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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
Read full review at: http://thereadingarmchair.blogspot.gr/2015/11/review-assassins-creed-renaissance.html
Ezio is a man who has lost everything. His father and brothers are accused and executed falsely by the ruling families in Florence. In order to remain alive and save his mother and sister, he flees his hometown and ends up in his uncle Mario's palazzo. There he learns that he has a heavy heritage to live up to. Is he ready to accept it, though? He decided to cooperate with the Order of the Assassins because they are after the same men he seeks revenge from. As he dives deeper and one mission leads to another, he discovers the truth behind the ruling games and the fight between the Assassins and the Templars. Moreover, his list for the people he has to go after in order to restore his father's name is filled constantly with even more powerful names, with the peak being Rodrigo Borgia.
So, to sum things up, take a hero with a powerful motive, add a family heritage, a lot of historical figures and facts, sprinkle a lot of action and you're done! Seems like a recipe for success, right? Well, that's where all the problems begin. It's the first time that I've encountered a story with so much potential not being taken advantage of, at all.
First of all, I couldn't care for a single character in the whole novel! Yes, we follow Ezio in his journey and he is in danger at times, but I couldn't feel fear for him. Although we have his backstory and his motives explained, I never figured out the character traits that make Ezio who he is. His thoughts and feelings are somewhat generic and things that you'd expect to hear from a person with these experiences. As for the secondary characters, well, they weren't developed at all, so I can't really say anything about them.
The other big problem of this novel is that the story doesn't have continuity, at least one that feels natural. While reading Assassin's Creed, I was constantly under the impression that the author wrote it while he was playing the game and he was just writing it down at the same time. To make things clear, imagine Ezio on a mission. He goes where he has to go, accomplishes with some way or another the assassination and then he meets someone that tells him who he needs to kill next. The first time it didn't bother me, but it happened all the time. Shouldn't Ezio at least question his missions? We are in a totally different medium, so things have to be explained.
This brings us to the last problem. The elements of the game, such as the wall-climbing, the leap of faith and the looting feel unnatural. They are there just because they are essential elements in the game. They are recognizable and if they weren't there I would certainly feel their loss, but I expected them to be included in a way that it didn't shout "Hey, here goes the famous leap of faith! Don't miss it!". In some instances, I even expected a NEW SKILL UNLOCKED to pop up.
Ezio is a man who has lost everything. His father and brothers are accused and executed falsely by the ruling families in Florence. In order to remain alive and save his mother and sister, he flees his hometown and ends up in his uncle Mario's palazzo. There he learns that he has a heavy heritage to live up to. Is he ready to accept it, though? He decided to cooperate with the Order of the Assassins because they are after the same men he seeks revenge from. As he dives deeper and one mission leads to another, he discovers the truth behind the ruling games and the fight between the Assassins and the Templars. Moreover, his list for the people he has to go after in order to restore his father's name is filled constantly with even more powerful names, with the peak being Rodrigo Borgia.
So, to sum things up, take a hero with a powerful motive, add a family heritage, a lot of historical figures and facts, sprinkle a lot of action and you're done! Seems like a recipe for success, right? Well, that's where all the problems begin. It's the first time that I've encountered a story with so much potential not being taken advantage of, at all.
First of all, I couldn't care for a single character in the whole novel! Yes, we follow Ezio in his journey and he is in danger at times, but I couldn't feel fear for him. Although we have his backstory and his motives explained, I never figured out the character traits that make Ezio who he is. His thoughts and feelings are somewhat generic and things that you'd expect to hear from a person with these experiences. As for the secondary characters, well, they weren't developed at all, so I can't really say anything about them.
The other big problem of this novel is that the story doesn't have continuity, at least one that feels natural. While reading Assassin's Creed, I was constantly under the impression that the author wrote it while he was playing the game and he was just writing it down at the same time. To make things clear, imagine Ezio on a mission. He goes where he has to go, accomplishes with some way or another the assassination and then he meets someone that tells him who he needs to kill next. The first time it didn't bother me, but it happened all the time. Shouldn't Ezio at least question his missions? We are in a totally different medium, so things have to be explained.
This brings us to the last problem. The elements of the game, such as the wall-climbing, the leap of faith and the looting feel unnatural. They are there just because they are essential elements in the game. They are recognizable and if they weren't there I would certainly feel their loss, but I expected them to be included in a way that it didn't shout "Hey, here goes the famous leap of faith! Don't miss it!". In some instances, I even expected a NEW SKILL UNLOCKED to pop up.
3.75
Lo mejor sin duda son la época y los espacios. Leer un libro más o menos histórico centrado en el renacimiento italiano me gustó mucho. Influye quizás que yo ya había visitado muchos de los lugares que muestra la historia: Florencia, Venecia, el Vaticano... y me trajo buenos recuerdos.
La trama es demasiado repetitiva (pasa algo malo, tienen que encontrar a los conspiradores y matarlos), y el final fue bastante meh. Eso si, aunque nunca he jugado ni visto un solo gameplay del juego original, se podía ver perfectamente como fue adaptado de ese medio; cosa que en realidad me gustó.
Lo que sí es que al estar tan centrada en las misiones y la acción la trama en si pierde bastante el norte y ya no sabe uno bien el objetivo de los malos ni el nuestro propio. Había agujeros en el argumento del estilo, tienes que participar en unos juegos para ganar acceso a un castillo que vale, pero entre tus aliados tenías a un grupo de concubinas con acceso, ¿Por qué no coger una de sus entradas?
Además toda la parte de romance sólo servía para demostrar lo buen mozo que es Ezzio. Nada estaba apoyado por ninguna base. Aunque debo reconocer que todo el asunto de los saltos temporales pueden haberme aturdido un poco, y en realidad el amor es lo que menos importancia tiene en esta historia. Hablando de ello, aprecié que la historia se desarrolle en un gran marco temporal que aporta realismo a la historia y permite que aparezcan un montón de diversas figuras históricas de la época.3.75
Lo mejor sin duda son la época y los espacios. Leer un libro más o menos histórico centrado en el renacimiento italiano me gustó mucho. Influye quizás que yo ya había visitado muchos de los lugares que muestra la historia: Florencia, Venecia, el Vaticano... y me trajo buenos recuerdos.
La trama es demasiado repetitiva (pasa algo malo, tienen que encontrar a los conspiradores y matarlos), y el final fue bastante meh. Eso si, aunque nunca he jugado ni visto un solo gameplay del juego original, se podía ver perfectamente como fue adaptado de ese medio; cosa que en realidad me gustó.
Lo que sí es que al estar tan centrada en las misiones y la acción la trama en si pierde bastante el norte y ya no sabe uno bien el objetivo de los malos ni el nuestro propio. Había agujeros en el argumento del estilo, tienes que participar en unos juegos para ganar acceso a un castillo que vale, pero entre tus aliados tenías a un grupo de concubinas con acceso, ¿Por qué no coger una de sus entradas?
Además toda la parte de romance sólo servía para demostrar lo buen mozo que es Ezzio. Nada estaba apoyado por ninguna base. Aunque debo reconocer que todo el asunto de los saltos temporales pueden haberme aturdido un poco, y en realidad el amor es lo que menos importancia tiene en esta historia. Hablando de ello, aprecié que la historia se desarrolle en un gran marco temporal que aporta realismo a la historia y permite que aparezcan un montón de diversas figuras históricas de la época. Entre mis favoritos Leonardo, Antonio y sus maquetas, Maquiavelo y sobretodo Catarina Sforza. Aunque también me resultó interesante Rodrigo Borgia.
Un libro muy rápido de leer para pasar un buen rato, pero sin pretender que sea una gran historia.
Lo mejor sin duda son la época y los espacios. Leer un libro más o menos histórico centrado en el renacimiento italiano me gustó mucho. Influye quizás que yo ya había visitado muchos de los lugares que muestra la historia: Florencia, Venecia, el Vaticano... y me trajo buenos recuerdos.
La trama es demasiado repetitiva (pasa algo malo, tienen que encontrar a los conspiradores y matarlos), y el final fue bastante meh. Eso si, aunque nunca he jugado ni visto un solo gameplay del juego original, se podía ver perfectamente como fue adaptado de ese medio; cosa que en realidad me gustó.
Lo que sí es que al estar tan centrada en las misiones y la acción la trama en si pierde bastante el norte y ya no sabe uno bien el objetivo de los malos ni el nuestro propio. Había agujeros en el argumento del estilo, tienes que participar en unos juegos para ganar acceso a un castillo que vale, pero entre tus aliados tenías a un grupo de concubinas con acceso, ¿Por qué no coger una de sus entradas?
Además toda la parte de romance sólo servía para demostrar lo buen mozo que es Ezzio. Nada estaba apoyado por ninguna base. Aunque debo reconocer que todo el asunto de los saltos temporales pueden haberme aturdido un poco, y en realidad el amor es lo que menos importancia tiene en esta historia. Hablando de ello, aprecié que la historia se desarrolle en un gran marco temporal que aporta realismo a la historia y permite que aparezcan un montón de diversas figuras históricas de la época.3.75
Lo mejor sin duda son la época y los espacios. Leer un libro más o menos histórico centrado en el renacimiento italiano me gustó mucho. Influye quizás que yo ya había visitado muchos de los lugares que muestra la historia: Florencia, Venecia, el Vaticano... y me trajo buenos recuerdos.
La trama es demasiado repetitiva (pasa algo malo, tienen que encontrar a los conspiradores y matarlos), y el final fue bastante meh. Eso si, aunque nunca he jugado ni visto un solo gameplay del juego original, se podía ver perfectamente como fue adaptado de ese medio; cosa que en realidad me gustó.
Lo que sí es que al estar tan centrada en las misiones y la acción la trama en si pierde bastante el norte y ya no sabe uno bien el objetivo de los malos ni el nuestro propio. Había agujeros en el argumento del estilo, tienes que participar en unos juegos para ganar acceso a un castillo que vale, pero entre tus aliados tenías a un grupo de concubinas con acceso, ¿Por qué no coger una de sus entradas?
Además toda la parte de romance sólo servía para demostrar lo buen mozo que es Ezzio. Nada estaba apoyado por ninguna base. Aunque debo reconocer que todo el asunto de los saltos temporales pueden haberme aturdido un poco, y en realidad el amor es lo que menos importancia tiene en esta historia. Hablando de ello, aprecié que la historia se desarrolle en un gran marco temporal que aporta realismo a la historia y permite que aparezcan un montón de diversas figuras históricas de la época. Entre mis favoritos Leonardo, Antonio y sus maquetas, Maquiavelo y sobretodo Catarina Sforza. Aunque también me resultó interesante Rodrigo Borgia.
Un libro muy rápido de leer para pasar un buen rato, pero sin pretender que sea una gran historia.
I started this book in late December and took a break for January because of a month long readathon and picked it back up to finish off in February. I really enjoy the Italian history during the Renissance that was mixed in, esspecially the inclusion of historical figures lile Leonardo. And the action was a fun and reflected the video game style. However it would tell instead of show certain action scenes usually to jump through months and up to years in a few pages. Then there how the book toward the end took on odd religious tones that exceded the time period. Then add in the acid trip psycodelic vibes toward the end that mixed with the heavy over done religious themes and it took away from the book. Also the odd and vauge open ending to the first book seemed unnessecary in my opion. It could have been suspenseful and motivating but came off as strange and confussing.
Bien que l'histoire soit intéressante, le roman manquait de structure et les personnages de profondeur. L'auteur semble avoir très bien respecté le jeu, mais ce qui est bon pour un jeu ne l'est pas nécessairement pour un livre.
Abandonado.
La historia es buenísima, pero la narración deja mucho que desear y no estoy dispuesta a torturarme más. Seguramente como videojuego es una joya, como libro un error.
La historia es buenísima, pero la narración deja mucho que desear y no estoy dispuesta a torturarme más. Seguramente como videojuego es una joya, como libro un error.
adventurous
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book, while an entertaining enough read, has the shallowest of storylines that follows a fairly linear plot. Character development is almost non-existent and it's basically just the script for another episode of the video game.
The hero moves from quest to quest, fighting ever-tougher opponents and gaining clues and better weapons as he goes until he faces the arch-bed guy at the end.
No surprises here at all!
The hero moves from quest to quest, fighting ever-tougher opponents and gaining clues and better weapons as he goes until he faces the arch-bed guy at the end.
No surprises here at all!
I went into this book with both eyes open - it's an adaptation of a game and these sorts of books are often disappointing. So while I am a fan of the game I understood this might be a let-down.
Most of my enjoyment of the Assassin's Creed franchise stems from the historical settings. I love running through Renaissance era Rome and riding through Tuscany, climbing the towers of Florence or commandeering a gondola in Venice. That's where I get most of my enjoyment.
As such, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Despite simply being the game plot transferred onto paper, it read much the same as many 'historical thrillers' out there today, and as the author is a Renaissance historian, he did a passing job at recreating fifteenth century Italy for me.
The writing leaves much to be desired, however, with often clunky sentence structures and sometimes inane or unbelievable dialogue, which is why I won't give it 4 stars. I enjoyed it, but it was an easy read and didn't require much brain power.
For all its faults, it was a bit of fun and kept me engaged enough that I read it pretty quickly, and that's enough for me.
Most of my enjoyment of the Assassin's Creed franchise stems from the historical settings. I love running through Renaissance era Rome and riding through Tuscany, climbing the towers of Florence or commandeering a gondola in Venice. That's where I get most of my enjoyment.
As such, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Despite simply being the game plot transferred onto paper, it read much the same as many 'historical thrillers' out there today, and as the author is a Renaissance historian, he did a passing job at recreating fifteenth century Italy for me.
The writing leaves much to be desired, however, with often clunky sentence structures and sometimes inane or unbelievable dialogue, which is why I won't give it 4 stars. I enjoyed it, but it was an easy read and didn't require much brain power.
For all its faults, it was a bit of fun and kept me engaged enough that I read it pretty quickly, and that's enough for me.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rating: 4/5 stars
This was actually pretty good. As good as the game itself.
I actually started playing Assassin's Creed not from this storyline (i.e. Assassin's Creed II). So, I barely knew what was happening when I was playing Assassin's Creed Rogue. Good thing I bought this book. I did watch the gameplay on Youtube while reading this book and it certainly helped me keep up with the characters (quite a lot of them, actually).
Love the storyline, the characters and the places (couldn't help but to reminisce my trip to Venice, Florence and Rome - I miss Italy so much!). I swear I read this book with an Italian accent in my head. lol. Oh and I really really REALLY love how Leonardo da Vinci plays an important role in this book. Love him, he's an inspiration with a good heart.
It's a really good read. I'm going to buy book two soon.
p.s. learned a few curse words in Italian, thanks to the Italian-English translation at the back. haha. Ciao, miserabili pezzi di merda!
This was actually pretty good. As good as the game itself.
I actually started playing Assassin's Creed not from this storyline (i.e. Assassin's Creed II). So, I barely knew what was happening when I was playing Assassin's Creed Rogue. Good thing I bought this book. I did watch the gameplay on Youtube while reading this book and it certainly helped me keep up with the characters (quite a lot of them, actually).
Love the storyline, the characters and the places (couldn't help but to reminisce my trip to Venice, Florence and Rome - I miss Italy so much!). I swear I read this book with an Italian accent in my head. lol. Oh and I really really REALLY love how Leonardo da Vinci plays an important role in this book. Love him, he's an inspiration with a good heart.
It's a really good read. I'm going to buy book two soon.
p.s. learned a few curse words in Italian, thanks to the Italian-English translation at the back. haha. Ciao, miserabili pezzi di merda!