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Between Two Fires

Pages
448
Published
2012
Language
English

Synopsis

In 1348, as the Black Death scours France, a disgraced knight named Thomas roams the ruined countryside as a brigand, hollowed out by his own failures. When he rescues a strange, fearless young girl named Delphine — who insists she can see angels — his aimless survival becomes a perilous pilgrimage.

Delphine believes the plague is only the opening move of a far greater catastrophe: that Lucifer and the fallen angels have launched a second war on Heaven, and that the world of the living has become their battlefield. Guided by her visions, she draws Thomas toward Paris and then Avignon, and the mismatched pair — later joined by a flawed, kind-hearted priest — walk a landscape crawling with demons, cruelty, and miracles as God's own silence hangs over everything.

Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires is a harrowing, beautifully written work of medieval horror and dark fantasy — brutal and tender by turns, and steeped in the terror and faith of the fourteenth century.

How it reads

Prose complexity 7/10
Content warnings (4)
Graphic ViolenceViolenceGoreSexual Assault

Characters

Thomas (Between Two Fires)Protagonist

A disgraced French knight turned brigand, wounded at Crécy and excommunicated, who becomes protector to the girl Delphine on their pilgrimage.

Delphine (Between Two Fires)Protagonist

An orphaned girl who says angels speak to her, and who compels Thomas to escort her to Avignon — by turns prophet and frightened child.

LuciferAntagonist

The fallen angel who sparks a second war on Heaven by unleashing the Black Death on France.

Comte d'ÉvreuxAntagonist

The nobleman who stripped Thomas of his lands and standing, and whose enmity follows him across France.

Père MatthieuSupporting

A flawed, kindly priest who joins their pilgrimage.

All characters in Between Two Fires

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Between Two Fires based on a true story?

    No. The novel is set during the real Black Death of 1348 in France, and historical figures like Pope Clement VI appear in it, but the central story of Thomas, Delphine and their war with fallen angels is Christopher Buehlman's own invention, blending historical fiction with supernatural horror.

  • Is Between Two Fires a standalone novel, or part of a series?

    Between Two Fires is a standalone novel. It was first published in 2012 by Ace Books and has no sequel.