Between Two Fires cover

Between Two Fires

by Christopher Buehlman

Narrated by Steve West

4.36 BLT Score
(71.9K ratings)
★ 4.21 Goodreads (65.0K) ★ 4.53 Audible (6.9K)

Why You'll Love This

The Black Death is just the backdrop — what Buehlman is really tracing is the slow, agonizing collapse of a man's ability to disbelieve.

  • Great if you want: theological horror wrapped in brutal, literary medieval fiction
  • The experience: relentlessly grim and immersive — gothic slow-burn at its best
  • Narration: West's weathered baritone earns Thomas's exhausted cynicism completely
  • Skip if: you need hope or levity — this book offers very little

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About This Book

Medieval France crumbles under the weight of the Black Death, but according to a mysterious young girl, the plague represents only the beginning of humanity's trials. When Thomas, a fallen knight haunted by his past sins, encounters this orphaned child in a devastated Norman village, she speaks of fallen angels waging war against heaven itself. Her divine visions and unsettling certainty compel the faithless warrior to escort her across a nightmare landscape toward Avignon, where she claims a greater purpose awaits. As they journey through a world where the boundaries between the living and dead dissolve, Thomas must confront whether her prophecies spring from madness or genuine revelation.

Steve West delivers a masterful narration that transforms Buehlman's dark medieval epic into an immersive audio experience. His voice captures both the gritty desperation of plague-ravaged Europe and the ethereal quality of supernatural encounters, seamlessly shifting between Thomas's world-weary cynicism and the girl's otherworldly conviction. West's pacing allows the mounting dread to build naturally while his distinct character voices bring depth to the supporting cast of pilgrims, demons, and angels. The audio format particularly enhances the story's atmospheric horror, as West's delivery makes the bleak beauty of this apocalyptic tale resonate long after the final chapter.