You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
36 reviews for:
The Master's Apprentice: A Retelling of the Faust Legend
Oliver Pötzsch, Lisa Reinhardt
4.09 AVERAGE
36 reviews for:
The Master's Apprentice: A Retelling of the Faust Legend
Oliver Pötzsch, Lisa Reinhardt
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
At the beginning of this book, I thought I wouldn’t like it. I thought the writing was amateur-ish, and I wasn’t sure if I should blame the author or the translator. Guess I’ll have to reread it in German, as well as his other books! I won this book from a giveaway, and as it was my first win (!!) I felt I needed to give it a fair chance. I ended up enjoying it, and the writing grew stronger once I got about a quarter of the way in. (I still take issue with some of the translations, for example Marktgasse Lane or Schöner Brunnen fountain, but... that may just be me expecting more people to speak German than do. Please get on that.) My other complaint would be that the foreshadowing was less subtle and more... flashing lights and noises telling you exactly what would happen and show up again later. It definitely reads as a YA, with weird character choices just for plot convenience and characters being more than a little dense.
Overall, this isn’t a particularly deep (or even very original) book, but it’s a fun ride and I’d recommend it to anyone who knows Faust well enough to pick up references scattered throughout and who doesn’t mind yelling at characters for their idiotic choices. Jetzt freue ich mich auf die anderen Bücher von Herr Pötzsch
Overall, this isn’t a particularly deep (or even very original) book, but it’s a fun ride and I’d recommend it to anyone who knows Faust well enough to pick up references scattered throughout and who doesn’t mind yelling at characters for their idiotic choices. Jetzt freue ich mich auf die anderen Bücher von Herr Pötzsch
‘Nothing is without a plan.’
Germany, 1494. Johann Georg Gerlach is born under a rare alignment of the stars. He is called ‘Faustus’ (the lucky one) by his mother but is treated badly by her husband. Faustus is fascinated by the skies and by learning: dangerous pastimes amid the superstitions of the time.
After being banished from Knittlingen as cursed, Johann meets the travelling fortune-teller, Tonio del Moravia. Learning he is offered, but there is an exchange expected. And so begins Mr Pötzsch’s retelling of the Faust legend. We journey with Johann as he learns from Tonio del Moravia and tries to survive. We journey with Johann as he tries to break away from Tonio del Moravia, but we know he is being watched and that when the time is right, he may not be able to hide.
Such a deep, dark story this is. Can Johann survive? And what about those he cares for?
‘Evil is the chaos that rails against the established truths and perpetually promises new beginnings.’
I made the mistake of reading the second book in this series first which, while it did not reduce my enjoyment of either book, did reduce the tension a little. I have also enjoyed and can recommend Mr Pötzsch’s ‘The Hangman’s Daughter’ series.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Germany, 1494. Johann Georg Gerlach is born under a rare alignment of the stars. He is called ‘Faustus’ (the lucky one) by his mother but is treated badly by her husband. Faustus is fascinated by the skies and by learning: dangerous pastimes amid the superstitions of the time.
After being banished from Knittlingen as cursed, Johann meets the travelling fortune-teller, Tonio del Moravia. Learning he is offered, but there is an exchange expected. And so begins Mr Pötzsch’s retelling of the Faust legend. We journey with Johann as he learns from Tonio del Moravia and tries to survive. We journey with Johann as he tries to break away from Tonio del Moravia, but we know he is being watched and that when the time is right, he may not be able to hide.
Such a deep, dark story this is. Can Johann survive? And what about those he cares for?
‘Evil is the chaos that rails against the established truths and perpetually promises new beginnings.’
I made the mistake of reading the second book in this series first which, while it did not reduce my enjoyment of either book, did reduce the tension a little. I have also enjoyed and can recommend Mr Pötzsch’s ‘The Hangman’s Daughter’ series.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’d make a Faustian bargain to read this book again. I was rapt.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to read this book for a couple of reasons - I’m a fan of Oliver Potzsch’s Hangman’s Daughter series and I was intrigued to learn more about the figure of Faust - a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know much about Faust at all, just the general idea that he sold his soul to the devil for some sort of earthly advantage. Potzsch does a wonderful job of bringing the Holy Roman Empire of the late 1400s and early 1500s to life, particularly the areas that became modern Germany, as well as Venice. The mystical aspects of the tale were very well done. I enjoyed reading about how people traveled in those days, especially people like Faustus, who could juggle, read palms, do magic tricks, etc., to entertain people in the villages and towns they traveled to. At that time, the attitudes toward anyone who was even slightly “different” were brutal: witchcraft was accused often, with deadly results. Homosexuals were also burned at the stake. If you were interested in science, you may have been considered a heretic.
My only issue with the book is it is just SO long, over 500 pages, as is the second book in this series.
I bounced between the ebook and the audiobook. Malcolm Hillgartner did a terrific job with the narration.
My only issue with the book is it is just SO long, over 500 pages, as is the second book in this series.
I bounced between the ebook and the audiobook. Malcolm Hillgartner did a terrific job with the narration.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated