Renaissance

Assassin's Creed, Book 1

By: Oliver Bowden

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, Ezio Auditore embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honor, he will learn the art of the Assassins.

Along the way, Ezio will call upon the wisdom of such great minds as Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli, knowing that survival is bound to the skills by which he must live. To his allies, he will become a force for change in his fight for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat dedicated to the destruction of the tyrants abusing the people of Italy. So begins an epic story of power, revenge, and conspiracy.

©2010 Ubisoft Entertainment (P)2012 Tantor

Great story, Great Narration.

Would you consider the audio edition of Renaissance to be better than the print version?

I don't own printed books.

What other book might you compare Renaissance to and why?

Sadly, I can't think of anything. Which is good. I think of this as unique in a way.

Which character – as performed by Gildart Jackson – was your favorite?

All of them are excellent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Anxious. Ode to no more credits!

Any additional comments?

This is a great adventure. The book is longer than I'm used too but the action is constant and driven. The action is always leading to something greater. The author thankfully drops all illusion of grandeur and moves from place to place with pertinent descriptions only. This is actually fantastic to me, I grow tired of authors who describe surroundings and laundry lists that bare no meaning to the characters overall actions or results. Overall thoughts are described in actions not long winded monologues. Fantastic!

The narrator is brilliant! I enjoyed all of his representations of characters and his ability to pronounce proper Italian names and places (granted I am not Italian and have never been to Italy) but his talent helped with the immersion process. I thoroughly enjoyed his work and will buy the other books in this series partly due to him.

The only negative I found and this could be nitpicking, is the mass of Italian places and random Italian words used in place of English. I only had one year of Italian in college and it didn't always help here. Also, there are so many places involved they should hand you a map of old Italy when you buy this book.

This was originally a video game. Excellent. Since I am blind I do not have the ability to enjoy it as such. However, this is a fantastic adventure story on it's own and I highly recommend it! I only wish they would make more books out of video game story lines, it beats listening to my friends playing them. Maybe they'lll do Bioshock next!

Alternate History, Machiavellian Plots, & SciFi??

Where does Renaissance rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Having ready a good number of books, this ranks fairly well. This tale is set against the rich history of the era of the Italian Merchant Princes, and if the story alone was simply historic, you'd walk away wanting to read more. It was an era of unobstructed larceny coupled with a sudden flood of wealth to fuel even the darkest ambitions. Family politics (Think mafia), clandestine societies, cults, and plans within plans within plans were the norm of this fantastic period in history. Now, couple this with a fantastic scifi premise, along with ancient artifacts, and you have a GREAT story. Of course, this is a series of books taken from the "Assassin's Creed" series, and there's always a concern about whether or not the plot, writing, substance, and flow is worthy of any good listener's (or reader's) time. Rest easy, this one is, and you'll be glad you've read it. I will NOT give the plot's detail away in this review, nor character studies, NOR key turing points in the story. That being said, I WILL definitely tell you that the assassin's guild concept is based on history, and bringing it to life is no casual thing. No it's not as deep as the DUNE novels (I love them, but let's save that kind of deep thinking right now for solving world peace.), but machiavellian plans within plans are this society's "cup of tea," and the author will thrust you into into this dark, foreboding, fascinating era with no regrets.

What other book might you compare Renaissance to and why?

This doesn't compare to many sci-fi or historical books, as it actually fits into an ALTERNATE REALITY genre. I'd compare not the style, but the scope, to Newt Gingrich's Gettysberg series, where the South eventual won the Civil War, but with more emotion and definitely more machiavellian in-fighting. Also, if you like Harry Turtledove's writings, his work may be a more apt comparison, but you'll decide this, once you've read the first audiobook in the series.

What three words best describe Gildart Jackson’s voice?

Jackson' s narrations are, by the way, quite enjoyable, and set the stage for the era. The dialects used seem extremely genuine, as I have a GOOD number of Italians and Sicilians on my wife's side of the family.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were too many excellent moments in this audiobook to focus on, without giving away key points to the story. That cripples a review, but so be it. I WILL say that it has the depth and emotional content expected of a good listen/read, and you'll walk away ready to move on to the next audiobook in the series.

Any additional comments?

Audiobook listeners, just like book readers, are both varied in opinion, yet passionate for a good listen/read that will hold their attention, leave them wanting more, and cause friendly but heated arguments around a dinner table. Well, this is one of those reads. If you like rich history, dramatic depth, a superb plot, and a scifi twist thrown in to move the story even further down the road, stop reading my review, and get this audiobook. Enjoy!

Great story, Great Narration.

Would you consider the audio edition of Renaissance to be better than the print version?

I don't own printed books.

What other book might you compare Renaissance to and why?

Sadly, I can't think of anything. Which is good. I think of this as unique in a way.

Which character ??? as performed by Gildart Jackson ??? was your favorite?

All of them are excellent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Anxious. Ode to no more credits!

Any additional comments?

This is a great adventure. The book is longer than I'm used too but the action is constant and driven. The action is always leading to something greater. The author thankfully drops all illusion of grandeur and moves from place to place with pertinent descriptions only. This is actually fantastic to me, I grow tired of authors who describe surroundings and laundry lists that bare no meaning to the characters overall actions or results. Overall thoughts are described in actions not long winded monologues. Fantastic!

The narrator is brilliant! I enjoyed all of his representations of characters and his ability to pronounce proper Italian names and places (granted I am not Italian and have never been to Italy) but his talent helped with the immersion process. I thoroughly enjoyed his work and will buy the other books in this series partly due to him.

The only negative I found and this could be nitpicking, is the mass of Italian places and random Italian words used in place of English. I only had one year of Italian in college and it didn't always help here. Also, there are so many places involved they should hand you a map of old Italy when you buy this book.

This was originally a video game. Excellent. Since I am blind I do not have the ability to enjoy it as such. However, this is a fantastic adventure story on it's own and I highly recommend it! I only wish they would make more books out of video game story lines, it beats listening to my friends playing them. Maybe they'lll do Bioshock next!

Hope this doesn't develop into a popular trend

Would you try another book from Oliver Bowden and/or Gildart Jackson?

Nope. They appear to have no actual talent for writing. They should do very well writing dialogue for future video games though.

Any additional comments?

I was interested in seeing how a book might build on the world created by a video game. It didn't, it just recapitulated the video game. SPOILER ALERT! Save yourself 14 hours. Ezio needs to go to a certain place and kill a particular guy...Ezio goes to a particular place and kills a particular guy...repeat.
Buy the game and play the game. The book is more predictable and the game more fun.

Ac renaissance

It’s a good book,and almost exactly mirrors the game and adds in info the game leaves out.

Meh

Couldn't finish. It was somehow very boring. Couldn't get into the flow, perhaps from the reader or perhaps because the story starts off really flat.

Makes me want to play the games again

The game captured my imagination nearly a decade ago and it was nice to be transported back to it. I just wish I had the time to play the series all over again but this is a close substitute I can listen to on my commute.

Twice the listen......much to enjoy!

Would you consider the audio edition of Renaissance to be better than the print version?

Unexpected delight of entertainment,the story, the voice the overall was just too cool!

What did you like best about this story?

It was so clear to imagine and I did! So glad there are more to this series...

Which scene was your favorite?

The quickness and precision of the acts of defending and violence of the Assassins.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked the description of the weapons, their precision of use and the agility and quickness of the need to act and kill!

Any additional comments?

Too many to count....

12 year old loved it; Mom not so much

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I found the story trite and boring. Certainly there is a lot of potential in the Italian Renaissance setting that wasn't realized. My 12 year old son loved it, but he plays the game -- he must be the target audience, since I certainly wasn't!

Has Renaissance turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes, if the genre is novelizations of video games. On the other hand, I will continue to read historical fiction/mysteries which is I believe how Audible has this characterized.

Have you listened to any of Gildart Jackson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I was not aware of this narrator before and he was fantastic. His performance was the only thing that enabled me to tolerate this. And my son's enjoyment of his performance has inspired him to sign up for Italian lessons! I hope to hear Jackson narrate something I like better.

Do you think Renaissance needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not for me!

Any additional comments?

This is a somewhat bizarre title. It seems to have much appeal for my 12 year old and his peers, though there is a fair amount of borderline inappropriate content (other families would probably say *completely* inappropriate!). I'm not so bothered by that when I perceive works to have other good qualities, but it is hard for me to see much artistic merit here. From an adult perspective, there are a lot of other, better books out there.

12+ hours you'll never get back

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If this story weren't written like a 12yo boy's wet dream, it might have been tolerable. Should've known better than to try a book based on a video game. Shame on me.

Would you ever listen to anything by Oliver Bowden again?

Never ever ever.

Which scene was your favorite?

The last sentence of the book.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Gildart Jackson was outstanding. He read with passion and and verve despite the tiresome storyline, the repetitive analogies, and the cumbersome Italian phrases. He should be applauded.

Any additional comments?

I thought this book would be great for my son, who likes the video game. I figured there would be bloodshed, killing, cursing and sexual undertones, and I didn't expect much for a storyline. Nonetheless, I thought he might enjoy it. But with the complicated Italian character names, the lengthy descriptions of places with weird-sounding Italian names, the smattering of Italian phrases, and the 15th-century references, you really can't expect a teenager to stay engrossed. Yet with the ridiculous storyline, the predictability of events (indeed the very phrases, since they're so overused!) and the lack of any plausible conflict for the protagonist (every encounter goes swimmingly), makes this unbearable for anyone older. So....to what demographic is the author writing, exactly?