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Between Two Fires
His extraordinary debut, Those Across the River, was hailed as "genre-bending Southern horror" (California Literary Review), "graceful [and] horrific" (Patricia Briggs). Now Christopher Buehlman invites readers into an even darker age-one of temptation and corruption, of war in heaven, and of hell on earth... And Lucifer said: "Let us rise against Him now in all our numbers, and pull the walls of heaven down..." The year is 1348. Thomas, a disgraced knight, has found a young girl alone in a dead Norman village. An orphan of the Black Death, and an almost unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that plague is only part of a larger cataclysm-that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven, and that the world of men has fallen behind the lines of conflict. Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission: to confront the evil that has devastated the earth, and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned. As hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels and demons, saints, and the risen dead, and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man.
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Community Reviews
A fun journey, definitely worth the read. Watch out for those priests though, especially under bridges!
The first four parts were phenomenal and then lost the plot in the end. Introduced characters too late in the game to matter and seemed rushed.
Honestly I finished this masterpiece a few moments ago so the emotions are still pretty raw. This is a work of art. Christoper Buehlman did some things here that I didn’t think were possible.
First, he managed to lay down a plot that not only captivated me but also repulsed me at times. This is good, however I didn’t think it was good until after I finished the book. Chapter EIGHT: Of the Night Tourney, was one that left me feeling sick, however I realized that it also immersed within the horrific environment of the story, furthering my attachment to the characters and plot. So all is forgiven.
Second, the characters Buehlman created found there way into my good graces at a slowly effective pace. I thought at first that Thomas was like every other villain turned hero, until I realized Thomas wasn’t bad…he was on the road to bad until Delphine turned him from it (although Thomas did some horrible things undoubtedly). Pierre Matthieu, to be honest was a “comic relief” type of character (the typical drunken priest) that is until his heroic death crossing the river. I realized that despite his flaws (which he wore on his sleeves) he was willing to suffer his worst fears and be brave in order to save Delphine. Truly well written, and I didn’t realize how much I cared for this character until he was gone.
Lastly, despite having a long trial ending in horrific bloodshed, Buehlman brings it home with an ending that nearly brought me to tears (tears that Thomas would’ve proudly mocked!). I did not expect a happy ending, I was well prepared for it to end with Thomas in hell, but that’s not what this tale called for. I’m all for stories not ending with a “fairy tale ending”, but this one needed it and it was so well concluded that I rate this novel a 10/10 with full intentions of picking it up again.
If someone asked me, what's YOUR ideas for an awesome horror book...this book would be the result.
Historic setting during the bubonic plague in France that just oozes despair - check.
A battle between angels and demons to play off my Catholic childhood - check.
Crazy monsters and downright evil and gruesome acts by truly nefarious beings - check.
Knights in not so shining armor and complicated characters with both flaws and redeeming qualities - check.
It's perfect. That's all there is to say. Upon finishing it, it instantly went into my top 5 horror novels of all time, hell, maybe even top 3 (I liked it that much.)
This was my first novel by Christopher Buehlman, but it certainly won't be my last...
Historic setting during the bubonic plague in France that just oozes despair - check.
A battle between angels and demons to play off my Catholic childhood - check.
Crazy monsters and downright evil and gruesome acts by truly nefarious beings - check.
Knights in not so shining armor and complicated characters with both flaws and redeeming qualities - check.
It's perfect. That's all there is to say. Upon finishing it, it instantly went into my top 5 horror novels of all time, hell, maybe even top 3 (I liked it that much.)
This was my first novel by Christopher Buehlman, but it certainly won't be my last...
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