Faust Among Equals

by Tom Holt

The management buy-out of Hell wasn't going quite as well as had been hoped. For a start, there had been that nasty business with the perjurors, and then came the news that the Most Wanted Man in History had escaped, and all just as the plans for the new theme park, EuroBosch, were underway.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Urban Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Comic Fantasy

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Tom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.

Reviews

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that I have read a thousand times over. I never get tired of this world - Holt is a certified genius and no one makes me laugh out loud quite like him.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holt's books can be a bit disjointed at times, but they still usually make for an enjoyable light read

[Tim Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holt turns his cock-eyed look at culture on the Faust story. Not with a re-telling (how gauche) but with a sequel of sorts. Lucky George Faustus has escaped from Hell and wants to stay at-large...and find some sort of reprieve from his sentence. He has the help of his old university mates who include the likes Heironymous Bosch and The Flying Dutchman. He's also pursued (through time and space) by histories greatest bounty hunter/monster killer. As usual, time, space and physics don't work the same in Holt's world as they do here. And that can make things interesting and a tad confusing.

This was a bit of a return to form for Holt after a few books that were average or even sub-par. While this one isn't his best (thus far) it's a good solid read, even if your understanding of Faust is simply through cultural osmosis.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was an interesting and funny read. My co worker loaned me this to try.
Hell was turning into a theme park for the damned and the most wanted man in history escaped. He dabbled in the black arts and was always conjuring stuff up to escape. They hired a bounty hunter to try and track him down and bring him back to hell. Definitely the most bizarre book I've read. Was hilariously written!!! 4/5 !!

[Ralph McEwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just did not get it. Dead people chasing each other with guns? Heironymous Bosch as designer and engineer of an amusement park in Hell? Hell worrying about the bottom line? Time jumping but you have to buy tickets? It just goes on and on. I like funny but this was just stupid.

[Devon Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a duo with Flying Dutchman in the Dead Funny collection, and I kinda feel the same about both: they’re “good,” but just. Maybe it’s an issue of the times or the difficulty of translating British humor and sensibilities into American idiom, but there seems to be a fair bit up assumption in the writing, as if the narratives ought to be understood as opposed to explained. This is patently problematic in any work that flirts with science fiction. The premise in both books are interesting and fertile ground for cool twists and quirks and hilarious hijinks. However, these are hindered by a lot of hand waving and yadda yadda-ing of both how and why things are happening. The Flying Dutchman has a character that’s always trying to Jill himself, but only tried drowning once and never explained why it wouldn’t work. Then you’ve got characters shrugging off gun shots but flinching when hit with a beer bottle. As inconsistent as the rules are the characters characterizations. Out of nowhere they manifest new allegiances, annoyances, and motivations that seem incredibly convenient, if not downright contrived. Jane’s blazing love/obsession with Vanderdecker was the height of unexpected to the point of unearned. Concerning Faust, I found myself constantly questioning the stakes of it all. Most of the characters are either dead or seemingly immortal, without any real sense of consequence. Hell is just a place, apparently; no torment, no fear, no tangible reason to avoid. What’s the point of hiring a murderous bounty hunter to catch a guy that’s already dead in order to return him to, essentially, a cubicle. It all felt like a whole lot of effort for a whole lot of nothing, save to write a story that constantly says “look how clever I am.” And I’m not going to even touch some of the borderline questionable comments on various races and cultures. I don’t want to be “that guy,” but seriously. In any event, the books aren’t bad; they’re just not terribly good. Fairly middle of the road fare that’ll get the job done, if a job done is all you’re really looking for.

[John Appleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books I've re-read more times than I can remember, Faust Among Equals was the first of Tom Holt's novels that I ever read, and which made him a go-to author for me for a number of years.

I've long had a fascination with mythology, as well as a sense of humour that easily accommodates satire on the peculiarities of the modern world. So having judged this book by its cover (including the blurb), it felt right up my street, and proved markedly so.

The infamous Faust of Germanic legend, having somehow escaped eternal damnation, is now seeking a re-union with his old flame Helen of Troy, and causing merry havoc with his necromancy along the way. Hot on his tail is Kurt Lundqvist, a bounty hunter with a score to settle. But back in Hell, after a management-buy out and the impending opening of their new theme park, the escape of their most prized inmate is causing much concern.

It's not just the comic situations in which the characters find themselves that bring the laughs; at least as important is Tom Holt's brand of humour, which shines through in his narration, and - not always easy for the written word - comic timing. To do that you have to have a good sense of how the reader is going to process the words on the page, and have every bit of punctuation spot on to give the proper effect. For this reason, this is not a book that would suit transition to film; much of the humorous narration could be lost.

It's definitely an intelligent sort of humour, and the intelligence of the story is apparent in its structure - seamlessly going from one aspect of the story to another in a manner that is just on the right side of convoluted, enough to keep you interested without too many confusing details, which I think has been a failing of some of his later works. But this is a fine introduction to his early stuff.

[Alastair Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read this but I would definitely recommend Tom Holt to any fan of Adams, Pratchett, Fforde, etc. Holt loves to take old stories and furnish them with the tribulations of corporate folly: this time, Hell itself.

[Bookhuw · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit annoying.

[Nynke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved nothing but blue skies and flying dutch, but could not get into this one. It has funny bits, as per usual, but the story feels like a marathon of road runner eppisodes

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chock full of clever ideas and genuine humor, but almost bereft of character development and thus a sadly one-dimensional experience. Not Holt’s finest.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Tom Holt novel. That said, I will read anything Tom Holt writes.

[Olly Colluphid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable silliness.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of fun. Some well-trodden jokes about administration, bureaucracy and the like get lost in a playful and inventive story of just the right light tone.

[Stefanos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was too random and chaotic to be really funny - for my taste. Of course there are quite a few hilarious bits, but it lacked a coherent story.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost back to his original stride, this is probably the Holt that I’ve enjoyed the most in the last five books. That enjoyment can also be summarized in one word: Eurobosch. Yes, following DisneyWorld, the MGM Grand Theme Park, Atlantic City, and Cyberia, the most famous theme park in all of history is now open for business. Based on that mad genius Hieronymous Bosch and his most famous work, “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” and operated by the holding company of Beelzebub, et al. You don’t have to take the painting and imagine what thrilling rides and attractions are available–Holt has it down.

That’s just a part of the book, though. The plot concerns a certain George Faustus who has managed to effect an escape from Hell, right during an impending audit. Now that Hell’s operated as a business– once you start reinventing government, it was inevitable–the loss of a major asset can’t be tolerated, and the chase is on.

The good parts here are equal to his previous best, parts like Helen of Troy being a lovely and perfect little woman with a slight penchant for decorating. In the time of Homer, that couldn’t amount to much (what? a curtain over the castle window?), but with centuries of design to choose from…. And Leonardo da Vinci–wasn’t he just the greatest geek that ever lived? And that’s only a couple of the strange yet amusing additions to the lives of historical and fictional personages in the story.

[Nathan Dehoff]

I get the impression that a significant of this one was inspired by Terry Pratchett's Eric, specifically Hell operating like a modern business. It's not too surprising that two British writers of comic fantasy would hit on some of the same topics, but here it's a little too similar. While many of Holt's books meander but still have a unifying plot, this one didn't seem to so much. Essentially a sequel to the Faust legend, this has Georg Faust (usually called by his English name of Lucky George) escape from Hell and have comic adventures in the world, all while pursued by master assassin Kurt Lundvuist, who would become a recurring presence in Holt's books. Another recurring character, conspiracy theorist Danny Bennett, dies in this one, but that doesn't stop him from theorizing. George is able to call in favors from just about every important figure in history or folklore, even if they're dead. Helen of Troy was already part of the Faust story; but this book also has it that he went to school with Julius Vanderdecker (a central character in Holt's earlier Flying Dutch), Leonardo da Vinci, and Hamlet. King Arthur, Hieronymous Bosch, Christopher Columbus, and Sitting Bull also put in appearances. God shows up as well, and this time he's a really nice guy, if somewhat in over his head. It's confusing with all the time travel and dead people showing up, but it's still amusing. Also, Holt really seems to have problems with Australia.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faust Among Equals by Tom Holt does not retell the original soul selling, but picks up with “Lucky George” Faust a few centuries later, having escaped from Hell. Still wielding all the magical powers he got in his famous deal with Satan, he is now up against the new corporate management -- Bain Capital? not quite -- Hell Holdings, plc. Faust may be able to make a fool out of the Security Director and defy the entire Board, but depend on the private sector, in the person of Kurt Lundqvist, bounty hunter, to get his man. Since everyone in Hell is obviously dead already, which gives our anti-hero plenty of ages to hide among, Holt gets to play with time. “...Time, like everything else, was running out. Not that you’d know it if you went by the commodities markets. Just now, for example, over-production has created a serious glut. The price has, accordingly, tumbled... also … what to do with all the enormous dumps of used Time which litter up the under-privileged back lots of the Sixth Dimension, slowly rotting their half-lives away …” Once having relocated Helen of Troy, Faust hopes to settle down to a quiet death, but Lundqvist won’t leave him alone. Meanwhile the Hell Holdings Sales Director has Hieronymus “Ron” Bosch designing the new Netherworlds Theme Park which adds to the zaniness that naturally follows the Most Wanted Man in History.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually read in the Dead Funny omnibus but since the correct edition of that does not show, nor can I add it, I thought may as well have this incorrect cover as the other, especially as I did read the two books within a book separately.

Most reviews on here of that combined edition rate this above book:Flying Dutch]. I disagree. The premise of this is less tight and the characters' motivations are very woolly at times - but then I suppose one might expect that from people who have been double-crossing each other for centuries. Hell as a theme park provided a pretty gruesome location for a final chase that would give any CGI team something to get their teeth into but otherwise got in the way a bit. I did like the idea that Helen of Troy has some pretty unappealing faults. In the end I wasn't really cheering for - or even bothered about - either Faust or Lundqvist: even comedy fantasy anti-heroes still need to rouse some sympathy to pull the reader in, methinks. Still, the usual compliment of daft minor characters and silliness meant it was still fun.

[astaliegurec · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 out of 5 stars
Merely OK
September 7, 2010

Tom Holt's "Faust Among Equals" is the 2nd of his books that I've read ( Flying Dutch being the first). Unlike "Flying Dutch", this one lacks most of the cleverness and all of the intertwined storylines that made that other book so good. What we're left with here is merely a somewhat clever idea (Faust escapes) and a lot of haphazard activities that wend their way to an eventual close. Because of this, the best I can rate it is only an OK 3 stars out of 5. It's good for filling up some spare time. So, get it from the library and save some money.

[Ariana Deralte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was told this was one of Tom Holt's funnier books. Thankfully, this is the case, though it's still not that funny compared to the great comedy writers. Continuous irony and jokes that are telegraphed ten pages away do not a comedy make. He really does run his jokes into the ground, the bastard... And I should stop reading the bloody things since every one of his books does nothing to cheer me up, and merely annoys me.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you don't like puns, stay well away from the book (probably should be evident from the title). If you do like puns, well... There were some of the "jump up and slap you in the face" variety, some that made me snicker, and others the slid by and only with their passing made me go "wait, oh that was awful". Beyond that, however, I don't know. This one just really didn't grab me. Was okay, just not as enjoyable as anticipated perhaps.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If 'Good Omens' by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman has a cult following and a multi-million pound TV adaptation, I see no reason why this hasn't. Personally, I found this a funnier take on the same sort of material.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Tom Holt novel, this time turning the legend of Faust on its head. The image of Hell being a boring business syndicate is nothing new, but a theme park is a nice twist. I also like the reason given for the Trojan wars going on for so long!!

[Ms Eclectic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite funny, unusual story and very different to his other series. I wasn't enthralled and I wouldn't call it unputdownable (and nor would anyone else with a dictionary) but I was compelled to keep reading and I liked the main characters quite a lot.

[Ofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, laugh out laud sort of book featuring historical figures, demons, hell, modern management style, and ethereal bounty hunters. How can you say no to something like this? Guaranteed to make you laugh so hard you might have trouble explaining your behavior. :)

[Christine S.r. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, silly, and fast-paced. It was spot-on in its corporate mockery. A couple awkward lines, though, and the characters were a little thin compared to a series like Discworld. (Which comparatively manages to be both funny and have deep characters.) I'd definitely try another book by him.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some quite clever humour, although it sometimes felt like the author was trying too hard to be funny, or "punny". This is my first Tom Holt book, but probably won't be the last. The writing style reminded me slightly of Douglas Adams.

[Cc Barrett]

Hilarious, Disney Land in Hell.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but feels a little dated, particularly the female characters. Parts of it are wonderfully funny, and parts fall flat.