Assassin’s Creed Last Descendants
Matthew J. Kirby
Cole wants to exonerate his dad of a crime, and he thinks the answer might be in his DNA. The Animus offered to him by the IT guy at school might give him access to his dad’s memory of the day. Unfortunately, instead Cole gets caught up with finding the Trident of Eden – and being hunted down by both Assassins and the Templars.
The novel’s characters didn’t fill out for me. I remember Sean’s name. That’s it. I had to recheck the blurb to remember the other characters, even the ‘main’ character, Cole.
This read really oddly to me. The story felt empty, with a plot that played out very simply. I can’t explain my feelings exactly, but for me, I think this novel was too opaque to work. As far as I can see, it is written for the very specific audience of people who have played the video game of this.
I don’t know how this fits into the Assassin’s Creed universe, but other reviewers have talked passionately enough about how epic the video games are, and how epically well this novel fits into the universe. I’d strongly advise checking out some other reviews on this one.
This is aimed at YA readers officially, but to me it was more of a teenage fiction novel. There just wasn’t enough depth in any of the characters, and the hints of romance and violence that would make it necessary to classify this as a YA novel were not big enough.
I’m certain this novel has a place somewhere, it’s just not with me. Maybe for fans of the game that don’t recognise reading as a valid past-time? I wouldn’t recommend it for a strong reader, it doesn’t have enough sustenance for them. I”m giving it 3 stars – well written, but just not compelling.
Scholastic | 1st September 2016 | AU $19.99 | Paperback
Sabriel has always been an established Abhorson in my eyes, but here we see Lirael grow into what she should be. When she returns to the Glacier where she grew up, it is obvious that there has been some serious character growth coming on. We get to see more of that in this novel too, as well as Sameth (who I hold a personal soft spot for) and Nick.
This novel lets its main character develop the way I would want, but could have left a bit more time for other characters to put their own 2 cents in. I would have liked to have more of everything, the world as it was many years before the rest of the series, and the state of society.
It was a bit convenient how there just happened to be 4 brilliant ‘munies that could be used to help design the maze. Then again, the whole thing was amazingly orchestrated by WICKED. Not having read The Scorch Trials, I didn’t know that there had been two communities in the mazes (male-only and female-only).
Austin thinks that smoking weed is a good idea. He smokes cigarettes, which basically makes him drop out as any sort of good character for a teenager to read. And he never turns up to things on time. And he is making out with every girl he can get his hands on. And yet, he’s not the cool kid or the jock. He’s just an idiot that I was irritated by the whole novel. Even his ‘true-ness’ to Josey is a fake.
I really liked the nifty symbols and I think the author had a lot of fun coming up with them. It likely took a bit of research on his behalf, and it shows nicely. I’m loving the Signmaker and I think lots of teenage readers are going to be able to get into this novel.
I found myself confused by the swaps in perspective between chapters, because I was most interested in Gwin’s story. As I continued reading, I realised why it was done this way, and it eventually all settled into place. If I hazard a guess, this seems to have been a plot driven story, but it was over too quickly even almost for me to form an opinion.
This is told in the style of a fairy tale, which I appreciated. The novel is bookended by short sections that tell us what happened when we aren’t looking from Feo’s perspective. There is a hint of Russian culture, although there could have been more of this. I honestly can say I’m interested in Russia and it has a unique environment that I like (maybe it’s the snow?).
I liked Henry’s self-awareness and his relationships with his friends. His friends are always willing to pick him up (unless they are also lying down) and there is a happy dynamic that makes the plot feel more real. Sure, the ‘Australian’ bloke is bloody caricaturish, but that’s pretty typical.
This is a more gritty version of