While most of the novels based on the Assassin’s Creed video games are obviously connected to specific games, the ones in Kate Heartfield’s series The Engine Of History are exceptions in that they’re set in the same fictional universe, but are not directly tied to any specific game. Though, as she explains in the following email interview we did about the newest Engine installment, Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot (paperback, audiobook), the Engine books are directly connected.
Photo Credit: Robert de Wit
For people who didn’t read the previous book, Assassin’s Creed: The Magus Conspiracy, or the interview we did about it, what is The Engine Of History series about, and when and where does it take place both in relation to reality and the Assassin’s Creed games?
The Engine Of History is a series of two books (so far) that follow two Assassins in the latter half of the 19th century, as they race around Europe and Africa trying to prevent their enemies, the Templar Order, from manipulating historical events for their own ends. The main characters and storylines are original, and not connected to any existing Assassin’s Creed game, except of course that it fits into the worldbuilding and rules of that universe. But I do have some references to some of the games and even a few cameos, particularly from the game Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, since it takes place in London in 1868, so it seemed natural to me that those characters would be known to my characters.
And then for people who have read Assassin’s Creed: The Magus Conspiracy, and thus can ignore me writing SPOILER WARNING, what is Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot about, and when does it take place in relation to The Magus Conspiracy?
The Resurrection Plot picks up seven years after the end of The Magus Conspiracy. Pierrette is in Cairo for the opening of the Suez Canal. A seemingly routine assassination has some surprises in store that suggest the Templars are up to something big. Figuring out what that is will throw Pierrette and Simeon together again and take them to several countries (and entangle them in a few events that have come down to us in the history books.)
When in the process of writing Assassin’s Creed: The Magus Conspiracy did you come up with the idea for Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot, and what inspired Resurrection‘s specific, uh, plot?
When I started brainstorming The Magus Conspiracy with my editors, we knew that we might want to develop some storylines over more than one book. So I had a rough idea of what the main arc of The Resurrection Plot would be, even before I wrote The Magus Conspiracy. I took a lot of inspiration from the changes happening in real history at the time, particularly changes to transportation and communication, and the effects that had on people’s lives. There’s such an interesting juxtaposition between the old and the new at that time: horses and even pigeons were still essential to communication, but we also had the rapid spread of railways and telegraph lines changing the world. Asking myself how the Templars and Assassins would see and make use of those changes was the spark of the story. And I enjoyed tracking those changes over the course of the lives of my characters; for example, in The Magus Conspiracy, there are no telephones yet, but they appear in The Resurrection Plot.
Now, in the interview we did about The Magus Conspiracy, you said, “It’s most solidly a historical thriller.” But you also said, “It’s a bit tricky to define.” So, how then would you describe Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot, genre-wise?
I’d put it in the historical thriller category too, but in The Resurrection Plot, we see just a little bit more of the fantastical elements that underpin the worldbuilding of the Assassin’s Creed universe. As someone who writes a lot of science fiction and fantasy, that part comes naturally to me.
Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot is your sixth novel…
It depends on how you count, and I’m starting to lose track. Let’s see: I’ve published three novellas (The Course Of True Love, Alice Payne Arrives, and Alice Payne Rides) and four novels, if you count Armed In Her Fashion / The Chatelaine as a single book, plus The Embroidered Book, The Valkyrie (out now in the UK but not until September in the US), and The Magus Conspiracy.
Got it. So, are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a big influence on The Resurrection Plot but not on anything else you’ve written, and especially not The Magus Conspiracy?
When I was a kid, the chapter of The Lord Of The Rings in Moria used to make all my hair stand on end, and there’s a scene in The Resurrection Plot that tries to create something of that feeling. I also read or re-read a lot of period writers, such as Emile Zola, to help me put myself in the characters’ shoes.
What about non-literary influences? Was Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games? Aside from the Assassin’s Creed games, of course.
No movies, TV shows or other games that I can recall, but I always make myself a playlist of music for every novel. This one was very eclectic: from Verdi (because a Verdi opera was performed at the Suez Canal opening) to The Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary.”
As we’ve been discussing, Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot is the second in a series called The Engine Of History. Is this series an ongoing thing, do these two books form a duology, are they the first two installments of a trilogy or a four-book series…what?
I’ve got an idea for at least one more book, but so far, we’ve just planned them one by one, so I’ve been careful to make sure none of the books ends on a cliffhanger or without a satisfying conclusion. There is a thread that connects the books, though, which becomes more visible to the reader as The Resurrection Plot unfolds. The basic conception was to set a series in the second half of the 19th century, exploring how the spate of political assassinations of Europe at that time might fit into the story of the Assassins and Templars.
Now, along with Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot, you recently released two other books: The Chatelaine, which is a new version of your 2018 novel Armed In Her Fashion, and The Valkyrie, which, as you said, is out in the U.K. now, and coming to the colonies on September 5th. What are those novels about, and when and where do they take place?
The Chatelaine (previously Armed In Her Fashion) is a weird, dark fantasy set in Flanders in 1328, about a woman who leads a raid on Hell. It was published by a small press (and had some accolades) but has been out of print for a few years, so it’s great to have this chance to re-release it in a slightly edited form, with a new prologue.
The Valkyrie is a queer, feminist retelling of Norse and Germanic legends; the story of Sigurd, Brynhild and Gudrun, for those who know it. It is set, as the oldest versions of these stories were set, in the 5th century CE, in what is now Germany. These are some of the stories that inspired Tolkien, so it brings me back full circle to my introduction to fantasy as well.
And there’s no connection between those books, even though the covers are kind of similar, right?
That’s right. They’re all stand-alones, with no crossover of characters or settings. The connection is just that they’re all by me. And they’re all historical fantasy. The covers are the work of the brilliant designer Andrew Davis (who also did The Embroidered Book) for my publisher for those books, HarperVoyager UK.
Speaking of which, you also recently released the paperback version of The Embroidered Book, which also has a similar look as The Chatelaine and The Valkyrie. What is that book about, and when and where does it take place?
The Embroidered Book is set in the 18th century and is about the queen of France, Marie Antoinette, and her sister, Charlotte, the queen of Naples. There’s a twist: they are both secretly magicians.
All of these books, your original novels and the Assassin’s Creed ones, are set in the past. As is your novel, The Course Of True Love, while your novellas, Alice Payne Arrives and Alice Payne Rides, are about time travelling to the past and the present, but not the future. What is it about the future that you hate so much? Or do you just fear it? And please lay back on the couch while we discuss the roots of your fears…
Ha! I have explored the future a little in short fiction, and we get some glimpses of it in the Alice Payne books, but you’re right: I usually write about the past. I think one reason I don’t write about the future much is the same reason I don’t write much secondary world fantasy: The scope for invention is so broad that it’s daunting. I was a political science major, so big picture worldbuilding from scratch isn’t something I’d do without getting really, really into it. I fear I would spend years just laying down the foundations of a world if I gave myself permission to invent it. The past gives me some anchor points that we think we understand, which I can then explore, question and subvert to my heart’s content. I may yet take the leap and write novels set in the future or in another world altogether. But I keep getting historical ideas, so that’s where I’m staying for the moment. Besides, I just love history.
Now, in the interview we did about Assassin’s Creed: The Magus Conspiracy, you said it would be “a bit of a challenge” to adapt it into an Assassin’s Creed game. Is the same true of Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot?
It would be for the same reasons: because it takes place over several years and in several countries, and sometimes the point of view characters are in different parts of the world at any given time. Which doesn’t make it impossible, of course. My goal was to take advantage of the unique strengths of the novel as a medium, while trying to make it feel as immersive and engaging as a game.
But if Ubisoft disagreed, and said they were going to adapt Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot into an Assassin’s Creed game, would you want to work on it? I ask because, along with your novels, you’ve also helped write such games as Evil Genius 2, The Magician’s Workshop, and The Road To Canterbury.
My door is always open! I enjoy working in different formats, and games and comics are two things I’d love to do more of.
So, is there anything else people need to know about Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot?
As with The Magus Conspiracy, I tried to write it in a way that would work for readers who haven’t ever played the games — as well as readers who have. So if you’re not that familiar with Assassin’s Creed, but the books sound like something you might enjoy, please don’t let that stop you from picking them up.
Conversely, if you are familiar with the games already, you’ll find some moments in The Resurrection Plot that I hope bring some smiles of recognition or make the world even richer.
Finally, if someone enjoys Assassin’s Creed: The Resurrection Plot, they’ll probably read The Magus Conspiracy, if they haven’t already. But once they do that, which of the other Assassin’s Creed novels would you suggest they check out?
Ooh, tough question! There are a bunch on my to-read list, but one that I’ve already read and enjoyed is The Ming Storm by Yan Leisheng. It’s set in 16th century China, and written in a quite different style to mine. I found the characters really compelling and the action sequences gripping. Plus, it also has a sequel out, The Desert Threat. Or, if anyone wants to read more about Assassins in 19th century London, I’d recommend the page-turner Underworld by Oliver Bowden, which features some characters who also show up in my books.
