Assassin's Creed: The Magus Conspiracy by Kate Heartfield

Assassin's Creed: The Magus Conspiracy (Assassin's Creed, #1)

by Kate Heartfield

The war between Assassins and Templars wreaks havoc in the Victorian era, in this breakneck thriller which opens up a whole new chapter of the Assassin’s Creed universe

London, 1851 — When Pierette, a daring acrobat performing at the Great Exhibition, rescues the mathematician Ada Lovelace from a gang of thugs, she becomes immersed in an ancient feud between Assassins and Templars. But Lovelace is gravely ill, and shares her secrets with Pierette, sending the acrobat in search of a terrible weapon – the Engine of History – which she’d been developing for a shadowy figure known as “the Magus”. Pierette’s only ally is Simeon Price, Lovelace’s childhood friend who belongs to a Brotherhood devoted to freedom. With Simeon’s aid, they uncover a startling web of political assassinations destabilizing Europe. As they race to foil the Templars’ deadly plot, murders and bombs are everywhere they look, but hope is nowhere in sight.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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Book Summary:

The war between the Assassins and the Templars has been tearing through history, destroying families and leaving nothing but havoc. The Victorian era is full of these tales, as evidenced by the many stories stemming from the famous video game franchise. And now, a novel.

The year is 1851, and Pierrette is about to do something to put her squarely in the center of this battle. She saves the life of Ada Lovelace, a famous mathematician. Only Ada is extremely ill and needs more help from Pierette if she hopes to complete her goals.

My Review:

So, I'm going to start this review with a touch of honesty: I've never played any Assassin's Creed games. I've never even watched anybody play them. However! I adore Kate Heartfield, so I wanted to take the risk and try The Magus Conspiracy because I couldn't resist. So when I say that this novel is perfect, even those that know nothing about the franchise understand the weight of that claim.

The Magus Conspiracy is set in an established world. Even so, Kate Heartfield took the time to help readers understand current events. This also gave us time to get to know the characters – and the stakes at play. It's an essential foundation for new readers, and I don't think too much for long-running fans.

This novel consists of two main perspectives: Pierrette (as mentioned in the summary) and Simeon. Both have drastically different views of the world, which helps to flesh out the situation quite nicely. I love how their story unfolded as such. However, I'll confess that Pierrette quickly became my favorite.

I would read more novels in the Assassin's Creed franchise, especially if they are anything like this! I'll admit that I took the risk mostly because of the author, but now I'm more invested than expected.

Highlights:
Tie-in novel
Assassin's Creed
Thriller
Video Game world
Multiple POV

Thanks to Aconyte and Podium for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Reviewed