Assassin's Creed: The Golden City by Jaleigh Johnson was a fun read! This is the first I have read in this series and by this author. I was truly thankful to have gotten to read this before most people! I would like to purchase this one for my physical library!

Another fantastic edition to the transmedia of the Assassin's Creed franchise by Aconyte! Each character, both returning and newly created, are well written and the story is captivating with its twists and turns. As a fan of Hytham from his appearance in AC: Valhalla, I was delighted to see him return here!

I love everything about the Assassins Creed franchise including the book and this was no different. A really good read

Some people expected "The Golden City" to be quite spoilery in relation to the upcoming Assassin's Creed game (Mirage) but they can relief. Actually, the book feels more like a prequel to Valhalla because the author made the smart choice to tell a story from the point of view of Hytham, Basim's acolyte.
I found this novel funnier than I imagined and it really worked building Hytham's personality. Every chapter made it feel like a real person, a young man eager to show his value to the Hidden Ones but still inexperienced and even unable to hide his feelings very well. All of that while he struggles to acomplish a not so easy mission: avoid the assassination of the child who could be the future emperor of Constantinople some day.

From the other side we have the always misterious Basim Ibn Ishaq, who feels more like a phamtom or an entity that a real man, just like he did in Valhalla. Jaleigh Johnson lets him show little pieces of his past which of course will be more explored in Assassin's Creed: Mirage, but in happens in a natural way without telling too much and without losing the focus of the story (Hytham and Leo).

Of course I recommend this book because is a nice complement to the overarching story of the franchise. Even when you know this pair of hooded guys will survive the mission you would want to discover more of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Aconyte for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: death, implied child abuse

I'm a huge fan of Assassin's Creed, particularly the most recent games so I was delighted to be approved for a book that follows two of the characters from it. This book is set before the Viking Valhalla game, in Constantinople during the reign of Basil I. Hytham, recently graduated as a member of the Assassins, has been sent alongside his new mentor Basim to discover who is trying to kill the heir to the throne, a sickly boy named Leo. When Hytham becomes Leo's protector he begins to struggle to be objective, while also following orders to check that Basim is still loyal to the cause. Anyone who has played Valhalla will know why Basim behaves a certain way but this wide reaching and adventurous book is easily readable for people who aren't fans. I loved the characterisation of the characters and the way that real history blends together to create an original narrative.

A perfectly adequate Assassin's Creed adventure set in Constantinople, The Golden City is exactly what it claims on the package. Two Assassins are sent to protect the son of the emperor from a plot led by his father, and in the mean time look out for their ancient enemies. The Hidden One distrust each other's loyalties, but over the course of the adventure come to appreciate each other and have a fairly superficial father/son relationship with their protectee. Lots of tie-ins for game enthusiasts, not much for non-fans.

I received this from NetGalley and as a huge fan of the series, I was stoked.

Some checks for the game fans:
Leap of Faith: Yes, but they didn’t name it!
Assassinations: Yes, but not a huge amount!
Stealth: Yes, but only for small bits or mentioned outside of the main character’s movements.

This novel follows Hytham and Basim before the events of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. They are sent as representatives of The Hidden Ones to Constantinople in hopes of disrupting the Order of the Ancients grab for control. The Emperor, Basil I, has recently found reason to distrust his son Leo’s lineage. The problem is that he’s already announced him to be his co-emperor. So, what is there to do but try to have him killed?

As a huge fan of Roman history, I was excited for the setting. The story gives lush descriptions of an ancient place we could never visit. As with recent works from Ubisoft, the story felt very historic in its setting with big names from people that actually lived.

I enjoyed that this book sought to make a more realistic approach to the assassins, as we know with the games that the 1vs30 odds are never really a problem. Where that fell flat for me though, was a scene where Hytham is almost overcome in a fight that only features two enemies. I know he’s an initiate in this, but he is a trained assassin, and not for nothing, you play an initial in 90% of the games. Failing against two enemies seemed too few for me. Otherwise, the minimal gripes I have is that Basim was not the main, and as the master, he ended up pulling a lot of the strings from the background. Which in turn ended up feeling a little cheapened.

Loads of fun still, but I was a bit surprised there was nothing modern day/animus wise! Personally a 4/5* for me.

Such an awesome adventure! Books that take the reader on journeys of discovery and exploration are special! This was an interesting and fascinating read to experience! #theassasianscreedthegoldencity #netgalley

Ultimately, I’d say yes give this one a read. If you don’t have any previous experience with Assassin’s Creed, then the story will still read like a straightforward historical fantasy. However, when we consider its place within the larger AC universe, then I feel like the book offers much more to sort through and enjoy.

The part I enjoyed most was the wholesome relationship between Leo and Hytham and the way Johnson was able to give us just enough about Basim to keep us interested in the mystery of his character, without giving anything away (I think). Inevitably this book really just got me psyched for Mirage.

Please read my full review at: https://alligatorsandaneurysms.wordpress.com/2023/05/02/straightforward-and-fun-assassins-creed-the-golden-city/

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte for early access to the book for an honest review.

I went into this book not really expecting much from it and came out pleasantly surprised. The Golden City is surprisingly self-contained for a tie in novel that revolves around characters within the games, which I really appreciate, since it means that the book actually manages to feel like a complete story, while still setting up the events of the game that it’s tied to. That being said, if you don’t have much knowledge on Assassin’s Creed, I would recommend against the book, since I don’t think there’s much here for you.

Having more intimate knowledge of the series, I found myself reading this quite compulsively, finishing it in just 3 days, while also reading other books. Seeing the little hints at plot points for the game this is a prequel to (Valhalla) was really engaging, and the hints towards Mirage’s plot were also really enticing, and have me very excited to experience the game now.

The plot was alright. It was set up as a potentially interesting political plot, but had the depth of a burst kiddie pool, with no real twists or turns put into the story. Almost every revelation was something extremely obvious, even without any foreshadowing. Hytham would regularly guess something that was treated as a big reveal, yet was constantly portrayed as fairly inept when it came to running an investigation.

The actually engaging part of the plot was Hytham trying to understand what Basim’s goals were. Seeing him try to parse everything Basim said or did for hidden meanings was really engaging, however, I have to point out that this isn’t where you’re going to get any answers to that mystery. For that you need to play a game, so in the long run, I can see this being a negative for people who haven’t played Valhalla. Since I’ve completed Valhalla, it enhanced my experience though, so I really appreciated it.

As a PoV, Hytham is pretty good, but is definitely held back by the lack of anything going on in the story, since there’s no points where he really gets to shine as a character due to the extremely obvious story beats that go on. I feel like if there had been a bit of a murkier air to the investigation, he would have had more opportunity to shine, however for the most part he just fucks up and eventually stumbles to the correct conclusion. Where he shines is in his interpersonal relationships.
You can’t help but like Hytham, because he cares a lot about the people around him. Of particular note is Leo, the young emperor that he’s tasked to defend with his life. The father/son relationship the pair have is genuinely very cute, and you get to see both of them grow together throughout the story. Watching how that clashed against his oaths was a super compelling aspect of the book, especially with Basim's bits of advice about forming attachments riddled throughout (if YKYK)

The combat scenes are also awesome. The hidden blade is something that will always be fun to have included in combat scenes, since it’s such a rare type of weapon in books, but the swordfights are also of note, since the author does a really good job of making you feel like you’re experiencing the fights, with really vivid descriptions of not just combat, but how the opponent moves, the noise they make etc. It transports you to the fights every time.

The big criticism I have is that Constantinople is pretty boring in the book, which is a shame, since the Byzantine empire is really cool. This is definitely caused in part by the lack of mystery around the assassination attempts. It doesn’t allow the setting to grow any form of atmosphere that’s unique to itself, instead the city would be entirely interchangeable if not for the story’s reliance on the historical figures of Basil I and Leo.

The pacing of the book is a bit off as well in my opinion, as there are really long stretches where very little happens, with short bursts of progress for the story. This isn’t too much of a problem, since the book is relatively short, but it’s still of note in my opinion.

All in all, I had a pretty decent time with this book, but it won’t be at the top of my list of recommendations for people. I’d wholeheartedly recommend this for people who enjoyed AC Valhalla, as it enhances that game by no end. It’s a solid 3.5 stars, you could do far worse for video game tie ins.

Comparing The Golden City to other Aconyte Books titles, I would say this is a good title to be added to their expanding transmedia line of books, and while I would rank it towards the lower half of the releases (6 books including Golden City) it isn't bad; I still enjoyed it. However where Geirmund's Saga read like the novelization of one of the games, Sword of the White Horse focused on a story based on Arthurian legend, and The Magus Conspiracy was a multi-decade conspiracy thriller, The Golden City feels like a character arc for Hytham, developing him further, but it doesn't hinder the enjoyment of Valhalla or the series in whole.


Assassin’s Creed The Golden City is a great book for readers that enjoy drama, action, and stories of relationships without any prior knowledge of the Assassin’s Creed universe. Fans of the series will find a great introspective into the mind of an Assassin and a perfect read to excite for Assassin’s Creed Mirage. The book releases on April 4, 2023, in the United States and Globally as an Ebook. It will be available in paperback on June 22, 2023, in the UK

It's not a secret anymore that I love the Assassin's Creed novels and i do not miss the chance to read a new one.

Assassin's Creed: The Golden City by Jaleigh Johnson, takes place in ancient Constantinopole, where the Brotherhood of Assassins are the only ones who can save the life of the emperor's son.
It is action-packed with the correct pacing. As always I liked how it combines the historical with the fantasy/fiction elements.
I also really liked the author's writing style and how she wrote her characters.

I never played Assassin's Creed and never read a novel in this series. That said The Golden City is a well plotted and gripping mix of historical and alt-history fiction.
I had fun and liked the storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I love reading historical fiction novels. I also enjoy adventure-driven video games. Assassin’s Creed novels, based on the video game series, combine the two. The action and adventure set in history, containing characters and situations that existed in real life, make for quite an interesting read. I have enjoyed them all. At one point I had read them all, but now, all new novels are hitting the bookstores. My most recent acquisition: Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City by Jaleigh Johnson.

The Golden City features characters from the video game Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. Set in Constantinople in 867C.E., the Hidden Ones (a precursor to the Brotherhood of the Assassins) have sent Master Assassin Basim ibn Ishaq and Assassin Acolyte Hytham to enter the city and prevent the Order of the Ancients from gaining a foothold. The Hidden Ones have learned that Emperor Basil has doubts that his son Leo is actually his own flesh and blood, despite the reassurances of Empress Eudocia. Basil has decided that Leo should be executed and the Order of the Ancients have offered to help him do just that.

It is up to Hytham and his mentor Basim to infiltrate the palace to prevent this from happening. While working with the Viking clan sworn to protect the members of the palace hierarchy to protect young Leo, Hytham must also attend to another mission the Hidden Ones have charged him with. Hytham must discover whether Basim is truly loyal to the order or if he has a hidden reason as to why he has taken on this mission. Neither mission will be easy. People with murderous intent are hidden behind every corner and Hytham is having a hard time knowing who to trust. Even worse, Hytham has become very close to Leo to the point of losing objectivity. Could it be possible that Hytham is in danger of doing the very thing that his mentor is being accused of, putting personal issues before the mission itself?

Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City has everything an Assassin’s Creed fan could ask for: action, intrigue, danger around every corner, disturbing revelations, and more. Jaleigh Johnson has written Hytham in such a way that we root for him in each and every endeavor regardless of how ill-thought-out his adventures can be. Basim is the mysterious mentor who has much to teach and is quite observant, despite the distraction of his personal secret mission. And secret it is – if you believe you will discover what it is in this novel, you are mistaken. As I read The Golden City, I realized I would never learn the truth behind Basim’s motives if I never played Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. I’ll have to get my hands on that game!

Johnson’s descriptive writing transports you to the ancient city of Constantinople and the days of the Emperors’ reign over the people. The twists and turns of the storyline keep you guessing as to who the members of the Order of the Ancients and their associates truly are. Who can we trust? Who wants to kill Leo and how will they get close enough to do it? While Hytham and Basim are terrific characters, I have to say that I enjoyed the co-stars of the novel as well. Thyra, an axe-wielding Viking warrior who is the leader of the Varangian Guard, is a formidable woman and worthy opponent to all who threaten the life of the heir to the throne. Leo is also a well-formed character, fearful, yet quite intelligent and in need of a proper mentor.

Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City is a worthy entry to the Assassin’s Creed novel series. The action and adventure contained in its pages were so captivating, I finished the book in a matter of a couple of days. Such a great read! I can’t wait to get my hand on the next Assassin’s Creed novel.

This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.

This is only the second Assassin’s Creed book I’ve read. After reading this book I plan to hunt down more.

As a father I really lost myself in the story. There are multiple father figures in this book all taking different approaches towards a prince.

Jaleigh Johnson does a wonderful job creating characters and settings you want to explore. I was fully engaged with the characters as we explore the palace in Constantinople. The action and intrigue is top notch. The protagonist does at times take on the action hero cliche of getting a ton of wounds but still surviving/shrugging of the pain very quickly. I don’t really mind this as that’s why I read these types of action stories but for those of you that get annoyed by such unrealistic scenarios.

For those that love the games and action fiction check it out.

I would've rated this book five stars even if I weren't a fan of the Assassin's Creed games/world, because author Jaleigh Johnson does a phenomenal job at crafting an engaging, exciting story of action and intrigue.

This story follows Assassin's Creed: Valhalla side characters, Basim and Hytham, on an adventure from before they traveled to England and met Eivor (the viking protagonist of Valhalla). While I knew the both of them would feature in this book, I had expected Basim to have more a leading role but that actually went to Hytham. I was a bit upset at first as Basim is a fascinating character and I was hoping to learn more about his earlier days and how he came to realize who he is. Tantalizingly, there are several asides he has in the novel, when speaking with Hytham, that hint towards this revelation (which was a big twist in the game so I don't want to out and out spoil it here).

But I didn't mind a book from Hytham's pov. He's an interesting character himself, and you don't really get to know much about him in the game. I actually went down a bit of a wiki rabbit-hole to learn more and refresh my memory about him and learned that he actually features quite a bit more in the other Valhalla tie-in novels as well, which I clearly will need to read now because I have a small crush on him after reading this book lol

More seriously, this was just a very, very good book and it felt a LOT like following your assassin through one of the games. There were lots of twists and turns (though not as many as you'd encounter in the games, which honestly made it feel more true to real life), fantastic action sequences, and a great mystery with plenty of red herrings to keep you on your toes, but not to the point of the antagonist reveals being out of left field.

It's just a super fun adventure story, set in a time and place I feel you don't often see in fiction (and it's also cool returning to Constantinople if you've played/read Assassin's Creed: Revelations, a game I personally quite liked). One of my favorite things about the Assassin's Creed series is that they put you in the middle of these well-known historical figures and events but from the pov of, basically, just another citizen. Hytham and Basim and their associates bleed and sweat and get dirty and thanks to Johnson's adept writing, you <i>feel</i> it. You smell the spice, sweat, and dust of Constantinople, and you feel the fear, pain, longing, and hope of its characters - it's just so vibrant.

I'm definitely reading the rest of the Valhalla tie-in novels, though I'll admit I am disappointed they're not also written by Jaleigh Johnson. If they're anywhere near as good The Golden City, then I have high hopes!

This is one of the best Assassin's Creed novels I've read. It is a story of assassinations (lots of them!), triumphs, defeat, and glory. The worldbuilding is thoroughly immersed in giving you an idea of the Byzantine World. Or in reality, what the Roman World was. Some believe that Rome fell after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, but it didn't. The Eastern part of the Empire survived and became the Byzantines. But the Byzantines saw themselves as Romans above all else. Moving onwards, this story made me emotional often between the bonds of characters, the testing of loyalties, and ties to each other.

It is a strange world, where one must be commanded to do the things that one would never do. That is the work of the Assassins and the Templars, locked in an ever-eternal struggle to fight over who controls the power of the day. And I really like that Jaleigh expanded Hytham's character and gave us more, for which I felt he was an underrated character in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Basim is a character that you would never be able to trust, and at the same time has this omnipresence throughout the entire novel.

There is not a moment where you will feel that Basim isn't at your side. And Hytham is struggling to trust Basim, for this mentor of his has hidden secrets. Love, loyalty, and protecting Leo are the three themes I would make for this novel. And you will begin to like Leo and Hytham's relationship, for you will see Hytham caring for a boy that is surrounded by threats, and by an arrogant father that does not respect his son. You will experience the drums and roars of the Hippodrome, the powerful presence of the Varangian Guard, and the deadly Order of the Ancients. The combat is so well written, that I felt I was an Assassin within that very world.

You cannot trust barkeeps after all, nor can you trust what goes on in the palace. Nor can you trust those who are your friends either. For that dark presence has its eyes and ears everywhere. One thing that Jaleigh really did excellently was humanizing the royalty of Byzantium, and I liked Leo's mother, Empress Eudocia Ingerina. One should not underestimate her ability to wield power behind the scenes, and she was more secretive than I would have bargained for. The story is excellently paced and extremely well written. I would love to see Jaleigh write more Assassin's Creed novels in the future. I really am a fan of her writing, and her historical research shows throughout the entire novel. This is a 10/10 from me.

As of note, this novel made me really wish that we would one day explore the city of Roman Constantinople in Assassin's Creed. In the future, Assassin's Creed as a series will go to many settings in the future. India, the Aztec Empire, Japan, Infinity, 16th century Germany, the Abbasid Realm, etc. It is an exciting time now to be an Assassin Creed fan, irrespective of anything else in my opinion. Mirage will prove to be an excellent game, and I think the novel did an excellent job showcasing what could happen within it.

A great adventure for The Assassins Brotherhood in Constantinople to reveal the secrets of both Basim and Hytham, and the novel is definitely the best connection between AC Valhalla and AC Mirage. I highly recommend it to all Assassin's Creed fans!

I was given a copy to review via Aconyte and Netgalley. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #ACTheGoldenCity #JaleighJohnson #AconyteBooks #AssassinsCreed #Netgalley #BookReview

The Golden City is an action-packed video game tie-in that reads just like one of the Assassin’s Creed games.

From the blurb we learn that we are to be transported back in time to Constantinople in 867 – A murderous plot is afoot. Assisted by the Order of the Ancients, the emperor schemes to assassinate his son and throw the city into chaos. In response, the Hidden Ones have dispatched Assassin acolyte Hytham to join his mentor, Basim Ibn Ishaq, to infiltrate the palace and foil the emperor’s plan. But that is not his only mission… Hytham’s brotherhood have entrusted him with uncovering where Basim’s true loyalties lie and whether the master Assassin’s personal obsessions outweigh his sense of duty. For Hytham to succeed, he must tread carefully, for Constantinople is a city of shadows, and danger hides in all of them

I thoroughly enjoyed this new offering to the growing Assassin’s Creed line up Aconyte are offering. Johnson’s writing suits the setting perfectly and it was easy to get fully immersed in the story and setting as well as have the characters come to life. Like I said this book reads like one of the games – that is to say it has action, moves quickly and you have to try and be one step ahead along with Hytham. It does also mean in some senses a little bit of suspension of disbelief is needed but generally I find that with most fantasy and tie-in fiction this is sometimes needed anyway. I did like that our characters do suffer injuries and are not untouchable but did appreciate that sometimes that had a bit of ‘video-game healing’ and ended up recovering perhaps a little quicker than might be normal – then again we are talking trained assassins

All in all I do think this might have been my favourite in the aconyte line up so far and I really do hope that we see more work from Johnson in the Assassin’s Creed universe and more of Hytham in the future. If you love the games or good action adventure historical novels with a sprinkle of intrigue this is one for you.

The Golden City gives an insight to the mind of Assassin Acolyte Hytham, in between the games Assassin's Creed Mirage and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, during a mission to Constantinople with Master Assassin Basim ibn Ishak. I won't go into the details of the mission but the book itself was written in a way that it focused on the relationship between the two.

Hytham was written in a way that by the end of book I was asking myself if his characterization lined up with how we first see him in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, though that could also come from how long it's been since I started Assassin's Creed Valhalla's story.

Outside Hytham's thoughts the combat and trailing portions of the novel were a highlights for me and overall I'd say this is a great read for anyone looking to find more information on Basim, Hytham or their relationship.