History Literature / TheGrimnoirChronicles

** In the final book, Captain Southunder warns Sullivan that if he doesn't make [[spoiler: Akane]] happy, he'll find himself having a lethal 'accident.'

** [[spoiler: The second Pathfinder attacked the Chairman and the Dark Ocean with wave after wave of skinless undead bodies that it had taken control of. The third Pathfinder spreads them around, preparting to feast on all Active living zones at once.]]

* AntiHero: [[spoiler:Harkeness turns out to be a Grimnoir knight, who killed Pershing as part of a longer plan to defeat the Chairman. When Browning finds out, he still kills him for it.]]

* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Iceboxes are immune to cold. Travellers have the ability to track everything around them so they they don't accidentally kill themselves through a TeleporterAccident (Though many of them die before they figure out how to use it). Averted with Torches and Edisons, who are not immune to fire and electricity, respectively.

* EncyclopediaExposita: Each chapter is opened with some historical quote, throwing out hints about the AlternateHistory, such as Hitler being executed before rising to power, UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt dying in WorldWarOne against the Kaiser's zombies, etc. Some are fictitious, some are modified version of real life quotes, some are said at a different time and place, and some are just the same as in real life.

* HistoricalPersonPunchline: The UBF accountant (who helped in the climactic battle, explaining that he fought with the Gordon Highlanders in WorldWarOne), turns out to be [[spoiler:Creator/RaymondChandler]].

* WellDoneSonGuy: Toru desperately needs to prove himself as a worthy son to his father - who's the Chairman himself, making this rather complicated. Turned into a somewhat sweet moment in ''Warbound'' as [[spoiler:he has a vision of his father speaking to him from beyond the grave, admitting that in his pursuit of poer he might've overlooked some of his best children (with Toru, of course, implied to be one of those).]]

* RuleOfCool: Are autonomous war robots programmed by perforated tapes plausible? Could a demon hundred feet tall even stand? Is it likely to have a PowerArmour in nintey thirties? Wouldn't a fall from seventy thousand feet kill you? ''Do you care about that?''

* SuperStrength: Delilah, enough said. Jake, to an extent.
** In the second and third book, Toru.

* OnePersonOnePower: An in-setting rule of thumb to which Chairman Okubo Tokugawa is the sole exception as far as anyone knows, though people who are very skilled with their one power can often emulate a related one. For example, Jake can use fine gravity control as a makeshift telekinetic ability. [[spoiler:In the third book, Faye is revealed to be a Cog who can use any power she wants.]]

* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Faye's abilities, even after they're explained, seem to grow and change based on the demands of the plot. First, she spontaneously develops the skill to teleport other people with her; then, she somehow manages to master PortalCut without ever considering it possible before (note that the ability to do so disappears after book one). When she has to teleport a lot of people, her power suddenly grows to accomodate that; then when the plot needs her to hop all over the world, she can suddenly travel through communication mirrors; and finally, when faced with the Enemy, [[spoiler:she discovers that she can actually use all Powers, and masters them all with no training whatsoever.]]

* CommonalityConnection: Despite his detesting Okies, when Travelin' Joe guesses that Faye might be a Traveler, he feels impelled to find out and then show her how to survive.

* BatterUp: Toru's weapon of choice is an enormous tetsubo (iron club) that most people who aren't Brutes or Spikers wouldn't be able to lift (about 80 pounds). He eventually hits one of Crow's demons with it so hard that it ''breaks''. He then finds a new one during the next book.

** Similarly, enormous, stoic Sullivan and the tiny, CuteButPsycho ball of excitement that is Fay.

The first in the series is '''Hard Magic''' (released May 3 2011). After Jake Sullivan fails to bring in his former LoveInterest for murder, he makes some inquiries and finds out that things aren't what they seem. He's soon caught up with a [[MagicalSociety secret society]] (the Grimnoir) sworn to stop the Japanese Imperium, led by the indestructible [[BigBad Chairman Tokugawa]], from taking over the world. At the same time, an [[TheGreatDepression Okie]] named Faye witnesses the murder of her adoptive grandfather at the hands of a mysterious one-eyed man. His dying command is for her to protect a strange mechanical device, designed by someone named [[UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla Tesla]].

The sequel '''Spellbound''' is out as of November 1 2011. It follows up on some of the [[SequelHook sequel bait]] from the first book -- such as the [[CosmicEntity entity]] stated to be pursuing [[MetaOrigin The Power]] itself.

The third book, '''Warbound''' was released in August 2013.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In RealLife, ImperialJapan was racist, militaristic, and expansionist, with an array of atrocities to its name. The Imperium is all of that, turned UpToEleven, and more successful.

* ExtranormalPrison: The Rockville State Penitary is a facility made specifically to house Actives. It has deaf guards on staff to stop [[CompellingVoice Mouths]], ''extremely'' thick walls to have [[IntangibleMan Fades]] and [[{{Teleportation}} Travellers]] run out of Power before they'd leave, no fire and very little electicity to limit [[PlayingWithFire Torches]] and [[ShockAndAwe Cracklers]]' resources, and more. The only person who's ever managed to escape was a [[{{Humanshifter}} Ringer]].

** Jake is Heavy and can control gravity. In a fight, he often lugs a gun by limiting its weight until he has to shoot. (And then increases it while shooting to limit recoil.)

* PhoneCallFromTheDead: At the beginning of ''Spellbound'', [[spoiler:the Chairman]] uses Edison's Spirit Phone to communicate with Jake from beyond the grave.

** A literal one - the tiny pistol Faye buys for five dollars at the start of the story to make herself feel better ends up saving her life, though not in the usual way.

* FairCop: Hammer.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: George Bolander and Whisper]] both do this in ''Spellbound,'' the former so spectacularly that he becomes a folk hero.
** In ''Warbound'', an anonymous Iron Guard [[spoiler:to reveal the imposter at the cost of his life.]]

* LastRequest: [[spoiler:Delilah]] makes one as a zombie, rather commandingly. [[spoiler:Jake is to get over her, marry, have kids, and live to a ripe old age.]]

* LivingLieDetector: Justices, such as Hammer.

* PetTheDog: In a very human and even kind moment, the Chairman [[spoiler:consoles Sullivan over Delilah's death and helps him come to terms with it; Sullivan even sincerely thanks him for it... right before saying that he still plans on killing him regardless.]]

* RuleOfCool

* SchoolOfSeduction: Part of Toshiko's training as a ninja, as observed by Madi. Later, he totally hits that.

* ZombieApocalypse: [[spoiler: The second Pathfinder attacked the Chairman and the Dark Ocean with wave after wave of skinless undead bodies that it had taken control of. The third Pathfinder spreads them around, preparting to feast on all Active living zones at once.]]
** On a smaller scale, the fate of Berlin after the Great War.

* AntiMagic: The Dymaxion Nullifier, created by Fuller, is introduced in ''Spellbound''. You ''can'' destroy them magically, it's just not a good idea, as it requires spellbinding a Nixie's power... which is ''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero unleashing black holes]]''.

* BattleCouple: Jake & Delilah. Faye and Francis, briefly.

* ChekhovsGun: Early on, it's said that the Chairman could only be [[spoiler:killed by a direct hit from a Peace Ray/Geo-Tel. Guess how he dies at the end.]]

* CombatPragmatist: Pretty much everyone, but Heinrich most of all.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant

* DesignatedGirlFight: Faye vs. Toshiko. Despite this, it's an ''awesome'' fight scene featuring frenetic TeleportSpam on a [[BattleAmongstTheFlames flaming]] [[ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld zeppelin]] in the middle of a [[SkyPirates pirate attack]] on said [[ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld zeppelin]]. Did I mention Toshiko is a {{Ninja}}?
* DieselPunk[=/=]FantasticNoir

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: John J. "Black Jack" Pershing and John Moses Browning are both Grimnoir knights, and Sullivan has some unpleasant dealings with J. Edgar Hoover. Pershing mentions a Colonel Eisenhower when explaining something to Jake.

* MotorMouth: Faye.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Chairman just wants humanity to be strong so we'll be able to fight The Enemy when it arrives. [[spoiler:Harkeness curses the General in order to set up a BatmanGambit against the Chairman.]]

* BadAss: Just about everyone involved.

* ZombieApocalypse: [[spoiler: The second Pathfinder attacked the Chariman and the Dark Ocean with wave after wave of skinless undead bodies that it had taken control of. The third Pathfinder spreads them around, preparting to feast on all Active living zones at once.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Chairman just wants humanity to be strong so we'll be able to fight The Enemy when it arrives. [[spoiler:Harkeness curses the General in order to set up a BatmanGambit against the Chairman]]

The first in the series is '''Hard Magic''' (released May 3 2011). After Jake Sullivan fails to bring in his former LoveInterest for murder, he makes some inquiries and finds out that things aren't what they seem. He's soon caught up with a [[MagicalSociety secret society]] sworn to stop the Japanese Imperium, led by the indestructible [[BigBad Chairman Tokugawa]], from taking over the world. At the same time, an [[TheGreatDepression Okie]] named Faye witnesses the murder of her adoptive grandfather at the hands of a mysterious one-eyed man. His dying command is for her to protect a strange mechanical device, designed by someone named [[UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla Tesla]].

* WhatBeautifulEyes: When Francis first meets Faye, he doesn't find her that attractive…except for her striking gray eyes. They're easily her most commented on feature.

* TimeAbyss: In ''Warbound,'' an oracle states that the Power has been on the run from the enemy for at least 1 million years.

** After Francis [[spoiler:inherits the family fortune]], he considers [[Franchise/{{Batman}} wearing a costume when performing his Grimnoir duties to to distinguish himself from his playboy millionaire public image]]. He decides against it.

* SequelHook: [[spoiler: The ending has Toru and Sullivan on a beach, with the latter stating that, while the Imperium has shut down its schools and Unit 731, war may resume one day with America or the Grimnoir. He also speculates that the Enemy may one day find a way to escape and have to be dealt with for good. On a positive note, Faye has become an inventor that's changing the world with her inventions and her next project might involve the fact that she misses Travelling... ]]

* SheCleansUpNicely: Faye turnes out to look really good in a nice dress.

* OnePersonOnePower: an in-setting rule of thumb to which Chairman Okubo Tokugawa is the sole exception as far as anyone knows, though people who are very skilled with their one power can often emulate a related one. For example, Jake can use fine gravity control as a makeshift telekinetic ability. [[spoiler:In the third book, Faye is revealed to be a Cog who can use any power she wants.]]

* PetTheDog: In a very human and even kind moment, the Chairman [[spoiler:consoles Sullivan over Delilah's death and helps him come to terms with it; Sullivan even sincerely thanks him for it. . . right before saying that he still plans on killing him regardless.]]

* KnownOnlyByTheirNickname: The real name of Lady Origami (Also known as Ori for short) is Akane. This doesn't get revealed until late in the third book.

* [[IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer If He Ever Does Anything to Hurt You]]: Lance cautions Faye to be careful, because he really doesn't want to have to break Francis's neck for dishonoring her.