Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
And Lucifer said, “Let us rise against Him now in all our numbers, and pull the walls of heaven down…” The year is 1348. Thomas, a disgraced knight, has found a young girl alone in a dead Norman village. An orphan of the Black Death, and an almost unnerving picture of innocence, she tells Thomas that plague is only part of a larger cataclysm - that the fallen angels under Lucifer are rising in a second war on heaven, and that the world of men has fallen behind the lines of conflict. Is it delirium or is it faith? She believes she has seen the angels of God. She believes the righteous dead speak to her in dreams. And now she has convinced the faithless Thomas to shepherd her across a depraved landscape to Avignon. There, she tells Thomas, she will fulfill her mission: to confront the evil that has devastated the earth and to restore to this betrayed, murderous knight the nobility and hope of salvation he long abandoned. As Hell unleashes its wrath, and as the true nature of the girl is revealed, Thomas will find himself on a macabre battleground of angels, demons, saints, and the risen dead - and in the midst of a desperate struggle for nothing less than the soul of man. Christopher Buehlman is a writer and performer from St. Petersburg, Florida. The winner of the 2007 Bridport Prize for poetry, he is also the author of several plays and the acclaimed horror novel Those Across the River . He lives with his wife and his rescued dog, Duck.
Between two fires: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This dark historical fantasy contains graphic supernatural horror, violence, and disturbing imagery set during the Black Death. The medieval apocalyptic setting includes demons, risen dead, and explicit depictions of plague and war.
What to know going in
This book has graphic violence, mild sexual content, and strong language. Content notes include graphic violence, gore, death, and mass death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers who appreciate dark, visceral horror combined with medieval history and theological themes will find this gripping journey through a plague-ravaged hellscape compelling.