TheAssassin’s Creedseries 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 projectsranging from comic books and board gamesto 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 alsonumerous other fan-fiction projectswhich take the series to locations such as China, Turkey and even Scotland.
10Assassin’s Creed Renaissance
Chronicles The Emergence of Ezio
As the first of the officialAssassin’s Creednovelizations,Renaissancecovers the events ofAssassin’s Creed 2such 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, includingLeonardo 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.
9Assassin’s Creed Underworld
A Different But Solid Entry In The Series
Set in 1862 London and tying in withAssassin’s Creed Syndicate,Underworldfollows 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 ofSyndicate’s story and makes for an excellent follow-up to playing the game. Be aware, however, that readingUnderworldis likely to spoil some major plot points inSyndicate.
8Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Traces The Timeline To Its Beginning
Set during the earliest time period of theAssassin’s Creedtimeline,Assassin’s Creed Odysseytakes usback to Greece in 431 BCand 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.
7Assassin’s Creed Origins Desert Oath
The Backstory of Bayek
Assassin’s Creed Origins: Desert Oathis a prequel to the events ofAssassin’s Creed:Originsand 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 anyfans of the Ancient Egyptian setting,Desert Oathis a fantastic addition to the series and provides some valuable context for the events ofAssassin’s Creed: Origins -a game which was somewhat light on deep and meaningful storytelling.
6Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Ezio’s Dark Adventures In Rome
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhoodfollows 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 thesense 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.
5Assassin’s Creed Revelations
The Final Adventure in Ezio’s Story
Assassin’s Creed Revelationsties 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.
4Assassin’s Creed The Last Crusade
The Story of the Original Assassin
Assassin’s Creed: The Last Crusadetells the story of Altair, thefirst protagonist in the originalAssassin’s Creedgame, 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.
3Assassin’s Creed Unity
Elise’s Side of the French Revolution
TheAssassin’s Creed: Unitynovel 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 seesplenty of political intrigue and subterfugewhich Elise’s family is at the center of. Arno also appears briefly, but very much takes on a secondary role.
2Assassin’s Creed Black Flag
Edward Kenway’s Personal Journal
Much like the popular pirate-themed game,Assassin’s Creed: Black Flagis 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 toexperience the turbulent Age of Sailthrough 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.
1Assassin’s Creed Forsaken
The Story of Haytham Kenway
Assassin’s Creed Forsakenis largely considered the best of theAssassin’s Creednovels and for good reason. Following the story of Haytham Kenway, Edward’s father and one ofAssassin’s Creed 3’scentral characters, itseamlessly connects several storylines togetherat 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.
