History Literature / MemorySorrowAndThorn

** some other as well: Josua's "Naidel", Ishgrimnur's "Kvalnir" and Jikiri's "Indreju".

* IWillFightNoMoreForever: In the {{Interquel}} ''The Heart of What Was Lost'', Isgrimnur is secretly relieved when the Norns collapse the entrance to Nakkiga, as it means the bloodshed can finally be over. Given a CallBack in the sequel series, when a Sitha recalls Isgrimnur to demostrate that mortals are more than bloodthirsty savages.

** For the Metessans. [[spoiler:Brindalles is killed by the Norns, Seriddan succumbs to his wounds, both their wifes soon die and the only offspring Pasevalles is left a poor orphan after another Baron claims the lands of Metessa as his own - all set-up for Pasevalles becoming TheChessmaster in the Sequel series.]]

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Human and non-human lands are clear representatives of various cultures across history, but not necessarilly European.

* FakeUltimateHero: [[spoiler: King John Presbyter. He went into the Hayholt to kill the dragon that was inside, but when he arrived he found that it had already been killed by the previous king, Ealstahn Fiskerne, with the sword Minneyar; Ealstahn had died from his wounds. John takes Minneyar and hacks off one of the dragon's claws, and drags it out of the Hayholt to make it seem as if he had killed it.]]

* TheWikiRule: A wiki exists https://memorysorrowthorn.fandom.com/wiki/Memory_Sorrow_and_Thorn_Wiki

* TheHeavy: Pryrates is the least powerful and personally dangerous of the three main villains (himself, Utuk'ku, and the Storm King), but he gets easily the most face time and has the most personally enmity with the protagonists. He's also the most purely malevolent of the three.

* NotGoodWithPeople: Several characters have issues with awkwardness.
** Just look at Simon our SociallyAwkwardHero.
** There's a lot of ThatCameOutWrong and ChirpingCrickets between Simon and Miriamele, and between Eolair and Maegwin respectively.
** Aditu’s NoSenseOfPersonalSpace and FeeFiFauxPas - which she couldn't care less about - at least are due to her being no mortal.
** Josua maneuvers perfectly within the boundaries of court protocol and along studied guidelines of manner and courtesy but easily loses his bearings on a private level - especially with his girlfriend. Many people think him strange if not half-mad.
** Strangyeard - despite all his wits - is a timid mouse. Tiamak is not much better.
** Geloë doesn't count, because she gives zero fucks.

* ArthurianLegend: Eahlstan Fiskerne, ancestor of [[spoiler: Simon]], is based on the famous FisherKing.

* ArthurianLegend: Eahlstan Fiskerne, ancestor of Prester John, Elias, Josua, [[spoiler:and Simon]], is based on the famous FisherKing.

** For the Metessans. [[spoiler: Brindalles is killed by the Norns, Seriddan succumbs to his wounds, both their wifes soon die and the only offspring Pasevalles is left a poor orphan after another Baron claims the lands of Metessa as his own - all set-up for Pasevalles becoming TheChessmaster in the Sequel series.]]
** The whole sequel series of "The Last King of Osten Ard" in many ways.

* KilledOffScreen: Happens to several characters like [[spoiler: Deornoth, Gwythinn, Isorn, Brindalles …]]

* MagicalNativeAmerican: Binabik, sort of. More like a Magical Inuit, but the basic idea of the trope still applies. Tiamak is a variation in that what makes him distinctive is that he's gained a "modern" education but is still presumed to be a savage because of his race.

** Members are [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Reasonable Authority Figures]] that should abide to the LawfulGood - if they don't, you'll easily have someone like Pryrates on your hands.

## ''The Navigator's Children'', which has been [[https://www.tadwilliams.com/2021/11/book-news-forthcoming/ split into two volumes]] like the final installment of the first trilogy: ''Into the Narrowdark'' (slated to release July 2022) and ''The Navigator's Children'' (release date still TBA)

* TheyCallHimSword: Count Streawe's KnifeNut goon becomes known as "Avi Stetto" (lit. "I have a knife") because of his fondness for threatening people with them.

There is also a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters rather spectacularly large]] number of secondary characters and plot lines, which are responsible for the size of the books. On the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism, the story falls somewhere in the middle: AnyoneCanDie, characters get KilledOffForReal with depressing regularity, and the main characters seem to be the [[TheWoobie focus]] of all the suffering that the author can imagine throwing at them. Yet what [[EarnYourHappyEnding slim hope there is of victory]] may owe more to ThePowerOfLove than strength of arms.

* DramatisPersonae: Made necessary by the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: Along with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters comes Loads And Loads Of Subplots.

* BigBad: Ineluki and Utuk'ku, both in their own way.

** There's a lot of ThatCameOutWrong and ChirpingCrickets between Simon and Miriamele, and between Eolair and Maegwyn respectively.

** DwindlingParty: In the Storm King War the members die away quickly [[spoiler: as Ookekuk, Doctor Morgenes, Jarnauga and Dinivan are murdered. Xorastra is already dead, Padreic is missing presumed dead and Pryrates was expelled for obvious reasons.]]

** OhNoNotAgain: In "The Last King of Osten Ard" [[spoiler: Strangyeard died, Lady Faiera and Prince Josua have been missing for years, leaving only Binabik and Tiamak alive and active.]]

* CovertGroup: The League of the Scroll is not per se a [[SecretSocieties secret society]] but they're quite happy with little publicity - understandable as they're mission is to gain knowledge that will protect the realms of men and hence they are a nuisance to any forces opposing them.
** Thus in the Storm King War they're quickly a DwindlingParty, [[spoiler: as Ookekuk, Doctor Morgenes, Jarnauga and Dinivan are murdered and Xorastra is already dead.]]
** This in turn leads to the FieldPromotion of Binabik, Father Strangyeard and Tiamak to the ranks of members - because at this point there is no active member of the League left alive. [[spoiler: Cadrach and Pryrates do not count. No one knows who Cadrach really is - or where - and Pryrates was expelled.]]

* TheOrder: The League of the Scroll - see CovertGroup above.

* ConfessInConfidence: Father Strangyeard accepts confession from Camaris when it is thought that his knowledge might give them something of aid against the Storm King, yet he refuses to disclose it out of shame. What is revealed therein is devastating to the priest, but proves useless to the heroes' plans; it is not fully revealed until the denouement when it turns out that Camaris also told Josua.
* ConvenientDecoyCat: A grey cat that lives in the Hayholt saves Simon when he's trapped in a cellar by Pryrates, by offering itself as a distraction. The cat makes several appearances later in the story.