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Assassin's Creed #8
Assassin's Creed: Podziemie
Zhańbiony asasyn.
Tajny agent.
Misja - odkupienie.
Londyn, rok 1862. Rewolucja przemysłowa trwa, powstaje pierwsza podziemna kolej. Kiedy w tunelu zostaje znalezione ciało, rozpoczyna się najnowszy, zabójczy rozdział odwiecznej wojny między asasynami a templariuszami.Działający potajemnie asasyn skrywa mroczne sekrety. Jego misją jest pokonać templariuszy i pozbawić ich pełnej kontroli nad stolicą narodu.Wkrótce Bractwo dowie się, że jest to Henry Green, mentor Jacoba i Evie Frye. Ale teraz jest on po prostu Duchem.
Tajny agent.
Misja - odkupienie.
Londyn, rok 1862. Rewolucja przemysłowa trwa, powstaje pierwsza podziemna kolej. Kiedy w tunelu zostaje znalezione ciało, rozpoczyna się najnowszy, zabójczy rozdział odwiecznej wojny między asasynami a templariuszami.Działający potajemnie asasyn skrywa mroczne sekrety. Jego misją jest pokonać templariuszy i pozbawić ich pełnej kontroli nad stolicą narodu.Wkrótce Bractwo dowie się, że jest to Henry Green, mentor Jacoba i Evie Frye. Ale teraz jest on po prostu Duchem.
472 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 2015
201 people are currently reading
6877 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Bowden
78 books1,136 followers 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
February 6, 2021
As positive a surprise as the game it functions as a prequel for. Assassin's Creed: Underworld is a remarkably solid historical fiction novel, freed of the shackles of a modern day frame story often holding down the games.
The game this book is based on Assassin's Creed: Syndicate is one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in the Assassin's Creed series, a refreshing change in a series gone stale. One weakness, however, was the unresolved plot threads, particularly in relation to character backstories and relationships.
I would not recommend anyone read this book before playing the game, as it essentially spoils the whole thing. But for those who have played Syndicate, Underworld does an excellent job at expanding the details left as mysteries, including Evie and Jacob's father, Henry Green's origin, Sergeant Abberline's career as a policeman prior to meeting the Assassins. It even succeeds at painting the same intriguing picture of the slums of 19th century London as the game equivalent does.
However, there are some considerable flaws, primarily in the relationship between book and game. One, that is hardly the fault of the book, is that a lot of this information should have been in the game. This sparks another problem, namely that the two pieces are incomplete without each other. Finally, there are quite a few points where the book expands a detail which in turn makes it completely unreasonable for characters in the game not to bring it up.
In the end, however, it's a tie-in novel. Not amazing, not thought-provoking, but fast-paced, entertaining, and providing a new angle on many of the narrative aspects of a very good game.
The game this book is based on Assassin's Creed: Syndicate is one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in the Assassin's Creed series, a refreshing change in a series gone stale. One weakness, however, was the unresolved plot threads, particularly in relation to character backstories and relationships.
I would not recommend anyone read this book before playing the game, as it essentially spoils the whole thing. But for those who have played Syndicate, Underworld does an excellent job at expanding the details left as mysteries, including Evie and Jacob's father, Henry Green's origin, Sergeant Abberline's career as a policeman prior to meeting the Assassins. It even succeeds at painting the same intriguing picture of the slums of 19th century London as the game equivalent does.
However, there are some considerable flaws, primarily in the relationship between book and game. One, that is hardly the fault of the book, is that a lot of this information should have been in the game. This sparks another problem, namely that the two pieces are incomplete without each other. Finally, there are quite a few points where the book expands a detail which in turn makes it completely unreasonable for characters in the game not to bring it up.
In the end, however, it's a tie-in novel. Not amazing, not thought-provoking, but fast-paced, entertaining, and providing a new angle on many of the narrative aspects of a very good game.
February 7, 2016
Well, that was emotional.
As a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed and Victorian London, I HAD to buy this book. After finishing the game a month or so ago, I needed to fill the hole that it had left in my heart.
The book is essentially split into three halves, starting before the events of the game and focusing on the character of Henry Green (or Jayadeep Mir/The Ghost/Bharat Singh) and how he became an Assassin. It later focuses on the Frye twins and follows the story of the game exactly.
As much as I love the game, it took me a month to read this because it just didn't hold my attention. I really liked learning more about Henry, his background and how he came to London, however I found it quite tedious to read at times. The story definitely picked up around half-way through and then I fully got engrossed in it when it focused upon Evie, Jacob and the storyline of Syndicate.
My favourite part of the book was absolutely the ending. I love that we are shown the developing relationship between Henry and Evie, something that was suggested but slightly glossed over in the game.
All in all, I'm really glad I read this. I am obsessed with the Frye twins and the world of Victorian London, however I felt it was lacking in excitement in some areas. I give it 3.5 stars and I will definitely want to read the predeceasing novels in the series at some point.
June 29, 2016
This book was difficult for me to rate because I liked the characters a lot and the story was interesting, but it was written poorly. There was very little detail, and this made it difficult to properly follow what was happening. There were a lot of gaps and jumps in detail and story, and a lot of it felt more like a summary from a bystander than a story about the people experiencing it.
January 8, 2016
3.5 Stars
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
When I first got this title my initial exited was tempered by the fact I'd not before seen such a mess of an ARC. There were random numbers everywhere and broken lines. I contacted Netgalley and a little bit jokingly asked them if AC releases their ARCs like their games, half finished and full of glitches. It however turned out that it was not easy to solve this problem, but since I really wanted to read it at that time, and my Kobo was still having troubles, I decided to just go with it. And it turned out it wasn't so bad after all.
I haven't played the newest game yet, so I can't comment on how much the book follows the game. From what I understood though, the game mainly focusses on the Frye siblings, whereas Henry Green, or The Ghost plays a bigger role in the book. (This was one of the things I really noticed when I read my first AC novel, Renaissance, where literally every little task is translated into the book. Even the stupid get to know the controls ones like carrying crates, very excitement, much wow).
I couldn't resist Victorian England in combination with AC. I just couldn't. Even though reading AC books to me really feels like a guilty pleasure. (However less with this book, it felt more like a real story, possibly because I have not yet played the game). I found it highly enjoyable, even though the writing is not the best. The Ghost was an interesting character. I certainly plan to read the rest of the series as snackbooks.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
12/6/15
In the end it would seem the ARCs are truly like the games. You play/read them anyway even though there are a lot of bugs in there. (Netgalley couldn't fix the problem, and in the end the numbers and other glitches didn't really impact my enjoyment of the book, luckily. Full review to come!
11/15/15
I wanted to read my eARC for Underworld, but in my copy the formatting is off.
It would seem they release their ARCs like the games, half-finished and filled with glitches. ;)
Sent an email to Netgalley support, usually they help really fast.
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
When I first got this title my initial exited was tempered by the fact I'd not before seen such a mess of an ARC. There were random numbers everywhere and broken lines. I contacted Netgalley and a little bit jokingly asked them if AC releases their ARCs like their games, half finished and full of glitches. It however turned out that it was not easy to solve this problem, but since I really wanted to read it at that time, and my Kobo was still having troubles, I decided to just go with it. And it turned out it wasn't so bad after all.
I haven't played the newest game yet, so I can't comment on how much the book follows the game. From what I understood though, the game mainly focusses on the Frye siblings, whereas Henry Green, or The Ghost plays a bigger role in the book. (This was one of the things I really noticed when I read my first AC novel, Renaissance, where literally every little task is translated into the book. Even the stupid get to know the controls ones like carrying crates, very excitement, much wow).
I couldn't resist Victorian England in combination with AC. I just couldn't. Even though reading AC books to me really feels like a guilty pleasure. (However less with this book, it felt more like a real story, possibly because I have not yet played the game). I found it highly enjoyable, even though the writing is not the best. The Ghost was an interesting character. I certainly plan to read the rest of the series as snackbooks.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
12/6/15
In the end it would seem the ARCs are truly like the games. You play/read them anyway even though there are a lot of bugs in there. (Netgalley couldn't fix the problem, and in the end the numbers and other glitches didn't really impact my enjoyment of the book, luckily. Full review to come!
11/15/15
I wanted to read my eARC for Underworld, but in my copy the formatting is off.
It would seem they release their ARCs like the games, half-finished and filled with glitches. ;)
Sent an email to Netgalley support, usually they help really fast.
February 12, 2016
I enjoyed the first part of the book with Jayadeep becoming the Ghost and his relationship with Maggie. I wish that she had featured more, as she was an interesting character who had obviously survived a life full of experiences, good and bad.
The second part where the Ghost becomes Henry and meets the latest Assassins, Evie and Jacob Frye, children of Ethan, he loses his confidence in his amazing abilities, which is a shame. Mainly because if his father had listened to Ethan at the beginning, Henry would never have been disgraced. Also Henry does kill, just not in cold blood, not something to be ashamed of and doesn't make him an unworthy Assassin in my view.
I really liked Jacob and I wish he had featured more too. Evie makes amateur mistakes throughout, and you would think she would know better. But then I've never been fond of characters that are completely obsessed with something, to the point of being blinkered.
An entertaining tale overall, but not enough time spent on the characters that piqued my interest. 3 stars
The second part where the Ghost becomes Henry and meets the latest Assassins, Evie and Jacob Frye, children of Ethan, he loses his confidence in his amazing abilities, which is a shame. Mainly because if his father had listened to Ethan at the beginning, Henry would never have been disgraced. Also Henry does kill, just not in cold blood, not something to be ashamed of and doesn't make him an unworthy Assassin in my view.
I really liked Jacob and I wish he had featured more too. Evie makes amateur mistakes throughout, and you would think she would know better. But then I've never been fond of characters that are completely obsessed with something, to the point of being blinkered.
An entertaining tale overall, but not enough time spent on the characters that piqued my interest. 3 stars
January 8, 2016
I read AC 2, 1, 3, 4, then 8. They're all written by Bowden, and I am disappointed to come to my own conclusion that he had either decided to inject some British flavour (of the no-flavour kind), or he has tired from writing so many AC novels. Where he used to write with such depth as to the environment, he no longer does. Subtle details to draw the reader into the cultural setting, quite none. Where he does attempt to elaborate something, it sounds just like that - an attempt.
Plot-wise, the bulk of it is about the history of the character who eventually goes by the name of Henry Green, the storekeeper - Assassin intel. I have trouble following the time length between events, so I had to size up the chronology in my mind only after completing the book. (AC 7 meanwhile quite literally spoon-fed readers to the chronology due to the personal journal format)
Plot-wise, the bulk of it is about the history of the character who eventually goes by the name of Henry Green, the storekeeper - Assassin intel. I have trouble following the time length between events, so I had to size up the chronology in my mind only after completing the book. (AC 7 meanwhile quite literally spoon-fed readers to the chronology due to the personal journal format)
April 15, 2017
Give me a medal, I finished this in 1 year and 2 months omg....
It was not that I didn't like the book subject, the happenings and stories.. It's just written in a way that just didn't capture me at all.
I am a huge Assassin's Creed fan and especially Syndicate which may be my favorite game of all time. It's so interesting to see the back story from some of the characters and because of that it makes a lot more sense the way they act in the game. It also just confirms that I want the imagination of the people who writes these stories and games. It's so impressive how every single story about so many people can connect and still make sense. I am so impressed.
If the way it was written had been more exciting and well... easier to capture the reader, it would have been 5 stars from this Assassin geek.
It was not that I didn't like the book subject, the happenings and stories.. It's just written in a way that just didn't capture me at all.
I am a huge Assassin's Creed fan and especially Syndicate which may be my favorite game of all time. It's so interesting to see the back story from some of the characters and because of that it makes a lot more sense the way they act in the game. It also just confirms that I want the imagination of the people who writes these stories and games. It's so impressive how every single story about so many people can connect and still make sense. I am so impressed.
If the way it was written had been more exciting and well... easier to capture the reader, it would have been 5 stars from this Assassin geek.
March 3, 2016
3/5 stars
Assassin's Creed: Underworld is the companion novel for Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, the latest (and my favourite) Assassin's Creed game.
I guess I'll start off with the big negative with this one that brought it down the two stars, and that's the editing. There is a big problem with repetitiveness- at one point an entire section was repeated, as well as small phrases being used within paragraphs of each other. There were a lot of grammar mistakes and some sentences were written as if they should be longer; the flow was just off, and it did inhibit my enjoyment of the novel quite a lot.
I did enjoy the action and fight sequences, and that area really captured the tone of the game. Sometimes it seemed as if things weren't described enough, like one minute a character would be standing on a roof, and the next minute entering a hidden entrance without any solid description of how they’d got there. It was as if the author was relying on us in the second part (Evie’s part) to be familiar with the game, which I am, but might cause problems for anyone who decides to read the book before they play the game.
I have to say, the characterisation was pretty on point, and I really enjoyed character and relationship developments. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into Henry and Ethan’s backgrounds, as well as seeing how they became familiar with Abberline. The chapter where (spoiler alert, for anyone who hasn't read the book/played the game yet)
In particular I enjoyed the written dynamic between Evie and Jacob. I feel that some authors struggle to write sibling relationships, especially twins, efficiently, capturing the closeness that comes with it but also the constant annoyance at your sibling, but Bowden really did capture what I loved so much about the twins’ relationship in the game. I do wish the twins' part had been a bit more detailed, but the game is literally about them so I guess I can’t really complain all that much. I also didn't really enjoy reading about the romance between Henry and Evie all that much; I prefer seeing it played out in the game than in writing, but I think that's more of a personal issue I have with a lot of romance sub-plots at the moment.
Overall an enjoyable book that did add to my knowledge of the characters, but I did have my problems with it and I don't think I'll pick up any more of the other books as I don't feel like it will help me understand what goes on in the other games that I'm unfamiliar with.
Assassin's Creed: Underworld is the companion novel for Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, the latest (and my favourite) Assassin's Creed game.
I guess I'll start off with the big negative with this one that brought it down the two stars, and that's the editing. There is a big problem with repetitiveness- at one point an entire section was repeated, as well as small phrases being used within paragraphs of each other. There were a lot of grammar mistakes and some sentences were written as if they should be longer; the flow was just off, and it did inhibit my enjoyment of the novel quite a lot.
I did enjoy the action and fight sequences, and that area really captured the tone of the game. Sometimes it seemed as if things weren't described enough, like one minute a character would be standing on a roof, and the next minute entering a hidden entrance without any solid description of how they’d got there. It was as if the author was relying on us in the second part (Evie’s part) to be familiar with the game, which I am, but might cause problems for anyone who decides to read the book before they play the game.
I have to say, the characterisation was pretty on point, and I really enjoyed character and relationship developments. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into Henry and Ethan’s backgrounds, as well as seeing how they became familiar with Abberline. The chapter where (spoiler alert, for anyone who hasn't read the book/played the game yet)
In particular I enjoyed the written dynamic between Evie and Jacob. I feel that some authors struggle to write sibling relationships, especially twins, efficiently, capturing the closeness that comes with it but also the constant annoyance at your sibling, but Bowden really did capture what I loved so much about the twins’ relationship in the game. I do wish the twins' part had been a bit more detailed, but the game is literally about them so I guess I can’t really complain all that much. I also didn't really enjoy reading about the romance between Henry and Evie all that much; I prefer seeing it played out in the game than in writing, but I think that's more of a personal issue I have with a lot of romance sub-plots at the moment.
Overall an enjoyable book that did add to my knowledge of the characters, but I did have my problems with it and I don't think I'll pick up any more of the other books as I don't feel like it will help me understand what goes on in the other games that I'm unfamiliar with.
January 22, 2016
As weird as this sounds: 5 stars for the first 70%, 3 for the last 30%. This was a really engaging story that enriches both the character of Henry Green and the Assassin's Creed mythology, which was a real pleasure to read at that, but only up to the point when it turns into a quick and messy recap of the events from the game. I've played the game and I loved the game - and I loved that the book did not, at least at the beginning, try to become a summary of the game's events and instead attempted a different approach. I was truly invested in finding out how The Ghost became the man we know from "Syndicate" and I would have gladly cut out any mention of the Frye twins altogether. Becasue once The Ghost's story ends - abrubtly and without any development, really - and suddendly the narrative voice shifts to Evie, Henry takes a back seat, giving off a feeling that the whole previous plot is hurriedly swept under the rug just so it can fit with the canon events from the game. Very uncool. Not only that, but the language I quite enjoyed throughout The Ghost's storyline changes so dramatically - from funny, insightful and captivating to dull, bland and unimaginative - that it almost feels like these two parts of the book were written by two different people. I wouldn't be surprised if they were. I enjoyed the 70% immensly, so it's real shame the book takes such a nosedive from there.
January 23, 2016
If Evie isn't the most inept Assassin, she's very close. Her brother does all the work while she devotes all her time to looking for artifacts she never gets anyway, and she doesn't seem to care at all that in the meantime, people are suffering under the Templars' rule - she's all words, no do, but she scoffs at her brother who actually makes a mark, and accuses him of doing nothing but killing. Funny how throughout the book he's the only one who actually achieves something, all the others - George, Ethan, Evie and Henry - they just sit around and bemoan their dire situation. For real?
This was definitely a step back for Oliver Bowden as an author. Also, he needs a better editor, see the scene in the vault at the end.
This was definitely a step back for Oliver Bowden as an author. Also, he needs a better editor, see the scene in the vault at the end.
January 5, 2016
3.5 stars rounded off to 4.
I enjoyed three quarters of the book which focused more as a prequel to the game. It was lovely that the author chose to focus on Henry, who remained enigmatic throughout Syndicate. To my dismay, however, the transition from Henry to the Frye twins brought about a major change of pace (although understandable given the circumstance of cramming everything into 400+ pages, I still ruminate on the possibilities) and my only major complaint is that more effort could have been put into the romantic subtext/ growth between Evie and Henry; I very much rathered the stale romance left out than forced in. All in all a decent book and definitely worth a read!
I enjoyed three quarters of the book which focused more as a prequel to the game. It was lovely that the author chose to focus on Henry, who remained enigmatic throughout Syndicate. To my dismay, however, the transition from Henry to the Frye twins brought about a major change of pace (although understandable given the circumstance of cramming everything into 400+ pages, I still ruminate on the possibilities) and my only major complaint is that more effort could have been put into the romantic subtext/ growth between Evie and Henry; I very much rathered the stale romance left out than forced in. All in all a decent book and definitely worth a read!
May 14, 2018
3.5 stars
This book is the finale of the Oliver Bowden series, I still have two more books to go in this universe :)
So in this book we go to London during the great depression years and we are introduced to The Ghost ( aka Henry ) and the famous twins Jacob and Evie .. I loved those twins so much and they are such a good team, I liked this book and it had a certain charm to it, the ending was so adorable, I wish if we can get a book for Syndicate I think it will be epic :)
This book is the finale of the Oliver Bowden series, I still have two more books to go in this universe :)
So in this book we go to London during the great depression years and we are introduced to The Ghost ( aka Henry ) and the famous twins Jacob and Evie .. I loved those twins so much and they are such a good team, I liked this book and it had a certain charm to it, the ending was so adorable, I wish if we can get a book for Syndicate I think it will be epic :)
January 20, 2016
Amazing story, very well put together. Until the last part, where the game supposedly begins... I love the game, but it's a lousy story. Everything before that though, absolutely amazing.
August 4, 2020
Solo quiero mencionar dos boludeces:
-Es una novela adaptación de videojuego, sí, y ya sé qué esperar de esto cuando me zambullo en una de estas lecturas. Sin embargo, las primeras 300 páginas el autor se toma su dulce tiempo para desarrollar el pasado de un personaje secundario del juego, lo cual fue interesante, aunque un tanto aburrido en algunas partes, dado que el ritmo era lento. Hago hincapié en esto. Lento. Porque las últimas cien páginas sí adaptan la historia del juego propiamente dicho y APURAN pero a una velocidad supersónica todos los hechos, salteándose eventos, desarrollo de personajes, y llevándose puesto el ritmo de la novela. Les juro que las últimas cien páginas parecen escritas por otra persona. Lo que antes a Jayadeep le tomaba tres páginas de reflexión e introspección, ahora en un párrafo se enamora de Evie. Y sabiendo que esta relación necesitaba más pantalla en el juego, me habría gustado ver más desarrollo acá. My bad, porque no hay ninguno. Sinceramente como un “stand alone”, no se “standea alone” para nada, porque es necesario, al menos para el último tramo, haber jugado al juego para entender. Falta de descripciones, diálogos calcados de las escenas sin ningún tipo de contexto, expresiones como “la conexión sobrenatural que sentían los gemelos” que jamás en realidad fue plasmada – en fin, la última parte es sencillamente mala. Y me apena porque era el juego en sí y pensé que podría aportar algo. Pues no mi ciela.
-La traducción es pésima. Me topé con cosas como “tenerlos enrollados alrededor del dedo meñique” o “había caído un poco enamorado” que cualquiera que se precie de saber algo de inglés o de auto-llamarse traductor sabe que están mal. Y además, no sé por qué, me ponía de terrible mal humor leer “Y Ethan” o “Y Evie” dado que ambos nombres son pronunciados con una I al principio, por más que arranquen con una E, por ende en mi cabeza sonaba “Y Ithan/Ivi” y ya ven que es espantoso. Como sea, si pueden, léanlo en inglés. Si no, sepan que la traducción deja mucho que desear.
En fin, todavía tengo Black Flag para leer. Los leo porque me des-estresan bastante, aunque con errores como estos no sé qué tan relajada me puedo llegar a sentir. Pero me interesa AC así que probablemente siga consumiendo estos guilty pleasures.
-Es una novela adaptación de videojuego, sí, y ya sé qué esperar de esto cuando me zambullo en una de estas lecturas. Sin embargo, las primeras 300 páginas el autor se toma su dulce tiempo para desarrollar el pasado de un personaje secundario del juego, lo cual fue interesante, aunque un tanto aburrido en algunas partes, dado que el ritmo era lento. Hago hincapié en esto. Lento. Porque las últimas cien páginas sí adaptan la historia del juego propiamente dicho y APURAN pero a una velocidad supersónica todos los hechos, salteándose eventos, desarrollo de personajes, y llevándose puesto el ritmo de la novela. Les juro que las últimas cien páginas parecen escritas por otra persona. Lo que antes a Jayadeep le tomaba tres páginas de reflexión e introspección, ahora en un párrafo se enamora de Evie. Y sabiendo que esta relación necesitaba más pantalla en el juego, me habría gustado ver más desarrollo acá. My bad, porque no hay ninguno. Sinceramente como un “stand alone”, no se “standea alone” para nada, porque es necesario, al menos para el último tramo, haber jugado al juego para entender. Falta de descripciones, diálogos calcados de las escenas sin ningún tipo de contexto, expresiones como “la conexión sobrenatural que sentían los gemelos” que jamás en realidad fue plasmada – en fin, la última parte es sencillamente mala. Y me apena porque era el juego en sí y pensé que podría aportar algo. Pues no mi ciela.
-La traducción es pésima. Me topé con cosas como “tenerlos enrollados alrededor del dedo meñique” o “había caído un poco enamorado” que cualquiera que se precie de saber algo de inglés o de auto-llamarse traductor sabe que están mal. Y además, no sé por qué, me ponía de terrible mal humor leer “Y Ethan” o “Y Evie” dado que ambos nombres son pronunciados con una I al principio, por más que arranquen con una E, por ende en mi cabeza sonaba “Y Ithan/Ivi” y ya ven que es espantoso. Como sea, si pueden, léanlo en inglés. Si no, sepan que la traducción deja mucho que desear.
En fin, todavía tengo Black Flag para leer. Los leo porque me des-estresan bastante, aunque con errores como estos no sé qué tan relajada me puedo llegar a sentir. Pero me interesa AC así que probablemente siga consumiendo estos guilty pleasures.
February 29, 2020
So I've read all seven Assassin's Creed novels so far. The Secret Crusade, Renaissance, etc. You name it, I've read it. And YES, while they all had their flaws, they still made up for it with the characters, the secrets and artefacts of the first civilization, and the historical background.
And I can say, that this volume had none of these redeeming factors. So here we go:
I'm gonna start with the things I liked first. I liked that the author tried to write in a more thriller-like kind of style. Sometimes I thought "Is this Assassin's Creed? Or am I reading a historical fiction crime story?". It had a lot of strange british slang words which made the setting all the more realistic. And even the description of how London's subway stations were built was kind of intriguing. It was really off to a good start.
But here come the things I don't like. Which is the majority.
First off, the main part of the book, about Henry, his secret mission, about Cavanagh and Abberline, started off good. So I was surprised that all these things basically... didn't matter at all in the end. They might as well haven't happened and the story with the twins would be the same. Apart from that, the last part with the twins felt poorly written, without heart of plan. Just a retelling of the things you've been through in the game. The Metropolitan Railway artefact that they're all after shows up once, leaves chaos behind and boom, it's gone. You get thrown from this whole background story into the actual story of the game and feel like all these 300 pages you've just read don't matter in the slightest. The only thing that connects them is Henry ( and is lame love story ), and that's the second point of criticism.
I was intrigued by him at first. An assassin that was raised and groomed to kill - but doesn't have the heart for it. After Haytham and his endeavours to unite Templars and Assassins, I thought that this would amount to something. Except, it didn't do that at all, lol. What the Assassins are doing to him is unfair, but Henry still fights for them. Because of faith? Not really. Because he doesn't have a choice? Kind of, but also not really. After he fails the mission, he says he won't fight for them anymore, which is the most reasonable thing. And yet he goes back to them, works for them, like his ties to the assassins didn't ruin his life more than once. Yet we are supposed to relate to him or like him, because oh, yeah, he's handsome and very skilled. Boring. I don't wanna hear it.
Third point : The forced portrayal of the Assassins being the good guys. I mean, I get it, you are supposed to emphasize with them. The Templars stand for dictature, tyranny, the Assassins for freedom. So Assassins = Good guys. But all they really were, were f***ing annoying. Grooming a child to kill, forcing him to kill against his will, sentencing him to death, because he can't kill, and then still not letting him go, going after him, saying "You can't leave us, we're the GOOD CAUSE". I straight up started hating them, because if you preach free will and freedom for all of humanity, then not acting like that is highkey problematic. The Assassins weren't glorious warriors fighting for justice in this book. Just a bunch of lame old guys that drool over artefacts and blaming a teenager whom they tried to force to kill. Aka, just a bunch of a**holes with double-standards.
Fourth point : The author might've realized that the story he was writing sucked. So what did he do? Ah, include a lame love-story.
My biggest pet-peeve ever since the game came out. Henry and Evie getting together. It's totally not of ANY interest to the reader. A lame love-story can't make the reader go "aww this book is so cute :))". Especially not this one. Like the creators didn't know what to do with a female protagonist because OH GOD A WOMAN, AAAH, QUICK, MAKE HER FALL FOR THE GUY WITH A TRAGIC BACKSTORY.
But okay, maybe it fits a little, and I'm just not feeling it. Maybe others like it, I don't know. They can marry and drool for each other as much as they want for all I care, but then WHY include it into the story. It had absolutely NOTHING to do with the story! The epilogue to the historical thriller? The epilogue to this story of hunting artefacts so mighty they could change the entirety of London? Consisted of them acting like silly teenagers, shy and awkward, asking each other out ( for "matrimony" ). What a totally worthy ending for this.
And lastly, yes, maybe it's not really criticism but a personal pet-peeve, but I was actually eager to see a strong female protagonist. A strong female assassin that would kick ass. She looked cool enough to be what I hoped for, and I liked that she wasn't just muscles and no brain. I liked that she wasn't Miss Perfect, but obsessed with the artefacts, so much that it resulted in her getting into a lot of disagreements with her brother. I thought that she was a realistic character with flaws : her obsession with the artefacts that made her ignore her fellow assassins and friends. I was excited for her storyline, if not for anything else.
And god I was bitterly disappointed. I got a strong, realistic, female protagonist and they really made her give her entire character up for a guy. I hated it so much, you can't possibly imagine. I wasted my time reading these useless passages of her making heart-eyes at Henry and then when it got serious, she dropped the search for the artefact that she was after to go save Henry.
Apart from the fact that I don't like this "Woman needs man uwu" idea, ofc it's realistic enough that she falls in love with him. I don't like it but I can accept it. Or COULD accept it because this move - going to save Henry instead of finding the artefact that was so close - is completely out of character for her. Evie , obsessed with these artefacts since her childhood, wouldn't have done that. It's poor writing, poor character developement, all for the sake of making her love-story that no one cares about progress. And people could say "Well, she's an Assassin! And Assassins value empathy!" well that's odd, considering that the Assassins sucked a** in this volume. And also, like I said, I didn't want Miss Perfect, I wanted a realistic character. The fact that maybe Henry would've died due to her being obsessed with the artefact could've made her feel guilty, given her some more character depth, and made the reader relate to her and her decisions, but with the way the story turned out, it all just looks shallow, poorly written and irrelevant.
A real waste of time.
And I can say, that this volume had none of these redeeming factors. So here we go:
I'm gonna start with the things I liked first. I liked that the author tried to write in a more thriller-like kind of style. Sometimes I thought "Is this Assassin's Creed? Or am I reading a historical fiction crime story?". It had a lot of strange british slang words which made the setting all the more realistic. And even the description of how London's subway stations were built was kind of intriguing. It was really off to a good start.
But here come the things I don't like. Which is the majority.
First off, the main part of the book, about Henry, his secret mission, about Cavanagh and Abberline, started off good. So I was surprised that all these things basically... didn't matter at all in the end. They might as well haven't happened and the story with the twins would be the same. Apart from that, the last part with the twins felt poorly written, without heart of plan. Just a retelling of the things you've been through in the game. The Metropolitan Railway artefact that they're all after shows up once, leaves chaos behind and boom, it's gone. You get thrown from this whole background story into the actual story of the game and feel like all these 300 pages you've just read don't matter in the slightest. The only thing that connects them is Henry ( and is lame love story ), and that's the second point of criticism.
I was intrigued by him at first. An assassin that was raised and groomed to kill - but doesn't have the heart for it. After Haytham and his endeavours to unite Templars and Assassins, I thought that this would amount to something. Except, it didn't do that at all, lol. What the Assassins are doing to him is unfair, but Henry still fights for them. Because of faith? Not really. Because he doesn't have a choice? Kind of, but also not really. After he fails the mission, he says he won't fight for them anymore, which is the most reasonable thing. And yet he goes back to them, works for them, like his ties to the assassins didn't ruin his life more than once. Yet we are supposed to relate to him or like him, because oh, yeah, he's handsome and very skilled. Boring. I don't wanna hear it.
Third point : The forced portrayal of the Assassins being the good guys. I mean, I get it, you are supposed to emphasize with them. The Templars stand for dictature, tyranny, the Assassins for freedom. So Assassins = Good guys. But all they really were, were f***ing annoying. Grooming a child to kill, forcing him to kill against his will, sentencing him to death, because he can't kill, and then still not letting him go, going after him, saying "You can't leave us, we're the GOOD CAUSE". I straight up started hating them, because if you preach free will and freedom for all of humanity, then not acting like that is highkey problematic. The Assassins weren't glorious warriors fighting for justice in this book. Just a bunch of lame old guys that drool over artefacts and blaming a teenager whom they tried to force to kill. Aka, just a bunch of a**holes with double-standards.
Fourth point : The author might've realized that the story he was writing sucked. So what did he do? Ah, include a lame love-story.
My biggest pet-peeve ever since the game came out. Henry and Evie getting together. It's totally not of ANY interest to the reader. A lame love-story can't make the reader go "aww this book is so cute :))". Especially not this one. Like the creators didn't know what to do with a female protagonist because OH GOD A WOMAN, AAAH, QUICK, MAKE HER FALL FOR THE GUY WITH A TRAGIC BACKSTORY.
But okay, maybe it fits a little, and I'm just not feeling it. Maybe others like it, I don't know. They can marry and drool for each other as much as they want for all I care, but then WHY include it into the story. It had absolutely NOTHING to do with the story! The epilogue to the historical thriller? The epilogue to this story of hunting artefacts so mighty they could change the entirety of London? Consisted of them acting like silly teenagers, shy and awkward, asking each other out ( for "matrimony" ). What a totally worthy ending for this.
And lastly, yes, maybe it's not really criticism but a personal pet-peeve, but I was actually eager to see a strong female protagonist. A strong female assassin that would kick ass. She looked cool enough to be what I hoped for, and I liked that she wasn't just muscles and no brain. I liked that she wasn't Miss Perfect, but obsessed with the artefacts, so much that it resulted in her getting into a lot of disagreements with her brother. I thought that she was a realistic character with flaws : her obsession with the artefacts that made her ignore her fellow assassins and friends. I was excited for her storyline, if not for anything else.
And god I was bitterly disappointed. I got a strong, realistic, female protagonist and they really made her give her entire character up for a guy. I hated it so much, you can't possibly imagine. I wasted my time reading these useless passages of her making heart-eyes at Henry and then when it got serious, she dropped the search for the artefact that she was after to go save Henry.
Apart from the fact that I don't like this "Woman needs man uwu" idea, ofc it's realistic enough that she falls in love with him. I don't like it but I can accept it. Or COULD accept it because this move - going to save Henry instead of finding the artefact that was so close - is completely out of character for her. Evie , obsessed with these artefacts since her childhood, wouldn't have done that. It's poor writing, poor character developement, all for the sake of making her love-story that no one cares about progress. And people could say "Well, she's an Assassin! And Assassins value empathy!" well that's odd, considering that the Assassins sucked a** in this volume. And also, like I said, I didn't want Miss Perfect, I wanted a realistic character. The fact that maybe Henry would've died due to her being obsessed with the artefact could've made her feel guilty, given her some more character depth, and made the reader relate to her and her decisions, but with the way the story turned out, it all just looks shallow, poorly written and irrelevant.
A real waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2025
Read with audiobook: Gunnar Cauthery. I recommend him, as it read British, so its helps even more to get into the story.
This story and the story of the game go perfectly hand in. The frye’s are written well. And the location is just like 1860. Also the cop plot is interesting. Were also at various locations, which is nice. We ‘see’ more off London this way.
Characters are not always strong. Henry does not really bloom up for me (also didnt in the game). The Templars really took a heavy hit down. In the game they were strong, but here they are not good villians. It also did not suck me into the story.
This story and the story of the game go perfectly hand in. The frye’s are written well. And the location is just like 1860. Also the cop plot is interesting. Were also at various locations, which is nice. We ‘see’ more off London this way.
Characters are not always strong. Henry does not really bloom up for me (also didnt in the game). The Templars really took a heavy hit down. In the game they were strong, but here they are not good villians. It also did not suck me into the story.
September 11, 2024
4.5 ⭐
Surprisingly good for a tie-in novel. Take away the assassin's creed-ness of it and you would just have a historical/spy fiction novel that is strong enough to stand on its own. There is good balance between action and intrigue and the characters have clear and distinct motivations so they don't get lost in the crowd. I really thought this was going to be more trashy than it was based on my previous experience with tie in books but I'm so pleasantly surprised and satisfied that this provided a compelling experience. The first half is considerably better in my opinion given it provides something more original but I still had a good time the whole way through
Surprisingly good for a tie-in novel. Take away the assassin's creed-ness of it and you would just have a historical/spy fiction novel that is strong enough to stand on its own. There is good balance between action and intrigue and the characters have clear and distinct motivations so they don't get lost in the crowd. I really thought this was going to be more trashy than it was based on my previous experience with tie in books but I'm so pleasantly surprised and satisfied that this provided a compelling experience. The first half is considerably better in my opinion given it provides something more original but I still had a good time the whole way through
January 16, 2021
"-Wiesz, w czym tkwi twój problem, Freddie? Chcesz, żeby wszystko było czarno-białe. Ciągle chcesz dostawać odpowiedzi. Wiesz, czasem po prostu nie ma odpowiedzi i nie ma czerni i bieli, są tylko różne odcienie szarości, czyli rzeczy są mętne jak dno Tamizy i tak samo cuchną zgnilizną, ale nic na tę zgniliznę nie poradzisz i na to też nie. -Nie masz racji.- Abberline pomyślał chwilę i zmienił zdanie.- No dobrze, może i masz, ale tylko w połowie. W kwestii dobra i zła są odcienie szarości."
Całkiem przyzwoita część. Sporo się działo.
Całkiem przyzwoita część. Sporo się działo.
March 4, 2019
This was a really solid book up until the point where it turned into a mediocre retelling of the game.
That sounds really negative, but I actually quite liked it. The first two thirds or so really added depth to the character of Henry Green, and built up the events leading to the story in ways that changed my perspective on things and added to my enjoyment of the game. Even the few chapters from younger Evie's perspective were cute and I felt like they complemented and added to her characterization in game.
Which is what made me so disappointed once the book caught up with the game storyline. I felt like the first parts of the book really lent a lot of insight into the characters and their motivations, but once the story reached the timeline of the game that all disappeared. It was really noticeable that most, if not all, of the dialogue after that point was just copy and pasted from the game script, strung together by pretty basic descriptions of what happens during gameplay. Not to mention the rushed feeling of cramming many many hours of gameplay into less than 100 pages. Multiple characters were simply left out, or merited only a single mention. Even Jacob was heavily sidelined, as Evie was the only one of the twins to have focus chapters. I'd hoped that a novelization which used Evie regularly as a POV character might do a little more with her. Besides (unintentionally?) implying that she had a massive crush on Lucy Thorne. I'm pretty sure that was just a side effect of the fact that most male authors find it physically impossible to describe female characters in a way that doesn't focus on their attractiveness or lack thereof, but hey I'm gonna take it as confirmation that Evie, like her brother, is into people of multiple genders. On the subject of Evie's romantic life, I was also really looking forward to an expansion of Evie and Henry's romance, but again... not much added that wasn't already there.
So, in conclusion, absolutely read the first two parts of the book and fall in love with Henry Green all over again, then stop once it gets caught up to the timeline of the game because there's nothing worth it after that.
That sounds really negative, but I actually quite liked it. The first two thirds or so really added depth to the character of Henry Green, and built up the events leading to the story in ways that changed my perspective on things and added to my enjoyment of the game. Even the few chapters from younger Evie's perspective were cute and I felt like they complemented and added to her characterization in game.
Which is what made me so disappointed once the book caught up with the game storyline. I felt like the first parts of the book really lent a lot of insight into the characters and their motivations, but once the story reached the timeline of the game that all disappeared. It was really noticeable that most, if not all, of the dialogue after that point was just copy and pasted from the game script, strung together by pretty basic descriptions of what happens during gameplay. Not to mention the rushed feeling of cramming many many hours of gameplay into less than 100 pages. Multiple characters were simply left out, or merited only a single mention. Even Jacob was heavily sidelined, as Evie was the only one of the twins to have focus chapters. I'd hoped that a novelization which used Evie regularly as a POV character might do a little more with her. Besides (unintentionally?) implying that she had a massive crush on Lucy Thorne. I'm pretty sure that was just a side effect of the fact that most male authors find it physically impossible to describe female characters in a way that doesn't focus on their attractiveness or lack thereof, but hey I'm gonna take it as confirmation that Evie, like her brother, is into people of multiple genders. On the subject of Evie's romantic life, I was also really looking forward to an expansion of Evie and Henry's romance, but again... not much added that wasn't already there.
So, in conclusion, absolutely read the first two parts of the book and fall in love with Henry Green all over again, then stop once it gets caught up to the timeline of the game because there's nothing worth it after that.
January 7, 2025
so uh funny story ive put a total of like 75 hours into unity & syndicate in the past whatever amount of time it has been since i came home from school and subsequently got Very into AC lore im being SOOOO productive (insane but also normal behavior from me) and i figured because i was having a grand old time in them i'd just go and read the novelizations and picked this one up first bc HENRY GREEN BACKSTORY YEAAA !! (also i just finished S9 today)
The thing about this book is that it's inseparable from the game which yeah I'd sure HOPE so but the part that's Syndicate for real is such a condensed and one-sided rendition of it and then I'm also of the opinion some of this should've been in the game in some form or another (beyond the database) because this is 70% backstory to Syndicate which is fantastic actually I genuinely really enjoyed it. Henry Green as a character is a favorite character archetype of mine, and especially the fight scenes were BANGER--I like backstories, and I particularly like this one (partially bc it calls into question so many things I find v silly ab AC lore. What even are the Assassins and Templars ON about at any given point in time HELP whyyy the Isu what even were they (Ubisoft) cooking over there how'd we get from Altair to this). Ethan Frye and Arbaaz Mir and Abberline and Aubrey and The Ghost in London--deeply puzzled ab the timelines but I think that was just me being silly--lots happening but. I liked reading ab what came before Evie & Jacob and humanizing their dead father (v fascinating guy) and Abberline and Jayadeep Mir/Bharat Singh/The Ghost/Henry Green's entire story (once again, heck yea). banger characters and fun fight scenes. The character dynamics within the grand fight that is being an Assassin!!! < good stuff. an ungodly amount of description of the railway system but fair enough industrial London go brr muuchhh to be said about that.
The 30% that was Syndicate, though... UGHHGJGSHGHGDHG i have beef with Ubisoft about this game (and the franchise in general but that is neither here nor there), and this is coming from someone who a) plays AC like a hack n slash b) had a great time playing both twins despite that (and mains Evie) and c) really enjoys the game--they really were like Acktually women don't sell (nerd emoji) and had twin protagonists instead?? ??? which is fine in of itself I liked the twin gimmick and branching memories/assassinations but Evie--first playable female Assassin btw--was done mad dirty by the game bc it feels in so many ways that Jacob dominated the entire storyline, not the least bc like all the London borough cleanings are canonically his doing AND he gets an entire sequence to himself (WHICH SLAPPED BTW I LOVED S8) and a lot more missions than Evie in general and I would like to clarify that I like playing Jacob (re: hack n slash) and I like his missions so I'm not mad about the missions I'm mad about the lack of ... twinness ... about this game SO the book just totally cutting Jacob's side of the story is unfortunate bc hey. Okay. He did leave utter chaos in his wake (truly it is a skill to destroy so much country infrastructure) but he also did take out so much of Starrick's empire singlehandedly--and yes, Evie came in to clean up after him every! time!--but the book simply did not touch on that with any depth (Evie wanting to take them down from the top with the Shroud and Jacob simply bursting in and destroying the chain of existence I Guess ?) and did him wayy dirty from Evie/Henry's perspectives (the paragraph where H is thinking about wanting Evie alone is so fricken funny oh mY WORD) bc he's described as arrogant & chaotic and That's It (while Evie gets a bunch of descriptions that's like yo she's beautiful. fair enough but LOOL) it's like mannn there's a compelling dynamic there the game & subsequently book kind of just wrenched into this 1D oh look one's more stealthy one's more brawl-y thing and thus they're drifting apart real hard and the few arguments were indicators of something that could've been so much more + Jacob after S8 ingame... idk to me there's a heavy feeling around Syndicate that Evie was v much supposed to be a lot more than she ended up being. unfortunate! Where in the world is the balance between the twins& where are the personalities beyond "reckless and arrogant and disdainful" & "pretty and considers her dead father's words law" I promise I like the twins anyway the sibling banter is so good
+ it was (obviously) more fun reading ab the Evie & Henry relationship in print and yes I, incurably romantic little fool I am, spent the entire game being like heck yea pressed flowers time & lost my mind ab certain cutscenes so that's what I think of that but much more to humanize in print. not much space in game ! interestingly barely touched on Evie's whole agony about personal feelings compromising the mission after the church rescue (like idk bro i think that was a pretty big part of her game arc if nothing)
it's that in the book having to timeskip like five years and swap from The Ghost as the protagonist to Evie specifically was mildly unfortunate to the book's flow as especially HG's backstory at the 70% mark and telling the Syndicate story skipping sm of it. The book as a whole start to finish suffers from trying to tell so many colliding stories adn loses itself I think while trying to retain the story it has to get to (Syndicate) in the grand scheme of Assassins and Templars
So. Obviously there's a lot to be said about this being a novelization and the creative liberties taken there but now I'm so what exactly is canon LOL some of the missions are just. depicted differently (if I'm being serious though I'd assume game j bc animus memories right). What's lifted directly from the game is a tad rough around the edges in the book; I won't fault it for that, but. Interpretations. anyway yea idk i liked the backstory i liked the book in general it's just. it's a novelization. it set up a story which was already told and kind of suffered about it? simply did not have the best pacing due to that. Still. aside from the fact that I don't think I'll ever not consider the Assassin/Templar dynamic a little silly goofy the SYndicate story is lots of fun and so's this book and its setups
ngl LMAO I was like no SHOT bro goes from this deadly fighter in book to rather impressively terrible at fighting in game but mayhaps it's been what like five odd years rusty i guess
also this game taught me what no other AC has and that is actual patient stealth. Me when I play the game like it's supposed to be played
The thing about this book is that it's inseparable from the game which yeah I'd sure HOPE so but the part that's Syndicate for real is such a condensed and one-sided rendition of it and then I'm also of the opinion some of this should've been in the game in some form or another (beyond the database) because this is 70% backstory to Syndicate which is fantastic actually I genuinely really enjoyed it. Henry Green as a character is a favorite character archetype of mine, and especially the fight scenes were BANGER--I like backstories, and I particularly like this one (partially bc it calls into question so many things I find v silly ab AC lore. What even are the Assassins and Templars ON about at any given point in time HELP whyyy the Isu what even were they (Ubisoft) cooking over there how'd we get from Altair to this). Ethan Frye and Arbaaz Mir and Abberline and Aubrey and The Ghost in London--deeply puzzled ab the timelines but I think that was just me being silly--lots happening but. I liked reading ab what came before Evie & Jacob and humanizing their dead father (v fascinating guy) and Abberline and Jayadeep Mir/Bharat Singh/The Ghost/Henry Green's entire story (once again, heck yea). banger characters and fun fight scenes. The character dynamics within the grand fight that is being an Assassin!!! < good stuff. an ungodly amount of description of the railway system but fair enough industrial London go brr muuchhh to be said about that.
The 30% that was Syndicate, though... UGHHGJGSHGHGDHG i have beef with Ubisoft about this game (and the franchise in general but that is neither here nor there), and this is coming from someone who a) plays AC like a hack n slash b) had a great time playing both twins despite that (and mains Evie) and c) really enjoys the game--they really were like Acktually women don't sell (nerd emoji) and had twin protagonists instead?? ??? which is fine in of itself I liked the twin gimmick and branching memories/assassinations but Evie--first playable female Assassin btw--was done mad dirty by the game bc it feels in so many ways that Jacob dominated the entire storyline, not the least bc like all the London borough cleanings are canonically his doing AND he gets an entire sequence to himself (WHICH SLAPPED BTW I LOVED S8) and a lot more missions than Evie in general and I would like to clarify that I like playing Jacob (re: hack n slash) and I like his missions so I'm not mad about the missions I'm mad about the lack of ... twinness ... about this game SO the book just totally cutting Jacob's side of the story is unfortunate bc hey. Okay. He did leave utter chaos in his wake (truly it is a skill to destroy so much country infrastructure) but he also did take out so much of Starrick's empire singlehandedly--and yes, Evie came in to clean up after him every! time!--but the book simply did not touch on that with any depth (Evie wanting to take them down from the top with the Shroud and Jacob simply bursting in and destroying the chain of existence I Guess ?) and did him wayy dirty from Evie/Henry's perspectives (the paragraph where H is thinking about wanting Evie alone is so fricken funny oh mY WORD) bc he's described as arrogant & chaotic and That's It (while Evie gets a bunch of descriptions that's like yo she's beautiful. fair enough but LOOL) it's like mannn there's a compelling dynamic there the game & subsequently book kind of just wrenched into this 1D oh look one's more stealthy one's more brawl-y thing and thus they're drifting apart real hard and the few arguments were indicators of something that could've been so much more + Jacob after S8 ingame... idk to me there's a heavy feeling around Syndicate that Evie was v much supposed to be a lot more than she ended up being. unfortunate! Where in the world is the balance between the twins
+ it was (obviously) more fun reading ab the Evie & Henry relationship in print and yes I, incurably romantic little fool I am, spent the entire game being like heck yea pressed flowers time & lost my mind ab certain cutscenes so that's what I think of that but much more to humanize in print. not much space in game ! interestingly barely touched on Evie's whole agony about personal feelings compromising the mission after the church rescue (like idk bro i think that was a pretty big part of her game arc if nothing)
it's that in the book having to timeskip like five years and swap from The Ghost as the protagonist to Evie specifically was mildly unfortunate to the book's flow as especially HG's backstory at the 70% mark and telling the Syndicate story skipping sm of it. The book as a whole start to finish suffers from trying to tell so many colliding stories adn loses itself I think while trying to retain the story it has to get to (Syndicate) in the grand scheme of Assassins and Templars
So. Obviously there's a lot to be said about this being a novelization and the creative liberties taken there but now I'm so what exactly is canon LOL some of the missions are just. depicted differently (if I'm being serious though I'd assume game j bc animus memories right). What's lifted directly from the game is a tad rough around the edges in the book; I won't fault it for that, but. Interpretations. anyway yea idk i liked the backstory i liked the book in general it's just. it's a novelization. it set up a story which was already told and kind of suffered about it? simply did not have the best pacing due to that. Still. aside from the fact that I don't think I'll ever not consider the Assassin/Templar dynamic a little silly goofy the SYndicate story is lots of fun and so's this book and its setups
ngl LMAO I was like no SHOT bro goes from this deadly fighter in book to rather impressively terrible at fighting in game but mayhaps it's been what like five odd years rusty i guess
also this game taught me what no other AC has and that is actual patient stealth. Me when I play the game like it's supposed to be played
August 2, 2016
OK so I love Assassins Creed. I've played the games, read all the books, am looking forward to the movie.
This book however was brilliant. It gave a.backstory to the game that was so interesting and something knew to me.
The AC books have always been written as if they are in the same world as the games but from a different perspective, Oliver Bowden has written all the tie in books and has always done a brilliant job. This time however he has excelled himself. This book was outstanding.
The writing was fantastic ~ well written characters, good plots, amazing world building ~ it is all there.
The story line is sort of broken in two so even if you haven't played the game you got a summary of what happened. For me I loved the reminder about the story as it's been a while since I played it.
The author plays the AC games and you can tell. He is very faithful to what the AC games are all about.
If you've played the game it's a must read and for others I would highly recommend it as well.
This book however was brilliant. It gave a.backstory to the game that was so interesting and something knew to me.
The AC books have always been written as if they are in the same world as the games but from a different perspective, Oliver Bowden has written all the tie in books and has always done a brilliant job. This time however he has excelled himself. This book was outstanding.
The writing was fantastic ~ well written characters, good plots, amazing world building ~ it is all there.
The story line is sort of broken in two so even if you haven't played the game you got a summary of what happened. For me I loved the reminder about the story as it's been a while since I played it.
The author plays the AC games and you can tell. He is very faithful to what the AC games are all about.
If you've played the game it's a must read and for others I would highly recommend it as well.
December 18, 2017
Overall I really enjoy the Assassin's Creed books, however this one took an interesting turn.
It was all going very nicely until 100 pages from the end when the Frye twins turned up as adults. At this point the detailed explanations that have surrounded events seem to disappear and large periods of time are jumped over. Additionally, conclusions are reached without explanation - one can make assumptions about why they occurred but it leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied. Unlike the first 3/4 of the novel it feels as though this section was tacked on as a direct line into the game as opposed to being integrated into the plot from the beginning.
Overall this is still an enjoyable read, just don't get your hopes up towards the end of the book.
It was all going very nicely until 100 pages from the end when the Frye twins turned up as adults. At this point the detailed explanations that have surrounded events seem to disappear and large periods of time are jumped over. Additionally, conclusions are reached without explanation - one can make assumptions about why they occurred but it leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied. Unlike the first 3/4 of the novel it feels as though this section was tacked on as a direct line into the game as opposed to being integrated into the plot from the beginning.
Overall this is still an enjoyable read, just don't get your hopes up towards the end of the book.
November 30, 2015
This is the first book in the series that I have read. The characters and setting really leapt off the pages, and at times I couldn't put the book down. haven't played Syndicate, the game this book is based upon, yet. I'm looking forward to seeing how or if the story lines overlap. The book felt a little long but other than that, it was enjoyable. When I have time I want to read the previous seven.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
August 18, 2016
What I really liked about this book was the historical background, and the facts about the construction of London Underground are really interesting. The Assassins vs Templars theme was boring, inconsistent and mostly unimportant. I think, the more recent the period of history they choose, the duller would be all the chases and secret weapons and stuff... Who would need those, when everyone has a gun? At least, the author of this book failed to answer that.
August 31, 2018
It's a 2.5 not a full 3 mainly because of the last part of the book that was rather rushed. Let's be real, the vault scene was pretty terrible. I liked the first two, the story of the Ghost and Fred Abberline, but I would have liked more focus on the twins. They could have been great, but Evie came out as an obsessive little girl and Jacob appears just a couple of time while he's talking with his sister and nothing more.
May 22, 2017
Being one of my favorite Assassin's Creed games, I was excited to get to the retelling part of it in the book, but surprisingly I found much more interesting the first part, the "prequel" part of the book. The retelling seems almost written by someone else. Overall I really enjoyed being in the world of ACS again and loved to know more of Jayadeep and Ethan's story. The ending was really cute <3
January 16, 2019
After such a great gameplay, this book was disappointing. The emotions fell flat, and the romantic part made me cringe so hard. While enjoy the learning more about Henry Green in the beginning of the book, there were so many holes in the part that were covered in the game. Perhaps it's intentional?
August 20, 2016
love this series so close to the game yet a very detailed back story to the characters within the game. can actually be read as a stand alone series game play is not essential. I love this series
June 8, 2021
First I read the books then I go for the games. As a fan of the franchise both games and books I have to admit this was the weakest story up to now. Story had ups and downs and was told by different characters, this led to less formation and made the story jumpy and hard to understand. I haven't played syndicate yet but I hope in this case game will have a stronger storyline. In comparison to some of the last books like black flag, unity or revelation, Underworld is a disaster. Don't go for it unless you are a hard fan of AC.
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