Between Two Fires Paperback – October 2, 2012

WOW! This was definitely the best book I've read in AGES! Very close to perfection! The conceit of the story is that during the 1300s in France, when the Black Death is devastating Europe, the demons of hell think God has abandoned the world and use their chance to conquer earth. The only person who can stop them is a saintly young French girl named Delphine (no, not Joan of Arc), but Hell and its servants are after her, and the only person who can protect her as she travels through France to try and stop the demonic plots is a disgraced former knight reduced to brigandage, Thomas. But is she really an agent of God, or someone--or something--else? That's the mystery at the heart of this book, along the terrifying depictions of overtly supernatural monsters that gird much of its horror.I don't wanna give too much away, but though this was advertised to me as a horror novel, it also works very well as a sword and sorcery fantasy novel--it's not actually that different from a D&D plotline, in that a wandering swordsman with a good heart buried underneath his checked past/desire for revenge has to protect a young girl against giant demons, undead monsters, and other beasties as she travels the land searching for relics to stop the demonic plot and save the kingdom, assisted by a trusty cleric sidekick. However, Buehlman has really done his research, and despite the monsters you'll encounter, he treats medieval religion realistically (lots of corrupt clergymen) but also sympathetically ("true" faith is portrayed as a force for good and hope). The descriptions of the arms and armor, medieval life, and the big battles of the Hundred Years War like Crecy (given the novel's timeframe) are also very historically accurate and compellingly written. The combat scenes are nice and the characters are great, you'll come to love Thomas and Delphine and you wo't be able to keep yourself from grinning as Thomas grows attached to his young ward despite himself over the course of the story. And again, no spoilers, but the ending was one of the best I've read in a while, nearly brought me to tears. Absolute 5/5, I'm gonna get the rest of Buehlman's books to show my support for this author :D

Overall I thought it was a great book that I'd recommend. It's a fusioon of historical fiction, horror, and fantasy. Taking place during the black plague it follows a disgraced knight who guides a prophetic child towards Avignon. The plague is told as being the work of devils fighting against heaven, a plan to wreak utter havoc and this is where the story derives most of its horror. Devilish abominations stalk the French countryside and towns creating a wonderful sense of unease with a generally satisfying conclusion.My only real problem is that halfway you can start to notice a pattern - - mild spoilers for the structure of the novel - - in which a chapter has a little bit of development followed by a chapter with a monster. Rinse and repeat for most of the journey, monster, development, monster, development. It's not bad per se, but I think the story would of benefited from greater variety and a better nuance to the character development. I kept hoping for more characters interaction that worked to build a greater repoire but such development was often brief and would end to Segway to the monster of the chapter.Despite that it's a very interesting and fun read, it blends genres that don't really see all that much overlap.

Plague-ravaged France, demons and angels at war, monsters in the dark, and humanity revealed through unforgettable characters. Buehlman blends raw terror with lyrical prose, making the world both nightmarish and achingly human. Grim, moving, and unforgettable.

I had been searching amazon, google, reddit for the best horror books to jump into. Author Chris Buehlman and this book (and his others) came up frequently, so I gave it a chance. I was initially hesitant due to the religious aspect of the book's description. What I discovered was my new favorite book and the standard I hold all my other fantasy or horror books against. The religion is not presented in a preachy way, just part of the story. To me, the perspective and writing style were dream-like. I felt like I was watching the story with focus on the characters and everything around them slightly dulled, in a good way, like murky danger is around every corner. The reader is shown what is going on without pages of fluff or unneccessary descriptions. The closest similar experience I can imagine is a mix between The Road and The Witcher. Lovable characters, action, horror, adventure await. It even had one part that scared me and that is difficult to do. It also moved me to tears at two points. I cannot recommend this book enough! I have also read The Necromancer's House (same author 4.5/5 also made me cry), and cannot wait to read the rest of Mr. Buehlman's work!