Between Two Fires Paperback – 2 Oct. 2012

Ok. Before we talk about this book, let’s talk about another one.The Blacktongue Thief, the 2021 debut fantasy by Christopher Buehlman, was a marvel. One of the best fantasy debuts I’ve ever read, it showcased Buehlman’s talents: astonishing wordbuilding making each page come alive with new information; a deeply disturbing sense of the grim and the horrific; a pitch-perfect sense of comedy that made it the funniest fantasy since Pratchett; a penchant for the poetic, the tragic and the soulful that was all the more powerful for its conjunction with the aforesaid humour; and a talent for linguistic playfulness that meant that each page was an etymological meal in itself, to be slowly devoured lest the book ends too quickly.Now before this turns into a review of that (yeah yeah, I know, too late) I want you to understand how excited I was when I discovered that Buehlman’s writing roots are in horror, not fantasy (horror being my other favourite genre, my blood-soaked Watson to fantasy’s Holmes). The book I chose to introduce myself to his horror oeuvre was Between Two Fires, which on its front cover is described as an epic tale of medieval horror, leaving you in doubt as to his ambition and intent here.Between Two Fires is set in 14th century France, currently being devastated by the plague. But behind the plague there are more sinister and unholy forces at work, and an odd trio of an orphaned young girl, a knight stripped of his lands and an alcoholic priest must traverse this country ripe with pestilence and monsters, both human and devilish, on a quest to save both themselves and, perhaps, the world.The first thing to note is that any book with the bubonic plague in has an in-built advantage that this is one of the most fertile grounds for horror. The terror of a village waiting for the plague to hit, the random unfortunate events that bring said plague to its walls; the sheer despair as vast populations are wiped out: Buehlman mines all the potential of the Black Death to its upmost.But this is a book of monsters as well as plague, and while it would be spoiling it to say much more on this, take it from me that there are some scenes in here that will fester in your very soul and linger there, grinning. Those of you who have read the Blacktongue Thief and enjoyed the very vivid scenes of goblins, Kraken and the like can be rest assured that the creature moments here are of a dark variety so unhinged and hellish that even a jaded horror veteran like myself had to take a moment to collect myself after certain sections.Buehlman is not just a purveyor of the depraved though (though boy is he that too); he is a master of character, and relationships. The character of Thomas, the fallen knight with a tragic past, is a classic one: a man tempted to do bad desperately struggling to keep on the righteous path. His relationship with Delphine, the orphaned girl who becomes much more than that, is complicated but redemptive in all the best ways.But perhaps the best moments of character come when we are introduced to minor characters who appear only briefly (often before being dispatched in various horrific ways). Buehlman has a talent for making these brief cameos seem very real, often heart-breaking so; his penchant for realistic dialogue of humour and soul immediately creates very real relationships with the most passing of people. In this respect, Buehlman can put himself up there with the true master of this, fantasy legend Robin Hobb.We also need to talk about this book’s ambition. While the first half is very much a tour of depravity and faint hope across the plague-torn villages and towns of medieval France, the second half, or at least the last third, becomes… something else entirely. I won’t give anything away, but Buehlman has a masterplan here, a grand scheme, and things get very chaotic very quickly. It’s at this point that you will know for sure if this book is for you.Those of you who like their epic novels a little more disciplined, or structured, may get lost at this point amid the chaos. But if, like me, this book already had its gore-stained hooks in you by this point, then you will see meaning and planning in the chaos, and it will sweep you along to the supremely ambitious finale, which Buehlman pulls of (just). And it’s at this point that you realise what this book has achieved; a masterful tale about the redemption and hope that can be found even amongst true horror that can rank among the greats covering this fertile narrative ground.Do I like it as much The Blacktongue Thief? No. But that’s an unfair comparison, like criticising the Hobbit for not being the Lord of the Rings. But it left a mark on me, and broke my heart and warped my mind in so many places I was exhausted by the end in the best way, having completed a brimstone-scorched marathon with the scars to prove it.So there we have it. Buehlman is a master of horror as well as fantasy.Lucky bastard.

I don’t want to spoiler this book too much, but it’s basically historical dark fantasy religious horror (phew!) set in France during the Black Death. Quite a lot of violence and lots of horrible demons. If that sounds like something that appeals to you, you should really read it. It definitely made me care about the characters, and the end packed a punch. Christian readers should note that it addresses Christian themes in a way that could be considered heretical, but I wouldn’t say it was anti-Christian as such.

There's a lot to recommend this. The basic premise is terrific, the writing is good, the tale is nicely gritty. The only real weakness is the story arc. You know the SORT of ending you're going to get early on - and between that early point and the end, there are few developments, no real surprises, just a lot of *stuff* happening on the way to the (inevitable) conclusion: and that stuff, honestly, could have been better, more imaginative, given the book's great set-up. This is still a good read, I don't regret buying it, but could have been better.

Finished this last night and I can't begin to say how much I loved it. Felt properly medieval in a way that many fantasy-flavoured books don't, and explored the war between heaven and hell in incredibly evocative and creative ways. The characters are all heavily flawed but incredibly compelling; even the minor characters are well-drawn. Uses the plague and its horrors to get properly gruesome, while the demons and their torments are their own brand of reality-bending upset. Five stars all round!

Felt like I was reading a philosophical tempered horror book. When I say this is engrossing, I am not kidding. It was written like a ballad of yore, it was a biblical romp through the French countryside during the time of the plague. It wasn’t horror in the greater sense of the word, it was more like walking into a Goya-Bosch painting and wondering how I ended up in both heaven and hell all at once. The journey was excellent. I recommend.

This fantastic book kept me gripped entirely. There wasn’t a single point at which I was a bit bored and wanted to skip to the next page, as every single word was written with utter perfection.The main characters Thomas, Delphine and Père Matthieu were so well written that I felt entirely connected to them, (I was rooting for Thomas and his potential for redemption, especially)…the relationships between them being hilariously entertaining, and also delightfully tender. Their back stories were both tragic and believable, given the time in which the story is set.I appreciated there being just enough eeriness in the story to set the tone and mood, and to give perspective on what the characters were facing, without it becoming something of a horror fest. I was able to read it at all hours…daylight and dark, and didn’t feel so creeped out that I had to put it down.The ending was superb too. Rather unexpected, I thought, but it was beautifully executed and gave the story the right balance of closure and the feeling of wanting more.Overall I would highly recommend this book. I can’t remember reading something this engaging for a long time, so I would definitely recommend anyone considering it, to read it.

Not a book I would usually read but took a recommendation. Given the theme of the book the devils are as you’d expect very evil and they are depicted well. Some of the violence and language was a bit jarring but adds to the book overall.Made me laugh on several occasions and did a good job of portraying the general feelings around during the Plague.