Books › Berlin, Vol. 2
Berlin, Vol. 2
City of Smoke
210 pages
A masterful, dread-soaked portrait of a vibrant metropolis dancing on the edge of the abyss.
What it feels like
Reading this volume feels like sitting in a crowded, smoke-filled cabaret while a thunderstorm gathers just outside the doors. The pace is steady and deliberate, weaving a sprawling tapestry of journalists, artists, and musicians who are all trying to survive or ignore the fracturing of their society. There is a profound, dread-soaked anxiety humming beneath the clean, meticulous artwork and understated dialogue. You are immersed in the vibrant, hedonistic pulse of Weimar-era nightlife, yet constantly aware of the tightening grip of historical inevitability. It is a deeply empathetic, observational experience that captures the fragility of democracy and the human instinct to seek connection in the shadow of collapse. This is perfect for readers who crave immersive, historically rich ensemble narratives that balance intimate character studies with sweeping sociopolitical shifts.
- Mood
- anxious
- dread-soaked
- vibrant
- tense
- Tone
- observational
- empathetic
- somber
- journalistic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- fragility of democracy · escapism vs. reality · rise of extremism · urban alienation · art in times of crisis
- The writing
- Precise and understated, utilizing clean lines and measured dialogue to ground the sprawling, chaotic history in intimate human moments.
- The arc
- Begins in the dizzying haze of nightlife and political distraction, slowly tightening into a suffocating awareness of impending historical doom.
- Who it's for
- Fans of meticulously researched historical fiction and sprawling ensemble casts who appreciate graphic storytelling with deep sociopolitical weight.
Content notes
- political violence
- antisemitism
- racism
- homophobia
- police brutality
About the book
"The second volume of Jason Lutes's historical epic finds the people of Weimar Berlin searching for answers after the lethal May Day demonstration of 1929. Tension builds along with the dividing wall between communists and nationalists, Jews and gentiles, as the dawn of the Second World War draws closer. Meanwhile, the nightlife of Berlin heats up as many attempt to distract themselves from the political upheavals within the city. The American Jazz band Cocoa Kids arrives and quickly becomes a fixture. The lives of the characters within Lutes's epic weave together to create a seamless portrait of this transitory city. Marthe Muller follows lover Kurt Severing as he interviews participants in the May Day demonstration, but moonlights in the city's lesbian nightlife. Severing acts as a window through which the political shifts within the city and its participants can be seen. As with Berlin Book One: City of Stones, Lutes creates a sense of anxiety, of the doom to come" -- from publisher's web site.
Description from Open Library.
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