Between Two Fires Paperback – October 2, 2012

It has been a long time since a book was added to my 'Favorites' shelf. This one earned it.Between Two Fires is my type of book. Meaning I recognize that I am its audience. I had heard about this book through the grapevine over the years... Mostly that it was A) good and B) similar in tone and content to games like Dark Souls. Both of these things turned out to be true, which, for me, you're pretty much guaranteed a homerun at that point. But Buehlman's novel also has the "it" factor that pushed it above something I merely enjoy.Set in medieval France during the Black Death, Between Two Fires is an expert example of genre-blending. It put me in mind of Robert Eggers' film The Witch, in that the setting is informed by the belief system of the historical period. Meaning, in the case of Buehlman's novel here, that God, his angels, Heaven, Hell, Lucifer, and all manner of devils, are not just real entities, they have great agency in this story, and their inclusion within it is handled with a deftness that maintains an incredible realism, and ensures that these elements are lent the proper weight, so that even though you're reading something that could at times be mistaken for mere historical fiction, the story is greatly served by its horror and fantasy elements. Perhaps even made by them.Having said all that, while this story does reach some epic peaks, it is a much more grounded story for most of its page count. And this is where I connect with it most deeply. At its heart, it's a story about a disgraced knight, and a young girl, traveling France together. It's extremely atmospheric, the cast is small, the dialogue is terse but often humorous, even amidst the darkness (some of it feels like Cormac McCarthy dabbling in genre fiction, which is also up my alley). And as I mentioned before, the way Buehlman puts it all together is simply masterful. Angels war outside the walls of heaven. Devils walk the earth and monsters roam the countryside each night. And yet my favorite parts of the book were quiet conversations between the characters; small laughter breaking through the night.'She became confused about whether he was dead. Perhaps not, but, like her, he would be soon. Everyone would be soon.'

Great book, starts fast and heavy, by the end of the book you could sort of tell the inexperience of the author at the time (he is/was an independent author at the time of the self publishing of the book) ending kinda felt rushed.

I like dystopian thriller and this was a good one. If you know your Bible, the last few chapters and the demons/angels all fit. I appreciated the evolution of Thomas and it is impossible to not respect Delphine, and the priest who helped them early along in the book. I was pleased with the ending.

It’s like a mix of The Seventh Seal, Empire of the Vampire, and just the good Hound/Arya bits from Game of Thrones - all in the best possible way. The writing is vivid; the plot compelling; the characters fleshed-out and intricate. I’m excited to read more from this author.Edit - I originally bought this on Kindle; ended up liking it so well I bought a print copy, too, because I think my husband would enjoy it and print is easier for him to read than a screen.Edit 2 - I loved the ending of the final chapter so much I cried.

My partner and I co read this book together like a mini book club. We both like fantasy and history. However, he likes more war focused, and I like a more storytelling and lore focus. This book was perfect for both of us!The dark humor in the book is great. The trios dynamic is great. This book actually made me laugh out loud and sob for a whole chapter. I enjoyed the play on biblical angles and demons with the active history going on during that time. This was also on of the few books that the ending was perfect, just bittersweet.

Extremely well enjoyed the vocabulary sections are real page turners one o f the best books I’ve read in sometime

"And the Lord made answer."What a wild, wonderful, harrowing ride. I wept tears of joy, and sorrow. This was a masterfully written horror with such depth of human will weaved throughout. This book does a tremendous job of exposing the true good and evil of people, of the spiritual world, and all the gray and grace in-between. Truly a book I will cherish in my heart, and tell all my friends to read.It's not for the faint of heart, but if you endure the horror, you will come out better for it.

Tying in real historical events with the never-ending battles between good and evil results in a gripping tale of human frailty, sin and redemption. Begs for a sequel.