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Assassin's Creed: Renaissance
Assassin's Creed: Renaissance
Assassin's Creed: Renaissance
Audiobook12 hours

Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Written by Oliver Bowden

Narrated by Gildart Jackson

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, Ezio Auditore embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honor, he will learn the art of the Assassins.Along the way, Ezio will call upon the wisdom of such great minds as Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli, knowing that survival is bound to the skills by which he must live.To his allies, he will become a force for change in his fight for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat dedicated to the destruction of the tyrants abusing the people of Italy. So begins an epic story of power, revenge, and conspiracy.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 5, 2012
ISBN9781452676715
Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

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Reviews for Assassin's Creed

Rating: 3.5078739763779523 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

127 ratings10 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really entertaining brain junk food. I've never played the video game but the book is actually pretty good. Just like a Dan Brown novel, there are a lot of chase scenes, secrets to solve and interesting people and places.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Better than expected
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The book started off at a very good pace, likely aimed at the “young adult” generation due to the style of writing. The book retells the events of the Assassin’s Creed 2 video game, which I have not played, and I am told it is pretty much the same as this book.Which is where my problems with the book started.You can clearly tell the book is a retelling of a game as you can almost hear the achievements/trophies unlocking when Ezio, the protagonist, completes various events events within the pages of the book, everything felt as if it was laid out in front him and not necessarily done for any other reason than a visual experience… but this was a book where imagination could have created some magnificent scenes.There is no development between the different “levels” of the game/book hybrid (whatever you want to call it) and the people he meets feel like just names on a page - no development at all.Finally, why, when the book is set in Italy, would the characters flit between their native language (Italian displayed in English) to a foreign language (effectively English/Latin depicted as Italian/Latin) on almost every page of the book? A translation is provided at the back of the book to assist with this but I honestly thought that was pointless - I eventually gave up looking the words up and just guessed at what they could mean. Also, the style of speech of the characters was utterly ridiculous and doesn’t seem to fit the era it is portrayed as being in - the amount of swearing inside was uncalled for and feels like it was only there to pander to the young adults it was aimed at.Very disappointed with the book and do not have very high expectations of the following books (which I will attempt to read seeing as I paid for them) - they are pretty much at the bottom of my “to read” list after this effort!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ezio Auditore ages quickly throughout the book, and readers get to witness his growth and maturity. Being a person who played this game, I found the book to be a bit boring at times since I already knew the story, but being able to experience Ezio's inner thoughts about events were refreshing. The pace at which years would pass between chapters would sometimes be hard to keep up with though. Ezio is much older and more experienced by the end of the novel though his work is farm from being done. The fact that he never runs out of enemies can become a bit tiring as well, but the book is well worth the read for avid fans of the franchise that don't mind dealing with a retelling of a story they already know all too well.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Assassin's Creed is easily one of my favorite games ever. As someone who has played the four main games in a row (aside from Bloodlines, Discovery and Altaïr's Chronicles), I thought that reading the books was essential for a full understanding of the game's story, regardless of all the reviews stating that the books suck. It happens that it isn't. Nevertheless, I didn't think it was THAT bad.
    I have to agree with several comments saying that some important details have been grotesquely changed, like the fact that Ezio's Hidden Blade is used on the right arm rather than in the left arm (and indeed, there is a whole symbology behind this small detail). And I also have to admit that I expected much more of the story, specially regarding the historical facts. Instead, I found myself reading a book that is pretty much the game's script, which isn't completely bad since there were a couple of parts in the game I didn't fully understand and I thought that reading the book would be better than replaying the whole game all over again. Still, if I had to choose between replaying the game and reading this book, I would choose the first option. After playing the games, reading the book is a relatively dull experience. The action scenes' descriptions are not as epic as living the whole thing. Knowing a couple of Ezio's feelings is nice, but in the end the book doesn't give you a brand new experience of the Assassin's Creed's story. Moreover, the lack of the Animus parts does make the last part of the book senseless. I would say that people who have not played the game would feel lost.
    One interesting aspect of the book is that the content that is originally on the game's downloadable contents (The Battle of Forlì) has been inserted into Renaissance. I didn't play the DLC, so it was nice to read about one of the best fights of lady Caterina Sforza. It's also worth mentioning that Cristina's memories, which only show in the game Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is present in this book, so you might want to finish the game before reading this book lest you want to be spoiled.
    Assassin's Creed: Renaissance is, at least for the ones who have been following up with the games, an interesting book. But if you're looking for a solid book that guides you through the History of Italy and the influence of the Templars in it, then you might want to skip this one.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    18-year-old Ezio Auditore da Firenze's father is betrayed by the ruling families of Italy. Ezio thought he was just a banker, but in reality he was part of an assassin's group trying to stop the Knights Templar from taking over the world. Whilst on the run Ezio witnesses his father and brother's death sentences. Vowing revenge, he turns to the path of the assassin as he joins the race to find an ancient technology called the 'Apple'.The storyline showed a lot of promise but was events were so hastily delivered that it was disappointing. There was no depth of character growth, no real emotional involvement in the story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While one should never expect too much from a media tie-in - in this case, a book based on the video game - this one delivers such promise. But not the product.
    The book is - no more, no less - a novelization of the game. There's no extra prologue. No additional extrapolation. And that is where the book's promise was, in filling out characters, expanding on story aspects. These were never delivered. Each chapter read like a level of the game.
    It was well novelized, however, with 'authentic' Italian phrases peppered throughout.
    Unless you enjoyed the game, this novel has little to offer you. Fans of historical fiction will find even less enjoyment.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I'm sure I would have reviewed this differently if I hadn't played the games. As it is, the bulk of this book is simply a retelling of the events that happened in Assassin's Creed II and some of the memories in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and having played those, reading the book after the fact proved to be a vastly inferior experience.This is why I don't usually read direct novelizations of movies or games, etc (with the exception of Star Wars: Ep. 1-6, but that's more about collecting the hardcovers more than anything). Why bother, when it's usually so much more satisfying to play the original video game, especially in the case of the action/adventure-oriented AC series? When I read video game tie-in novels, I expect more than just a rehash of events; I expect additions to the lore or the setting, even if they have to focus on other characters. Think the Mass Effect series or the Dragon Age series.Otherwise, this book was relatively well-written. Oliver Bowden does a good job bringing the story to life with words, though the pacing felt a bit off. However, I can't fault the author much for story or plot decisions, as I'm guessing he had to stay as faithful as he could to game (another downside of direct novelizations), not to mention likely deal with a multitude of restrictions from Ubisoft.My opinion? Skip this if you've played the game. Though, I have to say after reading this, I've gained a deeper appreciation for video-game storytelling. The industry has certainly come a long way in this regard, when the events of a game can actually be adapted into a realistic, legitimate and more than acceptable full-length novel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Now I've never played the game so I have no idea how it compares but this was a sometimes rushed romp through Renaissance Italy with secret Assassin and Templar groups and Leonardo da Vinci feature and romp through the book.It's not the worst I've read but it's not that compelling.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I didn'tplay the game but I still appreciate the book.Lot of action, many punches, characters are deep, writting is good and easy to read.A good book for a young adult who have to start reading!If this young adult had played the game, this book have no interest as it seems to be too close to the game