History Literature / DoomsdayBook

** [[spoiler: Agnes screaming for Kivrin to come as she dies, too feverish to recognize her.]]
** [[spoiler: The eventual understanding that Rosamund and Agnes's father is dead, as is Gawain. There's no help coming.]]

* {{Tearjerker}}: This book gets very sad, very suddenly.

* AssholeVictim: While far from being actively evil, [[spoiler:Gilchrist]] is a ''massively'' incompetent administrator who takes too big risks for the sake of academic glory, [[NeverMyFault refuses to take any responsability when things go wrong]] and essentially [[spoiler:dooms Kivrin to dying in the Middle Ages due to his unwavering belief in a TimeTravel-related source of the virus, which is something stated to be ''scientifically impossible''.]] So it's kind of hard to mourn him when [[spoiler:said virus]] ends up killing him.

* AssholeVictim: While far from being actively evil, [[spoiler:Gilchrist]] is a ''massively'' incompetent administrator who takes too big risks for the sake of [[GloryHound academic glory]], [[NeverMyFault refuses to take any responsability when things go wrong]] and essentially [[spoiler:dooms Kivrin to dying in the Middle Ages due to his unwavering belief in a TimeTravel-related source of the virus, which is something stated to be ''scientifically impossible''.]] So it's kind of hard to mourn him when [[spoiler:said virus]] ends up killing him.

* CourtlyLove: played straight and subverted. Gawyn is very much in love with his lord's wife in the best courtly tradition, but on the other hand he's not above banging her servant girl in the stable when the opportunity arises.

** Dunworthy's constant worrying about Kivrin, his pupil
** [[spoiler: Agnes screaming for Kivrin to come as she dies, too feverish to recognize her]]
** [[spoiler: The eventual understanding that Rosamund and Agnes's father is dead, as is Gawain. There's no help coming]]
* AnyoneCanDie: It's a story where part of the plot takes place in the Middle Ages, what did you expect? [[spoiler: And if you expected that everyone in the present timeline is safe, you got another think coming...]]

* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: There is no escaping the Plague for them.

* LittlestCancerPatient: Like Willis would really kill off the adorable Agnes and Rosamund. [[spoiler:She would]].

* {{Oxbridge}}: Set in Oxford.

* DueToTheDead: Kivrin initially thinks the mediaeval people put too much emphasis on religious dogma surrounding funerals.
* TheDungAges: Subverted: Kivrin takes a while to adjust to the idea that the Middle Ages are neither: both better and worse than she might have expected. The doctor who immunizes Kivrin offers to ''cauterize her nose'' because they think the stench will be just that overpowering.

* [[Determinator]]: Roche insists on hearing confessions, burying and ringing the bell for every person who dies to make sure they go to heaven, even though it's a strenuous, time-consuming and increasingly hopeless task. [[spoiler: He continues right up until he dies of the plague himself.]]

* Determinator: Roche insists on hearing confessions, burying and ringing the bell for every person who dies to make sure they go to heaven, even though it's a strenuous, time-consuming and increasingly hopeless task. [[spoiler: He continues right up until he dies of the plague himself.]]

* RightForTheWrongReasons: Gilchrist argues that [[spoiler: the flu virus from 1319 is the same one causing the present-day epidemic.]] His reasons for saying this are irrational and blatantly self-interested, but he's actually right.

* Literature/LittleRedRidingHood: Kivrin compares Agnes in her red cape to little red riding hood. Agnes does seem to have a preoccupation with the wolves in the forest. [[spoiler: Agnes may well have been infected by her hound Blackie- the first plague victim. She gets sick while looking for the dog's grave at the edge of the forest in her red cloak.]]

* RightForTheWrongReasons: Gilchrist argues that [[spoiler: the flu virus from 1819 is the same one causing the present-day epidemic.]] His reasons for saying this are irrational and blatantly self-interested, but he's actually right.

* TimeTravellersAreSpies: One character tries this on Kivrin, although nobody else takes it very seriously [[spoiler:(and Roche thinks she's actually St Catherine of Alexandria instead)]].

* Literature/LittleRedRidingHood: Kivrin compares Agnes in her red cape to little red riding hood. Agnes does seem to have a preoccupation with the wolves in the forest. [[spoiler: Agnes may well have been infected by her hound Blackie- the first plague victim. She gets sick while looking for the dog's grave at the edge of the first in her red cloak.]]

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: [[spoiler: Rosamund's engagement to a man old enough to be her grandfather]] is treated as acceptable by most of the contemps, but Kivrin struggles to hide her disgust, and it's clear that we're meant to agree with her.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: His reasons for think so are irrational and blatantly self-interested, but Gilchrist is actually right when he insists that [[spoiler: the flu virus from 1819 is the same one causing the present-day epidemic.]]

* RightForTheWrongReasons: Nearly everything Gilchrist says is based on self-justifying arguments, but he's actually right when he insists that [[spoiler: the flu virus from 1819 is the same one causing the present-day epidemic.]]

* RightForTheWrongReason: Nearly everything Gilchrist says is based on self-justifying arguments, but he's actually right when he insists that [[spoiler: the flu virus from 1819 is the same one causing the present-day epidemic.]]

* NeverMyFault: Gilchrist's inability to admit to that he might have made a mistake drives much of the 2054 plot.

* MedievalMorons: Referenced and averted. Dunworthy and Gilchrist believe that everyone in the distant past is a backwards simpleton or thug. The actual contemps Kivrin meets are pretty normal people, with relatable problems.

* DramaticIrony: Because Kivrin and Dunworthy are separated with no knowledge of each other's status for most of the book, only the reader sees the full picture, and if you really pay attention, that allows you to know which clues are being missed or misread by the character.

* ApocalypticLog

* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: There is no escaping the Plague.

* CheatingWithTheMilkman: It's unclear whether it's been consummated , but Gawyn is in love with the ambivalent lady of the manor, Eliwys. The Mother-in-law seems very suspicious of these two. It's also worth mentioning how close the red-headed Gawyn is with the light-haired Agnes, who, Kivrin notes, looks nothing like her dark haired older sister Rosamund.

* DeadPersonImpersonation: Dunworthy gets out of the hospital because Colin forged a note signed by [[spoiler:the dead Dr. Ahrens.]]
* DevelopingDoomedCharacters:
* TheDungAges: Subverted: Kivrin takes a while to adjust to the idea that the Middle Ages are neither: both better and worse than she might have expected. The doctor who immunizes Kivrin offers to ''cauterize her nose'' because they think the stench will be just that overpowering.