A relentless trip through the bleakest era in history as it hit the most impacted parts of Europe, Between Two Fires explores what is left of humanity — figuratively, and violently literally — as the late stages of the Great Death (the black death as we call it) leaves behind a population devoid of hope. Taking advantage of that dearth of optimism and faith are the fallen angels, demons and devils cast out from heaven who now desire to take the battle to the realm of man. And that's were we find our cast of characters, the heart of which is a young orphan girl who is taken under the begrudgingly caring wing of a fallen knight.

As horrific as the story beats and setting are, I would have found it difficult to label the novel horror if it weren't for several incredibly effective set pieces. One scene in particular, which I won't spoil except to say it took place entirely in an impossible darkness, actually chilled me. I find a better label to be gothic adventure, as it has elements of a hero's journey, religious epic, historical fiction, and Lovecraftian horror. Christopher Buehlman's writing was captivating, depraved, honest, and at times quite witty. He built a world that felt infectiously dirty and dangerous, all the while trusting the reader to follow along with locations and names, both historical and biblical.

Some readers took issue with how the story felt too episodic, like a series of levels in a video game. Others felt that some of the dialogue felt anachronistic, unfit for a story taking place in the midst of medieval Europe. To the former, I think epics have always had that feeling of heroes (or anti-heroes) facing one trial after another, testing their aptitude, faith, and luck. There is a strong, character-driven narrative arc that threads these moments together and I felt we were always building towards something greater than the sum of its parts. For the latter, I found the mix of dialogue style between the high-born and our troop to be engaging and while I'm sure not accurate, the point of storytelling is to adapt the narrative to resonate with your readers. I had no challenge understanding the point that our main characters were casual, at times vulgar, interacting as friends while the formality of the day was for other, less frequent, and less entertaining interactions.

I can't wait to read more of this author's work and see what other worlds he is able to bring to life.

3.5 out of 5