You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
I did not finish this book...so painfully limiting on substance. This is the type of book I would have read in grade school...age 9.
La historia es bastante buena, también lo es la cantidad impresionante de acción que hay en ella, cada dos páginas te encuentras con Ezio persiguiendo, matando, entrando en batalla, salvando a alguien, en fin, que en ese sentido este libro es exactamente lo que debe ser, sin embargo, tiene muchas deficiencias, a mi parecer, en cuanto a la narración.
Si bien es cierto que debido a la acción y lo que se cuenta en ello parece un libro bastante ágil, lo cierto es que el autor nos deja muchos, muchos huecos de tiempo, en un momento tenemos a un adolescente para en algún momento (que yo me perdí) ya es un hombre de 30 años, la cuestión aquí es que salta de batalla en batalla, viajando, persiguiendo a sus enemigos y todo pareciera que sucediera de un día para otro, en ningún momento se nos presenta que de un lugar a otro o de un viaje a otro pasan meses o años incluso y para mí eso fue un gran error narrativo por parte del autor.
También tenemos estas escenas donde parece todo tan “infantil”, tan ingenuo como tener a Ezio matando a 30 tipos mientras alguien le dice “vete de aquí, en este momento”, claro, porque habiendo un hombre que lo corre del lugar Ezio va a correr para el otro lado ¿no?, o otra escena donde una vez que mata al “malo” y este está agonizando Ezio pretende que confiese toda la conspiración… ¿en serio?, no puedo imaginarme que algo así pudiera suceder, nadie es tan tonto o ingenuo, mucho menos un asesino que tiene años de experiencia y él solito mata a 30 de una sola vez, eso cada vez, siempre.
En fin, fuera de ese tipo de detalles, lo cierto es que el libro me ha entretenido mucho, aunque tiene sus fallas que inevitablemente me pusieron los ojos en blanco, como he dicho la historia me ha gustado.
Nunca me ha gustado ese recurso de algunos escritores de utilizar personajes muy famosos, como en ese caso a da Vinci y en algún momento a Maquiavelo, sin embargo, tengo que reconocer que, en este caso, el personaje de da Vinci le ha dado un color muy particular a la historia y que, aunque es muy loco todo lo que se presenta, pues si que justifica al personaje bastante bien.
No es, si no como a la mitad del libro que más o menos he comprendido la misión de Ezio e independientemente de todo lo que se va contando, lo cierto es que no me imaginé el final, eso me gustó, que me sorprendiera.
Con todo y lo que no me gustó si me voy a leer los siguientes libros, creo que en algún momento me encontraré con lo que vi en la película y que me enganchó al personaje, no estaba en este libro, pero ¿quién sabe? Tal vez lo vea en alguno de los siguientes.
Si bien es cierto que debido a la acción y lo que se cuenta en ello parece un libro bastante ágil, lo cierto es que el autor nos deja muchos, muchos huecos de tiempo, en un momento tenemos a un adolescente para en algún momento (que yo me perdí) ya es un hombre de 30 años, la cuestión aquí es que salta de batalla en batalla, viajando, persiguiendo a sus enemigos y todo pareciera que sucediera de un día para otro, en ningún momento se nos presenta que de un lugar a otro o de un viaje a otro pasan meses o años incluso y para mí eso fue un gran error narrativo por parte del autor.
También tenemos estas escenas donde parece todo tan “infantil”, tan ingenuo como tener a Ezio matando a 30 tipos mientras alguien le dice “vete de aquí, en este momento”, claro, porque habiendo un hombre que lo corre del lugar Ezio va a correr para el otro lado ¿no?, o otra escena donde una vez que mata al “malo” y este está agonizando Ezio pretende que confiese toda la conspiración… ¿en serio?, no puedo imaginarme que algo así pudiera suceder, nadie es tan tonto o ingenuo, mucho menos un asesino que tiene años de experiencia y él solito mata a 30 de una sola vez, eso cada vez, siempre.
En fin, fuera de ese tipo de detalles, lo cierto es que el libro me ha entretenido mucho, aunque tiene sus fallas que inevitablemente me pusieron los ojos en blanco, como he dicho la historia me ha gustado.
Nunca me ha gustado ese recurso de algunos escritores de utilizar personajes muy famosos, como en ese caso a da Vinci y en algún momento a Maquiavelo, sin embargo, tengo que reconocer que, en este caso, el personaje de da Vinci le ha dado un color muy particular a la historia y que, aunque es muy loco todo lo que se presenta, pues si que justifica al personaje bastante bien.
No es, si no como a la mitad del libro que más o menos he comprendido la misión de Ezio e independientemente de todo lo que se va contando, lo cierto es que no me imaginé el final, eso me gustó, que me sorprendiera.
Con todo y lo que no me gustó si me voy a leer los siguientes libros, creo que en algún momento me encontraré con lo que vi en la película y que me enganchó al personaje, no estaba en este libro, pero ¿quién sabe? Tal vez lo vea en alguno de los siguientes.
Oh Ezio Auditore.
Poor guy just can't get a break! Though at least he can still have a little fun, in his travels to become one of the best known assassins of his time.
I liked this book. It wasn't quite as good as the first one for some reason, possibly and most likely because I wasn't able to fully focus on it for personal reasons - BUT - it's a fun book.
I recall it follows toe video game fairly closely and that I was recognizing many events in the book, from watching my husband play the game.
I also enjoyed the parts that 'Rodrigo Borgia' had to play, since I am a watcher of 'The Borgias' on Netflix and recognize the spit fire and crazed Spaniard for what he is.
Anyways!
It's worth picking up. If you've played the game you might find it boring since you will already know what happens but, oh well!
- CJ
Poor guy just can't get a break! Though at least he can still have a little fun, in his travels to become one of the best known assassins of his time.
I liked this book. It wasn't quite as good as the first one for some reason, possibly and most likely because I wasn't able to fully focus on it for personal reasons - BUT - it's a fun book.
I recall it follows toe video game fairly closely and that I was recognizing many events in the book, from watching my husband play the game.
I also enjoyed the parts that 'Rodrigo Borgia' had to play, since I am a watcher of 'The Borgias' on Netflix and recognize the spit fire and crazed Spaniard for what he is.
Anyways!
It's worth picking up. If you've played the game you might find it boring since you will already know what happens but, oh well!
- CJ
Hard to say, on one hand I was hooked, the gruesomeness, the betrayal and on the other hand I found that it was choppy.
it seemed to jump from event to event and made references to things and places that I had to google to know what it looked like or where it was.
A little difficult at times trying to follow all the italian that flows through the books but overall it was an entertaining read.
Leonardo Da Vinci was my favourite character in this novel. :)
it seemed to jump from event to event and made references to things and places that I had to google to know what it looked like or where it was.
A little difficult at times trying to follow all the italian that flows through the books but overall it was an entertaining read.
Leonardo Da Vinci was my favourite character in this novel. :)
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Much like [b:Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade|10048834|Assassin's Creed The Secret Crusade (Assassin's Creed, #3)|Oliver Bowden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388190055l/10048834._SY75_.jpg|14944790] , I wanted to read the books of the Assassin’s Creed series. I absolutely loved playing the game and I could only imagine how emotional it would be reading the book.
The story begins with Ezio Auditore, a seventeen year-old boy that comes from a family of respectful bankers of Florence with business all over Italy. However, his family is betrayed by the ruling families, sending the young man embracing an epic quest for vengeance to eradicate corruption and restore his family’s honour. In the mist of all this, Ezio learns the art of the Assassins, an ancient Order created to stop the corruption of the Order of the Templar’s and to restore peace and justice to the world.
“To his allies, Ezio will become a force for change, fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat.
The story itself is not anything surprising for those who have played the games. In fact, most – if not all – of the missions that are in the game appear in the book. However, what really stands out of difference between the book and the game is how much more emotional and relatable the book is.
The story itself is a powerful one that will affect you as you play/read it. [a:Oliver Bowden|3174636|Oliver Bowden|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] does an amazing job at portraying the several, at times conflicting emotions, feelings and thoughts that Ezio has. We can also see a much longer progression in Ezio in the book. Although the game does show the years passing through Ezio, Ezio maintains almost always the same appearance while, in the book, we see how the insight in those years. Ezio had months and years where he had to just train, or just wait or just rest. That doesn’t appear in the game but it does appear in the book, making the whole story much more believable for the reader.
The relationships and alliances that Ezio builds throughout the years are more visible and stronger in the book. In particularly, Ezio’s and Leonardo’s friendship is such a precious thing to read that I almost turned my PS3 to play the game all over again. His love for Cristina (Ezio’s first love) is more detailed in the book and, while the events unfold, you can’t help but feel sorry for Ezio and how the circumstances of life forced him to walk away from the one who lived in his heart for years.
His sacrifices spoke to a much higher feeling when you read them, making you feel pain and hurt for Ezio but also somewhat proud of how he grew up as an individual throughout the years. But the book also showed Ezio’s flaws and how naïve he was at times. It showed Ezio as a human being and not as someone who accepted his fate the moment it happened. No, Ezio accepting the Order of Assassin’s and his own role in it took time and patience and a whole lot of bruises.
Surely, the video game is amazing and it does give you a visual insight that it cannot be missed. If you’re looking for a more emotional and personal narrative, this book has some of the best descriptions of events that I have seen, making Ezio seem like a superhero but a human all at once.
The story begins with Ezio Auditore, a seventeen year-old boy that comes from a family of respectful bankers of Florence with business all over Italy. However, his family is betrayed by the ruling families, sending the young man embracing an epic quest for vengeance to eradicate corruption and restore his family’s honour. In the mist of all this, Ezio learns the art of the Assassins, an ancient Order created to stop the corruption of the Order of the Templar’s and to restore peace and justice to the world.
“To his allies, Ezio will become a force for change, fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat.
The story itself is not anything surprising for those who have played the games. In fact, most – if not all – of the missions that are in the game appear in the book. However, what really stands out of difference between the book and the game is how much more emotional and relatable the book is.
The story itself is a powerful one that will affect you as you play/read it. [a:Oliver Bowden|3174636|Oliver Bowden|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] does an amazing job at portraying the several, at times conflicting emotions, feelings and thoughts that Ezio has. We can also see a much longer progression in Ezio in the book. Although the game does show the years passing through Ezio, Ezio maintains almost always the same appearance while, in the book, we see how the insight in those years. Ezio had months and years where he had to just train, or just wait or just rest. That doesn’t appear in the game but it does appear in the book, making the whole story much more believable for the reader.
The relationships and alliances that Ezio builds throughout the years are more visible and stronger in the book. In particularly, Ezio’s and Leonardo’s friendship is such a precious thing to read that I almost turned my PS3 to play the game all over again. His love for Cristina (Ezio’s first love) is more detailed in the book and, while the events unfold, you can’t help but feel sorry for Ezio and how the circumstances of life forced him to walk away from the one who lived in his heart for years.
His sacrifices spoke to a much higher feeling when you read them, making you feel pain and hurt for Ezio but also somewhat proud of how he grew up as an individual throughout the years. But the book also showed Ezio’s flaws and how naïve he was at times. It showed Ezio as a human being and not as someone who accepted his fate the moment it happened. No, Ezio accepting the Order of Assassin’s and his own role in it took time and patience and a whole lot of bruises.
Surely, the video game is amazing and it does give you a visual insight that it cannot be missed. If you’re looking for a more emotional and personal narrative, this book has some of the best descriptions of events that I have seen, making Ezio seem like a superhero but a human all at once.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Original Post: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/04/ac-renaissance-bane-kings/.
I’m a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed series. I’ve played all of the games (1,2,Brotherhood,Revelations), and have really enjoyed playing them, so – naturally, I thought I’d give the novels a try. Now, I know video-game adaptations aren’t normally top quality literature, and Renaissance certainly isn’t. In fact, I read not only Renaissance sometime last year, but also Brotherhood and The Secret Crusade, all Assassin’s Creed tie-in novels and all written by Oliver Bowden. And, seeing as I’m starting to re-play the video games, I thought that I’d give the books another try as well. But I figured that I’d skip The Secret Crusade and move onto Renaissance, which is technically the second book in the series even though it was the first Assassin’s Creed novel released. So, my verdict?
Well, you’ll have to find that out for yourself, after I’ve informed you of the blurb, which is below:
"‘I will seek Vengeance upon those who betrayed my family. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I am an Assassin…’
Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family’s honour, 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 – fighting 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.
TRUTH WILL BE WRITTEN IN BLOOD"
Assassin’s Creed 2 has probably the most epic video game story line eve, so the first thing that we’ve got to look at really, is how well does Bowden translate the video game into a five-hundred page novel? Yes, you heard me, Renaissance stands at just over five hundred pages long, a large word count for not just a tie-in novel, but also a non tie-in novel as well. So it’s huge. Is it worth it, though? can Renaissance emerge triumphant where countless of other video-game novels have failed? Its premise is good, the video game it’s based around is epic, its main character is about as awesome as they come, but… no. Sadly, Renaissance doesn’t lift my expectation of video-game tie-ins. Although it may not be terrible, as I certainly had fun whilst reading the book, Bowden’s novel isn’t particularly brilliant, neither.
Sure, the plot’s nice, fast-paced and well drawn together. Ezio is a likeable character, and there are even some bonus bits that we don’t get to see in the novel brought into the game. The novel draws upon many aspects of Renaissance-era Italy, just like the video game itself. I’m not going to give Bowden credit here for the plot as it’s been already created by the team at Ubisoft (the ones behind the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise), but it’s worth pointing out that the historical characters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli, as well as indeed – the Renaissance-era itself, is tied neatly into the fictional elements and I didn’t catch any errors in the historical side of things, although there might have been a few that I’ve missed.
Renaissance itself is unlikely to draw in newcomers to the Assassin’s Creed franchise though. In fact, I’d say that it might put them off getting the game altogether. The writing doesn’t match up to quality that George RR Martin fans will be familiar with, and neither does it match up to stuff like the enjoyable The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher or Brent Week’s awesome Night Angel Trilogy. But then, Bowden isn’t trying to create a novel that will be the next fantasy epic. The game’s there for that – what Bowden is trying to do is to flush out the storyline a bit more, and provide a break from reading the series for the gamers. A whole host of back-story is created for Ezio, such as his love for Cristina, which we only touched upon in the video game (And explored more about in Brotherhood flashbacks), and this provides a whole new level of depth for Ezio as a character.
The biggest surprise that I got when I read Renaissance was that Desmond’s storyline as a character (gamers will know who I’m referring to here), has been shelved completely. The bits where Desmond is referenced in Ezio’s timeline is also re-cut, making this just a story about Ezio’s adventures and Ezio’s adventures alone. Which I enjoyed once I got used to the fact that Desmond wouldn’t be appearing in any of these novels, after all – I find the parts where he appears the most boring things in the game.
The is an extremely fast paced novel, and it covers a large amount of Ezio’s life, stretching from him as an eighteen-year old to being forty-four by the end of the book. The time-jumps are confusing though, and you have to pay attention to detail or you’ll be wondering why Ezio’s hopped from one part of Italy to another suddenly.
There’s a problem that I had with Renaissance though, and that is character development. Sure, it starts off looking as though Ezio will develop as a character, but once we get out of his early life, it’s fast revealed that Ezio doesn’t develop at all. Sure, he may be slightly more mature at the end of the novel, slightly more skilled in battle, but apart from that… nothing. It ends there. And don’t expect any other characters to be developed, either.
So, all said and done, I believe that it’s fairly safe to say that whilst Renaissance isn’t going to win any awards any time soon, it certainly is an enjoyable, ‘comfort’ read that will give fans of the series a nice break from the standard fantasy fare. Even though the game outclasses the novel in every possible way, the novel is still worth a try, just don’t go in with high expectations.
Verdict: 3/5
I’m a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed series. I’ve played all of the games (1,2,Brotherhood,Revelations), and have really enjoyed playing them, so – naturally, I thought I’d give the novels a try. Now, I know video-game adaptations aren’t normally top quality literature, and Renaissance certainly isn’t. In fact, I read not only Renaissance sometime last year, but also Brotherhood and The Secret Crusade, all Assassin’s Creed tie-in novels and all written by Oliver Bowden. And, seeing as I’m starting to re-play the video games, I thought that I’d give the books another try as well. But I figured that I’d skip The Secret Crusade and move onto Renaissance, which is technically the second book in the series even though it was the first Assassin’s Creed novel released. So, my verdict?
Well, you’ll have to find that out for yourself, after I’ve informed you of the blurb, which is below:
"‘I will seek Vengeance upon those who betrayed my family. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I am an Assassin…’
Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family’s honour, 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 – fighting 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.
TRUTH WILL BE WRITTEN IN BLOOD"
Assassin’s Creed 2 has probably the most epic video game story line eve, so the first thing that we’ve got to look at really, is how well does Bowden translate the video game into a five-hundred page novel? Yes, you heard me, Renaissance stands at just over five hundred pages long, a large word count for not just a tie-in novel, but also a non tie-in novel as well. So it’s huge. Is it worth it, though? can Renaissance emerge triumphant where countless of other video-game novels have failed? Its premise is good, the video game it’s based around is epic, its main character is about as awesome as they come, but… no. Sadly, Renaissance doesn’t lift my expectation of video-game tie-ins. Although it may not be terrible, as I certainly had fun whilst reading the book, Bowden’s novel isn’t particularly brilliant, neither.
Sure, the plot’s nice, fast-paced and well drawn together. Ezio is a likeable character, and there are even some bonus bits that we don’t get to see in the novel brought into the game. The novel draws upon many aspects of Renaissance-era Italy, just like the video game itself. I’m not going to give Bowden credit here for the plot as it’s been already created by the team at Ubisoft (the ones behind the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise), but it’s worth pointing out that the historical characters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli, as well as indeed – the Renaissance-era itself, is tied neatly into the fictional elements and I didn’t catch any errors in the historical side of things, although there might have been a few that I’ve missed.
Renaissance itself is unlikely to draw in newcomers to the Assassin’s Creed franchise though. In fact, I’d say that it might put them off getting the game altogether. The writing doesn’t match up to quality that George RR Martin fans will be familiar with, and neither does it match up to stuff like the enjoyable The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher or Brent Week’s awesome Night Angel Trilogy. But then, Bowden isn’t trying to create a novel that will be the next fantasy epic. The game’s there for that – what Bowden is trying to do is to flush out the storyline a bit more, and provide a break from reading the series for the gamers. A whole host of back-story is created for Ezio, such as his love for Cristina, which we only touched upon in the video game (And explored more about in Brotherhood flashbacks), and this provides a whole new level of depth for Ezio as a character.
The biggest surprise that I got when I read Renaissance was that Desmond’s storyline as a character (gamers will know who I’m referring to here), has been shelved completely. The bits where Desmond is referenced in Ezio’s timeline is also re-cut, making this just a story about Ezio’s adventures and Ezio’s adventures alone. Which I enjoyed once I got used to the fact that Desmond wouldn’t be appearing in any of these novels, after all – I find the parts where he appears the most boring things in the game.
The is an extremely fast paced novel, and it covers a large amount of Ezio’s life, stretching from him as an eighteen-year old to being forty-four by the end of the book. The time-jumps are confusing though, and you have to pay attention to detail or you’ll be wondering why Ezio’s hopped from one part of Italy to another suddenly.
There’s a problem that I had with Renaissance though, and that is character development. Sure, it starts off looking as though Ezio will develop as a character, but once we get out of his early life, it’s fast revealed that Ezio doesn’t develop at all. Sure, he may be slightly more mature at the end of the novel, slightly more skilled in battle, but apart from that… nothing. It ends there. And don’t expect any other characters to be developed, either.
So, all said and done, I believe that it’s fairly safe to say that whilst Renaissance isn’t going to win any awards any time soon, it certainly is an enjoyable, ‘comfort’ read that will give fans of the series a nice break from the standard fantasy fare. Even though the game outclasses the novel in every possible way, the novel is still worth a try, just don’t go in with high expectations.
Verdict: 3/5
adventurous
medium-paced