Blood bath

The adventurous journey of the Finn, Mikael Karvajalka, through Christian Europe during the High Renaissance begins… From the far northern land known to cosmographers as Finlandia, two young men flee – the scribe Mikael, whose illegitimate birth prevents him from pursuing a career in the church, and his loyal companion, the seemingly simple-minded strongman Antti – to a Europe torn by religious and power struggles. They experience the cheerful student life at the Sorbonne in Paris, get entangled in the battles of the Peasants' War in Germany sparked by Martin Luther's Reformation, witness the cruel torture of victims in witch trials from a painfully close distance, and participate in the barbaric sacking of Rome by the rebellious mercenaries of the Habsburg Emperor Charles V. Their incredibly colourful and captivatingly depicted journey through unknown lands includes schemes, intrigues, and adversities, a host of beautiful women, and the search for hope and love in a world that is often very bleak. Through his acquired experiences and lost illusions, the naive Mikael transforms into a man aware of the unjust and cruel conditions that prevail in human society. The pair of historical novels from the first half of the 16th century, titled Krvavá lázeň (The Bloody Bath) and Šťastná hvězda (The Fortunate Star), were written by the famous Finnish author shortly after the worldwide success of The Egyptian. Waltari himself held the story of the extraordinary pair of heroes' journey through Christian and later Islamic lands – often compared to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza – as his favourite among all his historical prose. “Waltari is once again strong in his depiction of atmosphere and characters. Thanks to his talent, historical events are infused with emotion and passion.” – from reader reviews on Databazeknih.cz “At least on the same level as The Egyptian, perhaps even better.” – from reader reviews on Databazeknih.cz “Mikael is my favourite hero. Together with the sequel, The Fortunate Star, it's probably Waltari's best work.” – from reader reviews on Databazeknih.cz Prince John then rose quickly, offered me his hand to kiss, left the room, and left the letter I had brought him open on the table for Doctor Luther to read. While I waited for this great man, whose fame had spread throughout Germany and from there to the most distant lands within a few years, I began to tremble with fear. I was more afraid of meeting him than of meeting the good and kind prince. For I knew that the more famous and renowned Doctor Luther became, the more vehemently and angrily he behaved towards his opponents. If he had now, contrary to the letter he had addressed to the peasants in the spring, truly turned against them and considered Müntzer a falsifier of his teachings, I judged that a sermon awaited me which would be far from amusing, and I already began to regret having so carelessly allowed Antti to leave me, for I feared that the mighty doctor would pounce on me and try to strangle Müntzer in my flesh. However, my fears were in vain, as it turned out. The great teacher arrived with a wide doctor's biretta on his head, his fingers stained with ink, and inscribed sheets in his hands. He waved them about to dry the ink. He had an ink stain on his broad face too. It was clear that he had interrupted some urgent work to meet me, for his eyes were still scanning the written text and he was smiling to himself, although his humming and smiling promised nothing good. I therefore had a moment to observe him calmly. He was no longer the thin monk with a tense face, prematurely aged by pondering complex matters, who had stood up alone and unaided against the Pope and the Emperor, and whom I knew from pictures spread all over Germany. Before me stood a fat, strong man in his prime, with a menacingly firm chin and flushed cheeks. His chin was indeed like iron, but he addressed me quite kindly: “Ah, you poor boy, what a diabolical trap you have let yourself be caught in! You will be a son of hell if you do not extricate yourself from that devil's sty in time. But your face is pure and clear, and surely you yourself are not to blame for your delusion; it is the infernal spirit, tormenting Germany, that has led you astray.” – an excerpt from the book