History GodzillaThreshold / Literature

* The UK government in H.G. Wells' ''[[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds1898 The War of the Worlds]]'' has to know that CrowdPanic, anarchy and mass death will ensue once Londoners realize the Martians are advancing, spreading poison gas as they go, and can no longer be stopped. But there's also no hope of keeping the news secret, and no time to organize a CitywideEvacuation. The best they can do to save as many lives as possible is to actively publicize exactly how dire the situation has become, running bulletins in the (final) newspapers advocating [[RunOrDie "instant flight"]].

* The UK government in H.G. Wells' ''[[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds1898 The War of the Worlds'' has to know that CrowdPanic, anarchy and mass death will ensue once Londoners realize the Martians are advancing, spreading poison gas as they go, and can no longer be stopped. But there's also no hope of keeping the news secret, and no time to organize a CitywideEvacuation. The best they can do to save as many lives as possible is to actively publicize exactly how dire the situation has become, running bulletins in the (final) newspapers advocating [[RunOrDie "instant flight"]].

* The UK government in ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds1898'' has to know that CrowdPanic, anarchy and mass death will ensue once Londoners realize the Martians are advancing, spreading poison gas as they go, and can no longer be stopped. But there's also no hope of keeping the news secret, and no time to organize a CitywideEvacuation. The best they can do to save as many lives as possible is to actively publicize exactly how dire the situation has become, running bulletins in the newspapers advocating [[RunOrDie "instant flight"]].

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''
** It is ''briefly'' allowed that actively using the powers of the One Ring, with all its corrupting influence and built-in malice, is either ''never''... or at utmost desperation. They never do.
** To defeat the Balrog, Gandalf had to use every last bit of divine power that he was allowed to use within Middle Earth, even then it's heavily implied that the effort forced him to use some of the power he ''wasn't'' allowed to use. It ends up working out because when he's [[CameBackStrong sent back]] he's much, much greater and given less restrictions to match up with the growing danger of [[BigBad Sauron]].

* ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'':
** Middle-Earth reached the Threshold at the end of the First Age. [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]] ruled over all of Beleriand and to defeat him the Valar unleashed a war that sank all of Beleriand.
** When Ar-Pharazôn sought to take Immortality from the Valar, the Valar, unwilling to actively kill men, who as Children of Ilúvatar fall under their protection, instead ''give up'' their stewardship of the world and let ''God'' handle it, and the ''World'' is changed for it. Before then, Amandil sails West to the Valar despite this being forbidden for Men, because he could tell the end was nigh and only divine intervention could save everyone. [[spoiler:He never makes it]].