If 'Bloodborne' & 'The Last of Us' Had a Baby

A Review of "Between Two Fires" by Christopher Buehlman

Star rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Spoiler-free review (TWs below)

I have a new favorite book.

I’ve always had a morbid fascination with horror and the macabre. Dark fantasy, American gothic, anything by Jordan Peele or Mike Flanagan, you name it. So when my friend recommended Between Two Fires (you can find their recommendation below), which branded itself as ‘medieval horror,’ you know I had to pick it up. I’m so glad I did.

I Asked My Friends For Book Recommendations

The premise—a disgraced knight, a young girl, and a priest survive plague-torn medieval Europe (year 1348). The three are mentioned almost exclusively as “knight,” “girl,” and “priest” until the halfway point by an omnipotent narrator that treats their journey with cold objectivity. With the world crumbling around them and disease in every corner, these three strangers must cling to each other to survive. Unbeknownst to them, they stand at the forefront of an ancient war between the highest good and the darkest evils.

Between Two Fires is dark, violent, and scary—but the relationship between the main trio adds a much needed warmth and hopefulness to the book. The knight, Thomas, and the priest, Father Matthieu, form a close bond and watch over the young girl, Delphine, as fatherly figures. It’s a terrifying thought to travel a dying world, and the stakes are raised with a child in tow (one of many reasons why series like ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘A Quiet Place’ hit their mark). Readers feel the same protectiveness over Delphine as Thomas and Matthieu.

It’s hard to talk about this book without sharing spoilers so I’m afraid this review will be a little short. There are so many themes and plot points I want to dive into, but I want any interested readers to go in blind the way I did. This book took me by surprise at every turn and sent shivers down my spine. The high stakes, the horror, the high emotion and drama, and the villains. God, they don’t do villains like this anymore. Christopher Buehlman is a talented author. I’m going to think about this book for a long time.

I recommend this book to anyone with the same morbid curiosity as me, or anyone who enjoyed ‘Bloodborne’ or ‘The Last of Us.’

Book trigger warnings: mentions and threats of rape and pedophilia (no on-screen penetration); heavy violence and gore; torture; homophobia; antisemitism.