Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

11 reviews

hamstringy's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Unexpectedly really emotionally resonant! Pitched via Twitter as medieval Black Plague horror, and it’s definitely horror but a much quieter and disturbing horror rather than a nonstop onslaught of Big Events. Also somehow still very vulnerable and three-dimensional when approaching characters who have lived some contradictory and not-so-great choices. 

It’s also a particularly humanizing portrayal of a pandemic & a deeply religious response to that pandemic. It’s interesting to me that a lot of the attitudes around *somehow still living during horrible times* match very closely with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Animal death, Gore, Torture, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Grief, and Xenophobia

jomojobo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Torture, Violence, War, Death, Murder, Xenophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, and Death of parent

Moderate: Antisemitism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Infidelity

anewlens's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Genocide, Sexism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Death, Gore, Alcoholism, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Racism and Sexual assault

jffgldblm90s's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Excellently portrayed demons, monsters, and abominations — yet the scariest stuff is sometimes just the plague.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, War, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Antisemitism, and Xenophobia

gringolet's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well researched, succeeded in capturing the feel of the period and really excellent for anyone who likes religious horror, medieval settings, and the plague, which is me. It is weirdly Catholic on a fundamental, foundational level, however I think writing anything set in medieval Europe kind of requires that headspace and it was Catholic in a "cool with gay people" way, so it didn't bother me too much. The characters were grounded in the period and yet still dynamic, interesting and likeable, and the horror elements were well done with some fun messed up creatures and gore.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Gore, Body horror, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Rape, War, Vomit, Outing, Ableism, Animal death, Xenophobia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Child death

moppyy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Southern Gothic if the "Southern" referred to the South of France and if "Gothic" referred to 14th century medieval Catholicism

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Animal death, Murder, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, and War

kurumipanda's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal death, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Torture, Cannibalism, Classism, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Outing, War, Xenophobia, Rape, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, and Vomit

gremlingorl's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What. A. Book.
I feel like a need a second to sit here and stare off into the distance after finishing between two fires.

An incredibly written book with character dialogue that feels impressively natural and real, combat that is both interesting and makes sense, and a gorgeous, tense, excellent story. 

Characters feel so rich and alive, flawed and real. The world is incredibly interesting. Devils are horrifying and strange and so so creatively done. You can’t help but care deeply for all of it.

I don’t have the words to sing it’s praises but this is one of very few books I wish i could erase and read again. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Homophobia, Death, Religious bigotry, and Vomit

Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, War, Animal death, Child death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Xenophobia

The book takes place during the black plague so expect a lot of death and decay described in graphic detail

silverleaf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Antisemitism, War, Gore, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Classism, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Xenophobia, and Cursing

keerak's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia and Sexual assault