“Some thoughts oughtn’t be recorded – yes, not even spoken out loud. They are too dangerous.”

This sequel is living proof that the second part of Faust needn’t be a flop. Moving on at an even quicker pace than the first book, this second part delivers even more thrills and chills as we pick up the story several years the last events of the first book.

Having saved Greta from Tonio’s clutches, Johann enjoys years of relative peace travelling alongside his daughter and his assistant, performing his shows, trying not to shiver at the sight of crows and ravens. However, evil never sleeps. Against the backdrop of a still rapidly changing Europe caught in the middle of political intrigues, secrets and lies threaten to tear the trio apart. Karl feels inextricably bound to the doctor through years of love and devotion, but cannot help thinking about the future he could have made for himself if he hadn’t tied his fate with that of the doctor. Johann still hasn’t told Greta she’s his daughter, and is learning that this is the kind of lie that only gets deeper and worse with time. Greta, too, has something she isn’t telling anyone: a look at Johann’s hand foretold her a horrible, sinster end for the man she’d come to know as her brilliant, albeit somewhat dark uncle.

When a mysterious illness strikes the doctor and he receives an invitation to cast the horoscope of a bishop, the trio sets on a journey that marks the beginning of the end. They make new enemies and visit old friends, find love and heartbreak, and even meet the great Leonardo da Vinci.

It seems like the stakes for Johann are even higher this time around, as hе is forced to make decisions that might shape not only his fate, but that of his loved ones and possibly also the fate of the entire known world. Several powerful figures set their sights on Johann, determined to use his skills for their own dark purposes. And, of course, Tonio isn’t far behind either.

Pötzsch creates convincing and well-researched images of early modern life with a sure, steady eye, and the passages depicting Faust’s stay with Leonardo are definitely my favourites.

In a way, this second part is much bolder than the first because of how the scope is broadened to the fate of many others, not just that of Faust and his family. There are some things from the first book that I would have loved to see explained, and one of the temporal jumps in the story didn’t sit well with me, but the premises work well overall and are very exciting to read.

For me, the greatest value of this book, just like with the first one, lies in the dreamlike contemplation of human existence with all its vices and virtues. Curiousity, greed, addiction, affection, good and evil, all in there together to make up a human being. And ultimately, Faust, for all his agency, seems to be the most human of them all. ( )

Nachdem ich „Der Spielmann“ gelesen hatte, musste ich natürlich auch die Fortsetzung lesen.
Es sind Jahre vergangen seit der Magier Johann Georg Faustus aus Nürnberg geflohen ist. Er ist immer noch als Schausteller und Gaukler mit seiner Ziehtochter Greta und seinem Gefährten Karl Wagner unterwegs.
Der Schreibstil des Autors gefällt mir gut. Die bildhaften Beschreibungen sorgen dafür, dass man die Bilder vor Augen hat.
Die Charaktere sind alle sehr gut und lebendig beschrieben. Schon im Vorgängerband fand ich Johann Georg Faustus nicht besonders sympathisch, aber er nimmt die Menschen für sich ein und Herzöge, Grafen und Bischöfe suchen seinen Rat. Faustus glaubt an die dunklen Mächte. Seine gesundheitlichen Probleme schiebt er auf den Pakt, den er mit Tonio eingegangen ist. Daher will er Tonio finden, denn er erhofft sich durch das Auflösen des Paktes eine Heilung seiner Beschwerden. Die Charaktere sind alle interessant dargestellt.
Oliver Pötzsch erzählt in seinen Romanen die Geschichte des Faust neu.
Der Leser begleitet Faust durch die damalige Zeit und durch die unterschiedlichsten Orte. Historische Personen werden gut in die Geschichte eingeflochten. Auch die Lebensumstände und Machtverhältnisse werden anschaulich dargestellt.
Auch wenn der Roman von Anfang an spannend ist, so gab es durch die ausführlichen Beschreibungen auch schon mal Längen. Trotzdem hat mir dieser Roman gut gefallen.
Ein unterhaltsamer und spannender, aber etwas düsterer historischer Roman. ( )