted on recap; so to get the full picture you already need to know what's happened and who the characters are.

For me that was excellent, as I don't like spending time re-reading information in series if possible. We get straight into the action, as we follow Ezio, in the Italian Renaissance, as he continues to lead his organization, the Assassin's in the fight against the Borgia family and their allies - the Templars. The majority of the book takes part in Rome, a city I know well, and I love thinking about what it would have been like during this time period. With the addition of many simple Italian phrases, and actual historical figures from that timeline (with a fair bit of fictional liberty taken of course), it has a lot of atmosphere.

Ezio is also grappling with the mysterious Apple; a technology from a powerful people left to him, and once again I enjoyed the dash of fantasy/sci-fi with my historical action romp.

I have played most of the games; but this book continues in the vein of the first, far exceeding the book for action, storytelling and character development - everything really! Very enjoyable, although it was a fairly simple plot that didn't deviate much from the first book, looking forward to the third in the series as I think it'll be a bit different from here - can't say more, don't want to spoil anything!

[Amir Akbari · Rating 4 out of 5]

چارتا ستاره حقش نبود ولی خب چون دوسش دارم بهش ارفاق کردم
بر عکس جلد یک ک انگار کتابو از رو بازی نوشته بودن و مو نمیزد جلد دوم اطلاعات بیشتری رو نسبت ب بازی در اختیارتون قرار میده مخصوصا قسمتای پایانی کتاب ک تو بازی ب این مفصلی بهش اشاره نشده بود.
ولی خب خیلی جاها اتفاقات فیلم هندی طوری تو داستان اتفاق میوفتاد ک ی مقدار ب شعور آدم توهین میشد😁
مثلا اتزیو وسط جنگ از خستگی بیهوش میشه دشمنا هم میگن عح مثکه خودش مرد بچه ها بعد ولش میکنن میرن😑😐
ولی بازم کتاب دوس داشتنی ای هست واسه من❤️

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

The previous book ended on such a high note and this immediately put you back in the trenches. It was an exhausting, joyless, campaign of diminishing returns. There is barely an ending and it is not a happy one.

Hopefully, a low point in the series.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Czy można połapać się w książce na podstawie gry, w którą nigdy się nie grało? I tak i nie. Sam tytuł znam bardzo dobrze, ale kojarzę z niego niewiele, a przeczytanie tej książki stanowiły idealny pretekst, żeby mieć o czym rozmawiać. A przynajmniej sprawdziło się w przypadku pierwszej części. Przy drugiej wydaje mi się, że zbyt intensywnie szukałam powiązań z pierwszą częścią, przez to przez niemalże pół książki absolutnie nie miałam pojęcia, co się dzieje, za to przy drugiej części całkiem spoko się bawiłam.

Ponoć części gier łączą się tak sobie i chyba z książkami jest tak samo, bo nijak nie mogłam połączyć fabuł obu tomów, ale pierwszy tom czytałam w 2017 roku, więc chcąc nie chcąc sporo mogłam zapomnieć! Generalnie nie jest to mój gatunek. Nie bardzo lubię powieści, które chociaż w minimalny sposób można nazwać historycznymi, ale z drugiej strony bardzo podoba mi się motyw Asasynów i całej tej organizacji, więc trochę dylemacik.

Podejrzewam, że jednak głównym powodem, dlaczego tak niemrawo do niej podchodzę to właśnie to, że pogubiłam się w niej jakieś milion razy, ale mimo to dalej będą brnąć w tą serię, bo nie nie udało jej się mnie zniechęcić aż tak bardzo i jednak jestem ciekawa ciągu dalszego :D

[Dumitru Moraru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ezio eșuează să-l omoare pe Borgia (Papa) și va plăti scump pentru asta. Pe lângă Borgia, apar alți 2 antagoniști, copiii lui, cu planuri de a stăpâni întreaga Italie. Ezio are datoria de a elibera Roma de sub influența lui Borgia și de a restabili ordinea cea de altădată. Chiar dacă a acumulat experiență cu anii, greșelile nu-l vor ocoli, arătând natura lui umană. Prima carte "Renașterea" m-a captivat mai mult decât aceasta.

[Maud · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah... This book didn't really work for me.

First of all, the plot felt so choppy! It was almost like we have this list of chores that Ezio does in the game and we have to put it in the book but instead of letting it flow... it just turns into a list of chores with a bit of an explanation... It didn't grab or interest me at all!

I also thought that this book had a lot of needless gore, definitely a lot more than in the first one. Almost on every page we have someone who is being stabbed in the eye and we have even had a case where someone got cut in the belly while running so his intestines fell out, he tripped over them and died... I can tell you that this is not happening in the game! I have not issue with gore but this just didn't serve a purpose and that annoys me.

Around the 60% point I just couldn't force myself anymore to read this so I picked up the audiobook, put it on 1.75x speed and that was the only reason that I was able to finish this. I didn't care about the characters or the plot, the plot was crazy choppy which didn't help with my reading experience at all and the gore just made me roll my eyes. I liked the first book and I like the games but this book was just bad.

[Arizel紫 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww...

The story started when Ezio was seventeen years old and ended at forty eight years old. Even so! I still love Ezio.

The first book was much closer to the game than this one. I noticed one pattern in the book.... Why the books are so close to the game at the first part and towards the end the story were so different from the game? Like in this book, I don't remember in the game when Cesare was in prison after a new Pope was elected. Also, when the now three main (old) character, Ezio, Machiavelli and Leonardo chased after Cezare and his conspirator all the way out of Rome. Anyway, maybe it's a good thing to add more story in the book and skipping the details in the game O_o

Leonardo was the funniest character. He looked like a puppy who lost his home when he wanted to embrace Ezio after Cezare forced him to betray Ezio.

Machiavelli came to become one of my favorite character towards the last part of the book. Thanks his intelligence. He was so persistent when he told Ezio to use the Apple and keeps telling hime to USE IT. XD NAKS

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay...so the books are silly. I liked the first one pretty well but the low bar for actual plot and story sort of lost me in this one. maybe you'll like it if you're just looking for some quick distraction. I mean, it's a story based on a video game. The first one I found a little fun as the pacing and so on was just that. It was game like and not too serious. I think the opening attempt to "deepen" the story a little here was what put me to sleep.

I'd say if you want to glide a bit ignore the attempt to "serious-up" the story and read this as a break from thinking. The first I enjoyed. This one just bored me to distraction.

Maybe it's mood? I don't know but that's life I guess.

[Willemijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear thirteen-year-old me, do you remember going to the library and stumbling upon a book called Assassin's Creed Black Flag? Do you remember how excited you were, because you had been watching a lot, and I mean A LOT, of Assassin's Creed game playthroughs on YouTube? And how you had lost your tiny mind because you didn't know that there were actual books written inspired by the game series? Well, I, your twenty-four-year-old self, am so grateful you discovered that book that day! Because I'm having a lot of fun reading them. So far, I have only read the first book (Renaissance) and now the second book. And by the gods is it fun to read!

The books provide an extra layer to the original story in the game because there's more room for exposition. I feel like I got a better understanding of the characters, the setting and the events that took place. I was sucked into the story from page one. The author paints a very vivid image of who the characters are, what motivates them and how they interact with their beautiful surroundings. Because come on, Italy in the early 1500s? Sign me up!

I also think it was a great choice to separate the 'modern day' storyline from the Ezio timeline in the book because that would've only led to confusion. I did like the little nod to this 'modern day' plotline and 'the future assassins' when Ezio used the Apple. That way, it still feels authentic to the games.

Something everyone should be aware of upon deciding to read Assassin's Creed is the violence. I for one love how the author describes the kills and the fights, but I can imagine that others would not enjoy reading about different weapons piercing through a variety of body parts and a great deal of blood as a result of that. In this particular book, there is also a very descriptive sex scene in which the woman who works as a courtesan, isn't treated very carefully. So also be aware of that.

If you've never played Assassin's Creed, I think you would still enjoy this book! Especially if you're into fantasy-esque stories in historical settings with famous people from that time. The Borgia family, Leonardo Da Vinci and such make frequent appearances.

Although I greatly enjoyed this book, I felt like a few things were missing. I cannot pinpoint what that exactly entails unfortunately, I just know that something is missing from it to be an absolute masterpiece. Maybe it was because at times I got lost in the dialogue. It was a tad too lengthy for my taste at times. Also, the cat-and-mouse game between Ezio and Cesare went on for what felt like ages towards the end of the book. It could have ended sooner and a bit more dramatically. Nonetheless, a fun read! I cannot wait to read the third book in this series.

[Tannaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

ترجمه بر خلاف جلد اول، بسایر عالی و دلنشین. خود قصه هم که... مگر می شود اتزیو ادیتوره را دوست نداشت؟

[Charley Robson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say it once, I shall say it many times more: Ezio Auditore la Firenze - you are not Batman. Stop. Trying. To. Be. Batman.

Or, rather, people should stop trying to make him Batman. For it is of Batman - particularly the much-vaunted Christopher Nolan movies - that I am reminded by this book. It has something of a tone problem. While its predecessor Renaissance was cursed with an awkward, disjoined plot that left it stumbling around the field like a six-legged antelope with its knees screwed on the wrong way round, at least it had fun with its own predicament. Brotherhood seems like that same creature has caught a look at itself in a mirror and suffered an existential crisis that has given it the misguided belief that it needs to take itself more seriously.

Ezio, while a little hollow in the last book, is at times downright unpleasant in this one. He seems to be going through something of a second puberty as far as his rationality goes, and suffice to say I was not at all impressed with his poor behaviour toward his family and friends - undeservedly, save for Ezio needed somewhere to direct his man angst. There were whole chapters of this book that were just thuddingly unpleasant in a similar manner: needlessly grim and grumpy and full of squabbling, and some new dollops of gratuitous violence that really don't match up well with a story about ninja anarcho-philosophers zooming around Rome doing battle with the Pope.

That said, tone issue aside, this book is the stronger of the little duology: it benefits from having a more focussed plot, and while the Borgias are rendered with all the complexity of a pack of incestuous Captain Planet villains, they are at least convincingly threatening and compellingly despicable. Points also to the author for being mature in his approach to the surprisingly tragic turn in Ezio's love life, even if the character himself was less so.

There are still issues surrounding the book's existence as a retelling of a video game story - Ezio continues to be invincible at all turns, and many, many chapters toward the story's end could have been done away with completely to save a tree as well as the reader's sanity - but the more focussed and linear central story has reduced their effect somewhat. And I must say, I'm impressed at how compelling Mr Bowden managed to make his dramatisation of that awful, awful tower defence minigame.

So while I feel the book might empirically deserve a better score for tighter plot and stronger focus, the jarring tone and subsequent awkward characterisation knock it back down again. The reviewer taketh and the reviewer giveth away. I wonder, also, if this book deliberately made itself feel so conclusive as a jab at Ubisoft for making AC: Revelations in some way. I have to say, if that's the case, I don't entirely blame him.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to boot the game up and chuck Ezio into the Tiber for a bit until we remember how to have fun.

[Arnolds Kalniņš · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iepazinos ar Olivera Baudena vēsturiskās fantāzijas grāmatu "Slepkavu Reliģija", pirmo no 4 grāmatu sērijas. Izlasīt šo grāmatu man ieteica klasesbiedrs, uzsverot, ka tās stāsts esot unikāls un interesantuma ziņā pārspējot jebko, ko viņš ir lasījis. Man tas likās apšaubāmi, ņemot vērā savādo žanru salikumu, taču nolēmu pamēģināt. Par laimi, šaubas par grāmatas potenciālu pagaisa, izlasot ievadu.
Stāsts sākas 15. gadsimta Itālijas renesansē Itālijas pilsētā Florencē, kad karstasinīgs un viltīgs puisi Etsio Auditore ar savām acīm redz, kā par nepatiesiem noziegumiem tiek pakārts viņa mīlošais tēvs un abi brāļi. Vēlāk viņš uzzina, ka tā ir milzīga sazvērestība pret viņa ģimeni, pie kuras ir vainojams pāvests Aleksandrs VI, noziedzinieks, kas uzdodas par svēto, jo, kā izrādas, Etsio ģimene slepus pieder "Slepkavu" klanam, kas cīnās par taisnību un vienlīdzību, tādā veidā apdraudot pāvesta plānus. Uzzinot par situācijas nopietnību, Etsio pievienojas klanam, uzmeklējot savu tēvoci Mario, lai turpinātu sava tēva iesākto taku.
Šīs grāmatas valodas stils varētu būt nepieņemams daudziem lasītājiem, jo tajā vijas izsmalcinātums un sarežģītums, ar Itālu izteicienu piegaršu, kuru neizprašana un nozīmes meklēšana spēj izjaukt iepriekš radītu noskaņu, kuru, diemžēl, nav vienkārši "uzburt atpakaļ", taču izcilie salīdzinājumi un izprastie izteicieni, kas spēj saviļņot, ir šī upura vērti.
Kā jau minēju, šī grāmata ir ļoti interesants sajaukums starp vēsturi un fantāziju, jo stāstā ir izmantotas reālas, eksistējošas personas, kuras nodarbojas ar to pašu, ko reālajā dzīvē, taču ir izveidota kāda saistība ar sazvērestībām un slepkavu klanu, kas izveido pavisam citādu priekšstatu par personu reālo dzīves gājumu. Šādi personāži ir, piemēram, pāvests Aleksandrs VI, Nikolo Makiavelli, diplomāts no Mediči politiskās dinastijas, un Leonardo da Vinči, izcilais mākslinieks un zinātnieks.
Šī stāsta negaidītie pavērsieni, asie notikumi un varoņu lielie pārdzīvojumi liek cilvēkam padomāt par savu dzīvi, kā tā izskatās no malas, vai tā tiešām izskatās tik tumša un tukša, kāda tā varētu šķist, vai vaina ir sevī, nespēja saredzēt skaisto, priecāties par to, kas dots un novērtēt ik sekundi, kas ir atvēlēta.
Šīs stāsts bija unikāls piedzīvojums, kas lasītājam liek iejusties varoņa dzīvē un tās straujajos pavērsienos, pārvēršot katru lasīšanas vakaru par kaut ko īpašu. Noteikti ieteiktu to izlasīt jebkuram, kura interešu sfērā ietilpst renesanse, cilvēciskas emocijas un sava spēka apzināšanās.

[Kati · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a better overall plot than "Assassin's Creed: Reneissance", on the other hand, Ezio got dumber with age. I mean, I know that Rodrigo, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia and Micheletto were real historical figures and the author couldn't have just killed them when he wanted, but he could've written it so that their survival wouldn't make Ezio look like an incompetent idiot. Also, I never really understood the whole Apple thing. It was a part of the game, I get it, but then the author should've made a good, intelligent use of it, not the way it was used in the book, just to see pretty but inexplicable pictures. The Apple barely helped Ezio at all, yet it insisted it helped enough and he shouldn't overuse it. Good idea, badly mangled.

[Dorian Jandreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was so happy to get back to this story. I have played Brotherhood not so long time ago, so I still remembered all story. And I remembered all the places I have visited in Rome in real life too. The book actually has more scenes and more stuff than the game. But I couldn't put this book down. I was taken into Ezio world since first page.
Just the last chapter made me cry..... Cesare was my favorite! I wanted to delete game when I had to kill him, now I had to READ the same scene... No... not my Cesare.... just not him... damn, you Ezio!

[Fatma📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

كانت هذه الرواية بالنسبة لي أشبه ببوّابة تُفتح على عصرٍ آخر؛ عصرٍتتشابك فيه رائحة البارود مع بخور الكنائس، وتختلط فيه خطوات القتلة فوق حجارة روما المرهقة، وكأن الزمن نفسه يخشى أن يتنفّس بصوت عالٍ في حضرة كل تلك المؤامرات.

ما إن بدأتُ القراءة حتى انزلقتُ مباشرة إلى قلب الحدث: روما المحطّمة التي تنهض من بين أطلالها، المدينة التي بدت وكأنها تُحاصر نفسها بنفسها؛ شوارع ضيقة تتسلّل فيها الخيانة مثل دخان، وقصور شاهقة تلمع فيها سلطة عائلة آل بورجيا بقدر ما يلمع الفساد في أطرافها.

كان إتزيو هنا مختلفًا، أكثر نضجًا، أكثر وعيًا بثقل الدم الذي يسيل،
وأقرب إلى الرجل الذي يفهم أن الانتقام لا يشفي، بل يكشف. تتبّعت خطواته في الأزقة كما لو أنني أرافقه، أرى كيف تتبدّل ملامحه بين المشهد والآخر، وكيف يعيد بناء “الأخوية” ليس كفكرة قتالية، بل كحاجة وجودية للنجاة في عالمٍ يأكل أبناءه.

لم تكن أحداث الرواية تسير في خط مستقيم؛ كانت تتشعّب مثل شقوقٍ في جدارٍ قديم، كل شقٍّ يقود إلى مدينة، وكل مدينة تقود إلى صراعٍ أكبر مما يحتمله قلب بشري. تبدأ الحكاية في روما، المدينة التي لا تنام إلا على صوت الخناجر، ولا تستيقظ إلا على رائحة الحبر المسفوك في دهاليز السياسة. هناك، عند بواباتها العالية وكنائسها الغارقة في الأسرار، تتولّد أول شرارة للثورة داخل روح إتزيو، وتنفتح أمامه أبواب الخيانة التي مزّقت عائلته.

ومن روما تنزلق بنا الأحداث نحو البندقية، حيث الماء يلمع كحدّ السيف، وحيث تُعزَف المؤامرات على جسور ضيقة تلتقي فوقها كل القوى الساعية للهيمنة. في تلك المدينة، يتحول الصراع من ثأرٍ شخصي إلى معركة ضد شبكة نفوذ خانقة، تمتد خيوطها بين التجار والنبلاء ورجال الدين والعسكر.

ثم نصل إلى فلورنسا، مدينة الفن والنهضة، التي تصبح مسرحًا لصراعٍ أشد حدّة: صراع بين الحرية والقمع، بين العقل والسلطة، بين الإنسان وقدره. هنا يتقاطع طريق إتزيو مع عقولٍ استثنائية مثل ليوناردو دا فنشي وماكيافيلي، فتتخذ الرواية بعدًا فكريًا لا يقلّ عمقًا عن بعدِها الحركي.

كل مدينة كانت جرحًا مفتوحًا، وكل جرح كان يدفع إتزيو إلى مواجهة سؤالٍ واحد: هل يولد الإنسان قاتلًا، أم تدفعه المدن المشتعلة إلى أن يصبح كذلك؟
إن الصراع في الرواية ليس مجرد معارك بالسكاكين والأسطح العالية؛ إنه صراعٌ بين رؤيتين للعالم: رؤيةٍ تريد للبشر أن يختاروا مصيرهم،
ورؤيةٍ أخرى تحاول أن تُخضع العالم تحت قناع النظام والقوة.

وهكذا تتصاعد الأحداث حتى يتحول طريق البطل إلى متاهة من الدم والقرارات، متاهةٍ لا ينجو منها إلا من يعرف كيف يحافظ على إنسانيته وسط كل هذا الخراب

في قلب الرواية تتقدّم الشخصيات مثل ظلالٍ خارجة من لوحة عصرٍ مضطرب، لكلّ شخصية جرحها، سيفها، وندبتها التي تشهد على تاريخٍ أثقل من الأسماء.

إتزيو أوديتوري ليس بطلًا خارقًا يولد مكتملًا، بل شابٌّ صقله الألم قبل أن يصقله التدريب. الخيانة التي قتلت عائلته لم تسرق منه طفولته فقط، بل سرقت منه آخر أوهامه عن عالمٍ عادل. ومن بين رماد تلك الفاجعة وُلدت نسخة جديدة منه: أكثر صمتًا، أكثر حدة، وأكثر قدرة على رؤية ما لا يراه الآخرون، الميزان الذي يختل، والظلم الذي يتضاعف حين يصمت الناس.

وفي مقابل هذا المسار الإنساني الموجوع، تظهر جماعة الحشاشين بوصفها روحًا جماعية، وليست مجرد تنظيمٍ سرّي. إنهم أشبه بحَرَسٍ لحرية البشر؛ لا يقاتلون من أجل السلطة، بل من أجل الحق في أن يختار الإنسان طريقه دون وصاية. عقيدتهم ليست سيفًا بقدر ما هي وعدٌ أخلاقيّ، مبنيّ على فكرة عميقة: الحرية تُنتَزع، ولا تُمنح.

في الجهة المقابلة، يقف فرسان الهيكل، بوجوههم المتأنّقة وأقنعتهم الحديدية. إنهم لا يرون الحرية نعمة، بل يرونها خطرًا يهدد شكل العالم الذي يحلمون بفرضه. يريدون النظام بأي ثمن.
ولذلك لم يكن صراع الحشاشين معهم صراعًا على الأرض، بل صراعًا على مصير البشر.

وتأتي عائلة بورجيا كأشدّ تجسيدٍ لهذا الجشع المقنّع. آل بورجيا ليسوا مجرد حكّام، بل ورثة إرث طويل من الدم والقسوة، يرون في التفاحة قطعة عدن الخالدة، فرصة لامتلاك العالم من بوابة العقل. إنهم يدركون أن من يحمل التفاحة لا يحكم بالسيف، بل يتحكم بعقول الناس وإرادتهم، ولهذا يتحول وجودهم في الرواية إلى ظلٍّ ثقيل يهدّد كل مدينة يمرّ فيها إتزيو.

أما قطعة عدن (التفاحة)، فهي ليست مجرد أداة خارقة، بل رمزٌ للسؤال الأكبر: هل يصبح الإنسان إلهًا حين يمتلك السلطة المطلقة؟ أم يصبح عبدًا لها؟ الرواية لا تجيب، لكنها تعرض الصراع بعمقٍ يجعل القارئ يدرك أن أخطر الأساطير هي التي تحمل في داخلها جزءًا من الحقيقة.

في هذا التوتر بين الحشاشين والفرسان، بين الحرية والهيمنة، بين الإنسان وقدرٍ يفوق قوّته، تتشكّل الشخصيات لا كأفراد، بل كأقنعة لأسئلة أكبر:
كيف تُصنع السلطة؟ ومن يقرر ما إذا كان العالم يستحق الإنقاذ… أم السيطرة؟

والمدهش أن الكاتب لا يقدّم التاريخ كصفحات ميتة، بل ككائن يتنفّس، تلمح روما القرن السادس عشر كما لو أنها أمامك، تسمع وقع أقدام الجنود في الفجر، وتشعر بثقل الخطابات السياسية، وترى البابا ألكسندر السادس يمدّ ظله على العالم، وظلّ ابنه تشيرازي بورجيا يمدّ السكين على الجميع.
حتى المشاهد التي تبدو بسيطة، لقاء، حوار، مشهد حمّام، أو جلسة تخطيط ، كانت تُكتب بروح تُدرك المعنى الأعمق: أن كل التفاصيل الصغيرة تصنع الجريمة الكبرى، وأن كل نظرة تحمل خلفها تاريخًا أطول من السطر.

أما ظهور ليوناردو وماكيافيلي فلم يكن مجرد إشارة لاسمين عظيمين؛
كانا جزءًا من روح الرواية. ليوناردو بعبقريته الهادئة التي تكشف ما لا يُرى،
وماكيافيلي بنصائحه التي تبدو كطبقات من السياسة فوق طبقات من الحكمة، كأنهما عينان مختلفتان ترى بهما الرواية عالمها.

ومع كل هذا الجمال للأسف كانت اللغة العربية في الترجمة طعنة تقطع نصف النبض. الترجمة ركيكة، مضطربة، تفقد الإيقاع والعمق،
وتُسقِط الضوء عن كثير من المشاهد التي كان من المفترض أن تتوهّج.
ورغم ذلك، فإن أحداث الرواية كانت قوية بما يكفي لتنجو،
لتقف على قدميها، ولتسرقني حتى الصفحة الأخيرة دون أن أشعر بالوقت.

كنت أقرأ وأتمتم: "لو حظي هذا العمل بترجمة محترفة لأصبح واحدًا من أعظم الأعمال الروائية.
لكن مهما كانت عثرات اللغة، فإن القصة ظلّت حية. المدن ظلّت تتنفس،
الشخصيات ظلّت تتصارع، والتاريخ ظلّ يُلمّح إلى أن الحقيقة لا تُكتب، بل تُنتزع.

وفي النهاية أدركت شيئًا: هذه الرواية ليست عن القتلة فقط، بل عن الإنسان حين يقف على حافة الفوضى، ويحاول أن يصنع من الخوف سلاحًا، ومن الخسارة معنى، ومن الألم مستقبلًا لا يُمحى بسهولة.

[Darth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Naprawdę świetna! Pomimo tego, że jest na podstawie gry, odczułam to tylko kilkukrotnie - znając mechanikę AC - widziałam oczami wyobraźni polecenia w grze i zadania poboczne. Ale nie było to irytujące, tylko wywoływało uśmiech na twarzy.
Podobało mi się, że Machiavelli stał się w sumie drugoplanowym bohaterem - te wszystkie wspominki o książce, którą pisał - 👌
No i Leonardo - wiadomo, super.
Wiem, iż te książki są napisane jako zapiski z Animusa, ale jednak brakowało mi Desmonda.
Co więcej, uważam że przestrzeń była za słabo opisana, ale to chyba jedyny zarzut dla tej książki.
Poza tym, nic nie jest prawdziwe. Wszystko jest dozwolone.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a Nice addition to the assassins creed mythology, it's easy to read and not challenging.
The characters are easy to like and the author writes in such a way that makes u want continue reading

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting addition to the Assassin’s Creed book series. Brotherhood follows Ezio's journey as he tries to rid Italy of the Borgia threat. I felt the ending dragged, but was overall a good read.

[Kunlonewolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

ออกเเนวอ่านได้เรื่อยๆ ช่วงเเรกๆน่าเบื่อ ทำให้หยุดๆอ่านๆ ผ่านไปครึ่งเล่มเริ่มเข้าด้ายเข้าเข็ม พอใช้ได้ เเปปๆจบเลย ไม่เคยเล่นเกมก็อ่านรู้เรื่องครับ เเต่อาจจะงงๆหน่อยๆ ผมไม่ได้อ่านเล่มเเรกเลย เริ่มที่อ่านเล่มนี้เลยครับ

[denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

~4⭐️~
I'm loving these book adaptations🤭

[Seha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassin olmayı kabul etmeyen Leo için o7.
Ah lan Ezio her şeye geç kaldığın gibi bunun için de geç kaldın

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first book in the series more, but this was still enjoyable. Ezio is great.

[Anne (ReadEatGameRepeat) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star - maybe? IDK - this book was a rollercoaster, but at the end just left me disinterested and with a bad aftertaste :/ Somewhere between 200 &250 pages I decided I kind of just wanted to get this read over with, which is unfortunate because upto page 100 I thought this had great potential. It's not necessarily a terrible book, the plot could be interesting, ever since buying the book on holiday in India many years ago I thought it would be an interesting read, it has short chapters, but that is also where the redeeming qualities end. The problem is that it isn't as interesting as I thought it would be.
One thing that greatly added to my dislike of the book was the constant references to other installments in the franchise, and I can't say if that's a choice by the author or something from the game. Since I haven't played the games or read any of the books in the series I just felt out of it 90% of the time. That being said the story was also somewhat predictable.
Another thing that really bothered me was the constant use of 'foreign language'. The book is set in Italy, I assumed they were speaking Italian the whole time (that was just written in English because that's the language the book/game was written in) - then out of no where they randomly put in these random Italian phrases and words - this would not be a bad thing if they confirmed the characters were mainly speaking in English, which the author never actually does. So there are just these random conversations in Italian (which you then have to go to the back of the book to get the direct translation of whatever is being said).
Also there are way to many characters to keep track of, which goes back to my earlier comment about references to previous installments.
The book is also Split into 3 parts Part 1 is 400 pages, part 2 is 20 pages, part 3 is 10 pages - There are really no climaxes or anything between the parts, there is really no reason for those part separations to be there

Also there are several problematic plot points that just made me enjoy the book less and less, like a prostitute getting chocked until she passes out and then raped, meanwhile Ezio justifies not doing anything by saying her eyes seemed to tell him she was in control of the situation - what even is this? like seriously what the hell is this crap?

[MeskaKsiazka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastyczna książka pod wieloma względami i w pełni zasłużenie ma 5/5 gwiazdek, jednak należy powiedzieć iż do "Renesansu" się nawet nie zbliżyła.

Mówiąc o "Bractwie" należy rozpocząć od cudownie prowadzonej fabuły która jednocześnie jest bardzo wciągającą przygodą, ale także powoduje w czytelniku całkowite poczucie "prowadzenia za rękę" od punktu A do punktu B, praktycznie tak samo jak ma to miejsce w serii gier Assassin's Creed.

Kolejną rzeczą która jest ogromnym plusem tej książki, a zarazem całej serii są wspaniałe postacie. Względem "Bractwa" widzimy tutaj wspaniałe zobrazowanie Ezia jako już dojrzałego mężczyzny który ma w swoim życiu jasno określone cele związane także z Bractwem Assassynów i jego nowej pozycji w tajże organizacji.

Mówiąc o postaciach należy wspomnieć cudownie napisane postacie historyczne, jak Machiavelli czy da Vinci (chociaż Leonarda jest tutaj dużo mniej niż w "Bractwie" co dla mnie osobiście jest lekkim minusem), ale także postacie negatywne jak rodzina Borgiów z papieżem Aleksandrem VI na czele.

Bardzo dobra książka, jakościowa pod wieloma względami. Trudno mi tutaj znaleźć jakikolwiek minus który mógłbym dobrze uargumentować. W pełni zasłużona ocena 5/5!

PS: Oczywiście jak to u mnie plusiki za rzeczy małe których wcale by nie musiało być, a mianowicie tym razem jest to słowniczek i spis postaci. Uwielbiam takie smaczki.

[Tiakju · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book grabbed my mind when i started reading it. Ezio sets his journey in Rome as he lost the 'Apple Of Eden' during the attack on Villa Auditore by the Borgia. Ezio soon finds himself at the heart of Roma, now known as Rome as he struggles to locate the Apple of Eden and as well as to take revenge on the Borgia. This book's action packed plot really hooks the reader on. Rome is a place which has fallen into ruin due to the corrupt rule of the Borgia papacy and the Templars. Ezio's stay in Rome slowly removes the Borgia influence on the City, and brings Rome out of Corruption and restores its former glory. On the way to crushing his nemisis, Cesare, he discovers the hidden secrets of the past. The structure of the story is based on a cause and effect system as When Ezio does something,another event will take place as the effect of his actions. A Quote from the story, "'I will journey to the black heart of a corrupt Empire to root out my foes. But Rome wasn't built in a day and it won't be restored by a lone assassin. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. This is my brotherhood"