Forsaken

Assassin's Creed #5

by Oliver Bowden

Assassin's Creed: Forsaken is the latest thrilling novelization by Oliver Bowden based on the phenomenally successful game series. The new game, Assassin's Creed III, takes one of gaming's most popular franchises to new heights in its most realistic world yet and introduces a brand new Assassin, Connor. During the American Revolution, Connor has sworn to secure liberty for his people and his nation and unleashes his powerful skills on the chaotic, blood-soaked battlefields of the hostile American wilderness. Assassin's Creed: Forsaken is the story behind who Connor really is and how he has become a deadly killer.

The world of the Assassins has become far more lethal than ever before.

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

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 12, 2012

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

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up for one reason and one reason only: the charismatic, complex and compelling character of Haytham Kenway, who is both the deuteragonist and secondary antagonist of Assassin's Creed III by video game developers Ubisoft. I have never read anything by Oliver Bowden previously, nor indeed have I read any other tie-in novel for a video game before, but Haytham ranks amongst my top three favourite fictional characters of all time and so naturally I was drawn to this companion novel to the game in which he so heavily features, which is said to flesh out Haytham's character and give explanations as to his motives and why he is the way he is.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think I needed to read this book, and I do not personally consider the events that take place to be 'canon'. Haytham is so well-written by lead script writer Corey May and acted so superbly by Adrian Hough within the game itself -- all his thoughts, feelings and complexities gently bubbling below the surface whilst at the same time being overtly obvious -- that having everything laid out and explained so thoroughly actually serves to ruin the ambiguity of Haytham's character. What's more, I do not think Bowden writes as wittily and as quickly as Haytham's character demands; Haytham in the video game is far more sassy and cutting than he appears in this book, and on these pages he also comes across as overly sentimental. Perhaps this has something to do with the epistolary format and the use of a fallible narrator, but mostly I think it has to do with Bowden's writing style and the restrictions of a video-game tie-in novel...

One thing I did like about this book though was that it helped me to understand Connor a little better. Weirdly, seeing him through his father's eyes and witnessing all the misplaced passion and naivety of youth really helped to put Connor's character into perspective, and I warmed to him a little more.

I rely heavily upon comparing the video game to this book because I do not believe this book stands apart from the video game it is based in; only fans of Assassin's Creed and die-hard Haytham fans will enjoy or understand this book.

Ultimately this was an enjoyable romp, but little else. I shall now wipe it from memory, and stick with the Haytham I know and love from the video game.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Sareste dovuto venire da me», sospirò. «Avremmo trovato un altro modo...»
«Si, ma allora lo avreste saputo», replicai.
Feci scattare la lama con un clic e lo vidi sorridere, sapendo che era quella che gli avevo portato via in Corsica.
«Per quel che vale, mi dispiace», gli dissi.
«Anche a me», ribatté lui e lo uccisi.

A parte una partitella occasionale a casa di alcuni parenti, non ho mai giocato ai videogiochi di Assassin's Creed della Ubisoft, ma questa serie di romanzi ad essa ispirata mi sta piacendo davvero, un misto di romanzo storico, avventura e fantasy conditi con un pizzico di ucronia.



Non avendo quindi idea di chi fosse Haytham Kenway, discendente di una famiglia di Assassini entrato a far parte dei Templari loro avversari dopo l'omicidio del padre, mi aspettavo cambiasse ad un certo punto fazione, abbracciando il suo retaggio, ed indossando le vesti dell'Assassino che campeggia in copertina, un clichè a volte abusato ma spesso efficace.



Invece la storia di Haytham, narrata in prima persona dal Templare, percorre quasi tutte le quattrocento e passa pagine di questo libro senza che questo accada, vivendo una serie quasi infinita di avventure attraverso mezzo mondo, divenendo sempre più cinico e spietato nell'arco di cinquant'anni, fino alla scioccante rivelazione che il figuro biancovestito raffigurato sulla copertina non è lui bensì suo figlio Connor: Assassino, avversario, e specchio di ciò che sarebbe dovuto essere se il destino beffardo non avesse deciso altrimenti.



Alcune parti della storia sono palesemente quests tratte dal videogioco, ed il numero di personaggi secondari a volte sembra essere esorbitante, ma il libro si legge tutto di un fiato o quasi tra combattimenti, omicidi, sorprese, eventi e personaggi storici, non ultimo un certo George Washington.



Non male davvero per una serie ispirata ad un videogioco, ed è sempre un piacere per me riprenderla ogni tanto.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassin's Creed: Forsaken by Oliver Bowden interesting premise in the start but main character kind of whined to much and didn't have enough swagger in his younger self and abilities. Told from a diary after the fact so killed unexpected present situations. Did redeem itself partly in his debate whethet to assassinate George Washington. The ending left you with thanks its done.

[edel · Rating 2 out of 5]

TL;DR
I was disappointed by this novel, not only as a fan but as an "avid" reader as well.

For people who aren't fans of the game:
You aren't missing out by not reading this novel. As you can probably guess, this novel isn't written for you at all. But if you're really persistent, here's my review for those who haven't played Assassin's Creed III or any Assassin's Creed games for that matter. I'll keep it short.

I personally do not like Bowden's narrative style. It's rather dry and he downplays a lot of "should have been" big moments in the book. It lacks tension and conflict, which is rather concerning because that time period (American revolution) was full of it. There was so much that could have been done with Haytham's character and the people around him. It was just so boring. It was lifeless. It was just... There.

For the fans:

Spoiler tag for spoilers and some profanity, sorry, I have a lot of feels.

Even though I was largely disappointed by this, I did enjoy the parts that were not included in the game such as Jenny's rescue, the death of Holden, Charles Lee's "jealous" side (Charles was so jealous of Ziio, I don't care what you say, it's cannon, I ship it). As soon as I came across the opera scene, though, I got all pumped up. Kinda like, "AWEEEH YEAH SHIT'S GOING TO GO DOWN." But it didn't read as well as playing it did. I took that as a sign and in the end, I was right.

Now I'm being really picky. There were some things that were canon in game that were contradicted by this book. I'm not sure if it's canon that Haytham never knew of Ziio's death until Connor did but the his reaction to her death looked so genuine, I almost refuse to believe that he already knew.

As for the writing. It was lacking. It was so lacking. Haytham, who is quite possibly the most charming and charismatic man in the whole game (Connor is a different kind of charm and charisma) seemed dull, drab, and boring. He was like a whole different character. Oh well.

[Devi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that I'm finished, I'm asking myself why I wanted to read this. I've never wanted to read any of the other AC novelisations, so I'm sure I had a good reason. I think it was because the game made Haytham Kenway, the character that is the focus of this book, possibly one of the most complex and likable antagonists/support characters I've ever seen in any game anywhere. I think it was because I thought the messy, contentious relationship Haytham has with his estranged son would make for incredibly gripping, heart-wrenching reading, or that, the man being a god damn master spy, the character would have been swashbuckling from front to back cover and up to his eyeballs in plots and politics and assassinations and struggling the whole time with right and wrong and the futility and inevitability of his decisions regardless of what public face he presented...

Kudos have to go to Mr Bowden, because it has to take talent to turn all that great potential, all that ready-made narrative tension, into what was instead a fairly remote and bloodless read with very little passion and even less impact. It was, putting it bluntly, pretty bloody boring. I was reading to get it done, not because I was thrilled and fascinated with how the story was developing, and that is, as far as I'm concerned, a sign that something is really, intrinsically wrong. Possibly with me, since I apparently can't just abandon a book no matter how little I'm truly enjoying it.

I'm sure the story had it's moments - the attack on Haytham's family perhaps, or the early stages of his friendship with Birch - but honestly I'm having trouble picturing them. If Bowden had perhaps developed his story more there and turned it into a murder mystery or period spy thriller instead of diluting it with stuff from the game that we quite frankly already know and inspired us to read the book in the first place, he might have had a real ripper on his hands. If this is what all game-tie-in books are like, I won't be reading another and consider myself forewarned the next time I think a cool character can be made cooler outside of his home environment.

[Colton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a teacher at a learning center for students with learning disabilities. This book was an option for my 10th grade student. He chose this with the agreement that he would read whatever I wanted afterward. This book suffers from an unreliable narrator, a breakneck pace, repetition in the action sequences, and a lack of consistent characters. This book also suffers from having a diary structure, which stifles tension, and the first person point of view offers little to be deemed necessary. Also take into account that I have not played the video game series, and I have not read Bowden's previous books in the series, so I'm a little out of touch with the source material and trajectory of an overarching plot. But I don't think either of those points save the rapid changing of minds, (Haytham's view on Reginald's book and the research behind it), Haytham's feeling and lack of feeling (creates a character we do not like), the sameness of the almost one hundred killings (usually by stabbing in the head, often through the jaw, or a slit throat), or the utter confusion caused by characters with little character (try to count all the characters he meets and befriends or betrays or betrays him over the course of the book, and next try to explain their personalities). I understand I might not be the target audience for a young adult book, but there are several other young adult books I can think of offhand that do action and history better than the Assassin's Creed series.

[Amir Akbari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing is true, everything is permitted
برعکس بازیش ک تو این قسمت واقعا افتضاح بود، کتاب خیلی قشنگی بود
برعکس قسمتای قبل ک شما داستان زندگی ی اسسین رو میخوندین، اینجا با زندگی هیثم کنوی ک ب عنوان یکی از اساتید تمپلارها شناخته میشه آشنا میشید.
از لحاظ اطلاعاتی خیلی کتاب پری بود و اطلاعات زیادی از جنگهای داخلی امریکا و انقلاب امریکا دستگیرم شد.
قبلا هم گفته بودم ک بعضی وقتا نمیتونی مطمئن بشی ک روش اسسین ها برای رسیدن ب صلح جهانی درسته یا تمپلارها. ولی تو این قسمت شما با چالشای بیشتری تو این موضوع مواجه میشی.
ب شخصه تو این کتاب با روش تمپلارها بیشتر ارتباط برقرار کردم.
و حرف اخرم این ک شاید فک کنین این مجموعه فقط ی داستان نوجوون پسند و بی سر تهه. ولی اصلا اینج��ری نیست و خیلی جاها پای فلسفه و منطق هم ب کتاب باز میشه.
امتحانش کنید

[Hajar Ah · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written, intriguing and simply hard to put down
the characters are well described especially haytham who is quite the interesting articulate character .
it's a book that you'd want to add to your personal library, i know i did

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge-huge fan of Assassin's Creed 3. Of the seven main games in the series, it is my favorite. As much as I loved Ezio, I felt he'd worn out his welcome by Revelations and the cartoonishly evil Borgias were fun to fight but less interesting than the more nuanced antagonists of AC1 and 3. Likewise, I was a huge fan of Connor who I felt to be the most fascinating of the six leads.

So, I was rather nonplussed to find out the novelization of Assassin's Creed 3 wasn't going to be a chronicle of Connor's adventures but from the perspective of Haytham Kenway. The, SPOILER ALERT, Big Bad of AC3. I liked Haytham but found him to be overrated when compared to his son.

For those unfamiliar with the Assassin's Creed novelizations, they're actually quite a bit more intricate than just re-tellings of the games themselves. Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade, for example, actually expanded on the story of Altair to the point much of the information within was incorporated into Revelations. So, despite the oddball premise, I decided to give Assassin's Creed: Forsaken a try.

I'm glad I did.

The first half of Forsaken is entirely new material, chronicling the life of Haytham Kenway from the time he's eight years old and the child of notorious pirate Edward Kenway to his recruitment into the Templars to a multi-year quest to avenge the death of his loved ones. Haytham Kenway is a decidedly cultured and erudite figure, even as a boy, which contrasts nicely against the occasionally savage actions he's forced to take part in as an agent of the Templars.

For those who are fans of Edward Kenway, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, this book provides extremely valuable information. His fate after the events of Black Flag is spelled out, right up until the moment of his death. Admittedly, though, readers should be warned it's not the most uplifting of tales. Oliver Bowden presumably didn't know Edward Kenway would eventually be a protagonist so he has a decidedly atypical ending for a hero.

This actually increased my enjoyment of the story as not everyone gets to live out their lives in luxury, surrounded by their loved ones, like Altair and Ezio. If a decidedly "downer" ending bothers you, this may not be the book for you.

Really, my favorite part of the book was how it expanded on Haytham's goals and the power of the Templars in the early-to-mid 17th century. They're not, apparently, a group with much belief in the power of the Precursors. Instead, they treat the legends of them as myths despite owning several pieces of their technology. Likewise, their power over mortal governments is far less than as usually depicted in the games where they seem ubiquitous.

I'm not sure whether this jives with their depiction in Forsaken but I like it. The Templars are akin to the Illuminati but imagining them as just as belabored as the Assassins is rather pleasing. Likewise, we get the sense the Assassins aren't the primary concern of the Templars but a distant annoyance which never stops rearing its ugly head.

The later half of the book, covering the events of Assassin's Creed 3, are far less interesting. We get few new insights into Haytham's character and even fewer into Connor. Still, there's a good epilogue to with Connor deciding, despite his many setbacks, he didn't regret his actions as he still believed he helped the world take baby steps towards being a more egalitarian one. This makes up for the ambiguous ending of the game proper, where we're not sure if Connor made the situation worse than better. If nothing else, our hero should have the power of his convictions.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend Assassin's Creed: Forsaken. It's an enjoyable novel well worth the expense for the first half and epilogue. Sadly, the second half is only worth skipping if you've played the game. Which, of course, should be played in lieu of reading the book. I look forward to reading the next entry in the series.

8/10

[Xime García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to a 2 star rating, but I must admit I didn't hate it, nor I believe it's as bad as the others - but this is maybe due to the fact that I finally got my hands on an English edition instead of the poor Spanish translations I read before.

By this point, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I don't enjoy Bowden's writing. I've read AC Unity, AC Black Flag, AC Underworld and this one, all by the same author, and they all fail miserably at basic storytelling and believable dialogues. And I can clearly see that Bowden doesn't enjoy transcribing and translating videogame scenes into written work - because that's where the most issues shine bright: stiff visual descriptions, forced dialogues taken straight out of the game without the proper context, gameplay (!) written (I totally found it odd that Haytham would explain Connor that killing redcoats will draw the Jaegers out - the Jaegers are purely gameplay features and a more challenging type of enemy required for a specific trophy in the PSN/Xbox network... Wtf), and a tremendous lack of style - or more like, amateur writing style, which isn't a style at all but rather a stage, a phase. And it was also pretty obvious to me which scenes were direct written translations from the game and which ones were written entirely by Bowden: because Haytham changed the way he spoke!

I think I'm bothered by the tiniest, stupidest things, like Haytham not sounding the same throughout the book. His change of voice was painfully obvious to me. And not only does it change, it crashes in stark contrast, for it's like 'well well well when did this character chANGE SO MUCH', only to return to his 'old Bowden-written self' in a book exclusive part regarding Jenny, his sister, and a new character called Holden, and later return to 'game self' once again since we plunge once more into the events of the game.

Haytham constantly changes his morale in this book, which is something that doesn't coincide with the game. In the game he's ruthless, in the book he's always thinking about the innocents and doubts whether to plunge his blade or not. It just doesn't add up when you see him plead for a teenager's life in one page and threaten the life of a kid in another. I gather maybe he was a conflicted man, that he changed his ways many times, but to me is just that Haytham was shown to have mercy and to be cruel only when the plot of the book required it.

Also, why is it that always, always, these books speed up the game's events but take years to develop all the new content that Bowden adds? Like I said, it seems to me he doesn't enjoying writing the game parts, and I couldn't blame him, for I find them boring, even more if I'm currently playing the game and re-reading scenes I've watched yesterday, without all the magic of the game and in a barren monotone brought by this man's narration. AC Underworld (Syndicate's adaptation) is, to me, the worst case out of all these I've read, because it adapts the whole game in less than 100 pages. Damn.

By the by, I cannot shake off the feeling that Bowden doesn't investigate enough before lunging into these books - at some point Haytham says he's skilled with Spanish and often people confused him with a Spaniard as his accent rings true to them. He then reads a Spanish phrase, which he goes on to translate in his mind - wait, wait, that's not how a bilingual mind works. I'm not translating this in my head as I type, even less I translate sentences mentally as I read a book, because I don't need translation, I understand the language, which is something Haytham had convinced me he was capable of until he failed at it by translating the phrase. I know it was for the sake of the English readers, but then why not just write 'I read this phrase which was written in Spanish and went like this...', it would've been more believable.

I can understand that Haytham never once heard Connor's real name, but I cannot accept that a man of his wisdom and talents could think that Ziio chose that name for her son, as he affirms in his journal, since he knows so much of the Mohawk tribe and he spent a considerable amount of time with one to believe that 'Connor' would be a suitable name for a native. At the end, in the list of names, Connor also appears only as Connor. It leads me to believe that no one from the Ubisoft team told Bowden the real name of the character was Ratonhnhaké:ton (wow, I wrote it without looking it up).

I still think the Journal structure doesn't fit these books - or any, actually - unless they're written like real journals, not this 'detailed exposition with dialogue transcriptions that is pretty much a novel'. The same happened to me with the Unity adaptation. It's... Not a journal. It's a novel.

Some dialogues Connor said them in Mohawk... And I remember because I'm currently playing the game... Yet Haytham narrated that Connor said them in English. Great.

Also I noticed some typos and stupid errors like mistaking "through" with "though", like if you read "we walked though the forest" you know something's amiss. Which leaves me with the impression that no editing or correcting was done to this.

I'm glad I got to see more of Edward Kenway - I must admit, I come from reading the Black Flag book so it was perfect to continue with this one. I also enjoyed Jenny's presence and I wish I could've seen more of her and her relationship with Haytham. I would've much preferred it than the countless expeditions and game scene transcriptions we received.

I'm annoyed beyond anger with the fact that Shay Cormac doesn't appear at all. I know his abscence is remarked upon in Rogue, but it doesn't make it any less of a mistake from a saga that's being crafted as it unfolds and it's too transparent here not to see it. Cormac doesn't appear simply because his game wasn't out yet. And when Haytham sees Achilles for the first time in the book - a character that hadn't appeared previously in his journal - we're told to believe he knew him from before - from when, exactly, Haytham? You left a good chunk of your years out. I'm sorry but this is poor story telling. From the game developers as well.

Lastly, I can't believe Connor narrates with the same monotone that Haytham used. For Minerva's sake. One is an English old man, the other is a young native speaking in a language that's not his mother tongue, and yet they sound and write the same. Don't tell me like father like son because I'll riot. This is bad characterization and on Bowden's part.

All in all, I know I marked way too many errors - but I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed the previous books I read written by this author, and I gave them all 2 stars, hence my rating now. Again, as I mentioned, it might be due to the fact I don't suffer from poor translation anymore, which I've discovered can completely anhihilate one's experience when reading. Maybe it's because I'm liking the game so much and I love Connor as a protagonist, but I firmly believe this book is only for fans of the franchise, as it's the case with all the other adaptations as well. They lack context, description, immersion, believable dialogues and character development. In short, they lack everything that makes a book good.

[yaren · Rating 2 out of 5]

bitirmeyecektim ama belli ki hala bir kitabı yarıda bırakma skilli bana gelmemiş… neyse bir şekilde bitirdim. olaylar akıcı değildi ama haytham’ı okumak güzeldi, sondaki connor’lı kısımlar da çok hoşuma gitti. genel olarak zayıf buldum yazımını ama çok da bir beklentim yoktu zaten.

[Sammi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man i LOVE AC3 but I feel ubisoft SCREWED this franchise over so much, and this book is evidence of that. How come every book since AC1 up to Revelation was about the main character of the VG, essentially retelling the game in book form, but whenever AC3 is mentioned everyones like OMG HAYTHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO.

I don't want to hear about Haytham, sorry. This is why this book was so disappointing for me. Plus I feel it paved the way to hyping up Black Flag with the mention of Edward, UGHHHHH. The style of writing also mischaracterised Haytham in a way that was too 'childish?' so I don't feel like it was really his story. It almost comes across as if you're meant to feel sorry for Haytham and his life when in reality... man he was a templar out of choice, he was ruthless, he wanted POWER and he killed people. He wasn't someone who wanted to run away into the american forest and live a pure life with Ziio, in fact I'm p sure Ziio didn't want that either. She was an ambiguous character who felt immense responsibility towards her people, and was ruthless in doing anything she could to help them. I did like Haythams response to meeting Connor, but again it was too.... nice?

This book was just a big no for me. It was disappointing because I was expecting Connor, just as Ezio and Altair got books, why doesn't Connor deserve one? Also if you're going to write a book about Haytham, at least do it right, bye.

[Michał Hołda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book are rubbish, many like most books based on games, like with Baldur's Gate.

This one is about Templar who is also assassin in time of America gaining independence.

Games are good for they're surroundings, actual accurate maps that are joy to history lovers.

Books doesn't have that, and only with hint of games plot. With I struggled with as its pure fiction.

I will stop now reading these books from this series, as I'm to tired of this.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

If any video game series deserved a range of spin off novels it was Assassin’s Creed; sometimes the series has seemed in danger of disappearing up its own back-story altogether. I read the first four of Oliver Bowden’s novelisations with slowly diminishing interest; whilst largely well written they were somewhat dry and simple retellings of the game’s plot. The larger brush strokes were there but bogged down by the character doing minor errands for washerwomen, chasing thieves or pickpocketing merchants. In the game that’s a good way to pass the time between missions, in print it’s something of a repetitive and arduous slog.

Forsaken however is something entirely different. Without wanting to spoil AC3 there is a marvellous twist an hour into the game, that ‘almost’ makes up for the way the game holds your hand through the introductory stages by limiting your movements in an extremely overbearing manor. The author Oliver Bowden makes use of his novel rather than to simply recount the movements of the player but to expand and build on this one brilliant plot contrivance that pits father and son against one another. Whilst the cover clearly depicts Connor and George Washington this is in fact the story of one Haytham Kenway, perhaps the most interesting lead the series has boasted yet.

It starts with Haytham as a young boy, trained by his father to become a lethal fighter although he still doesn’t know for what purpose. He recounts his childhood, how his elder sister was jealous of his freedom for simply being a man whilst she was destined to be simply married off and disposed off. However the house is raided, their father killed and the sister taken away by slavers, leaving Haytham in the hands of the Templars. He eventually becomes one of their most senior agents although over several years he begins to suspect that it was in fact the Templars who murdered his father.

The ambiguity of the character, torn between his family and his duty, runs through the novel and it is by far the best in this series yet, although far from perfect. The actual events of the game this is based around only start half way through the novel and are barely touched on in any substance, dealing only with the events for which Haytham was personally involved.

For fans of this series this is a marked improvement over the previous novels; the repetitive structure of the story is replaced with something slightly bolder and original. It’s still far from being a

[TROLL · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEWARE OF SPOILERS

I have played the games and have thought of them very highly and when my dad showed me this book i thought it looked really cool and got it off my dad as soon as i could.

This is my own chioce of book and that is the space on the bingo board that I have chosen to fill in.
My favorite quote:

"I am an expert swordsman. And I am skilled in the business of death. I take no pleasure in my skill. simply,I am good at it". I like it Because it shows a lot about the story and how its going to play out.

My favorite character was Haytham because he is a bad-ass in this book. He is the main character.He fights for the Templar's and by the end has become the grand master of the order. He has one son which he doesn't find out about until around the end of the book.I chose haytham because he knows what is right and what is wrong even though he is not the best at this sometimes he still knows what he has done wrong and tries to correct it.

What i learnt from this book was:

Why we should portray mercy to others weather it be a life and death situation or a just in an argument or possibly a fist fight.

[ضحى الحداد · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Haytham, I really did .. he is such a complex character with a grey moral compass .. I liked that he was questioning himself all the time although he was doing what he was told to do .. the beginning of this book was so good and I was interested to know what will happen to Haytham after all that happened to him when he was a child .. but as the events moved on the story became kind of boring .. specially at the end when it was all politics and nearly no fight, we were just being told of what was happening during the ِِِِِِِAmerican revolution
the ending was just MEH .. and it didn't make me feel anything
it was an ok read but I expected better

[Artzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

And here you thought that Templars and Creeds ends with Ezio Audiotre la Florence? NUUP! You're quite far off actually... Remember that it is centuries old war. Both fighting for freedom. Both fighting for an Order. This time it's both father and son.
I have to admit I was a bit impatient with Haytham. Everything just seemed so obvious but he was oblivious about it, or so I think. Before I spoil any further, give it a read and you will know what I meant.

[fenrir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Senza infamia e senza lode, anche se non capisco perché un non fan di Assassin's Creed dovrebbe voler leggere questa roba. Senza conoscere i giochi il libro non ha il minimo senso, sembrano pezzi del gioco a cui hanno aggiunto i dialoghi.

[Tasos Karamintzas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is incredible, at first, after that is just the game from the templars perspective and with a few added things in its story. I did however enjoyed it and I'll recommend it to every fan of the Assassin's Creed series especially if you like the character of Haytham Kenway 4/5.

[Hasbiya Asya · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good, i fell in love with the Kenway's Story since the third game came out, especially for Haytham. He wanted to unite Assassins and Templar, but he couldn't do it, and this story was kinda enlighten for me as long as i can remember the game story.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, the style was a bit bland and the plot slightly predictable but it was a quick and entertaining read that was full of action. Enough said.

[Corfy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great, because the killer is very smart and cunning, I would like be like him.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assassin’s Creed: Forsaken by Oliver Bowden is a prequel video game tie-in to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 3. Forsaken shows the back story to the main Templar villain Haytham Kenway. Assassin’s Creed Forsaken has a slightly different spin on it than most Assassin Creed books. Much like his father (Edward Kenway) Haytham finds himself in the middle of the long-raging war between Templars and Assassin’s in a way that would have been totally unexpected. Whereas Edward barged his way in after pretending to be an assassin, Haytham ends up on the Templar side of things. He’s an intriguing character due to his current station in life being at odds with his family ideals. Reading about a Templar with Assassin ideals is a new experience and enjoyable one.

This is not so much based on the events of the game (Assassin’s Creed Three) but a prequel to it. Some of the events to merge later on, but Haytham’s journal leads you right from his childhood up until his final moments and spans everything in-between. The relationships formed don’t have a deep, tear-jerking or meaningful feel to them, but that is mainly due to the morose nature of our protagonist. He is all about the work first and his own pleasure and feelings second, as any good soldier of the cause (from either Assassin’s order or Templar order would be).

The bulk of the tale is set in America. The Templars are trying to set up their operations over in the colonies, hoping to discover precursor sites and thus powerful artifacts. Haytham’s personal wars lead him all over the world from England, to Europe and even further afield, but his primary goals are Templar dominance in America. We are even treated to such events as the Boston Tea Party … such a waste of good tea leaves.

I found the pacing of this to be fast and, at the same time, it flowed so well. It didn’t feel rushed. The combat was plentiful and very well-written. I could almost hear Haytham’s hidden blade (yes … he uses one despite playing for the other team) unsheathing as he made ready for a kill. As with all Assassin Creed books/games, I love the characters from history appearing. As fun as they are to read and play, it’s a great way of cramming some extra learning in without it feeling like hard work.

I thought some of the characters could have done with a bit more fleshing out, yet the ones that were on point were so good. If a character you are attached to in this dies or has something truly grim happen to them … and there are some true grim moments throughout, you feel it as though it were happening to a friend (or at least I did with a couple of the characters).

Overall, Assassins Creed: Forsaken does a good job of expanding the back story of Haytham Kenway one my favorite characters from the AC 3 game, and is a solid Read for any fans of Assassins Creed franchise.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Aby widzieć inaczej, najpierw musimy nauczyć się inaczej myśleć."

Dość długo się rozkręca, ale przy szybkim czytaniu ujdzie. Ciekawa historia. Moim ulubieńcem i tak pozostanie Ezio.

[Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forsaken follows Haytham whose life is altered from a young age after his father is murdered.

Overall, this was quite dull and very slow. It had potential as instead of being an Assassin, Haytham is a Templar. But the pacing was off and I didn't feel attached to any of the characters.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked learning more about Haytham - including the fact that we share a birthday! He’s a complex character and interesting to read about. I wish Connor had his charm; he’s quite dull by comparison.

[MeskaKsiazka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robiąc reread całej serii Assassin's Creed wiedziałem że w końcu przyjdzie mi przeczytać "AC: Porzuceni" i szczerze nie byłem tą myślą jakoś zadowolony gdyż pierwsze czytanie owej książki wywarło na mnie bardzo złe wrażenie, jednak nadal gdzieś w głębi ducha łudziłem się że będzie lepiej przy drugim podejściu. Trochę lepiej było, ale to i tak nie spowoduje zmiany oceny dla książki.

Książka jest dramatycznie słaba i chaotyczna, jednocześnie wielowątkowa, ale żaden wątek nie jest do porządku skończony. Brak ducha Assassyńskiej serii jest bardzo mocno widoczny.

Książka bardzo słabo przedstawia się pod praktycznie wszystkimi możliwymi względami.

Pod względem postaci jest źle, główna postać Haythama Kenwaya jest infantylnym zapatrzonym w siebie idiotą robiącym i wierzącym w coś co sam nawet nie chce wierzyć. Do tego nie potrafi łączyć oczywistych faktów, tak wiem że autor ją tak napisał bardzo możliwe że celowo, ale jednak trudno się oprzeć wrażeniu iż taki schemat postaci napisany został z przymusu. Kolejną rzeczą jest fakt że seria słynie z historycznych postaci które pojawiają się i mają realny wpływ na fabułę i postępowanie głównych postaci, tutaj mamy jednego jedynego Jerzego Waszyngtona z którego w dodatku robi się debila.

Fabularnie książka jest na równie niskim poziomie, bardzo wiele wątków rozpoczętych które nie znalazły swojego końca. Najlepszym momentem książki jest podróż bohatera do Damaszku, całość akcji fabularnej dziejącej się na Bliskim Wschodzie zajmuje ledwie 30 stron z 442 stronnicowej historii. Kolejnym równie mocno nie wykorzystanym potencjałem jest okres przebywania głównego bohatera w nowo powstających Stanach Zjednoczonych, absolutnie fenomenalne podłoże historyczne do napisania książki które zostało spłycone do poziomu minimum.

Do plusów książki zaliczam próbę przedstawienia drugiej strony postrzegania świata przeciwną do Assassynów czyli punkt widzenia Templariuszy, jednak ponad wszystko to jest tylko próba takiego działania i to bardzo nieudana.

Największym plusem książki z i tak ogromnym potencjałem który został zduszony w zarodku jest relacja ojciec-syn opisana na podstawie dwóch przypadków a także nauczyciel-uczeń opisana na podstawie trzech przypadków. Wszystkie są bardzo różne od siebie i widać że autor chciał pokazać różnorodność w sposobie podejścia do nauczania i wychowania za co szanuję jednak w innych swoich książkach zrobił to dużo lepiej niż w tej.

Podsumowując, jest to książka a ogromnym niewykorzystanym potencjałem, infantylnie przedstawionymi i prowadzonymi postaciami, oraz wieloma rozpoczętymi i nie zakończonymi wątkami.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have picked this book up after playing ACIII because i am simply a fan of the kenway Family, especially Haytham and his cool character, but reading this makes me love him more, this book simply suggest that "Don't judge a book by it's cover" because Haytham is Templar in Connor's Eyes, but he is a caring father deep inside (That even connor himself don't know)

WARNING FOLKS, THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS A LOT

I know this book has a boring part, but to be honest , there are some parts that makes you jump a lot because of its excitement, Haytham once again, show his other side in this book, in fact Haytham has three sides at this book , his Templar side, his Father side, and his Mask of sorrow side.

As a narrative lover reader, i found Bowden's masterpiece simply poor, especially at the first part, he simply forgot that Haytham at that time was still a kid, and he lacks of Haytham's kid side, i hope that he portray Haytham as a normal kid, or naive like that, but Bowden just forgot his image as a child.

As the story goes on, His lack of narrative was also in there, but not as worse as what in the first part have, my favorite narrative part maybe is how did he describe Connor through his eyes. As he went there as good, but aside that, (and the death) everything in the narrative was worse

I give my deepest respect to Haytham when the trial part (28 June in Haytham's Journal) starts, he risk and sacrifice his position just to save connor, and it leaves him a turmoil that he and his journal only knows. Also my respect gained into 100% when the time period they already meet, he was not afraid to his fate, that he knows Connor will soon kill him <*Sorry, if you play ACIII, you already know about this*>

Also, i give my respect to his gentleman, Holden, as how he was very truthful to Haytham, i hate how he and Haytham died(because i felt it was very disgraceful) but i think it was enough for them to show and prove their characters, Holden was one of the best sidekick at AC Tbh

Haytham Kenway Deserve a million of Gun salute for being the best AC Character

[Βερίνα Χωρεάνθη · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally don't like novelizations of video games (which is why I consciously avoid them altogether), but "Assassin's Creed: Forsaken" is a very interesting read as it sheds some light on the life and personality of the most intriguing villain of the Assassin's Creed series, a character who is also very dear to me. The games where Haytham Kenway appears ("Assassin's Creed III", the finale of "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" & "Assassin's Creed: Rogue") deal with only certain periods of his life, and this novel serves as an extensive backstory, in the form of a journal, covering, among other things, his childhood and his loving relationship with Edward, his training years under Reginald Birch, his long quest for Jenny with his good friend Jim Holden in later times and his complex connection with the other Templars of the Colonies (especially Charles Lee, although most parts that concern the latter are depicted in "Assassin's Creed III" in a much more powerful way). The parts that are common both in the novel and the game are pretty similar (even the dialogues are mostly alike) but those that offer additional insight are engaging and closely follow Haytham's development as the merciless and murderous Templar Grand Master that he eventually became. Τhe narration is captivating and can get deeply emotional, highlighting the good elements that Haytham originally had which were corrupted irreversibly under Birch's influence, but still they would come to the surface for a few precious moments throughout his later life. I only wish there was at least a mention of Shay Cormac, who was Haytham's most trusted ally for a certain period of time in North America, and with whom he has this insane chemistry in "Assassin's Creed: Rogue".

[Sagnik Sengupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, this book has a very complex story structure, different than the others but a very complex one. To sum up, the book is about the story of a guy who is son of an assassin but becomes a templar who is eventually killed by a assassin who is actually his son. But in deeper sense it symbolises one thing that their respective order or creed is bigger than any family ties.

Like in the previous books, the main protagonist Haytham Kenway, becomes a member of an order, in this case the Knight Templars after he suffers a family disembowelment.

Despite a different and complex story line, the book packs action in almost all the chapters, even more than it's predecessors. It also shows the gloomy rivalry between the two groups as Haytham, later a grand master of the Knight Tempalrs, upon learning his true parentage tried to unite the two groups but fate had different plans and was killed in a final fight with his son, assassin. Through the fight, both Haytham and his son Connor, exchanged talks about their respective group's ideologies which rally reflects what the two stand for before their own blood.

All in all, a good read. Recommended.