History Literature / FirebirdTrilogy

* PoliticallyActivePrincess: [[ManipulativeBastard Phoena Angelo]] is very politically active. After [[TheFederation the Federacy]] takes over Netaia, she heads the resistance group and spearheads research into a biological WeaponOfMassDestruction capable of wiping out an entire planet, which she intends to use to threaten the Federacy into withdrawing. She contrasts with her PrincessClassic older sister, Carradee, and her younger sister, Firebird, who isn't technically a princess

* BadassPrincess: Firebird, while not technically a princess because of the Netaian inheritance structure, qualifies. She had a choice between going into advanced music studies or going into the military. She chose the military, and has repeatedly demonstrated her fighting skills and courage. She also has no diplomatic skills, contrasting with PrincessClassic Carradee and PoliticallyActivePrincess Phoena.

* PoliticallyActivePrincess: [[ManipulativeBastard Phoena Angelo]] is very politically active. After [[TheFederation the Federacy]] takes over Netaia, she heads the resistance group and spearheads research into a biological WeaponOfMassDestruction capable of wiping out an entire planet, which she intends to use to threaten the Federacy into withdrawing. She contrasts with her PrincessClassic older sister, Carradee, and her BadassPrincess younger sister, Firebird.

* PrincessClassic: Carradee Angelo is gentle, honorable, sweet, and rather uninterested in politics. Unfortunately for her, as eldest, she is the heir to the throne, which leads to her being thrust into ruling before she is truly ready for it. She contrasts with Phoena, who is a PoliticallyActivePrincess, and Firebird, who is a BadassPrincess.

* {{Pride}}: pride is both Brennen's and Firebird's main failing, one that drives the plots of the second and third books. In the second book, Brennen faces losing most of [[PsychicPowers his extraordinary abilities]] and learns that his worth is not dependent on what he can do. In the third book, Firebird struggles to let others help her and to not get detrimentally caught up in her royal heritage.

** [[spoiler:Kinnor Caldwell]], of Lazarus, having been raised from the dead in front of his relatives to show Boh-Dabar's power and authority over death. crucifixion

* SpareToTheThrone: This is why wastlings exist.

** [[spoiler:Kinnor Caldwell]], of Lazarus, having been raised from the dead in front of his relatives to show Boh-Dabar's power and authority over death.

*** This makes him an Expy of Paul, author of the letters that comprise the majority of the New Testament, who persecuted Christians as Saul of Tarsus until his conversion.

* WhamEpisode'': Despite the sheer number of {{Foregone Conclusion}}s inherent in the premise, ''Daystar'' still pulls off a [[{{Pun}} cosmic-scale]] wham.

While interrogating her via [[MindProbe mind access]], he realizes that they are perfectly connatural: their brains function in the exact same way, potentially enabling them to connect far more deeply than they could with anyone who was not connatural with them. Not wanting to lose the only person perfectly connatural with him, Brennen offers Firebird Federate asylum. Firebird is thus forced to choose between her desire to live and her proud loyalty to a country that demands her death.

* MindProbe: Both Sentinels and Shuhr/Mikuhrans are capable of this, although the Sentinels are only allowed to use it in very limited situations (such as for military interrogation).

* PsychicStatic: The only way for a non-telepath to defeat a telepathic MindProbe, usually in the form of concentrating on something uninteresting and irrelevant, such as boot heels.

* PsychicPowers: This is the defining feature of the Sentinels and the Shuhr/Mikuhran. Their powers were gained through genetic modification. Specific abilities include {{Telepathy}} (with or without permission), [[TheEmpath sensing the emotions of everyone around them, [[MindOverMatter moving objects remotely]], CompellingVoice, EmotionSuppression, {{Psychic Block Defense}}s, pain suppression, and controlling what others perceive. See the individual trope entries for more detail.

* CompellingVoice: See the entry under PsychicPowers.

* EmotionSuppression: See the entry under PsychicPowers.
* TheEmpath: See the entry under PsychicPowers.

* MindOverMatter: See the entry under PsychicPowers.

* PsychicBlockDefense: See the entry under PsychicPowers.
* PsychicPowers: The defining feature of the Sentinels and the Shuhr/Mikuhran. Specific abilities include:
** {{Telepathy}}: They can speak telepathically and read minds (with or without permission).
** TheEmpath: They automatically sense the emotions of everyone around them, unless they shield themselves.
** MindOverMatter: Most can move objects remotely; the stronger the overall abilities, the larger the object that can be moved. Being able to move objects the size of books or guns is common; the strongest telepaths can move large boulders. The most powerful telekinesis-capable telepaths can even control their own rate of fall.
** CompellingVoice: Voice control allows trained telepaths to take control of others' autonomous movement (the more powerful the telepath, the more people they can control at once; one at a time is most common), forcing them to move or stay still as the telepath desires.
** EmotionSuppression: They can block their own emotions, allowing them greater control over their feelings. They can also block others' emotions, but the codes forbid doing so.
** PsychicBlockDefense: All telepaths have three forms of this:
*** A basic mind shield that blocks out the emotional signals of those around them.
*** A shield that keeps their own emotions under control.
*** A shield that prevents other telepaths from entering their mind, unless the other telepath is strong enough to break through the shield.
** Pain suppression: They can block the reception of neural impulses in themselves or in others.
** Perception control: The most powerful telepaths can cause others to not notice them or to think they look different than they actually do.

* {{Telepathy}}: See the entry under PsychicPowers.

* AlasPoorVillain: Brennen's reaction to [[spoiler:Phoena's]] torturous death, as he tries to comfort her as much as possible in her last moments. [[invoked]]

** ''Firebird'': Phoena Angelo.
** ''Fusion Fire'': Eshdeth Shirak.
** ''Crown of Fire'': Modabah Shirak.
** ''Wind and Shadow'': The Shadow possessing Tamím Bar'Baror.
** ''Daystar'': The Shadow possessing Chancellor Piper Gambrel.

** The operation of the dendric striker:

** The worst of the Netaian execution methods fall under this, too. There's the D-wave rifles, which disrupt and then destroy nerve cells, crazing the victim with pain. And then there's lustration, which is when super-heated plates are set at the end of the prisoner's extremities and very slowly moved inwards, vaporizing flesh and bone but leaving the victim alive until the plates reach the torso.

** ''Firebird'': Tel Tellai.
** ''Fusion Fire'': Dru Polar.
** ''Crown of Fire'': Micahel Shirak.
** ''Wind and Shadow'': Jahana.
** ''Daystar'': Colonel Zeimsky.

** [[spoiler:Tiala Caldwell]], of Mary, as she is the virgin mother of the promised Word to Come (Boh-Dabar), who will restore his people.
** [[spoiler:Kinnor Caldwell]], of Lazarus, having been raised from the dead to show Boh-Dabar's power and authority over death.
** Subverted with [[spoiler:Kiel Caldwell]], who does not become an {{Expy}} of Caiaphas. He begins to head down the path of opposition to Boh-Dabar, trying to turn people from Boh-Dabar, but he realizes his mistake, repents, becomes a follower of Boh-Dabar himself, and tries to undo the damage he had done.
** [[spoiler:Tavkel Caldwell]], of Jesus, who is the Boh-Dabar, living expression of the Eternal Speaker, who comes to take darkness from all people and remake and restore the world to perfection.

* OffingTheOffspring: Younger children of the Queen/nobles of Netaia are to commit suicide once their older siblings have secured the succession.

* {{Pride}}: The chief failing of both Brennen and Firebird.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Tel Tellai]], slowly over the course of the second book, turning from blind adherence to [[spoiler:Phonea Angelo]] and aristocratic Netaian ideas about who is worthy to live to a genuinely nice guy who wants to work to reform the moral failings in the Netaian system.

The Firebird Trilogy is a set of SpaceOpera novels by Kathy Tyers. Originally a duology released in the late '80s, in 2001 the series was rewritten to incorporate Christian themes and re-released, and a third book was added. In 2011, a fourth book came out, with a fifth and final book released in 2012.

* TheStarsAreGoingOut: [[spoiler:Rare heroic example, as state-of-the-art communication technology has ensured ''everyone'' hears the Word and understands the choice between accepting or rejecting the Eternal Speaker. The universe can therefore be remade.]]

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Strongly implied in the ritual phrases used to order a Wasteling to his/her death.