Between Two Fires

“The book’s blurbs give insight into where the story is supposed to go, but it is a long time in getting there—and the way it gets there is less than compelling overall.”

In Between Two Fires, Christopher Buehlman has produced a confusing story that is difficult to follow.

The setting of medieval France during the black plague is intriguing and offers a multitude of opportunities but those same opportunities don’t materialize in any cogent manner.

His concept of a disgraced knight, a questionable priest, and a young girl just coming into womanhood also provides interesting chances for strong character development and on this point Mr. Buehlman is moderately successful.

His knight, Thomas, dominates the story, while both the girl, Delphine, and the priest, Pere Matthieu, take secondary roles. Early in the story this unlikely band encounter a most unusual eel-like beast in the local waters, and then a mysterious force of evil statues come to life in the dark of night.

Both events left this reader questioning the story’s direction and theme.

Mr. Buehlman uses language that is not for the faint of heart. It is questionable if his more colorful vulgarities were actually terms/words employed during this period; regardless, Mr. Buehlman goes into overkill mode with most of his colorful language.

The book’s blurbs give insight into where the story is supposed to go, but it is a long time in getting there—and the way it gets there is less than compelling overall.