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Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants #3

by Matthew J. Kirby

The epic third book in the "Last Descendants" series based on the hit "Assassin's Creed(R)" franchise! Two of the three pieces of Eden have been captured by Isaiah, a mysterious enemy who is neither Assassin or Templar. If Isaiah reaches the third before Owen and the teens do, there will be no stopping him. The epic conclusion to the first "Last Descendants" storyline sees the teens take part in simulations on medieval battlefields and in the ages of vikings, ushering in a new and uncertain future for the world of Assassin's Creed!

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

Hardcover

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Matthew Kirby was born in Utah, and grew up in Maryland, California, and Hawaii. As an undergraduate he majored in history, and then went on to pursue an M.S. in school psychology. For ten months out of the year he works with students, and during the rest of the year he writes. He and his wife currently live in northern Utah.

Reviews

[WayneM0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars and more

Wow - I loved the first two books but what an end to the series.
It had everything and then some (and then some more on top of that)

The world building is amazing (even compared to the other AC books/Games which is really saying something)
Talk about being drawn into the action. Every scene is just so vivid and you can almost touch it it's so real. One scene in particular when three of them are in the Animus together is just so perfect.

The characters were great before but are really growing and developing. I really like Natalya but all of them really stood out in this finale. The villains are even more villainous than ever and there's more grey than ever (again AC always has grey so it's no mean feat)

The plot is simple but so so effective.
The pacing is really ramped up in this one and it works so well.
There are some amazing edge of your seat scenes in this book and they just keep coming and coming.
There's also some fantastic nods to the games and the movie which ties in everything in so well.
It really does set things up (and explain them) just right.
This series is the place to start if you've never played the games or read the other books.
Be warned though as this will hook you in so fast and never let you go.
Highly recommended.
Could be an early contender for book of the year as that's how good it is.

[Killian Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good ending to a great series. I felt that the end was very rushed and could have used more detail and length.

[Hannahpopish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this book has put a good end to the series, i just wish there were more books! Two sides who have been in quarrel over the same artifact have finally come together to reach the same goal. The piece of Eden has been in the hands of many good and bad people, never found by the assassins until now. I feel like this book held my attention the whole time, as always Matthew J. Kirby has not failed to impress.

[Michał Sawicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ostatnia i zdecydowanie najgorsza część trylogii. Dlaczego najgorsza? Po naprawdę fenomenalnej pierwszej i równie dobrej drugiej części spodziewałem się nieco większych fajerwerek po części trzeciej. Zwłaszcza, że cała opiera się na czasach Wikingów, które uwielbiam. Niestety nie spełniła moich oczekiwań i mam wrażenie, że albo poprzednie części zbyt wysoko postawiły jej poprzeczkę albo to po prostu ja nastawiłem się na coś dużo lepszego. Miałem wiele podejść do tej książki i ostatecznie udało mi się ją skończyć. Sposób prowadzenia całej historii w tej części był dosyć nudny, a wątki historyczne mocno mi się przeciągały. Ostatecznie jednak cała książka i jej fabuła nabrały tempa pod sam jej koniec, przez co muszę przyznać, że nie była znowu tak fatalna i słaba jak myślałem w połowie czytania. Końcówka uratowała te książkę i muszę przyznać, że to naprawdę dobre zakończenie całej trylogii, dokładnie takie jakiego oczekiwałem. Z czystym sumieniem daje 3 gwiazdki, choć nie ukrywam, że smuci mnie fakt, iż z części na część schodzę z ocena o 1 stopień. W każdym razie muszę przyznać, że naprawdę dobrze bawiłem się przy tej trylogii i po niejednoznacznym zakończeniu zastanawiam się czy nie spodziewać się przypadkiem kolejnych części...Myślałem, że będę miał kaca, ale obyło się bez. Ta część chyba trochę zmieniła moje postrzeganie tej trylogii, bo nie czuje pustki. Czuję satysfakcję i spełnienie. 🙏🏻

[Sourabh Gharde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect end to the trilogy. Saying anything about the story might spoil it for potential readers so I won't.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Owen, and we must stop Isaiah from completing the Trident and destroying the world. He already has two prongs, and he'll be unstoppable if he gets his hands on the third. Natalya, Grace, and I have entered the Animus to experience the Ascendance Event, a collective memory within all of mankind's DNA. We faced challenges of fear, devotion, and faith, and a creator (goddess?) said we now have a shield within us to defeat the power of the Trident. I don't feel any different, so I don't know what she's talking about. However, I do know Isaiah is using Sean to locate the third Piece of Eden, and he's very close to finding it. We found his letter left inside a book of mythology, and I don't think anyone realized the crazy thoughts going on inside his head.

I think this book concluded a trilogy, although the last page seemed to leave a door open for a sequel. There were a lot of things going on in this book, and you must read the other two books in order to understand the centuries-long conflict between the Brotherhood of Assassins and the Templars. Those books will also explain the Animus, a key technology to the plot. The six teenagers were the main characters, and they each had their own issues. Sean was confined to a wheelchair, Owen was dealing with his father's death while in prison, Grace felt like she always needed to protect her brother David, and he wanted her to back off. Isaiah was able to use the issues for Sean and Owen against them until they learned to accept their fears. The author left a lot of action and drama for the last fifty pages of the book, and I didn't think there was any way he could wrap up all the conflicts. It made the end exciting, but I felt like things were rushed. Overall, I enjoyed this trilogy for young adults and can recommend it to you.

[Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad that Assassin's Creed decided to craft an original series apart from the novelizations of the games. A great conclusion to the series.

[Muzaffer · Rating 1 out of 5]

First 2 book was mediocre/ good but this one was pretty bad. I dunno how Mathew managed to ruin it. Maybe it's ghostwriting, who knows...

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fate of the Gods is a wonderful return to form for the Last Descendants trilogy after a bumpy middle entry and solidifies the series as a solid piece of the Assassin's Creed universe.

While it doesn't soar to the highs of the first book in the series, Fate of the Gods creates a much more compelling narrative in both the past and the present day than its direct predecessor. In the past, our cast of young heroes are split between two simulations, both of which are incredibly important to the story.

The first takes place in late 900s Sweden --the century after Eivor in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, if you're curious for Viking connections, although this was released a few years earlier so there's no hint of that game here. We witness memories on both sides of a conflict, and get clues for the final artifact everybody is trying to find in the present day. It's not an incredible story by any means, but it remains interesting throughout -- although I could have done without the early off-hand reveal of one character's fate.

The second takes place in something more akin to the more trippy (and ahistorical) parts of the Assassin's Creed games -- stuff like the island and puzzles in Revelations, the flying sequence in III, the snake fight in Origins, etc. It's a representation of evolutionary biology, basically: the "shared memories" of things that have been hardwired into us like fear and devotion. Without getting into the details, it has some interesting connections to the larger Assassin's Creed narrative -- and a font change during parts of these sequences adds a nice touch.

The present takes a backseat for much of the story, but there's at least a tiny bit more character development here for most of our protagonists as the novel draws to a close. The story has high stakes and it feels important enough to justify its own existence, and I'm just glad that things are happening in Assassin's Creed in the modern day. Last Descendants is clearly a side-story however, and things get wrapped up neatly enough that it will probably get tucked away in a corner of the universe without major ramifications.

This is a strong series, though, and Last Descendants really shines from not being tied directly to a specific game like many other Assassin's Creed novels are. Fate of the Gods, and the series as a whole (which you really shouldn't try and pick up part way through) are easy recommendations for Assassin's Creed fans looking for more stories in this universe.

[Jon R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my previous reviews I have stated the best part of the series is its written both as a great companion piece to the franchise for seasoned players as well as a great introduction into the core of the franchise for first timers. Part 3 is no exception, therefore if you are less acquainted or new to the lore than this one will finally introduce you to THE story behind the stories. By that I mean the main plot the entire game franchise has advanced from game to game and the very reasons you are reliving memories in the first place. Overall it was a great conclusion to the trilogy and everything ties together nicely.

In this one you find all our main characters spending even more time in the animus, all desperately trying to discover where the resting place of the final prong of the trident is hidden. You relive a very detailed viking story from both sides of the conflict which becomes as interesting and captivating as the present day story itself. The memories the kids relive here help them reach their highest potential and overcome their struggles to become experienced and brave individuals. The character development from the first book to the third has been intimately and expertly written by the author, where as the reader your lack of faith in all of them in the beginning leading to the confidence you have in them in the end is a shared experience.

My only gripe is I was a kinda disappointed with the last chapter and ending. When compared to the rest of the book and series it felt kinda rushed and anticlimactic. It was shorter and less detailed than what you'd usually expect.

While it was indeed an indefinite end there are some aspects that could lead itself to another sequel or spinoff later. Perhaps a future game will touch upon these matters and we will see a couple of characters again? I'd sure love to see this series link up with the games, so hopefully. It makes me wonder based on the rumors of the next game in the series taking place within the Viking era and the very title being synonymous with the plot of this book. Could it be a coincidence? One thing for sure when it comes to this franchise, everything is permitted.

[Renato · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aqui temos a conclusão da trilogia infanto-juvenil situada no universo dos jogos de Assassin’s Creed. A corrida dos jovens contra Isaias para encontrar o ultimo dente do Tridente de Poiseidon os leva a reviver a vida de seus ancestrais vikings. Talvez já tenha um gancho para o jogo da franquia que se passa no auge dos vikings, mas não consegui identificar. Observando seus ancestrais, eles descobrem a localização do dente restante ao mesmo tempo que Isaias descobre através de Sean. Enquanto isso, o professor Monroe consegue terminar suas pesquisas sobre o consciente coletivo e os meninos vão investigar essa memória ancestral, apenas para descobrir que era uma mensagem de Minerva, uma espécie de capsula do tempo genética, onde ela desbloqueia o potencial dos jovens para resistir aos efeitos do tridente. No final o vilão consegue pegar o ultimo dente e vamos para a luta final e o epílogo.

A luta final é extremamente sem graça. Os meninos aprendem algumas táticas revivendo as memórias dos ancestrais vikings, e utilizam isso para defender o Ninho da Águia, mas muito pouco vemos dos efeitos na prática. Existe uma citação e os sons apenas. Depois o tridente é usado contra nossos heróis, e eles superam seu poder como previsto, dando o golpe final no Isaias usando a lâmina oculta de Grifin, que havia morrido quando eles perderam o dente para o vilão. Por fim os seis seguram o tridente juntos e a própria memória de Minerva surge e destrói o item, livrando o mundo dos seus poderes de controle mental.

O livro é razoavelmente competente. Os personagens não são muito cativantes, os ancestrais vikings acabam sendo mais interessantes. Claro que no final, acompanhar as aventuras nórdicas não serve de muita coisa para a conclusão da trama. As histórias do inconsciente coletivo são interessantes, lidam com medo, devoção e fé. Infelizmente essa parte é muito simples e pouco explorada. Poderia ser o ponto alto do livro, mas acaba sendo um enigma sem graça de RPG vagabundo. O final é sofrível, parece que acabou o tempo para escrever e o autor correu para terminar. Os eventos acontecem muito rápido e de maneira atropelada, a luta final mal dura duas páginas.

[Shandii · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows 6 main characters who follow two different ways of life and two secret organizations. The Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order. They then are united against a common enemy who was originally part of the Templar Order and stole an ancient artifact. Using this artifact he was able to control the minds of some workers at the Templar lab. Sean, one of the main characters joins him in search of another artifact. The others attempt to find it before him and relive their ancestors’ memories to search for the artifact. Monroe had a theory that a specific DNA set actually might contain all of humanity’s history, however the problem is that it is fractured among the world’s various races and ethnicities. It is later revealed that their dna contains the index of humanity’s entire history.
My favorite character was Monroe. He wasn’t one of the main characters, but he was not part of either side of the war. He talked about both the cons and pros of both sides. He has a history of working with both sides and doesn’t hide the past from the main characters. Both the Templars and Assassins regularly manipulate the characters by telling them lies and creating false simulations of the past. Monroe also has a past and tells Nat and Javier about why he can not use the animus because he has a very traumatizing past and has a hard time coping with the war and carnage that he might see.
I love the series as a whole, but in this book they relieved their norse ancestor’s memories so I had some difficulty following their language and names. This is the only reason why I didn’t really care for the parts that took place in the past. In the present though I liked how the characters finally united together and began to exchange ideas about the Templar-Assassin war. Being heavily invested in the series this was what I liked about it. I was heavily invested in certain characters who have been part of the story for a long time like Rebecca Crane, Bishop, Shaun, and Monroe. I would recommend this book to those who like history and science fiction. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been keeping this book on TBR for almost 6 months 🤣🤣🤣🤣 it's time to finish the series! The prominent scenes are based on true event The Battle of Frysvellir in 980 A.D., making this book as the first historical fiction I read that sets up during Viking timeline ⚔️🗡️🛡️

I should say, I'm very much impressed with the characters' developments. Natalya, Sean, David, Javier, and Owen all have their own fears and various family backgrounds. In this last book, they are faced with specific problems that force them to overcome these fears. For example, there are Sean with his fear of failure, Grace with her trust issue, and Owen that's afraid of letting go of his past. I think most readers can relate with the characters since most of us may have the same problems in our lives 😊👍

And now.. for the negative side.. 😭😭
Since it's the last book from Last Descendants' Trilogy, I set my expectations high. I wished to read the ultimate scene that would give the end to the war between the Templar vs the Assassins and the explanations of the Trident of Eden. But it doesn't happen that way 😭😭😭 The novel has quite predictable scenes with no compelling plot twist. There are plot holes: several parts that left unexplained. Such as how did Monroe know which kids to pick from all those Animus users? And how did they know where to search for the Trident of Eden? These questions had been in my head since the first book, but still no clarification could be found. The novel also ends in cliffhanger 😭😭 is it possible to have spin-offs?

Based on my review above, I only give this book 3,5⭐
The author has compelling premises and interesting story ideas. All the books have moral values for the readers, but is not executed ultimately.
I recommend this book mostly for readers looking for light historical-fiction novels and assassins creed fans

[Karine Darnessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

De base, ce qui m’a attiré vers cet ouvrage, c’est la franchise Assassin’s Creed. Je connais légèrement cet univers de jeu vidéo et j’ai été curieuse de voir ce que cela pouvait donner en version livre.
Tout d’abord, mon principal problème est que c’est un tome 3. Je ne l’ai remarqué qu’après coup. Cependant, on ne ressent pas tout de suite le manque d’information des tomes précédents, cela vient plus tard. J’ai donc été plongé dans un texte où certaines actions et événements vécus par les personnages me sont totalement étrangers sans toutefois empêcher la compréhension de l’histoire et au final, je n’ai pas été plus attiré par ce trou dans l’intrigue.
Je vais être honnête, je me suis ennuyé tout au long de ma lecture. Il y a bien des éléments tirés des jeux vidéo mais la trame principale est si grotesque à mes yeux que j’ai finis par moments par lire en diagonal. Les personnages n’ont pas de charisme, le méchant est un stéréotype mal dégrossi. Les ados qui comme par hasard sont tous des descendants de personnages des contrées nordiques à l’époque des guerriers vikings. Des descriptions sans consistances et épurées au maximum. Heureusement que l’action est présente et que cela donne un certain dynamisme.
Pour conclure, je suis assez déçu de cette lecture. Il manque du développement sur de nombreux points pour que cette lecture soit attrayante. Le fait de n’avoir pas lu les deux tomes précédents ne m’a pas gêné plus que ça. La fin est vite expédiée et aurait mérité un peu d’approfondissements comme tout le reste. Bref, je ressors très mitigée de cette lecture.
https://la-bibliotheque-du-labyrinthe...

[Sunread26 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2022/...

Extrait :
Dernier tome de la trilogie Last Descendants, la chute des dieux vient conclure l’histoire de Owen et les autres. Ils se retrouvent cette fois-ci chez les vikings, et la course pour le dernier morceau du trident continue… Comme vous pouvez le deviner dans le synopsis, c’est Isaiah qui finira par avoir tous les morceaux, mais pas pour longtemps. Car, pour la seconde fois, templiers et assassins vont peut-être devoir œuvrer main dans la main…

Un peu comme avec Desmond, les jeunes se retrouveront dans un espace particulier, lié au phénomène d’ascendance. C’est dans les divers lieux de cet espace qu’ils vont avoir des défis à relever, afin notamment, de devenir insensible aux divers effets du trident. Un avantage certains, et surtout, nécessaire pour arriver à vaincre Isaiah, qui est désormais capable de manipuler des groupes entiers facilement. Ils également les seuls à pouvoir obtenir cet effet, et donc, possiblement à pouvoir l’arrêter (et oui, c’est encore aux gosses de se taper le sale boulot).

[...]

En bref, ce dernier tome conclu l’intrigue avec une nouvelle perspective autre que la dualité habituelle. Malgré tout, certaines choses auraient dû être un peu mieux travaillés.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assassins Creed: Fate of the Gods is the final installment in the Last Descendants trilogy set in the Assassin’s Creed universe. The third book focuses on unlikely group of teens forming an uneasy alliance between the Templars and Assassin Brotherhood to stop a crazy rouge Templar from using an Isu weapon That could bring about the end of the world. This group of teens have been through several ancestors’ memories that have tested their mental resolve. And Sean decided to stay with the megalomaniac Isaiah – which puts Sean’s life at risk and Isaiah close to having all three pieces of a powerful ancient artifact.

The final piece of the trident, is traced to ancient Scandinavia. So the teens get to experience their ancestors as Vikings. The Viking ancestors are pitted against each other in a brutal battle that culminates to a surprising ending. This was my favorite book in the trilogy – full of action, intrigue, and drama – both in and out of the Animus. The story arc concludes in an exciting way. But I will certainly miss some of these characters. Overall, Fate of the Gods acts as a good conclusion to this Young Adult series based on the popular action game, and definitely a must read for fans of the games.

[H. Seghir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Et voilà. La trilogie The Last Descendants est enfin terminée. Que dire...

...Et bien pas mal de choses, c'est assez rare mais c'est l'une des rares fois où je suis réellement content d'avoir fini une trilogie. Je referme ce livre avec pas mal d'interrogation et je suis très mitigé. J'ai trouvé le premier tome incroyable, le deuxième moins bon mais le troisième presque indigeste.

Si je devais résumer ce troisième tome je dirais qu'il part un peu dans tous les sens. La fin est extrêmement rapide et l'épilogue est beaucoup trop simple. Je sais que cette trilogie est destinée à un public jeune adulte mais j'ai trouvé l'ambiance générale beaucoup trop adolescente. C'est vraiment dommage parce que j'avais adoré le travail historique qu'il y avait dans le premier tome où on suivait les péripéties de plusieurs ancêtres durant l'événement des draft riots. Événement tragique qui s'est réellement déroulé.

Bref, j'ai été très déçu par la conclusion de cette trilogie et les personnages ne vont pas me manquer plus que ça. Ce qui est sûr c'est que c'est loin d'être le meilleur roman Assassin's Creed que j'ai lu !

[Charles Nicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the release of tension in this book to be weak and the final fight to be almost unprofessionally done. It almost seemed petty and easy to the characters finish. I wanted more out of a ending maybe just like a move on to another book about the aftermath of the complete of Isaiah's goal and stopping him from the inside out. Or maybe the trident took control of his mind turning him into the bad guy. Just something, anything that drew out more emotion even describing him with use of the trident kind of like a final boss but it was just a sad simple end. and unemotional. I would of really liked to see more but up to that point the build up of tension with finding the third prong and griffin dying was fabulous. I just would of liked to see more towards the end.

[Diana Gagliardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

GIVE ME MORE!! MORE MORE MORE!!!

Srsly, I loved this. That there is a "he was sure that he would be seeing more of the teens" gives me hope of a second trilogy and I would LOVE Kirby to do it again.

Argh...I prefer reading abt the stuff than playing the game, how sad is that? But now I HAVE to get back to the game just...stupid Cormac making me scared to see what becomes of the Brotherhood (boo).

Ok, that's my own thing. These books- fabulous and interesting, easily seen as a cut scene or the like :)

Enjoy!

[Víťa Zvonek · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s finished. I remember starting this series few years ago and now it’s over. It made me feel empty and sad, but I’m also really satisfied with the ending. The book showed us something very adventurous that I’m missing in many other books these days, and it led to a perfect ending. Though I wasn’t much caught by Viking chapters at first, they ended up good and left me also with much feelings.
And the best thing is that the end left open space for other books or games (but honestly, I would like books more!)

[Jasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mit "Fate of the gods" endet nun diese Assassin's Creed Trilogie. Auch in diesem Band gibt es wieder schöne Wechsel zwischen der Gegenwart und Erinnerungen der Vorfahren. Die Edensplitter stehen immernoch im Mittelpunkt und das große Finale ist leider nicht so spektakulär wie erwartet. Ein paar Seiten mehr am Ende haben irgendwie gefehlt und das Ende wirkt so doch leider sehr plötzlich...

[Samuel Novotný · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zmínky o Instruments of the First Will a následně i hluboký Isu lore jsem nečekal, o to víc mě potěšily. Historie Isu byla však oproti hrám lehce retconned a špatně. All in all ale skvělé pokračování a vlastně až geniální zakončení trilogie, které odkazovalo na řadu lore prvků her a působilo tak v rámci univerza naprosto reálně a autenticky.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the previous book a bit of a letdown, to be honest. I liked the collective unconsciousness, that was cool. But overall... eh. The China/Mongolia setting in book #2 felt more interesting to me than the Scandinavia part here.

[Sabrina Wannet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book but that ending. Why does it has an open ending in the last book? Monroe what are you doing? Matthew has again written an amazing book and I hope to read more from him.

A book with a lot of action, fear and off course the amazing anymus.

[Judith Chelekis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read. Lots of adventure, war, fighting, taking over the world, etc. Enough open ended so that if desired, can continue in another series. Enjoyed the trilogy and would definitely read more by this author.

[Katelin Shelmidine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it, my only note is that I’d love to see when Javier makes his decision to actually become an assassin and what Monroe does with his studies of the trident and what him and the six kids do next with the animus, also if the prosthetics that Sean eventually gets works!

[Valensia · Rating 2 out of 5]

From first until this last book, almost half of the contents are telling character's ancestors, which I found boring. The ending of this triology is also not good, typical 'save the world from antagonist' thing.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. I thought it was kind of a weak ending to the trilogy. There were still some really good parts and still a pretty good read. I was just disappointed in the final battle.

[Jaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great finish to the end of a fantastic series.

[Drew H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a book full of suprises, but was very interesting. book is full of real lif factes and was cool to take this of a video game the book too place after some of the games I playeda