History ChekhovsGun / Literature

** ''Literature/BattleGround'': Rudolph's gun and his [[RecklessGunUsage reckless usage]] of it gets paid a fair amount of attention. Later when Rudolph comes to he grabs the forgotten gun and shoots and kills [[spoiler:Murphy for "murdering" the giant that had just been slaughtering it's way through the city and [[UngratefulBastard had been trying to kill them]].]]

** ''Literature/BattleGround2020'': Rudolph's gun and his [[RecklessGunUsage reckless usage]] of it gets paid a fair amount of attention. Later when Rudolph comes to he grabs the forgotten gun and shoots and kills [[spoiler:Murphy for "murdering" the giant that had just been slaughtering it's way through the city and [[UngratefulBastard had been trying to kill them]].]]

** A literal example: [[spoiler:Early on, Khan finds evidence that ReverseMole Arikk Tresbitt may have some kind of superweapon. Arikk later reveals the weapon — one of the world's first firearms — and uses it to gun down the kingdom's greatest swordsman]].

** The ''Power Of Three'', Jayfeather's stick saves his life twice during the climactic scene.

* In ''The Impossible Virgin'', a Literature/ModestyBlaise novel, there's a period early in the novel where Dr Giles Pennyfeather is working as a night-shift locum, and it's mentioned several times that it's a quiet shift and he spends most of his time reading the waiting-room magazines. Much later, he saves Modesty and himself from a KillerGorilla with some unexpected gorilla knowledge, and explains that there was an article about Diane Fossey's gorilla research in one of the magazines.

** Used straight in ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic'' where Rincewind rescues a small green frog from the ocean that ends up saving his life.

** Also used straight in ''Discworld/TheLightFantastic''. Having been established as a pathetic wizard in ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic'', Rincewind is revealed to have come by this trait after reading a powerful grimoire and getting a single, powerful spell stuck in his brain. It is this exact spell that must be cast at the ''end'' of ''Fantastic'' to avert complete annihilation of the Disc.
** In ''Discworld/SmallGods'', the opening paragraphs discuss eagles picking up tortoises and dropping them to crack their shells, and says something to the effect of a tortoise possibly taking advantage of this someday. Close to the end of the book Om, a god trapped in turtle form, gets an eagle to drop him on Vorbis' head (by [[GroinAttack threatening the eagle's sexual organs]]), killing Vorbis, and causing the crowd that's watching to become believers of Om.

** Subverted ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}''. Several characters point out, in increasingly ominous tones, that the enormous crystal chandelier in the Ankh-Morpork Opera House looks like "an accident waiting to happen", but unlike in ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' (which ''Maskerade'' parodies), the chandelier completely fails to be dropped on anyone. Not that the bad guy didn't try.
** Subverted in ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'' where the main mystery of the book is how Lord Vetinari is being poisoned despite his food being safe. Repeated references are made to the horrible green wallpaper in his bedroom, and the implication is that it may have something to do with it, emphasized by the popular theory that Napoleon was killed by green wallpaper (arsenic was once commonly used in green paint). The wallpaper has nothing to do with it, and Pratchett has admitted to getting emails that amount to "We were sure it was the wallpaper, you bastard!" When one re-reads the book, one discovers that the clues to the ''real'' murder weapon were there all along ...
** Used Straight in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' where Lu-Tze shows his apprentice how yetis "save" their lives and create a sort of premonition ability. He then proceeds to use it later on. One knows he is about to do so when the fact "they cut off his head" is mentioned, because this is how the ability was demonstrated with the yeti.
** ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals''. Remember, the ball is the ball.
** Another fine example in ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'' where an experimental Discworld cannon is used as teleportation counterweight to send Rincewind to the other side of the disc. They send it back the way it was (ready to fire).
** Pratchett can place a Chekhov's Gun so smoothly, you barely even notice it's there. In ''Discworld/ReaperMan'', Miss Flitworth is seen brewing up rat poison in the kitchen, which appears (along with the chicken's demise) to be purely a part of Bill Door's lessons in what death means to mortal creatures, human or animal. Yet this passing reference also provides the basis for the debut of one of Literature/{{Discworld}}'s perennial scene-stealers, the Death of Rats.
** ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'' has at least two examples. An almost literal gun is Susan’s poker, a deadly weapon. At the beginning of the book, we are told explicitly that it only works on monsters. At the end of the book, the poker--which we have long since forgotten all about--is used to kill a monster. Elsewhere, Archancellor Ridcully offhandedly mentions that someone with access to part of another person's body has the power to control them. Turns out to be a major plot point.
** In ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'', Vimes finds a mortar flare and reads the instructions, "Light fuse. Do not place in mouth." He also explains why it is a stupid weapon since it can't be aimed. Both of these come into play at the end of the book.
** A pretty subtle one appears in ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight'', where the Nac Mac Feegles hitch a ride on Tiffany's broomstick, and Daft Wullie, for no apparent reason at all, decides to start a fire while they're up in the air, damaging the broomstick and forcing them to land. Tiffany's reproach hints that this isn't even the ''first'' time Wullie has done this exact thing. But towards the very end of the book, Daft Wullie's eagerness for lighting fires comes in handy, when Preston desperately needs to start a fire, but all his matches are damp and useless... and guess who shows up out of nowhere to lend him some dry matches and help get the fire going?

* ''Franchise/DisneyFairies'': In ''Four Clues for Rani'', Rani does some research in preparation for the next day's treasure hunt, and learns that the fairy greeting "Fly with you" was originally a much wordier phrase. The very last clue has a phrase that they have to say in order to win, but the clue got wet and only the first few words are legible. Rani realizes at the very last minute that those words are the same as the phrase she read the day before, and her team wins.

* ''Literature/SummerInOrcus'': When Summer sneaks out the back gate at the beginning of her adventure, she puts the padlock in her pocket so it can't be locked and she'll be able to get back in. Later, somebody tells her a cautionary tale about a woman who wished to be a dragon [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishedFor with disastrous consequences]]. Having the padlock and knowing the story both turn out to be vital to the successful conclusion of Summer's quest.

* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'':
** The bronze dragon. Festus first appeared in the short story collection ''The Demigod Files'', and later [[spoiler:becomes the figurehead of the Argo II]].
** And now Terminus. Seemingly a one-off gag, but then comes back in the climax to [[spoiler:help Percy defeat a Giant]].
** Gorgon blood, which is used by [[spoiler:Percy in a gambit to get rid of Phineas]].
** Chinese Handcuffs, which are used by [[spoiler:Annabeth to trap Arachne, who is guarding the Athena Parthenos]].
** Iapetus/Bob the Titan, who appears in ''The Demigod Files'', and later helps [[spoiler:Percy and Annabeth get through Tartarus]].

*** Granted, it's a YouFailBiologyForever (eagle gonads are internal), but it's still funny.

** A pretty subtle one appears in ''Discworld/IShallWearMidnight'', where the Nac Mac Feegles hitch a ride on Tiffany's broomstick, and Daft Wullie, for no apparent reason at all, decides to start a fire while they're up in the air, damaging the broomstick and forcing them to land. Tiffany's reproach hint that this isn't even the ''first'' time Wullie has done this exact thing. But towards the very end of the book, Daft Wullie's eagerness for lighting fires comes in handy, when Preston desperately needs to start a fire, but all his matches are damp and useless... and guess who shows up out of nowhere to lend him some dry matches and help get the fire going?

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' has an interesting example. Early in the first book, Grand Admiral Thrawn has found a storehouse of the Emperor's goodies. Inside, he hopes to find a functioning, practical cloaking shield, and one other "small, almost trivial, bit of technology." The cloaking shield gets a lot of play in the first and second books, but only at the end of the second book of the trilogy are we told that the "small, almost trivial bit of technology" was [[spoiler:a cavern full of Spaarti cloning cylinders, which Thrawn has been using to augment the Empire's manpower.]] The second book is chalk-full of hints, though.

* ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' has what [[WordOfGod Word Of Adonalsium]] confirms is a deliberate {{Inversion}} of this trope. During his prison break, Vasher Commands his cloak to protect him. However, he doesn't end up needing the protection, so that particular gun just gets put back in the cabinet without ever going off.

* In ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'', SerialKiller Dread's {{Snuff Film}}s that he records for his private amusement come back to bite him, as they prompt his latest "girlfriend" to make a HeelFaceTurn. [[spoiler:He shoots her for it, but as she lies there dying, she manages to combine the videos with a nasty computer virus and upload them into his system. This fatally distracts him just in time for the heroes to win.]]
* ''Literature/GreatExpectations''. EVERYTHING in the first half of the book.
* Used in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'', several times. In ''The Castle of Llyr'', Eilonwy gives Taran a horn as a goodbye present. [[spoiler:It later turns out that the horn can summon Fair Folk aid once, for any situation and is used to save someone Taran cares about (not that it works out so well).]] In ''Taran Wanderer'', Kaw keeps insisting on bringing Taran a piece of bone, [[spoiler:which handily turns out not too long after to be the one thing keeping an evil sorcerer alive]]. Doli receives the gift of invisibility at the end of ''The Book of Three'', which is used in virtually every book after when the group needs someone to spy or sneak around. And then there are the two biggest: [[spoiler:Dyrnwyn and Eilonwy's ring. Both are introduced in the first book, briefly mentioned in several others, but only given real emphasis in the last book, when it is revealed that Dyrnwyn is the only weapon to kill the Cauldron-Born and Arwan and that the ring has the power to grant Eilonwy any one wish of her choosing (which is used for her to renounce her magic powers and marry Taran).]]
* Steven Brust's ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' books:
** In ''Taltos'', [[spoiler:Kiera gives Vlad a vial of a goddess's blood for no clear reason at the time, which he uses to resolve a problem years later in the storyline.]]
** Lampshaded in ''Literature/FiveHundredYearsAfter'', when LemonyNarrator Paarfi describes the phenomenon in stage plays in terms virtually identical to Chekhov's, except with flashstones rather than guns.
* Used a ''lot'' in the Literature/DeltoraQuest series. If it's mentioned or introduced near the beginning of the book, it'll be relevant later (or ''way'' later in the series). Most of which are relevant to [[OnlySmartPeopleMayPass puzzles]] (e.g. the names of the Diamond Guardian's pets), plot twists or eventual [[TheReveal reveal]].
* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'':
** Vorlopolous's Law in ''Literature/TheWarriorsApprentice''.
** Imperial Auditors in ''Literature/{{Memory}}''.
** Subverted in ''Literature/{{Barrayar}}''; the story behind the Emperor's Birthday Present is introduced in exactly the same way and then isn't used at all.
* Pervasive in ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo''. Many characters or events are briefly mentioned only to become fleshed out in later chapters. E.g. Major Major.
* In ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'', the White Arrow that [[TheFairFolk the Sitha prince, Jiriki]], gives [[TheHero Simon]] as a symbol of [[IOweYouMyLife his life-debt]], is treated throughout the story as no more than a particularly valuable possession, symbolic of Simon's CharacterDevelopment. There are hints dropped, however, that it's a potent magical artifact, {{foreshadowing}} the moment when it's used to [[spoiler:kill the [[BigBad Storm King]]'s [[DemonicPossession physical host]]]].
* Lampshaded in [[Literature/SmokeAndShadows ''Smoke and Ashes'']]: "Raise your hand everyone who's surprised by this." "According to Chekhov, you should never hang a coffee shop on the wall unless you intend to use it."
* In ''Literature/RemoteMan'', Janet buys a car in poor condition, which makes a horrible noise and has a noticeable crack in the exhaust pipe. During the climactic car chase, the exhaust falls off and hits the villain's car, causing him to flip over.
* Literature/TheFatherLukeWolfeTrilogy uses Chekhov's Guns heavily.
** In ''Father, Forgive Them'', a motion-activated talking frog and a magic eight-ball are mentioned to be on the counter near the light switch. When [[spoiler:Dr. Brandt is holding Father Wolfe at [[DeadlyDoctor syringe-point]], Father turns on the light, which sets the frog to talking, which distracts Dr. Brandt long enough for Father to smash the syringe with the eight-ball]].
** In ''Cold Comfort'', the electronic equipment mentioned in the beginning of the book is hooked up to force a public confession from the murderer.
** In ''Zero Tolerance'', a student threatens to [[spoiler:accuse Father Wolfe of molestation unless given a good grade. The teacher who had fixed the computers in Father Wolfe's classroom back in ''Cold Comfort'' had left a small hole for wiring between their two classrooms, through which he [[EngineeredPublicConfession videotaped the student's threat]]]].
* In ''Literature/RainbowSix'', the need established earlier on for cellphone jamming technology pays off majorly when it [[spoiler:helps foil the PIRA attack.]] The [[strike: [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} pussy-ass]]]] [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} heartbeat monitors]] Tim Noonan tries out also come in handy at the end against the BigBad's crew.
** It's brought up in the first half of the novel Eddie Price smokes a pipe, and is seen at the end of each mission lighting up. Popov notices and from this figures out who Rainbow really are well enough to plan an attack with the IRA.
* Early in Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's novel ''Literature/{{Barrayar}}'', Cordelia purchases a [[SwordCane swordstick]] for Lt. Koudelka. This helps to further establish Cordelia's FishOutOfWater status on Barrayar (not knowing that non-Vor are not permitted to own personal weapons -- a loophole permitting Koudelka's superior officer to ''issue'' the weapon gets around this), and keeps the early plot going through a couple of character-driven sequences. The swordstick becomes a vital part of the climactic "shopping trip" to the capital, where both the powerful spring-loaded sheath and the superb blade -- as demonstrated when she bought it -- come in very handy indeed.
* In Sandra Cisneros's ''Caramelo'', it is played straight [[ChekhovsGunman with people]] as well as the reboso, but completely inverted with other objects, to the point that every setting the narrator goes to will have rooms or objects lavishly and poetically described, and then almost none of them will ever come up again in the story.
* Terry Pratchett doesn't only do this in Discworld. ''Literature/{{Nation}}'' features its hero Mau undergoing his tribe's manhood ritual, which ends with building a canoe with an axe that is always left stuck in the same tree by the last person who did the ritual. During his climactic duel with Cox, he notices that the tree he's hiding under has some axe marks in it...
* Like all of Creator/BrandonSanderson's works, ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' makes heavy use of this. Most noticeable in the DistantPrologue.
** Also in ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'', [[spoiler:Vin's earring, given to her by her mother, was actually a Hemalurgic Spike, which was the reason why Ruin was in her head and why her bronze was able to pierce copperclouds]].
** Averted with [[spoiler:Kelsier's bones]] in ''The Hero of Ages''. [[spoiler:TenSoon takes his bones with him in a satchel after using them, but he never ends up using them again.]]
* The Schlegel family's sword in E. M. Forster's ''Literature/HowardsEnd,'' which Charles Wilcox will eventually [[spoiler:use on Leonard Bast.]]
* There's one that gets set up in the second ''Literature/{{Heralds of Valdemar}}'' book that doesn't become important until quite a few books later. In ''Arrow's Flight'', it is heavily implied, though not outright stated, that Gwena, Elspeth's Companion, is [[spoiler:Grove-born.]] In ''Winds of Fury'', it's revealed that, yes, Gwena ''is'' [[spoiler:Grove-born and that it is because The Powers That Be felt that Elspeth would need a special Companion, since she's the first Herald Mage since Vanyel.]]
* Drizzt Do'Urden kills a drow warrior in ''[[Literature/LegacyOfTheDrowSeries The Legacy]]'', and takes the warrior's hand crossbow with sleeping-poison-tipped arrows. Later on, Drizzt fights Artemis Entreri, with the contest seeming to end when Entreri falls off a cliff. Turns out that Entreri had a magical item that allowed him to fly when activated, however, and he starts attacking Drizzt from the air. Drizzt pulls out the crossbow and shoots him. Ever try to fly while under the influence of drugs? [[DrugsAreBad Don't]]. It never ends well. Just ask Entreri.
* In ''[[Franchise/DisneyFairies Four Clues for Rani]]'', Rani does some research in preparation for the next day's treasure hunt, and learns that the fairy greeting "Fly with you" was originally a much wordier phrase. The very last clue has a phrase that they have to say in order to win, but the clue got wet and only the first few words are legible. Rani realizes at the very last minute that those words are the same as the phrase she read the day before, and her team wins.
* Creator/ArthurConanDoyle uses this trope in a lot of his Literature/SherlockHolmes works. A good example would be ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles''. In this novella the character Mr. Jack Stapleton is perceived as a quiet and 'nice' person by the account of his profession (at the time when Holmes and Watston meet him for the first time). The profession being a botanist, this means that he should not be considered a suspect for the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. [[spoiler:As we read on it was indeed Mr. Stapleton that caused the death of Sir Charles.]]
* Zack Walker, the narrator of Linwood Barclay's novel ''Bad Move'', is obsessively concerned about potential dangers to his family. He hates when his teenage son and daughter leave their backpacks at the top of the stairs because someone could trip over them. Near the beginning of the book, he describes how he once tried to teach his kids a lesson by lying at the bottom of the stairs, pretending that he'd fallen over a backpack and gotten seriously injured. His son panicked and called 911; the paramedics weren't amused. Near the end of the book, a bad guy has broken into the house and is trying to kill Zack and his wife. [[spoiler: Their lives are saved when the bad guy trips over a backpack that was carelessly left at the top of the stairs, causing him to fall down the stairs and accidentally stab himself with his own knife in the process.]]
* In ''Sharpe's Tiger'', early on Literature/{{Sharpe}} mentions his lockpick. Never mentioned again until [[spoiler: he and Lawford are thrown in prison and need to get themselves and Colonel [=McCandless=] out.]]
* Early in the third Literature/MercyThompson book, Adam installs a state-of-the-art security system in Mercy's garage without her permission. The footage of [[spoiler:Mercy being raped and beating her rapist to death]] comes into play at the end.
* Discussed, lampshaded and subverted at length before being [[spoiler: utterly averted]] in Creator/HarukiMurakami's ''Literature/OneQEightyFour''.

* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' novel ''Sign of the Moon'', a reflection of the moon [[MeaningfulName Half Moon]] sees actually indicates that [[spoiler: she must become leader of The Ancients.]]
** The ''Power Of Three'', Jayfeather's stick saves his life twice during the climactic scene.
* Several of them in the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series:
** Artemis' laser pointer is a literal example.
** The [[spoiler: seventh]] kraken in ''The Time Paradox''.
*** The [[spoiler: toy monkey]]...
*** The [[spoiler: finger gun]].
* In ''Literature/AnExerciseInFutility'' [[spoiler:Spurrig carries around a magic torture knife that bonds a person's soul to his body after death. Another character is a necromancer.]]
* Literature/SisterhoodSeries by Creator/FernMichaels: Early on in the series, there is an teddy bear called Willie, who belonged to Barbara Rutledge. Barbara's ghost mentions Willie more than once, then eventually it is forgotten. However, at the end of ''Home Free'', Barbara's ghost tells her mother that she is going to give Willie to Jack Emery and Nikki Quinn's child! Gold shields, which give anyone (usually hand-picked {{FBI agent}}s) who possesses them carte blanche and s/he can answer only to the president, are brought up a lot early on. Later on, they are not even mentioned. However, the book ''Home Free'' has president Martine Connor set up an organization that will be composed of the Vigilantes, and there are 14 gold shields, one given out to each member of the organization! ''Hide And Seek'' has Mitch Riley, assistant director in the FBI and a JEdgarHoover wannabe, keeping loads of files on supposedly everyone. Between his wife and the Vigilantes, his files get snatched from him and put somewhere where they'll never see the light of day. However, ''Deja Vu'' has the Vigilantes needing to look through those files on Henry "Hank" Jellicoe. It turns out that Mitch not only has files on Henry, but there are at least 6 boxes worth of files on Jellicoe!
* In ''Literature/{{Helm}}'', on their first meeting in the library, Leland shows Marilyn "the best hide-and-seek place in [Laal] Station": a nook beneath a window-seat. [[spoiler:When Marilyn escapes her kidnappers in Laal Station at the end of the novel, she successfully escapes their notice by hiding there.]]
* [[BadAssNormal Carmela's]] [[spoiler:"magic closet" worldgate]] in Book 9 of the Literature/YoungWizards series.
* The first book in the ''Literature/KnightAndRogueSeries'' has a scene early on where Fisk gives Michael grief for an old, now illegal pracitce where nobles would get their wives by giving them a drug called Aquilas to make them compliant, and Michael indignantly insists that for generations no one in his family has resorted to such a horrible method. It's actually mentioned even earlier, within the first few pages, while they're breaking a woman out of what they believed to be a cruel lord's tower, and were worried she may have been dosed. Towards the end of the book they use Aquilas on that very woman, who was in fact a imprisoned murder suspect, in able to break out of her own stronghold.
* In Victor Hugo's novel ''Literature/LesMiserables'', Éponine writes the sentence "The cops are here" to prove to Marius that she is literate. Later on, Marius uses the note to save Leblanc's [[spoiler:(aka Jean Valjean's)]] life.
* In ''Literature/TheWitchWatch'', London's new electric lights come up frequently, as Simon has never seen them before. [[spoiler: It turns out the entire electric streetlight system is a massive magical circle]]
* Felix's pocket watch in ''Literature/DangerousFugitives''. [[spoiler:It ends up saving his life at the end.]]
* In the ''Literature/AToZMysteries'' book ''The Jaguar's Jewel'', Dink looks at the case holding the titular jaguar while Ruth Rose feeds the fish, and Josh notices a letter opener. The kids solve the crime by finding the jewel in the fish tank and examine security footage to note when the letter opener changed directions.
* In ''Literature/TheGoBetween'', Ted Burgess shows Leo how to clean his farmer's shotgun. He later uses the shotgun to kill [[spoiler:himself]].
* In ''Literature/SomeoneElsesWar'', Matteo's mother lends him her necklace for good luck. The necklace winds up saving his life in various and surprising ways, like [[spoiler: the time he uses it to trick an enemy into thinking he's holding the ring to a hand grenade]].
* While decorating a Christmas tree, Coleman carves a candy-cane shiv in Tim Dorsey's ''When Elves Attack''. It comes in handy...
* Early in the real world plotline of ''Literature/TheTraitorGame'', Francis tells Michael about lightlead glass, which he thought up for their shared imaginary world, Evgard. It's a type of glass that slows down light, meaning what you see through a window made of lightlead glass would be what happened 30 minutes ago. In the climax of the Evgard plotline, Argent uses the view of the half an hour late sunset through a lightlead window to trick some soldiers into thinking there is a fire.
* ''Literature/LightAndDarkTheAwakeningOfTheMageknight'': Early on, Tyramear gives Danny a dagger to protect himself from future shadow attacks and tells him to never ever go anywhere without it. It seems to have served its purpose when his friends can see it as a dagger instead of a pen, thus proving they have the 'gift of sight' but it turns up again later. [[spoiler: In the squire duel.]] Also subverted [[spoiler: He still has the dagger in the climax but realizes it is useless against Gran shadows.]]
* In ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear: Literature/EatenAlive'', Tash and Zak play simulated starfighter combat against each other. Zak tries to escape his sister by slingshotting his simulated fighter around a simulated moon using its gravity, and Tash retorts that that is [[HoldYourHippogriffs the oldest trick in the manual]]. Later, riding in the ''Millennium Falcon'', Han Solo helps them escape with that same technique, smugly saying that same line.
** In ''The Nightmare Machine'', Lando Calrissian teaches Zak about playing cards and knowing when someone is bluffing him, and then lets him handle a deck-shuffling doohickey, only to have to duck when Zak handles it too roughly and accidentally fires the deck at him at high speed. Lando doesn't take offense, but lets Zak keep it. Later, Zak fires the deck at someone at close range, startling them enough to let him and his sister escape.