Against his better judgement, Thomas decides to go with her, and along the road, they pick up Père Mathieu, a priest abandoned by his congregation because of certain proclivities. It is in one castle that Bal-Phegor hosts a nightly court of the damned where human souls are tortured in a grim, unending parody of a human ball.

Between Two Fires is incredible : r/Fantasy - Reddit Between Two Fires is incredible : r/Fantasy - Reddit

World Half Full: Though everything seems hopeless for most of the book, the end makes it clear that after Hell is driven back, the world is beginning to heal. It happens offscreen, but it's evident Thomas had no problems when he fought and killed both Godefroy and the fat brigand in the barn, despite being outnumbered.The few healthy people left lock themselves in, not wanting to risk contact with strangers, no matter how dire the strangers' needs. has a knack for creating endearing characters, and readers will grow to love Arthur and the orphans alongside Linus. When the Host banishes them from Avignon, they respond by damning all the souls they can grab, guilty or innocent, which includes Thomas. For all of his gruff, Thomas is a broken man, desperate to get back the honor he has unjustly lost - and whatever forces drives her, Delphine is still just a girl who needs a mother's love and who still wants to play and dance, regardless of the desolation she is surrounded with.

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

Writing for Shelf Awareness, Ron Hogan stated that Buehlman's ability to combine modern horror with a medieval setting allowed Buehlman to "[secure] his status among today's leading dark fantasy authors. The Friend Nobody Likes: Chretien, the man who stole Thomas's lands (and slept with/coerced his wife), to his party. Papa Wolf: While he's initially blunt with her, Thomas does become more genuinely caring of Delphine, and in turn, becomes more fiercely protective of her as if she was his own daughter. They believe Lucifer and his Demons are in full control and they're not exactly wrong on this assessment.I'm a Humanitarian: The city of Nemours, which has isolated itself and refuses to let anyone enter or leave it, is largely getting by by having the living eat the dead. The last novel that I have read that fused so many genres together so expertly like this was 'Hyperion' which is saying quite a lot. Survival did actually mean people often had to be morally bad to live, while the plague killed everyone whether they were morally nice or bad. Thomas tries to reason with it, and though the demon is agreeable, it says it is far more afraid of its masters than Thomas can understand, and devours him anyway. Sir Swears-a-Lot: To Delphine's chagrin, Thomas curses very liberally, to the point where "cunting" and "whoring" are his favorite adjectives for everything.

Between Two Fires - Horror DNA Between Two Fires - Horror DNA

A demon at one point seemingly possesses Thomas and tries to goad him into raping Delphine, presenting her in his dream as a ripe and juicy pear.And it definitely is a historical fiction setting/feel with beautifully crafted prose that flows easily. For some, the question of what was the point of being SO religious if people died anyway suffering horribly no matter what? 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. Title Drop: The Pope holds audiences sitting "between two fires" as a precaution against the plague. By combining modern horror dynamics with a convincing medieval setting, Christopher Buehlman secures his status among today’s leading dark fantasy authors.