booknotes_athina's review against another edition
4.0
Heresy is set in the universe of Assassin's Creed and through it we relive the memories of high-ranking Templar Simon Hathaway's ancestor who fought beside Joan of Arc. He slowly uncovers secrets of the past that could dangerously impact his present and that of the entire Templar order. An endless conflict. An old wrong. A new revelation.
Simon Hathaway, member of the Templar Inner Sanctum, brings a cool head and detached manner to his new role as Head of Abstergo Industry's Historical Research Division. But Simon also has an insatiable curiosity, and is fascinated by the thought of experiencing history first-hand through his ancestor Gabriel Laxart, who fought alongside the legendary Joan of Arc.
When he enters the newly-designed Animus for its initial project, Simon finds himself unprepared for what he discovers: how deep the conflict between the Templars and the Assassins goes, and what his ancestor is willing to do for the woman he loves. And as he slowly uncovers secrets of the past, Simon is confronted with the most dangerous truth of all:
Who is the heretic and who is the true believer?
I really enjoyed reading Heresy and from all the books that I have read in this universe this is a little bit different from the normal Assassin's Creed style. It is written in a different style and it combines the present day London and Abstergo with the past (when Joan of Arc lived).
The world building was good and it shows the medieval/renaissance world with authenticity and does set the scene really well. In terms of characters I liked the modern and historical characters. I really liked all the modern characters and found they really had a story of their own. The plot was well paced and had a lot of action. Lots of battle scenes as you would expect but also some good character development. There was also some surprises and shocks.
It may sound weird but in this book, I liked more the parts of the book that had to do with the present. Finally I liked the ending which was something I didn't expect.
Simon Hathaway, member of the Templar Inner Sanctum, brings a cool head and detached manner to his new role as Head of Abstergo Industry's Historical Research Division. But Simon also has an insatiable curiosity, and is fascinated by the thought of experiencing history first-hand through his ancestor Gabriel Laxart, who fought alongside the legendary Joan of Arc.
When he enters the newly-designed Animus for its initial project, Simon finds himself unprepared for what he discovers: how deep the conflict between the Templars and the Assassins goes, and what his ancestor is willing to do for the woman he loves. And as he slowly uncovers secrets of the past, Simon is confronted with the most dangerous truth of all:
Who is the heretic and who is the true believer?
I really enjoyed reading Heresy and from all the books that I have read in this universe this is a little bit different from the normal Assassin's Creed style. It is written in a different style and it combines the present day London and Abstergo with the past (when Joan of Arc lived).
The world building was good and it shows the medieval/renaissance world with authenticity and does set the scene really well. In terms of characters I liked the modern and historical characters. I really liked all the modern characters and found they really had a story of their own. The plot was well paced and had a lot of action. Lots of battle scenes as you would expect but also some good character development. There was also some surprises and shocks.
It may sound weird but in this book, I liked more the parts of the book that had to do with the present. Finally I liked the ending which was something I didn't expect.
mountainblue's review against another edition
1.0
[email protected] page 118
I've never read anything about Assassin's Creed, played the games or watched the movie but the official film tie-in book looked interesting and I was intrigued after reading the blurb.
I love books that have futuristic/thriller and mystery elements just as well as action packed books, and this book promised to deliver all of that. But it didn't live up to expectations.
The writing was bland, stark stripped of emotion even during tragic or emotionally charged moments. It made it difficult to get immersed or connect with the characters. The plot and timeline forces the reader to skim the surface of the story. As soon as you read an important scene or follow a particular side character's POV, the scene changes. Just when you are about to find out something important or meet the head of the secret society or a fight scene in 15th century Spain between the Assassins and the Templars...suddenly everything fades to black leaving the reader in a cliff-hanger without explanation.
Characters come out of nowhere, like the police/detective and the priest, and then quickly disappear without a rhyme or reason. And others are equally new and uninteresting since the author didn't explore their history, thoughts or emotions. I found it hard to care or engage with any of the characters. It was frustrating. Perhaps this book relies on prior knowledge of Assassin's Creed 'the game' to establish the plot, characters and history of the world it's based on.
The concept of the Assassin's Creed was intriguing but the writing style, plot and pacing made it difficult to enjoy. I think the Assassin's Creed works better as a game or a movie and I'll probably watch the movie just to see if it is better than the official film tie-in book.
This is my first DNF of 2018 and I'm okay with it. I've been inspired by another reader to stop reading books I'm not enjoying in the slightest after 100 pages. It's a great way to get a fair idea about a book and a good way to save my time and energy for another book I'm going to enjoy reading. This strategy might also keep the dreaded book slump to a minimum by getting rid of mind-numbing books.
I've never read anything about Assassin's Creed, played the games or watched the movie but the official film tie-in book looked interesting and I was intrigued after reading the blurb.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
I love books that have futuristic/thriller and mystery elements just as well as action packed books, and this book promised to deliver all of that. But it didn't live up to expectations.
The writing was bland, stark stripped of emotion even during tragic or emotionally charged moments. It made it difficult to get immersed or connect with the characters. The plot and timeline forces the reader to skim the surface of the story. As soon as you read an important scene or follow a particular side character's POV, the scene changes. Just when you are about to find out something important or meet the head of the secret society or a fight scene in 15th century Spain between the Assassins and the Templars...suddenly everything fades to black leaving the reader in a cliff-hanger without explanation.
Spoiler
For example, it's 1988 and teenager Callum Lynch gets home and sees his beloved mother's still-warm bloody corps and his dad holding the knife dripping with her blood. He's hit by shock, disbelieve and horror and before he can process any of it, his father tells him "your blood is not your own, Cal," before adding, "they found us." Dozens of black SUVs flood the streets and suddenly his dad tells him, "they want what's inside you, Cal. Live in the shadows...Go! Now!" and Cal quickly gets away without an idea of what just happened. Next scene it's 2018 and Cal is in prison about to be executed in the next moment by legal injection, on his birthday, for killing a pimp. But he doesn't die, instead some nefarious company/secret agency switches the lethal injection with something mimicking death and whisks him off to their secret layer to experiment on him without consent. All the time jumps and action is done with somewhat clinical detachment and very little explanation.Characters come out of nowhere, like the police/detective and the priest, and then quickly disappear without a rhyme or reason. And others are equally new and uninteresting since the author didn't explore their history, thoughts or emotions. I found it hard to care or engage with any of the characters. It was frustrating. Perhaps this book relies on prior knowledge of Assassin's Creed 'the game' to establish the plot, characters and history of the world it's based on.
The concept of the Assassin's Creed was intriguing but the writing style, plot and pacing made it difficult to enjoy. I think the Assassin's Creed works better as a game or a movie and I'll probably watch the movie just to see if it is better than the official film tie-in book.
This is my first DNF of 2018 and I'm okay with it. I've been inspired by another reader to stop reading books I'm not enjoying in the slightest after 100 pages. It's a great way to get a fair idea about a book and a good way to save my time and energy for another book I'm going to enjoy reading. This strategy might also keep the dreaded book slump to a minimum by getting rid of mind-numbing books.
elfeeza's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished reading this book. Whoa! 5 stars straight up. No doubt about it. The action, the lies, the twists, the stress! And the cliffhanger! I can't wait for the movie. Next Thursday is too far away. I hope we get to catch it on Wednesday evening. I NEED Cathay to play the movie on Wednesday evening!!! Excellent move @ubisoft with the planning, timing and author switch.
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