History Literature / PhoenixRising

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phoenix_rising.jpg]]
''Phoenix Rising'' is a fantasy novel by Creator/RykESpoor, published in 2012. The sequel ''Phoenix in Shadow'' was published in May 2015. The third and final part of the trilogy, ''Phoenix Ascendant'', was published in February 2016 (eBook) and March 2016 (trade paperback).

It is set in Zarathan, a world of heroes and wizards and demons, adventures and quests and magic. It is mentioned that Zarathan was once mystically connected to another world, though the connection was sealed off long ago. The lost sister-world was called Zahralandar, or by some people "Earth". (It is thus a companion series to the Literature/JasonWood stories, which are set on Earth and have backstory dating back to when it was connected to Zarathan.)

The novel concerns three heroes in particular.

Kyri Vantage, daughter of a family who have long protected the border of Southern Zarathan, seeks justice for her parents, slain by assailants whose identities and motives remain unknown. Tobimar Silverun, prince of Skysand, seeks the truth of his people's origins, a search which many a Silverun has set out on and from which none has ever returned. Poplock Duckweed, a roaming adventurer from a nation whose members rarely stir far from their own doors,[[note]](Also, they're short compared to most other sapient races. But the resemblance to hobbits mostly ends there.)[[/note]] seeks knowledge, of the world in general and also specifically of a group of demon-worshippers whose activities prompted the beginning of his career.

As the novel progresses, they find that their individual quests are connected to each other and to a massive plot being set in motion by the demon king Kerlamion Blackstar.


!!This novel provides examples of:

* ActionGirl: Kyri Vantage. Carries a greatsword that she uses to great effect, climbs mountains, and Guild Adventurer set on a vehement vector of vengeance (and justice).
%%* TheArchmage: God-Emperor Idinus, the most powerful wizard ever to live, who has ruled the second-largest nation in the world as an iron-clad theocracy for thousands of years.
* BackToBackBadasses: Tobimar do this with both Xavier and Kyri.
* BagOfHolding: Every well-equipped adventurer has a "neverfull pack". It's not actually true that they can never be filled up, but they do let you carry a lot more equipment around.
* BecomingTheMask: Combined with GoodFeelsGood, this causes ''several'' undercover villains to either do a HeelFaceTurn or at least seriously question their goals, as pretending to be heroes gives them more happiness and acclaim than secretly working on the Bag Bad's plan.
* BeneathSuspicion: Poplock is an intelligent toad. He is usually small for one such, and often pretends to be a normal dumb toad. At times, he also pretends to be Tobimar's pet toad.
* BigBad: Kerlamion Blackstar, the King of All Hells.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: A common category of roaming monster in uncivilized areas, including the dreaded doomlock spiders, and a kind of giant carnivorous caterpillar thing.
* TheChessmaster: Khoros, the mysterious wizard who shows up occasionally to give events a nudge in service of far-reaching and complicated plan. Poplock and Tobimar, discussing him, make an explicit analogy to chess (or at least [[CallARabbitASmeerp its local equivalent]]).
* CivilizedAnimal: The Intelligent Toads, who can talk, live in houses, and use tools, but don't wear clothes and in many respects are just toads.
* CoolSword:
** Any sword made by the Spiritsmith; each [[NamedWeapons has a name]] and a special power.
** Poplock's sword Steelthorn is quite small (a larger person might even consider it a dagger), but it's enchanted to deal damage as if it were a much larger weapon.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Tobimar, to Kyri's protagonist. But Poplock has a tendency to steal the show, whenever he gets half a chance.
* DualWielding: Tobimar fights with two swords. When he meets another character that also fight with two swords and in the same style, they immediately explore their respective training backgrounds.
* EagleEyeDetection: Used by Kyri to find the first clues on who killed her parents. However, due to inexperience she and her brother draw the wrong conclusions first.
* EffortlessAmazonianLift: Kyri picks up a crate (containing stonesculpt hangings) weighing between 400 and 450 pounds by herself. Another had been giving two grown men and strong warriors trouble earlier.
* ElementNumberFive: The people of Zarathan recognize five elements, which have symbolic significance in magic and other applications: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.
* EverythingTryingToKillYou: This world is old, and there are countless creatures mutated by magic, either by design or mere exposure to magical energies. In towns and cities people are fairly safe, and the Saurian Empire maintains an extensive road system throughout the continent with cleared ground a mile on either side. Step away from ''that'' however, and you'll almost immediately get attacked by something with razor sharp teeth and extreme hunger. And there are places that are even ''worse.''
* TheExile: Tobimar. Under certain circumstances, people in Tobimar's family have to leave their country of birth to quest for their ancestral lands and legacy. They must leave at once, and never return until they succeed.
* EyeObscuringHat: Khoros's face is always hidden by the shadow of his hat, no matter what the lighting conditions or the angle you look at him from.
* TheFaceless:
** Terian, Tobimar's patron god, is always depicted with his face concealed by a blaze of light.
** Khoros's face is always [[EyeObscuringHat hidden by the shadow of his hat]], no matter what the lighting conditions or the angle you look at him from.
* FantasticFightingStyle: Tor, including tricks like turning invisible and killing demons with your bare hands. And that's only halfway through the art.
* FantasyPantheon: Zarathan has hundreds of gods, large and small; most people only follow one god or group of gods, though it's generally accepted that they all exist. Kyri follows Myrionar, God of Justice and Vengeance; Tobimar follows Terian, the Light in the Darkness; Poplock follows Blackwart the Great. One way gods show their power is by providing theurgical FunctionalMagic to their priests; HealingHands and LivingLieDetector abilities are common.
* FantasyWorldMap: Vaguely L-shaped, with lots of mountains. Unlike many other fantasy world maps, it's created so that the heroes have no chance of visiting every place on it.
* FiveRaces: Zarathan has many intelligent races, but five are particularly prominent and can be matched to the five common types. Odin's Children and the ''Artan'' resemble dwarves and elves, respectively, closely enough that the narration sometimes uses those terms for them (though both also diverge from the stereotypes in various ways); humans fit their usual JackOfAllTrades role; Saurans fill the role of the ancient advanced civilization; and the Golden-Eyed, Poplock's people, are the seemingly insignificant race with hidden strengths.
* ForgedByTheGods: The weapons wielded by the Justiciars were forged by the UltimateBlacksmith called the Spiritsmith (who is not technically a god himself but is such a great smith that no weapon forged by an actual god could be an improvement).
* ForgingScene: When the Spiritsmith sets out to create armour and a sword for Kyri, though a lot of it is delivered as an explanation for why he intends to accomplish, why he does things, and why she has to help.
* FunctionalMagic: All over the place, in many varieties.
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Kyri breaks down into hysterical laughter after her encounter with Myrionar, and her aunt brings her out of it with a slap.
* GodEmperor: God-Emperor Idinus, hundreds of thousands of years old and the most powerful wizard ever to live.
* GodsHandsAreTied: The Black Star has taken steps to prevent the gods actively interfering in his scheming, so it's up to the mortals to figure out what's going on and put a stop to it. Most of the gods, anyway; he didn't bother with some of the smaller gods, considering them no threat -- including Poplock's patron god Blackwart, which subsequent events suggest may have been a mistake. [[spoiler:After Kyri's Rage Against The Heavens moment, her patron god Myrionar starts actively assisting her as much as It is able to.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Pretty much how Khoros operates. He misdirects and uses everyone mercilessly. Though he usually is courteous.
* HealingHands: Healing magic is a common sign of a god's favour.
* {{Invisibility}}: Xavier Ross has the mysterious ability to become invisible at will. It's even more mysterious when it becomes apparent that he simultaneously becomes [[IntangibleMan intangible]] as well.
* IronicEcho: The prologue depicts armored figures breaking down the doors of the Vantage house and entering with murderous intent. The first chapter opens with thunderous knocking on the doors of the Vantage house and the entrance of armored figures -- not hostile this time, but as part of a ceremony welcoming Rion Vantage to the ranks of the Justiciars. [[spoiler:There's an extra twist that doesn't become clear until later: Rion's parents were murdered by corrupt Justiciars -- the intent may be different in the two scenes, but the group of armored figures is the same.]]
* LegacyCharacter: The Justiciars carry weapons and armors that has been handed down for several thousand years. Each armor has a name associated with it -- Bolthawk, Condor, Mist Owl, Shrike, Silver Eagle, Skyharrier, Thornfalcon -- and a newly-chosen Justiciar is given the name that goes with the armor. [[spoiler:After the Justiciars are corrupted, Kyri becomes the first new Justiciar in centuries, the Phoenix of the title, with new weapons and armor forged for her by the Spiritsmith.]]
* LittleHeroBigWar: The efforts of Kyri, Tobimar, and Poplock are an important part of the fight against the BigBad, but only a part.
* LizardFolk:
** The ''mazakh'' are the bad-guy type; they're demon-worshippers and commonly appear as mooks. The point is made, however, that their unpleasantness is due to culture and upbringing, not [[AlwaysChaoticEvil inherent nature]], and that non-evil members of the species can and do exist (though they tend to call themselves something other than ''mazakh'').
** The Saurans are a larger and more impressive type of lizard folk (the appendix uses the phrase "miniature Godzilla"), reputedly descended from dragons, who fill the setting's ancient and advanced civilization role.
* LockedIntoStrangeness: When Kyri makes her pact with Myrionar, she is marked with MulticoloredHair in the god's colors.
* MagicalSeventhSon: Tobimar is "Seventh of Seven", the seventh child of a seventh child.
* MeaningfulRename: Poplock comes from a culture where a person is given one name when they are born, and chooses a second name that has some personal significance when they become an adult. His name-choosing occurs early in the novel.
* MonsterIsAMommy: At one point Kyri visits a village that's under attack from giant centipede creatures; it turns out that they're only trying to retrieve their eggs, which one of the villagers gathered up thinking they were interesting rocks. Fortunately for all concerned, Kyri works it out in time to settle the matter before there's serious bloodshed.
* MookHorrorShow: The scene in which Tobimar and Poplock first meet, as Tobimar is rescued from attacking ''mazakh'' by a mysterious force that seems to attack out of nowhere and then disappear. The ''mazakh'' who aren't killed outright flee in terror, and even Tobimar is distinctly unsettled.
* MurdererPOV: The prologue is the attack on Kyri's parents, with one of the attackers as the point-of-view character, without revealing their identity. Several interludes throughout the novel feature the leader of the attackers, again without revealing his identity; each interlude reveals more about him, but the audience doesn't learn who he is until Kyri does.
* MysteriousBacker: Khoros, the wizard in the funny hat who shows up from time to time to give events a nudge. He has no scruples about putting people into danger with incomplete information, and on at least one occasion seems to have deliberately steered someone into getting seriously injured; the presumption is that it all works out for the best in the long run, but he attracts [[ManipulativeBastard a certain amount of distrust]] and, from at least one character, intense and personal dislike.
* NamedWeapons: Each of the Justiciars has a trademark weapon with its own name.
* NonHumanSidekick: Tobimar and Poplock. Though Poplock will probably claim that Tobimar is his sidekick.
* NoodleIncident: The incident that led to Victoria Vantage's old adventuring colleague gaining the nickname "Bridgebreaker". In the matter of Auntie Victoria's own nickname, we not only don't get the story behind it, we don't even get the nickname itself (beyond "V--") because she cuts off anybody who starts to say it when her niece is in earshot.
* ThePaladin: Several of the gods have dedicated holy warriors; the Justiciars, dedicated to Myrionar, God of Justice and Vengeance, play a significant role in this novel. Rion Vantage, Kyri's brother, joins their ranks at the beginning, [[spoiler:and Kyri herself becomes a true Justiciar after his death]].
* ProudWarriorRace: The Saurans, who greet each other formally with the armed bow, showing all their weapons openly. It is a major faux pas to be formally introduced without a weapon.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: After Kyri learns the truth about her parents' death, she spends several minutes ranting at the sky, accusing her god of abandoning Its faithful and demanding an explanation. [[spoiler:And then It answers her.]]
* ShoulderTeammate: Poplock usually rides on Tobimar's shoulders (he switches shoulder regularly) once they team up.
* SlippingAMickey: Kyri is captured by an enemy this way. Played with; she's cautious enough to only pretend to drink from the glass, but it turns out the knock-out stuff isn't the drink, it's magically incorporated into the glass itself.
* TheSneakyGuy: Poplock Duckweed.
* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: Used frequently. Poplock manages to charge batteries through magical means, and then there is the magical forensic examination after the Five broke out of an ultra-secure prison.
* SummoningRitual: Popluck's debut as an adventurer involved foiling a massive attempt to summon a powerful demon, featuring ritual movement, chants, symbols carved into the floor, and HumanSacrifice.[[note]]That is, sacrificing of sapient individuals; strictly speaking, none of the individuals in this particular case were members of that sapient race called "humans".[[/note]]
* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: The armor (and sword) that Kyri obtains from the Spiritsmith so that she can take on her parents' murderers.
* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: When Tobimar sets out on his quest, his mother gives him a (magical) pre-recorded message from his mentor, Khoros, who had foreseen that he would be chosen for the task, and furthermore turns out to have successfully predicted and incorporated responses to Tobimar's reactions while viewing the message.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: Kyri does the inverted version on several occasions -- "Lady Vantage is my aunt. Just Kyri will do."
* TomatoSurprise: The first chapter with Poplock as a point-of-view character goes out of its way to avoid mentioning, until the final sentence, that he isn't human.
* TookALevelInBadass: Poplock, soon after he is introduced. Went from being a frightened small youngster to a seasoned fighter capable of taking on a room full of ''mazakh'' in just a few chapters.
* UltimateBlacksmith: The Spiritsmith, who makes weapons and armor so great that even the gods themselves commission work from him. Like many Ultimate Blacksmiths, he lives on a remote and hard-to-climb mountain.
* TheUsurper: What has happened in [[spoiler:Evanwyl]].
* UtilityMagic: Magic is used for many things that we use technology for: air conditioning, burglar alarms, surveillance, locks, printing...
* VillainousCrush: [[spoiler:Aran aka Condor]] for Kyri.
* WorldOfBadass: [[EverythingTryingToKillYou The nature of Zarathan]] means professional adventurers are ''very'' common, and a necessary resource to protect more ordinary people. To the point that Tobrimar's status as an exiled prince on an nigh-impossible quest is considered notable, but not particularly surprising.
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