Between Two Fires

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Thou Shalt Not Kill: After Thomas kills his companions to protect Delphine in the opening, she commands him to "never kill anyone ever again". Thomas meets D'Évreux on the road and challenges him to a duel in which D'Évreux is eventually killed. Soon three of the bandits are dead and not lamented, and the girl has decided that their killer, an excommunicated knight named Thomas de Givras, should accompany her on the next certain-death mission served up by her voices. First of all, Between Two Fires is a bit hard to categorize; it’s a blend of horror, fantasy, and historical fiction in one package. After the Battle of Crécy, Thomas's lands were stolen by the Comte d'Évreux, and he was excommunicated.

Between Two Fires: Buehlman, Christopher: 9798662731349

One is described as looking like a seemingly liquid thing that could shift into a mass of writhing tentacles. Mathieu then clarifies by saying that he is going to Paris with them; not because he wants to, but because he believes he has to. This page includes affiliate links where Horror DNA may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. They're also cooked and served in the feast prior to the tourney, with the lord in particular favoring their brains. Stupid Evil: Some of the lesser demons the trio encounter fail to serve as competent arbiters of temptation because they make their evil natures too obvious.And there Thomas will confront an evil wrestling for the throne of Heaven, and which has poisoned his own soul. With all of their flaws and shortcomings, they felt so real, they faced their fears and desires, they changed and sacrificed so much for each other. Justified, as given the sheer number of people dying of the plague, there isn't anybody to do the cleaning. His extraordinary debut, Those Across the River , was hailed as “genre-bending Southern horror” ( California Literary Review ), “graceful [and] horrific” (Patricia Briggs).

Between Two Fires Anyone Up for Some War, Famine, and Plague? Between Two Fires

God Is Good: Their methods notwithstanding, God and the Host are always portrayed benevolently, and their least manifestation grants relief from the filth and death that's choking France. Meaningful Name: Crossed with Ironic Name: Chretien d'Evreux's first and last names mean "follower of Christ" and "brave strong boar" respectively, when he's a cowardly usurper who leveraged the Church's rites to depose of a more virtuous rival. Between Two Fires invites you on a journey that is at once a fool’s errand into great danger, and a violent man’s first, uncertain steps toward redemption. Shell-Shocked Veteran: Thomas frequently has flashbacks to his doomed charge at Crécy and his painful recovery.When the damned grow numb to their tortures, the devils either come up with one even worse, or grant the damned just enough relief or hope of rescue to make the pain start all over again. As the group leaves the city, they are attacked by possessed statues of the Virgin Mary and various saints. Delphine's mortal aspect, meanwhile, wakes up in her dead parents' farm exactly a year after she first met Thomas with no memory of prior events. His title, his home, his wife, were taken from him by no fault of his own and he is excommunicated by a corrupt system. The year is 1348, the Black Death has hit the majority of the populated areas in France, food is scarce and many people have given up on their faith.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman | Goodreads Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman | Goodreads

And not in a typical fantasy type of way, with dragons soaring overhead, or sorcery being tossed about, but more in a lurking, terrifying, perhaps rip you asunder, you don’t know what the hell just hit you (or them) kind of way. Not only does she ultimately die to save humanity from the ravages of the plague and Hell's machinations, but she's strongly implied to functionally be Christ. At some point, Christopher offered to send me a signed copy of Between Two Fires and I accepted this generous offer. Between Two Fires' is created - a dark Christian fairy tale of 1348 with so much Good and Evil comeuppance it will literally throttle all objections the most morally punitive of us need to be happy in our relationships (particularly Protestant evangelicals), as well as yet somehow tickle the fancy of those of us with more cynical atheist leanings, at least those of us atheists with literary tastes.

The Alcoholic: Pere Mathieu is a constant wine-drinker and suffers significant withdrawals if he goes without. Then Let Me Be Evil: Thomas turned to brigandry as a result of being excommunicated purely so that a rival could seize his lands and holdings.