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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Just like Assassin’s Creed Renaissance, Brotherhood was a book I didn’t want to put down. It picks up right where we left off with Ezio Auditore’s story and, much like the first novel, it sticks closely to the game’s narrative while offering fresh details and deeper insight into the characters and world. The subtle changes from the game and the added context make this novel a must-read for fans of the franchise.
One of the things that stood out to me is how much better we get to explore Ezio’s thoughts in the novel. The game, while fantastic, doesn’t always dive deeply into the characters' emotions and internal struggles, but this book gives us a look inside Ezio’s mind that wasn’t as clear in the game. It makes his motivations and relationships even more meaningful, and as a reader, you feel more connected to his journey.
The characters in Brotherhood are very similar to those from the first novel, but we also get the introduction of two pivotal figures: Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, the children of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia). Their dynamic is as toxic and twisted as it is in the game, and the fact that they were real historical figures adds another layer of intrigue to the story. Cesare, in particular, is a villain you just love to hate. His ruthlessness and ambition make him a compelling antagonist, and the novel does an excellent job of bringing that to life, even more so than the game.
The novel also brings us to Rome, one of the most iconic cities in the Assassin’s Creed series. Having visited Rome in real life just a year and a half ago, reading this book was even cooler for me. I had already experienced the city through the game, but being able to picture its streets and landmarks from my own visit added a whole new level of immersion to the story. The book makes the ancient city feel alive with history and intrigue, and being able to recognize places I’ve walked through personally gave me an extra appreciation for how well the setting is portrayed.
Like the first novel, Brotherhood is very similar to the game, but one thing the book does better is give you a clearer understanding of the passage of time. In the game, travel between cities or across Rome feels fast, but in the novel, you can sense the long stretches of time and the physical distances Ezio covers, which makes his journey feel more realistic. This was especially noticeable when Ezio travels through Rome, where in the game, it might take a few minutes on horseback, but in the book, it feels like a much more drawn-out journey. The book also provides the correct chronological order for some of the missions, where the game gives you more flexibility in choosing which mission to do first.
The book is divided into four parts: the prologue, which wraps up the last events of Renaissance, and three main parts. Parts 1 and 3 follow the game closely, but Part 2 is where things get especially interesting. It takes place during a period that the game skips over entirely, namely after Cesare Borgia is captured by Fabio Orsini and before Ezio catches up with him years later in Navarre. This section, which is almost 100 pages long, is entirely new content that wasn’t in the game, and it makes the novel even more exciting for fans who’ve already played Brotherhood.
In Part 2, Ezio, along with Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, embarks on a search through Italy and Spain to track down Cesare. This part adds a lot more context to Ezio’s mission and highlights how difficult it was to capture Cesare. It’s a shame the game didn’t include this, as it would’ve been an awesome sequence to play through. You also get to learn more about Ezio’s relationships with key characters during these lost years, and we get some fascinating details about why Ezio hides the Apple of Eden in the Colosseum vault, an Isu temple beneath the Church of San Nicola in Carcere in Rome, including who advised him to do it and for what purpose. There’s also an interesting interaction with Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere), Rodrigo Borgia’s successor, that sheds more light on the political intrigue of the era. So to conclude, Part 2, for me, was the most refreshing and compelling part of the book. It makes up about 20% of the novel, and it adds a lot of new content that fills in the gaps left by the game. For anyone who’s already played Brotherhood, this part is a great reason to read the novel, as it gives you new insight into the story and characters.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is one of the best entries in the game series, and this novel is just as worthy of that title. It expands on the game’s story in a meaningful way, especially with the added sections and a deeper look at the characters. It was a blast to read, and now I’m ready to finish Ezio’s story with Assassin’s Creed Revelations. I’m curious to see what that novel will add to the game’s story.
For anyone who enjoyed Renaissance or is a fan of the series, I highly recommend this book. It picks up right where the first one left off and completes Ezio’s epic struggle against the Templars and the Borgias in Italy. If you love the games, you’ll love this book!
One of the things that stood out to me is how much better we get to explore Ezio’s thoughts in the novel. The game, while fantastic, doesn’t always dive deeply into the characters' emotions and internal struggles, but this book gives us a look inside Ezio’s mind that wasn’t as clear in the game. It makes his motivations and relationships even more meaningful, and as a reader, you feel more connected to his journey.
The characters in Brotherhood are very similar to those from the first novel, but we also get the introduction of two pivotal figures: Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, the children of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia). Their dynamic is as toxic and twisted as it is in the game, and the fact that they were real historical figures adds another layer of intrigue to the story. Cesare, in particular, is a villain you just love to hate. His ruthlessness and ambition make him a compelling antagonist, and the novel does an excellent job of bringing that to life, even more so than the game.
The novel also brings us to Rome, one of the most iconic cities in the Assassin’s Creed series. Having visited Rome in real life just a year and a half ago, reading this book was even cooler for me. I had already experienced the city through the game, but being able to picture its streets and landmarks from my own visit added a whole new level of immersion to the story. The book makes the ancient city feel alive with history and intrigue, and being able to recognize places I’ve walked through personally gave me an extra appreciation for how well the setting is portrayed.
Like the first novel, Brotherhood is very similar to the game, but one thing the book does better is give you a clearer understanding of the passage of time. In the game, travel between cities or across Rome feels fast, but in the novel, you can sense the long stretches of time and the physical distances Ezio covers, which makes his journey feel more realistic. This was especially noticeable when Ezio travels through Rome, where in the game, it might take a few minutes on horseback, but in the book, it feels like a much more drawn-out journey. The book also provides the correct chronological order for some of the missions, where the game gives you more flexibility in choosing which mission to do first.
The book is divided into four parts: the prologue, which wraps up the last events of Renaissance, and three main parts. Parts 1 and 3 follow the game closely, but Part 2 is where things get especially interesting. It takes place during a period that the game skips over entirely, namely after Cesare Borgia is captured by Fabio Orsini and before Ezio catches up with him years later in Navarre. This section, which is almost 100 pages long, is entirely new content that wasn’t in the game, and it makes the novel even more exciting for fans who’ve already played Brotherhood.
In Part 2, Ezio, along with Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, embarks on a search through Italy and Spain to track down Cesare. This part adds a lot more context to Ezio’s mission and highlights how difficult it was to capture Cesare. It’s a shame the game didn’t include this, as it would’ve been an awesome sequence to play through. You also get to learn more about Ezio’s relationships with key characters during these lost years, and we get some fascinating details about why Ezio hides the Apple of Eden in the Colosseum vault, an Isu temple beneath the Church of San Nicola in Carcere in Rome, including who advised him to do it and for what purpose. There’s also an interesting interaction with Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere), Rodrigo Borgia’s successor, that sheds more light on the political intrigue of the era. So to conclude, Part 2, for me, was the most refreshing and compelling part of the book. It makes up about 20% of the novel, and it adds a lot of new content that fills in the gaps left by the game. For anyone who’s already played Brotherhood, this part is a great reason to read the novel, as it gives you new insight into the story and characters.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is one of the best entries in the game series, and this novel is just as worthy of that title. It expands on the game’s story in a meaningful way, especially with the added sections and a deeper look at the characters. It was a blast to read, and now I’m ready to finish Ezio’s story with Assassin’s Creed Revelations. I’m curious to see what that novel will add to the game’s story.
For anyone who enjoyed Renaissance or is a fan of the series, I highly recommend this book. It picks up right where the first one left off and completes Ezio’s epic struggle against the Templars and the Borgias in Italy. If you love the games, you’ll love this book!
Liked this one a bit more than the first one. It's still very much a video game book and follows the events of the game pretty closely, but I like the game and I think it's interesting how he converts the video game logic into actions that make sense in a 'real world' scenario. Also this one had quite a bit of stuff at the end that takes place after the end of the game [and before the beginning of Revelations] so it was interesting to get some new content and more of a wrap up on the Borgia aspect of the story. Overall these books are pretty fun and also very easy to listen to on audio.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
it was good, as I was reading it I was drawn into reading more but when I put it down I thought nothing more of it.
very choppy like Renaissance, jumped from instance to instance and didn't seem to have a nice flow.
Not sure if it's Oliver Bowdens style or just because it's a novel based on a video game.
very choppy like Renaissance, jumped from instance to instance and didn't seem to have a nice flow.
Not sure if it's Oliver Bowdens style or just because it's a novel based on a video game.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s okay but each of these books are sounding so repetitive. This is my last one.
Much weaker than the first book. For an installment titled Brotherhood, it's certainly ironic that Ezio spends the first half of its being a petty asshole towards most of his Assassin associates. I don't know how much of it was in the game and how much Bowden's own invention, but parts were hard to listen to for the cringe. It certainly didn't make Ezio seem worthy of leadership, unless you count leading in pissing contests.
The plot, sadly, wasn't much better. The first part of the book, which takes some 75% of it, was fine if uninspired. The later two (yes, two) read like short summaries, but were terribly repetitive. How many healthbars did Cesare have in that game? It went on and on and on.
If not for Gildard Jackson doing a great job with the narration, I may have DNFed. As is, I'll probably read the Secret Crusade at least, maybe even give Ezio one more chance in Revelations.
The plot, sadly, wasn't much better. The first part of the book, which takes some 75% of it, was fine if uninspired. The later two (yes, two) read like short summaries, but were terribly repetitive. How many healthbars did Cesare have in that game? It went on and on and on.
If not for Gildard Jackson doing a great job with the narration, I may have DNFed. As is, I'll probably read the Secret Crusade at least, maybe even give Ezio one more chance in Revelations.
BookClub: Me, Myself & I *
Month: January, 2022
Theme: Read an Assassin's Creed Book
* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.
This is the second book in the Ezio’s story and second book in the overall story of the Assassin’s Creed series (although, if you follow the order of the games, it is technically the third).
DISCLAIMER: this might contain spoilers for the first book in the series, [b:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance|7205214|Renaissance (Assassin's Creed, #1)|Oliver Bowden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394133397l/7205214._SY75_.jpg|7921323].
Synopsis:
The story continues following Ezio, this time mostly in Rome. After acquiring the Apple of Eden, Ezio returns to Monteriggioni, his uncle’s villa, to relax after years of seeking revenge against the Borgia. However, the villa is attacked and his family is again threatened. After the attack and all the losses it cost him, Ezio knows he made a mistake about letting César escape. Therefore, Ezio goes to Rome again where he has to continuously frustrate the plans of the Borgia while saving Italy and the world of the Templars. All while dealing with his own personal issues, the division and lack of leadership inside the Brotherhood.
Review:
Reading an Assassin’s Creed book is always a different experience than playing the games. While the game has much more focus on the development of the main story, much more intrigue in the political and social aspects while focusing in the fiction part of the story, the books are much more in touch with the human emotions of each character, including the villains and antagonists.
It was particularly interesting, and heartbreaking, to see how Ezio dealt with another romantic heartbreak, and how it affected him much greater than in the video game in which, I recall, there was barely anything in it. The demonstration of human emotions and, thus, human error provides the reader a much stronger connection, not only with Ezio himself but with the side characters as well, such as Leonardo, Claudia, Machiavelli and La Volpe.
The story itself is essentially the same that one plays in the game, minus the modern time storyline. The story itself keeps you grounded and it is very interesting, however it can be dragging sometimes as the main story takes a step back in order for the side stories to have their time to shine, even though the side stories do help the main story to develop.
The book is much more explicit in the sense that there is a lot more detailed gore and a lot of mention of sexual assault. There are two particular moments where the author does get into deep detail about it, without being disrespectful – it is simply a detailed description of what is happening. However, it can be triggering for some people.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed is Assassin’s Creed and it will always have a special place in my heart. Reading the books doesn’t add almost anything in terms of main story, but it does add a much greater detail on human emotion and human error; it gives humanity to the story that the video games sometimes might be lacking (not a critique, just an observation).
Reviews of books from the 2022 ‘Me, Myself & I’ bookclub:
✨ The Song of Achilles
✨ All Rhodes Lead Here
✨ Caraval
✨ Daughter Of The Deep
✨ After The Kiss
✨ Ninth House
✨ The Lies of Locke Lamora
✨ Belladonna
✨ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
✨ Clockwork Boys
✨ How To Train Your Dragon
Merged review:
BookClub: Me, Myself & I *
Month: January, 2022
Theme: Read an Assassin's Creed Book
* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.
This is the second book in the Ezio’s story and second book in the overall story of the Assassin’s Creed series (although, if you follow the order of the games, it is technically the third).
DISCLAIMER: this might contain spoilers for the first book in the series, [b:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance|7205214|Renaissance (Assassin's Creed, #1)|Oliver Bowden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394133397l/7205214._SY75_.jpg|7921323].
Synopsis:
The story continues following Ezio, this time mostly in Rome. After acquiring the Apple of Eden, Ezio returns to Monteriggioni, his uncle’s villa, to relax after years of seeking revenge against the Borgia. However, the villa is attacked and his family is again threatened. After the attack and all the losses it cost him, Ezio knows he made a mistake about letting César escape. Therefore, Ezio goes to Rome again where he has to continuously frustrate the plans of the Borgia while saving Italy and the world of the Templars. All while dealing with his own personal issues, the division and lack of leadership inside the Brotherhood.
Review:
Reading an Assassin’s Creed book is always a different experience than playing the games. While the game has much more focus on the development of the main story, much more intrigue in the political and social aspects while focusing in the fiction part of the story, the books are much more in touch with the human emotions of each character, including the villains and antagonists.
It was particularly interesting, and heartbreaking, to see how Ezio dealt with another romantic heartbreak, and how it affected him much greater than in the video game in which, I recall, there was barely anything in it. The demonstration of human emotions and, thus, human error provides the reader a much stronger connection, not only with Ezio himself but with the side characters as well, such as Leonardo, Claudia, Machiavelli and La Volpe.
The story itself is essentially the same that one plays in the game, minus the modern time storyline. The story itself keeps you grounded and it is very interesting, however it can be dragging sometimes as the main story takes a step back in order for the side stories to have their time to shine, even though the side stories do help the main story to develop.
The book is much more explicit in the sense that there is a lot more detailed gore and a lot of mention of sexual assault. There are two particular moments where the author does get into deep detail about it, without being disrespectful – it is simply a detailed description of what is happening. However, it can be triggering for some people.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed is Assassin’s Creed and it will always have a special place in my heart. Reading the books doesn’t add almost anything in terms of main story, but it does add a much greater detail on human emotion and human error; it gives humanity to the story that the video games sometimes might be lacking (not a critique, just an observation).
Reviews of books from the 2022 ‘Me, Myself & I’ bookclub:
✨ The Song of Achilles
✨ All Rhodes Lead Here
✨ Caraval
✨ Daughter Of The Deep
✨ After The Kiss
✨ Ninth House
✨ The Lies of Locke Lamora
✨ Belladonna
✨ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
✨ Clockwork Boys
✨ How To Train Your Dragon
Month: January, 2022
Theme: Read an Assassin's Creed Book
* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.
This is the second book in the Ezio’s story and second book in the overall story of the Assassin’s Creed series (although, if you follow the order of the games, it is technically the third).
DISCLAIMER: this might contain spoilers for the first book in the series, [b:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance|7205214|Renaissance (Assassin's Creed, #1)|Oliver Bowden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394133397l/7205214._SY75_.jpg|7921323].
Synopsis:
The story continues following Ezio, this time mostly in Rome. After acquiring the Apple of Eden, Ezio returns to Monteriggioni, his uncle’s villa, to relax after years of seeking revenge against the Borgia. However, the villa is attacked and his family is again threatened. After the attack and all the losses it cost him, Ezio knows he made a mistake about letting César escape. Therefore, Ezio goes to Rome again where he has to continuously frustrate the plans of the Borgia while saving Italy and the world of the Templars. All while dealing with his own personal issues, the division and lack of leadership inside the Brotherhood.
Review:
Reading an Assassin’s Creed book is always a different experience than playing the games. While the game has much more focus on the development of the main story, much more intrigue in the political and social aspects while focusing in the fiction part of the story, the books are much more in touch with the human emotions of each character, including the villains and antagonists.
It was particularly interesting, and heartbreaking, to see how Ezio dealt with another romantic heartbreak, and how it affected him much greater than in the video game in which, I recall, there was barely anything in it. The demonstration of human emotions and, thus, human error provides the reader a much stronger connection, not only with Ezio himself but with the side characters as well, such as Leonardo, Claudia, Machiavelli and La Volpe.
The story itself is essentially the same that one plays in the game, minus the modern time storyline. The story itself keeps you grounded and it is very interesting, however it can be dragging sometimes as the main story takes a step back in order for the side stories to have their time to shine, even though the side stories do help the main story to develop.
The book is much more explicit in the sense that there is a lot more detailed gore and a lot of mention of sexual assault. There are two particular moments where the author does get into deep detail about it, without being disrespectful – it is simply a detailed description of what is happening. However, it can be triggering for some people.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed is Assassin’s Creed and it will always have a special place in my heart. Reading the books doesn’t add almost anything in terms of main story, but it does add a much greater detail on human emotion and human error; it gives humanity to the story that the video games sometimes might be lacking (not a critique, just an observation).
Reviews of books from the 2022 ‘Me, Myself & I’ bookclub:
✨ The Song of Achilles
✨ All Rhodes Lead Here
✨ Caraval
✨ Daughter Of The Deep
✨ After The Kiss
✨ Ninth House
✨ The Lies of Locke Lamora
✨ Belladonna
✨ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
✨ Clockwork Boys
✨ How To Train Your Dragon
Merged review:
BookClub: Me, Myself & I *
Month: January, 2022
Theme: Read an Assassin's Creed Book
* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.
This is the second book in the Ezio’s story and second book in the overall story of the Assassin’s Creed series (although, if you follow the order of the games, it is technically the third).
DISCLAIMER: this might contain spoilers for the first book in the series, [b:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance|7205214|Renaissance (Assassin's Creed, #1)|Oliver Bowden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394133397l/7205214._SY75_.jpg|7921323].
Synopsis:
The story continues following Ezio, this time mostly in Rome. After acquiring the Apple of Eden, Ezio returns to Monteriggioni, his uncle’s villa, to relax after years of seeking revenge against the Borgia. However, the villa is attacked and his family is again threatened. After the attack and all the losses it cost him, Ezio knows he made a mistake about letting César escape. Therefore, Ezio goes to Rome again where he has to continuously frustrate the plans of the Borgia while saving Italy and the world of the Templars. All while dealing with his own personal issues, the division and lack of leadership inside the Brotherhood.
Review:
Reading an Assassin’s Creed book is always a different experience than playing the games. While the game has much more focus on the development of the main story, much more intrigue in the political and social aspects while focusing in the fiction part of the story, the books are much more in touch with the human emotions of each character, including the villains and antagonists.
It was particularly interesting, and heartbreaking, to see how Ezio dealt with another romantic heartbreak, and how it affected him much greater than in the video game in which, I recall, there was barely anything in it. The demonstration of human emotions and, thus, human error provides the reader a much stronger connection, not only with Ezio himself but with the side characters as well, such as Leonardo, Claudia, Machiavelli and La Volpe.
The story itself is essentially the same that one plays in the game, minus the modern time storyline. The story itself keeps you grounded and it is very interesting, however it can be dragging sometimes as the main story takes a step back in order for the side stories to have their time to shine, even though the side stories do help the main story to develop.
The book is much more explicit in the sense that there is a lot more detailed gore and a lot of mention of sexual assault. There are two particular moments where the author does get into deep detail about it, without being disrespectful – it is simply a detailed description of what is happening. However, it can be triggering for some people.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed is Assassin’s Creed and it will always have a special place in my heart. Reading the books doesn’t add almost anything in terms of main story, but it does add a much greater detail on human emotion and human error; it gives humanity to the story that the video games sometimes might be lacking (not a critique, just an observation).
Reviews of books from the 2022 ‘Me, Myself & I’ bookclub:
✨ The Song of Achilles
✨ All Rhodes Lead Here
✨ Caraval
✨ Daughter Of The Deep
✨ After The Kiss
✨ Ninth House
✨ The Lies of Locke Lamora
✨ Belladonna
✨ The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
✨ Clockwork Boys
✨ How To Train Your Dragon
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot