Me, a
huge fan of the Assassins Creed game series, is also a hug fan of the Assassins
Creed book series. What a coincidence! No, not really, haha. I can't remember
when I discovered the books, but I'm definitely sure that I did. Though there is
a little catch. Not all the books have been written according to the
chronological order from the games. This won't be a problem at all, I'll just
follow the games' order and I'll mention in what year the books have been
written. Easy peasy lemon squeezy (or something like that)!
Assassin's
Creed; The Secret Crusade
This
book was written in 2011 by Oliver Bowden. This is not the first book he's
written, but the story is about Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad who is the first Assassin
from the first game.
Right of
the bat I want to talk about the thing I find the most awesome about the books
Bowden has written about Assassins Creed. His books don't just follow the
stories of the games. It's not like you're reading the games' scripts. This
doesn't mean at all that it's not in line. Anyway! I should just start at the
beginning and then it will explain itself more and more with each book.
The
story begins with a short prologue. It doesn't tell the reader about who it is
or where it takes place, all you get to know is that there's an Assassin
involved.
Then
part one begins. At this point already there is a little explaining on how the
story is being told differently than just the writer following the game. You see,
the story officially takes place in the year 1257 in Masyaf. Here you get to
know that Niccolò Polo and his brother Maffeo are in Masyaf with Altaïr, who is
now mentor of the Assassins and nearing the end of his life. Niccolò was chosen
by Altaïr to be the recipient of his knowledge and so, the two of them have
spent a lot of time together. Niccolò has heard all of Altaïr's adventures and
has recorded them.
During
the most part of the story, you read how Niccolò tells his brother about
Altair's life and his adventures, occasionally switching to the present day in
which the two brothers have conversations.
And this is how it's different from the game. When you play the game,
you become Altaïr, who is the protagonist of the game. And anyone who has
played the game knows that the storyline of the game isn't very developed.
There aren't really cut scenes in the games actually. You're set off to regain honour
and so you are supposed to assassinate nine targets. To do so, you have to
gather information about each target and all, so there are some conversations
between Altaïr and Malik, to who you're reporting. Though in the book it's been
displayed as more of an actual story, since Niccolò is in fact telling it!
As I
mentioned before, I love how the story is depicted in a different way the game
is. But it is following the game's story quite well. If you were to compare the
book and the game, you'll find that the dialogues, the setting, the weaponry being used, and even
the combat styles are the same. This way there's barely a chance any reader
would say 'this isn't how it was in the game!'.
To be honest,
I feel obligated to share something that I think could be important. It may be
a little unnecessary, since this book is about Assassins who assassinate, but
the book does contain quite some violence. I have to admit that it's been a
long time since I've read this book and I might be getting a few stories mixed
up, but the fighting scenes can be quite detailed. But! It's not all gory, not
at all, but when an arm gets cut off you're sure to read about it!
Would I
recommend this book? Absolutely! Not only those who know or have played the
games can enjoy the story. I do think someone who does, will be more excited,
especially if you liked the games. But it's not necessary at all. This book can
be read just like any other book. There is no need for you to have certain
knowledge before you start reading. I do admit that knowing the games gives you
more of a visual idea of what's going on. It makes it easier for you to see the
scenes in your head while you're reading. But maybe it can be even more fun to
makes your own pictures! So again; I would definitely recommend this book to
anyone who's into this genre. If you like history mixed in with fantasy and
sometimes a little mystery, it's perfect for you... in my opinion =)
Luckily
for us, this book is easily available for all of us. A few websites I can
recommend are bol.com, Waterstones, and more global, amazon.
To be
continued...
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