Best Assassin’s Creed Novel

The Assassin’s Creed series is one of the most popular and recognizable gaming franchises of the last few decades, with 14 games spanning across more than two thousand years of history. In addition to the mainline games, there have also been various other multimedia projects ranging from comic books and board games to feature-length movies and novelizations.

The vast majority of the game’s books are written by Anton Gill (pen name Oliver Bowden) and tie-in with events and characters from the games. Each of the works expands greatly on the lore of the franchise and adds depth as well as explanations for many unsolved mysteries. While these are just the official tie-in works, there are also numerous other fan-fiction projects which take the series to locations such as China, Turkey and even Scotland.

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Assassin’s Creed Renaissance

Chronicles The Emergence of Ezio

As the first of the official Assassin’s Creed novelizations, Renaissance covers the events of Assassin’s Creed 2 such as Ezio’s emergence into notoriety following the unjust execution of his family members.

The story takes place primarily in Florence and Venice, and also features prominent figures of the time, including Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli. Much like the game, it is very action-packed and this is reflected by the fairly simplistic prose and structure.

9

Assassin’s Creed Underworld

A Different But Solid Entry In The Series

Set in 1862 London and tying in with Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Underworld follows Jayadeep Mir, also known as “The Ghost”, who serves as a mentor to Jacob and Evie Fry. Mir’s journey takes him through the underbelly of the city as he seeks to redeem himself after being disgraced by the Order of Assassins.

The book ties up many loose threads from the end of Syndicate‘s story and makes for an excellent follow-up to playing the game. Be aware, however, that reading Underworld is likely to spoil some major plot points in Syndicate.

8

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Traces The Timeline To Its Beginning

Set during the earliest time period of the Assassin’s Creed timeline, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey takes us back to Greece in 431 BC and follows the story of the mythical warrior Kassandra as she uncovers the mysteries that will kick off events that ring throughout history.

Unfortunately, the game has come under criticism for the way in which it completely omits the game’s male protagonist, Alexios, and portrays Kassandra as more of an arrogant and short-tempered character.

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Assassin’s Creed Origins Desert Oath

The Backstory of Bayek

Assassin’s Creed Origins: Desert Oath is a prequel to the events of Assassin’s Creed: Origins and tells the story of Bayek in Egypt as he sets off on a long journey in search of his father who has mysteriously left Siwa.

For any fans of the Ancient Egyptian setting, Desert Oath is a fantastic addition to the series and provides some valuable context for the events of Assassin’s Creed: Origins – a game which was somewhat light on deep and meaningful storytelling.

6

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

Ezio’s Dark Adventures In Rome

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood follows Ezio’s exploits in Rome as he seeks to liberate its citizens from the tyranny of the Borgia family. The book is one of the gorier and more action-packed in the series, which really conveys the sense of dread within the oppressive setting.

The story is neat and tightly written, following roughly the same events as the game. However, it does suffer slightly from a lack of polish and depth when compared to some later titles.

5

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

The Final Adventure in Ezio’s Story

Assassin’s Creed Revelations ties in directly with the narrative of the game it is named after and follows the story of an aging Ezio as he travels to Constantinople in search of Altair’s secret library.

What makes this book particularly interesting is the way it manages to weave together Ezio’s discoveries with flashbacks to events in Altair’s lifetime. The dual-narrative really helps to provide a greater understanding of the two characters and how they relate to each other across time.

4

Assassin’s Creed The Last Crusade

The Story of the Original Assassin

Assassin’s Creed: The Last Crusade tells the story of Altair, the first protagonist in the original Assassin’s Creed game, but largely from the perspective of Marco Polo’s father, Niccolo.

Of course, learning more about Altair is worthwhile in itself, but the unique narration also adds a great deal of depth to the story and gives it a sense of grandeur. The story combines events from the original game with new events from Altair’s life both before and after.

3

Assassin’s Creed Unity

Elise’s Side of the French Revolution

The Assassin’s Creed: Unity novel is largely based upon the events of the game, but told mostly from the perspective of Elise, Arno’s lover. It expands beyond this to include more elements of her upbringing and background.

In addition to being a great and immersive setting, Paris during the French Revolution also sees plenty of political intrigue and subterfuge which Elise’s family is at the center of. Arno also appears briefly, but very much takes on a secondary role.

2

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag

Edward Kenway’s Personal Journal

Much like the popular pirate-themed game, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag is an excellent tie-in novel which is presented in the form of Edward Kenway’s journal. In addition to getting a much deeper look into Edward’s mind and motivation, we also get to experience the turbulent Age of Sail through his eyes.

The writing style is among the best in the series and feels authentic in its presentation. It is particularly interesting to learn more about Edward’s life and upbringing, and we get to see much more of his life in England in the novel than we do in the game.

1

Assassin’s Creed Forsaken

The Story of Haytham Kenway

Assassin’s Creed Forsaken is largely considered the best of the Assassin’s Creed novels and for good reason. Following the story of Haytham Kenway, Edward’s father and one of Assassin’s Creed 3‘s central characters, it seamlessly connects several storylines together at the vital time of the American revolution.

Spanning from 1735-1783, it gives a comprehensive overview of the changes taking place on the American frontier, and adds plenty in the way of lore to the dynamic of assassins and templars.