Award-winning author Christie Golden does a wonderful job in presenting a storyline from Blackbeard's point of view, as he tells of his epic encounters out at sea and in the various islands, enclaves and bars scattered around the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. Of course, Insight Editions has packed in some special goodies for fans of the series as well that includes but isn't limited to some accurate and authentic maps, wanted posters and notes left by Blackbeard and other important characters to the narrative. The book is a good read for fans of the Assassin's Creed video game series, though Blackbeard would suggest you have a bottle of rum on hand to make his tales even more enjoyable.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Blackbeard: The Lost Journal recounts the events of the notorious captain Blackbeard as told by the pirate himself. The pages are mostly sorted chronologically and could easily be mistaken for a novel from the 1700s if the reader didn't know any better. The book's author does a good job of presenting the tales in the book from the Captain's perspective and manages to come across as genuine and authentic as possible. Fans of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag will be surprised with the accuracy of the book to its source material and pirate culture in the 18th century as well. There are plenty of fun stories in the book that will entertain readers over nearly 150 pages, and gamers are sure to especially enjoy Blackbeard's interactions with the Assassin Edward Kenway and how he reacts to the character behind closed doors in his own words.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Blackbeard: The Lost Journal is a high quality book that strives to be as authentic to the recreation of a journal written by Blackbeard as it can be, almost to a fault. The book is created with a hardcover that feels great to touch and includes indented clasps on each of the four corners of the book, while an Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag logo is featured on the front of the journal. Opening the book will reveal high quality paper that feels good but looks as though it is quite old and has spent time at sea with many fake wrinkles and watermarks lining the pages of the journal. The writing is authentic to pirate lore and features spelling and vocabulary that is sometimes difficult to understand at first glance, and the problem is compounded with a handwritten text that isn't easy to read either. Most readers will look past this issue quickly though and enjoy the tales that Blackbeard has to tell fans of the series about.
The book also includes several inserts and special pages of content that includes plenty of maps of islands in the Caribbean, letters written by associates and friends of Blackbeard and even some old dirty playing cards with the advice that cheating isn't encouraged when playing cards with fellow pirates. Nearly every page in the book also has some type of pencil drawing, painting or other content that helps set the scene for the story Blackbeard is currently writing about, so that fans get a better idea of the people and settings in the tales. While Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Blackbeard: The Lost Journal definitely shouldn't be confused for a walkthrough or guide to help players progress through Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, there is a very good chance that reading through the new book will help players gain new admiration for the game and the pirate lore all of the content is based upon, plus readers will find a new sea shanty in the book to sing with their friends, and a good pirate can never know too many good songs. Check out Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Blackbeard: The Lost Journal from Insight Editions today!
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Blackbeard: The Lost Journal is now available for purchase from Insight Editions and can be purchased for $39.99. For more information on Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Blackbeard: The Lost Journal, check out the official Insight Editions website.
Book Information:
- Publisher: Insight Editions
- Author: Christie Golden
- Illustrators: Ben Andrews & Vance Kovacs
- Hardcover
- 148 Pages with 8 Inserts
- Release: March 4, 2014
Score: 8 out of 10