Assassin's Creed: Gold

Assassin's Creed

by Anthony Del Col

Assassin’s Creed: Gold is a stand-alone action tale from the Assassin's Creed universe.

Meet Aliyah Kahn, a card shark and hustler who’s been dealt a rough hand in life. Living off of her street smarts and scams, Aliyah makes do until she’s outhustled big time by a mysterious older man, Gavin Banks. Her only option to pay the debt is to become an Assassin for Banks. During her training, he tells Aliyah of the centuries-old battle between the Assassins and Templars, asking her to help him decode a secret message inscribed on an illegal form of currency during the Great Recoinage of 1696. This exciting thriller features a full cast, including Emmy winner Riz Ahmed and Anthony Head.

Featuring fan favorite characters of the beloved franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Gold tells a gripping tale of imminent economic collapse, featuring appearances from Warden of the Royal Mint, Isaac Newton, con artist and counterfeiter William Chaloner, blind assassin Omar Khaled, assassin trainer Rose Galloway, and Aliyah’s long-lost father. Equal parts adrenaline-fueled and thought-provoking, Assassin’s Creed: Gold draws a compelling parallel with the financial chaos of Isaac Newton’s 17th-century Britain and the economic uncertainty of recent times.

Audible’s full-cast drama brings the clash of the Assassins and Templars to life as a gripping audio thriller with lead performances from Riz Ahmed (Emmy winner, Golden Globe nominee, The Night Of, Rogue One, Four Lions), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Merlin, Little Britain), Danny Wallace (BAFTA Games Award winner, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Assassin’s Creed III), and Tamara Lawrance (Corvidae, On Chesil Beach).

The Audible Original also features the talents of Laura Aikman, Rachel Atkins, Brian Bowles, Andrew Branch, John Chancer, Lily Donovan, Rupert Fairley, Ray Fearon, Owen Findlay, Jason Forbes, Nicholas Goh, David John, Jim Johnson, Will Kelly, John Last, Gemma Lawrence, Nicholas le Prevost, Simon Lipson, Hayward Morse, Paul Panting, Laila Payne, Nigel Pilkington, Joseph Radcliffe, David Rintoul, Anne Rosenfeld, Jennifer Saayeng, Gyuri Sarossy, and Daniel Weyman.

Please note: This title contains explicit language.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction

Audiobook

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Anthony is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer/producer of podcasts and comics. His stories include KILL SHAKESPEARE, ASSASSIN'S CREED, the controversial graphic novel THE DEATH OF NANCY DREW, and the award-winning Insider comic I ESCAPED A CHINESE INTERNMENT CAMP, a first-person exploration of one Muslim Uyghur woman’s imprisonment by the Chinese government (2022 Pulitzer Award for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary).

His 2020 audio drama ASSASSIN’S CREED: GOLD, starring Oscar-nominee Riz Ahmed, was Audible’s top-rated release of the year. HIs first project with Audible, the found-footage thriller UNHEARD: THE STORY OF ANNA WINSLOW, hit #1 on Audible and broke download records.

Other projects include the Ringo Awards-nominated graphic novel SON OF HITLER (“few war stories are this much fun” - NPR); LUKE CAGE: EVERYMAN (Marvel), three seasons of Wondery’s hit podcast AGAINST THE ODDS, over 50 episodes of the Army Matters podcast and a series of acclaimed and award-winning comics for Insider that explore subjects such as anti-Muslim policies in India, filtration camps in Ukraine and migrant workers in Qatar.

A proud Canadian, he lives in Brooklyn with his lovely - and patient - wife Lisa, son Dashiell and daughter Siena.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Assassin’s Creed, so when I saw that there was a scripted-for-audio exclusive on Audible, I was super excited to listen to it. There’s no exposition; the story is told entirely through dialogue with a full cast. It was an excellent performance and it felt like a cutscene for my imagination! Definitely if you’re a fan of AC, give this a listen. It was a lot of fun.

[C.J. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start by saying that Assassin's Creed is one of my all-time favorite game series, so please align all your ideas about my opinion and review off that. I've also read and enjoyed the Assassin's Creed Heresy novel and the novelization of the Assassin's Creed movie (both by Christie Golden)--and hey, that movie was better than it was rated, it deserved more from fans (I say 7/10 I just rewatched last week).

I think Anthony Del Col managed something pretty damn cool, especially with it only being a script meant to go straight to audio for audible. I find that most things that are written as scripts that aren't actual plays tend to fall into the realm of coming off/sounding silly in the way they're performed most of the time. But for one credit, I don't really have any complaints.

I think they did a pretty great cast as well, mixing both A/C regulars, lesser known voice performers, and some celebrity voices. I believe all the appearances are:
Tamara Lawrence as Aliyah Khan
John Chancer as Gavin Banks
Laila Paine as My'shell Lemair
Danny Wallace as Shaun Hastings aka "Shaun AI"
Riz Ahmed as Omar Khaled
Anthony Head as Isaac Newton
Gemma Lawrence as Rose Galloway
Nicholas le Prevost as William Lowndes
Nigel Pilkington as Nicolas Fatio de Duillier
David Rintoul as Finnegan
Daniel Waymen as William Chaloner
Hayward B. Morse as Nigel Galloway
Ray Fearon as Fahad Khan
Rachel Atkins as Agneta Reider
Paul Panting as Father Jones Jones
Laura Aikman as Meredith Crystal
Brian Bowles as The Banker
Andrew Branch as Benedict Crystal
Lily Donovan as Daisy Walter
Rupert Fairely as Tower Warden
Owen Findlay as Royal Guardsman
Jason Forbes as Oliver Augustus
Nicholas Goh as Casino Dealer
David John as Sir Artemis Murray
Jim Johnson as James Blanchard
Will Kelly as Jack Oliver
John Last as Prison Gatekeeper
Simon Lipson as Templar Commander
Joseph Radcliffe as Tower Captain
Anne Rosenfeld as Hailey Felton
Eliza Ross as Conference Speaker
Jennifer Saayeng as Bianca
Gyrui Sarossy as Templar Officer
(Full cast information was just pasted from the Assassin's Creed Wiki, https://assassinscreed.fandom.com/wik... So thanks to them)

This definitely proved to me that they were aiming to put forth the best story/performance they could give us and I think it's a pretty close success. I know Ubisoft has been striving for ways to give fans more in alternate platforms and has seriously struggled. I'm not imagining this will be a huge hit or widespread listen, but it was a nice 4.5 hour listen that added some new assassin insight I enjoyed.

I'm not so sure I agree with another review I read that stated they'd have loved for this to be a game though. The action was cool but spread out, and I can't really imagine it feeling as immersive as all the other A/C games. It would have felt a little dry as a game. I feel like this style could have really taken off as an episodic hourly program, but I don't think Ubisoft is ready to sink that kind of money into viewable media again anytime soon. (just please don't launch your own separate streaming service, Ubisoft. We have enough already).

One negative I really struggled with was the music at the end and beginning of each chapter. It seriously felt drawn out like the end credits to a GoT episode or something. It was just too much, should have just been at the beginning of the performance and end.

The one thing I liked the most is how it felt almost mystery-ish with it having less action. It made me really want more where it's almost like an Assassin's Creed detective novel (OR SHOW, I can dream), something like Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes (Sir Isaac Newton really read like him in spirit) where they use their modern day detective acumen in ancient times...
Ubisoft call me!

[M.G. Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of the games but still went in with low expectations. Such expanded universe media has a habit of being so-so at best.

Pleasantly not disappointed. This is a great listen, but only if you're familiar with the game franchise. If not, you might find a lot of it confusing. There isn't a lot of lore shared, just enough to be a reminder. If you're not aware of the games or at least seen the film, you should probably give it a miss.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was good, not great.

The story set in the 17th century revolving around Sir Isaac Newton was very enjoyable. The modern-day portions of the story were alright.

Happy reading, everybody!

[Christina Rothfusz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short free listen on audible. I took this on mostly because one of my nieces enjoy the books ....

It's a great stand-alone story, no need to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this. Aliyah Kahn is a street-smart hustler, always a step ahead. Until her partner steals the money out of their startup company leaving Aliyah to try to refund their investors. In an effort to raise the money she turns to gambling and during a high stakes poker game she meet a mysterious man who offers her help.

She's soon dragged into a centuries old battle between the Assassins' and the Templars,

A easy listen, fabulously narrated.

[Megneto♓️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

Brilliant listen! Loved the FMC, such a badass! Felt like I was there when listening to it.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story following our assassin and Isaac Newton in the 1600’s was enjoyable enough and the performances were good but the present day story wasn’t engaging and made little sense.

The biggest reason I’ve landed on two stars is the lead character; she is so annoying to listen to, the dialogue was super cringey, it was a bit of chore to finish for this reason.

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic engaging narration from a great cast of actors. Listened to it in 1 sitting, will happily listen again. Really enjoyable escapism

[Kiba Snowpaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction:
Greetings, travelers of the realms. I am Kiba Snowpaw, an alpha male Ice Wolf from the ice world of HowlStrom. In my world, winter is not just a season; it’s a phenomenon that occurs once every hundred years, and I have survived through many such winters, harnessing the power of ice magic. Gaming has been my escape from the chilling winds of HowlStrom. Today, I bring forth my review of the audiobook, Assassin’s Creed: Gold.

Basic Plot Summary:
The streets have their own tales, and so does Aliyah Kahn, a card hustler with a past she wishes to leave behind. However, fate has other plans as she gets embroiled in a debt with the enigmatic Gavin Banks. With no way out, she finds herself becoming an assassin. As Aliyah delves deeper into the world of Assassins and Templars, a secret from the Great Recoinage of 1696 beckons her.

Analysis/Evaluation:
The world of Assassin’s Creed is rich with history and intrigue, and this tale is no different. The intertwining of historical events with a thrilling plot makes it a compelling listen. Drawing parallels between the economic chaos of the 17th century and recent times, the story becomes not just a narrative but also a reflection on society's cyclical nature.

Characters:
Aliyah Kahn stands out, not just as an assassin but as a character with depth, grappling with her past and the new world she has entered. The blind assassin Omar Khaled, the conniving William Chaloner, and the renowned Isaac Newton further enrich the tale, bringing in their own shades of grey.

Structure:
The story seamlessly shifts between timelines, ensuring that the listener is constantly engaged. The transitions are smooth, making it easy even for someone unfamiliar with the Assassin’s Creed universe.

Impact:
Assassin’s Creed: Gold is not just about assassins, history, and hidden blades; it’s about choices, redemption, and finding one's place in the vast tapestry of time.

Hook and Thesis:
From the very beginning, the tale grabs your attention. The world of Assassin’s Creed is vast, but this story, with its unique characters and plot, carves its own niche, making it a must-listen.

Praise and Critique:
The full-cast dramatization is commendable, with performances that bring the characters to life. However, the excessive use of profanity, though reflective of the gritty world, at times felt forced and could have been toned down.

Evaluation:
As an avid gamer and a connoisseur of tales, I find Assassin’s Creed: Gold a worthy addition to the Assassin’s Creed saga. It has its flaws, but the strengths overshadow them, making it a memorable experience.

Comparison:
Compared to other Assassin’s Creed titles, Gold stands its ground, offering a fresh perspective while staying true to the core essence of the series.

Conclusion:
In the cold winds of HowlStrom, tales like these keep the fire burning. Assassin’s Creed: Gold is a tale of history, choices, and redemption, and I, Kiba Snowpaw, would recommend it to anyone looking for an engaging listen. As the winds howl and the snow blankets my world, stories like these keep the magic alive.

[Gabriel W.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: si no has jugado los videojuegos o no sabes nada sobre este mundo a través de otras obras, como la película, te resultará bastante confuso porque no dedican apenas tiempo a explicar la trama templarios/asesinos ni de abstengo y el animus, puntos clave a lo largo de toda la franquicia. He sido fan de la saga de videojuegos desde hace muchos años y comencé a interesarme por sus obras complementarias a raíz de leer el manwha de Edward Kenway, protagonista de AC4 Black Flag.

Respecto a esta obra, la narración me ha resultado bastante entretenida y creo que los saltos temporales quedan muy bien integrados en lo que es una ficción sonora. De hecho creo que encaja mejor en este formato que en los videojuegos. Y ya ni hablemos de lo confuso o corta-ritmo que podría ser en un libro las anécdotas que te va contando Aliyah.

En relación a la trama encontramos la fórmula clásica de los primeros videojuegos con una historia contemporánea en la que la protagonista revive los recuerdos de un antepasado, en esta ocasión en el siglo XVII, a través del animus.

La historia del pasado gira en torno a Isaac Newton y Omar, antepasado de Aliyah, con un aire detectivesco al estilo Sherlock Holmes donde ambos investigan el caso de acuñación de moneda falsa en Londres.

Por otro lado, en la historia del presente Aliyah es reclutada por los Assassins para obtener una clave en los recuerdos de Omar y así hacer frente a los templarios. A cambio ella consigue fondos para poder devolver el dinero que su socio estafó a todos los inversores de su startup crypto.

Ambas tramas me han resultado entretenidas, aunque me ha gustado más la del presente principalmente por Aliyah y sus comentarios. Sin embargo, el final de ambas se desarrolla demasiado rápido.

[January · Rating 1 out of 5]

Assassin's Creed: Gold by Anthony Del Col
Assassin's Creed Series
4h 40m narrated by Riz Ahmed, John Chancer, Ray Fearon, Anthony Head, Tamara Lawrance, Gemma Lawrence, and Danny Wallace

Genre: Action & Adventure, Fiction Fantasy, Drama Fiction, English Dramatization

Featuring: England, Explosions, Violence, Sound Effects, Bad Script, Isaac Newton, 1600s, Americans, The Matrix, Money, Plotholes

Rating as a movie: R for strong language and adult content

Songs for the soundtrack: "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears

My rating: ⭐️½

My thoughts: I only found this title because I was challenged to read a book with gold on the cover. This is pretty much the movie that you'd watch on the Sci-Fi Channel or one of those low-budget action channels. The script was terrible as well as the plot. There were telling 3 stories at once, all were boring, and one was an out-of-place backstory. 🙄 I was annoyed through the end, lots of action without reason.

Recommend to others?: Nope. This was good production wasted on a weak story.

[Anthony Gutierrez]

Apelé a un corazoncito nostálgico dentro de mi.

Es un libro con un equipo MUY amplio de voz. Una ambientación que para un audiolibro, es demasiado bueno pero siento que con lo expansivo que es el universo de A. Creed, se queda un poco corto.

Fueron fieles a muchos parámetros super básicos que no se pueden violar, inclusive el trato a los científicos o "personajes invitados" que marcan cultura.

Me pasó exactamente lo mismo que en cada interacción con AC. Las interacciones actuales contemporáneas con Abstergo? Blandas como mucho,

Las interacciones con el pasado? Siento que nunca hay suficiente historia de tanta ambición.

Si te gusta el universo, consuma con la voluntad del señor.
Si no te gusta, no te lo recomiendo como primer contacto.

[hannahh · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of the game franchise I was super excited to follow this story. It did not disappoint!

What I enjoyed most was how nuanced the main character (Aliyah) from the present is.

Usually, when it comes to cut scenes or gameplay that revolve around the Animus, I find it lacks depth, (unlike the playable historical character from the past that I've spent 10+ hours getting to know) so, I'm always wanting to get away from any present day characters and get back to the historical gameplay ASAP.

During this story I loved the depth of Aliyah, and wanted to travel between the past and present constantly to explore HER story.
She's a great female lead and would recommend this listen for AC fans everywhere.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woke-ish


The modern day timeline is pretty rushed and doesn't come out well while the past timeline with Omar is pretty good... with the exception that they try to hint that Isaac Newton is gay. While not explicitly mentioning it, it is sort of hinted throughout the book. There are also a few other woke ish elements. This book does too much to hurt itself. While it is a solid adaptation, it fails to stand up to the high bar set by other audio dramas like Alien: Out Of The Shadows and 1984. And it also fails to stand up to the high bar for Video game novels set by Halo: The fall of Reach and BioShock: Rapture. Overall it's below average and probably only worth reading if you have an Audible subscription. not worth a credit or buying it standalone.

[Daniel Cross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty dumb but still entertaining. The main lady piping in with stupid comments and quips during the Assassin story was very obnoxious. The password on the back of the coin was stupid, just make like a 50 character password with symbols and numbers Abstergo, you morons! If this was fleshed out into a full game with the modern day story shrunk down I would've enjoyed it more. I don't need to know the backstory to why the main lady has claustrophobia, or why she can play poker. Shaun making a small cameo was nice.

[Elina Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Als Assassin's Creed Fan war dieses Hörspiel Kino für die Ohren. Die Sprecher sind alle samt talentierte Menschen die einem das Gefühl geben teil von allem zu sein.

Leider hat dieses Hörspiel genau die selbe Schwäche wie die Assassin's Creed-Spielereihe. Die Passagen in der heutigen Zeit sind nicht wirklich spannend und sind eher störend. Ich weiß das in dem Fall die Abschnitte in der Jetzt-Zeit wichtig sind aber es passierte mehrfach das ich frustrierend seufzte wenn wieder in das 21. Jahrhundert zurück gesprungen wird.

Trotzdem ein gutes Hörspiel!

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on the plane. As a fan of the AC games. I really enjoyed this book. Performance was convincing well-done. The way it’s scripted and the audio/sound effects had me deeply engrossed in the story. Ending felt a bit rushed, but also kinda reminiscent of my experience w the games. I wanted to see more interactions w Aliya and a certain character but it makes sense why things went the way they did.

Would love to see more.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took my by surprise that the modern day part was set in England.

The historic animus part was interesting and delved into more nuanced topics such as rascism, and hinted towards homosexuality.

However the framing of the animus was like watching a movie of your ancestors, which took out any suspense and made me wonder why they couldn’t just fast forward to the end to get their answer

[Sylvester · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly it made no sense to have the setting of these characters in Britain of all places, then you have some almost ridiculous sections like trauma from Britney Spears. I think even as a fan of the series, the book simply just didn't work, neither could I picture having a game made with this plot either.

[Ignacio Bautista · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a really short story that sometimes confuses the eff out of u then this is for u. But if u like AC then you’ll kinda follow it well enough.

What the character narrates sometimes doesn’t make sense or seems like ‘filler’. That’s y the 3 stars on story

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually admirable assassin action adventure audio drama. Good acting, good production values. Action scenes get a little chaotic with multiple sounds and multiple people yelling, but I suppose that's the point.

[Henri Eisenring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great !!!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of the F word
Interesting premise but not captivating.

[e · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good Assassin's Creed experience. Can never get enough of the Creed. It translates so well into an audio experience.

[L. Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-acted, decent enough writing. Nice lore piece for AC.

[Thomas Axtell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dialogue is a bit shit which, bearing in mind it's an audio show, is saying something

[Jo Glasgow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good Audible Original.
For Assasins Creed fans it's a nice side story but doesnt have much of the true storyline, I think non gamers would enjoy this story more.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

9 This has made up my mind that whilst I really enjoy audiobooks I don’t like dramatic readings.

[Leo Saraja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storywise it is good, but why tf do they have to put woke and "alphabet people" propaganda everywhere...

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Assassin's Creed series. This one is different, but I still loved it.