I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but in the end I found it highly enjoyable. Kehlmann does a wonderful job relocating medieval folklore trickster Tyll into the middle of the Thirty Years' War and the Early Modern era. In the book, Tyll acts as both a catalyst and a mirror as his travels allow us to see the events of the war through the eyes and experiences of many different characters. The work is fairly episodic, but it all ties together nicely through Tyll. The prose is very readable, and there is a well-balanced blending of humour and drama. I would definitely be interested in reading more of Kehlmann's works.