If not audiobook I might have bailed. Only as audiobook it‘s a “Pick” – not for the quite large, dragging middle part telling political structures and intrigues but for Walther and his company. In the end all is so well told that I‘m willing to believe it could have been like that. The last 4-5 hours were gripping and I wished Friedrich‘s overthrow of government was told a bit more detailed.
Overall the tale‘s weakness is the imbalance of focus.