I will seek Vengeance upon those who betrayed my family. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I am an Assassin...' Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honour, 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 Niccolo Machiavelli - knowing that survival is bound to the skills by which he must live. To his allies, he will become a force for change - fighting 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. Truth will be written in blood.
奥利弗·波登，英国科幻奇幻小说作家，曾创作过多部畅销作品。著名游戏公司“育碧”旗下的“刺客信条”游戏系列官方小说均由波登创作。
- 本书基于《刺客信条》游戏改编，讲述埃齐奥·奥迪托雷在家族遭背叛后，投身刺客组织，在文艺复兴时期的意大利展开复仇与正义之战。书中重现了游戏核心剧情，展现主角从复仇少年成长为刺客大师的过程，涉及佛罗伦萨、罗马等地的历史背景与阴谋斗争。
- 故事深度融入历史人物与事件，如莱昂纳多·达·芬奇、马基雅维利等真实历史人物作为盟友或背景出现，探讨自由意志、反抗暴政等主题。书中强调“万物皆虚，万事皆允”的刺客信条精神，以及个人选择对历史进程的影响，具有强烈的反乌托邦色彩。
- 作为游戏衍生小说，本书忠实还原游戏情节，但文学性较弱。部分读者指出其逻辑漏洞、人物塑造单薄及翻译腔严重，缺乏深度心理描写。尽管存在争议，仍为粉丝提供沉浸式体验，满足对游戏世界观延伸的需求，但不建议作为独立文学作品阅读。
- 《刺客信条》系列游戏玩家，尤其是熟悉埃齐奥三部曲剧情的粉丝。本书可作为游戏剧情的文字补充，帮助玩家重温经典桥段，但需注意其与游戏在细节上的差异。不适合未接触该IP的读者，因缺乏背景知识将难以理解复杂的人物关系与组织设定。
- 对文艺复兴时期意大利历史、刺客与圣殿骑士组织设定感兴趣的读者。书中涉及大量历史人物与事件，虽为虚构演绎，但可激发对真实历史的兴趣。然而，若期待严谨历史叙述或高质量文学创作，可能会失望，因其本质为娱乐性衍生作品。
- 英语初学者或希望练习阅读简单英文小说的读者。本书语言相对直白，词汇量有限，适合中级英语学习者。但需注意，部分评论指出其英文表达怪异，可能存在语法或逻辑问题，不建议作为语言学习范本，仅可作为消遣读物。
- 阅读前务必了解《刺客信条》游戏基本设定与剧情，否则将难以理解书中人物动机与情节发展。本书非独立故事，依赖游戏世界观支撑，未接触过游戏的读者会感到困惑。建议先体验游戏或观看相关剧情解说，再决定是否阅读。
- 本书文学价值有限，存在逻辑漏洞、人物扁平化及翻译腔问题。读者应降低对文学性的期待，将其视为游戏剧情的文字复述。若追求高质量叙事或深度心理描写，建议选择其他独立文学作品。本书不适合批判性阅读或学术分析。
- 书中包含暴力、血腥及成人内容，如刺杀场景、性暗示等，不适合未成年人阅读。部分情节可能引发不适，读者需自行判断承受能力。此外，本书未涉及现代线角色（如Desmond），仅聚焦埃齐奥时代，避免混淆游戏多时间线设定。
- 多数读者认为本书忠实还原游戏剧情，但文学性极差，逻辑混乱、人物塑造失败，翻译腔严重。部分评论指出作者可能非专业小说家，甚至质疑其写作能力。尽管粉丝因情怀给予宽容，但普遍不推荐非玩家阅读，认为其无独立文学价值。
- 读者对书中历史元素与刺客组织设定表示认可，但批评其未能深入探讨主题，仅停留在表面动作描写。部分人指出书中存在明显逻辑错误与低幼化表达，如人物行为不合理、对话生硬等。整体评价两极分化，粉丝勉强接受，非玩家强烈反感。
- 本书被广泛视为“游戏说明书式”作品，缺乏原创性与艺术性。读者共识是：若未玩过游戏，切勿阅读；若已玩过，亦无必要，因文字体验远不如游戏本身。部分人指出其英文表达怪异，疑似非母语作者或劣质翻译，进一步降低阅读价值。
本导读基于书籍简介、目录、原文摘录、短评和书评生成，不等同于全文精读。
- "He gasped for breath and more blood flowed from his mouth.“A pity,really.In another world,we might even have been...friends.”"
- "He seeks your approval.Your attention.These outbursts of his are a result of insecurities borne of a sense of inadequacy.He speaks of you fondly and often,and expresses a desire to be closer to you.So,if he is loud and foul and angry,I believe it is simply because he wants to be noticed.He wants to "
- "“That is a last souvenir from an old...friend”"
- "Ezio turned to see a broad-shouldered man of similar height to his own but perhaps ten or fifteen years older than he was. Over his head he wore a hood not unlike Ezio's, which partly obscured his face, but under it Ezio could make out two piercing violet eyes which shone with a strange power, borin"
- "A gaggle of courtesans slipped smilingly past Ezio into the inner room, at the centre of which he could see a truly massive bed, by whose side was a singular contraption like a couch, but with pulleys and belts, and chains. It reminded him of something out of Leonardo's workshop, but he couldn't ima"
- "Mario and Machiavelli had turned away, their eyes screwed up, their hands covering their heads in fear or pain."
- "'You've done well, Ezio,' Paola told him, as they waited with La Volpe and Machiavelli before the gates of the San Marco complex, together with a large, expectant and unruly crowd gathered from the free districts. 'Thank you. But what happens now?' 'Watch,' said Machiavelli. With a loud crash a door"
- "看到自己最强的两个手下蹒跚倒地，任由帕齐家的那些无赖蹂躏。"
