Between Two Fires - Product Refinement Note: The original title Between Two Fires is already concise and does not require further simplification.

Christopher Buehlman's remarkable debut, Those Across the River, received acclaim as “genre-bending Southern horror” by the California Literary Review and was described as “graceful [and] horrific” by Patricia Briggs. Now, he is set to immerse readers in an even more sinister era—one steeped in temptation and corruption, a realm where war rages in heaven and hell unfolds on earth. In this dark narrative, Lucifer declares, “Let us rise against Him now in all our numbers, and pull the walls of heaven down…”

The story unfolds in the year 1348, where Thomas, a knight stripped of his honor, encounters a young girl amidst the remnants of a deceased Norman village. This girl, a survivor of the Black Death, embodies an almost disturbing innocence. She reveals to Thomas that the plague is merely a fragment of a much larger catastrophe—one in which Lucifer’s fallen angels are rallying for a second assault on heaven. She insists that humanity has become entangled in a war that far exceeds its comprehension.

Is it madness born from despair, or is it genuine belief? She is steadfast in her conviction that she has witnessed the angels of God and that the righteous dead communicate with her through dreams. Her unwavering faith leads her to persuade the disillusioned Thomas to guide her across a landscape steeped in corruption, all the way to Avignon. There, she claims she will execute her divine mission: to confront the malevolence that has ravaged the earth and, in doing so, to restore to this disheartened knight the nobility and hope of salvation he has forsaken.

As hell pours forth its fury, the true essence of the girl gradually unravels. Thomas finds himself embroiled in a grotesque battleground where angels and demons clash, saints rise, and the dead emerge from their graves. Within this chaotic struggle, a desperate battle ensues—one that stakes nothing less than the very soul of mankind.

Throughout the narrative, the themes of redemption and despair intertwine, compelling readers to question faith and the nature of evil. Thomas, initially a skeptic, undergoes a transformation as he grapples with the supernatural occurrences surrounding him and the girl who has ignited a flicker of hope within his weary soul. The story unfolds with rich, evocative imagery, immersing readers in the harrowing realities of a world on the verge of collapse, teetering between good and evil, hope and despair.

As the line between reality and hallucination blurs, Buehlman crafts a tale that transcends mere horror, probing the depths of human nature and the complexities of belief. The girl, a symbol of purity and divine purpose, juxtaposes Thomas's fallen state, representing the potential for redemption even in the darkest of times.

With each page, the tension mounts, drawing readers deeper into this chilling saga as Thomas faces not only external adversaries but also the demons within himself. In this masterfully woven narrative, Christopher Buehlman challenges us to confront our own shadows, to seek understanding amidst chaos, and to consider what it truly means to fight for one’s soul.

product information: