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chigangrel 's review for:
Assassin's Creed: The Golden City
by Jaleigh Johnson
Thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte for the advanced copy.
I would've rated this book five stars even if I weren't a fan of the Assassin's Creed games/world, because author Jaleigh Johnson does a phenomenal job at crafting an engaging, exciting story of action and intrigue.
This story follows Assassin's Creed: Valhalla side characters, Basim and Hytham, on an adventure from before they traveled to England and met Eivor (the viking protagonist of Valhalla). While I knew the both of them would feature in this book, I had expected Basim to have more a leading role but that actually went to Hytham. I was a bit upset at first as Basim is a fascinating character and I was hoping to learn more about his earlier days and how he came to realize who he is. Tantalizingly, there are several asides he has in the novel, when speaking with Hytham, that hint towards this revelation (which was a big twist in the game so I don't want to out and out spoil it here).
But I didn't mind a book from Hytham's pov. He's an interesting character himself, and you don't really get to know much about him in the game. I actually went down a bit of a wiki rabbit-hole to learn more and refresh my memory about him and learned that he actually features quite a bit more in the other Valhalla tie-in novels as well, which I clearly will need to read now because I have a small crush on him after reading this book lol
More seriously, this was just a very, very good book and it felt a LOT like following your assassin through one of the games. There were lots of twists and turns (though not as many as you'd encounter in the games, which honestly made it feel more true to real life), fantastic action sequences, and a great mystery with plenty of red herrings to keep you on your toes, but not to the point of the antagonist reveals being out of left field.
It's just a super fun adventure story, set in a time and place I feel you don't often see in fiction (and it's also cool returning to Constantinople if you've played/read Assassin's Creed: Revelations, a game I personally quite liked). One of my favorite things about the Assassin's Creed series is that they put you in the middle of these well-known historical figures and events but from the pov of, basically, just another citizen. Hytham and Basim and their associates bleed and sweat and get dirty and thanks to Johnson's adept writing, you feel it. You smell the spice, sweat, and dust of Constantinople, and you feel the fear, pain, longing, and hope of its characters - it's just so vibrant.
I'm definitely reading the rest of the Valhalla tie-in novels, though I'll admit I am disappointed they're not also written by Jaleigh Johnson. If they're anywhere near as good The Golden City, then I have high hopes!
I would've rated this book five stars even if I weren't a fan of the Assassin's Creed games/world, because author Jaleigh Johnson does a phenomenal job at crafting an engaging, exciting story of action and intrigue.
This story follows Assassin's Creed: Valhalla side characters, Basim and Hytham, on an adventure from before they traveled to England and met Eivor (the viking protagonist of Valhalla). While I knew the both of them would feature in this book, I had expected Basim to have more a leading role but that actually went to Hytham. I was a bit upset at first as Basim is a fascinating character and I was hoping to learn more about his earlier days and how he came to realize who he is. Tantalizingly, there are several asides he has in the novel, when speaking with Hytham, that hint towards this revelation (which was a big twist in the game so I don't want to out and out spoil it here).
But I didn't mind a book from Hytham's pov. He's an interesting character himself, and you don't really get to know much about him in the game. I actually went down a bit of a wiki rabbit-hole to learn more and refresh my memory about him and learned that he actually features quite a bit more in the other Valhalla tie-in novels as well, which I clearly will need to read now because I have a small crush on him after reading this book lol
More seriously, this was just a very, very good book and it felt a LOT like following your assassin through one of the games. There were lots of twists and turns (though not as many as you'd encounter in the games, which honestly made it feel more true to real life), fantastic action sequences, and a great mystery with plenty of red herrings to keep you on your toes, but not to the point of the antagonist reveals being out of left field.
It's just a super fun adventure story, set in a time and place I feel you don't often see in fiction (and it's also cool returning to Constantinople if you've played/read Assassin's Creed: Revelations, a game I personally quite liked). One of my favorite things about the Assassin's Creed series is that they put you in the middle of these well-known historical figures and events but from the pov of, basically, just another citizen. Hytham and Basim and their associates bleed and sweat and get dirty and thanks to Johnson's adept writing, you feel it. You smell the spice, sweat, and dust of Constantinople, and you feel the fear, pain, longing, and hope of its characters - it's just so vibrant.
I'm definitely reading the rest of the Valhalla tie-in novels, though I'll admit I am disappointed they're not also written by Jaleigh Johnson. If they're anywhere near as good The Golden City, then I have high hopes!