Johann Georg was born as a result of a treste between his beautiful mother and a stranger. His father hated him. His mother called him Faustus (the lucky one) born under a lucky star. His father despised him and gave him no fatherly love. At eight years he meets our villain, Tonio, and his life is forever cursed by this devil personified.

Oliver Pötzsch has captured the essence of life in the middle ages and the turmoil that was Europe. His translation of the writing regarding Faust is laudable. His translator, Lisa Reinhardt, makes the German language come to life in English.

Europe is a cesspool of intrigue and disease. How anyone survived is totally a mystery. Devil worship abounds and the church with its’ Inquisitors does it’s best to stamp out any but the “true religion.” Johann is blessed with a great mind and tremendously inquisitive instinct. The devil knows that he will be a great addition to his earthly realm.

Cannibalism and vampires have nothing on this story! Become engrossed in a life of struggle, travel which is near impossible, and villains of the first magnitude. Weep with the characters in this story as they overcome enormous hardships to they struggle through life. Does good always triumph over evil? Dive into this narrative and seek the answer. 4.5/5 CE Williams

Faust sells his soul to the devil, didn't he? I've not read a Faustian story and have been wanting to for about six months or so. And then I saw The Master's Apprentice and it sounded a little more interesting than the classic account, so in I dove. And yeah, I enjoyed every sentence.

Pötzsch doesn't throw the reader into the middle of a story, teasing out the backstory as we read along. This Faust starts early in his life without lingering and I was drawn to him immediately, relating to the character through familiar childhood experiences. It felt believable. And I discovered that Faust is chaotic good, addicted to knowledge yet is a also rebel with a cause. He is driven, both by himself and nefarious forces and his story is one of acceptance and rejection at every phase of his life. There's something in him to fear, but my attraction to his character is almost impossible to describe. I cheered for him and I yelled at him.

I've read my fair share of 16th to 19th century books, so as this title's Faust ventures out, I could easily appreciate his world. Faust is a genius surpassing Good Will Hunting with a Dan Brown vibe in the time just before Shakespeare. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. This isn't a book to read, it's a book to wade into, letting the protagonist's story to carry you along..

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me a chance to review The Master's Apprentice.

I could not put this book down. It was excellent! The characters were engaging and the plot kept me guessing until the very end. I was surprised that Johann ended up having a somewhat happy ending. However, the threat of the cult returning in 17 years is there and gives the book a bleak if not chilling conclusion.