History Literature / TheMonarchiesOfGod

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Aruan]]

* AmbiguousEnding: The book ends with [[MagnificentBastard Corfe]] sitting around a camp fire with [[MessianicArchetype Ramusio]] and [[TheStrategist Shahr Baraz]]. [[spoiler:All three of them are dead at this point.]]

Known for the relavitely short page count of individual books in the series in a genre where {{Doorstopper}}s are the norm, and its general CrapsackWorld.

!!!The series consists of:

* [[spoiler: KillEmAll]]

The series is set on the continent of Normannia and on the mysterious continent in the west. Normannia is ruled by the Ramusian kingdoms. The most notable of them are Hebrion, Astarac, Perigraine, Almarc and Torunna. Between these kingdoms lies the Republic of Fimbria. East of the Ramusian Kingdoms the Merduk sultanates are located.
The story sets in when Aekir, the religious capital of the Ramusian religion, is captured by the Merduks under the military command of Shahar Baraz.

The story follows the young Corfe Cear-Inaf, who is the last survivor of the Aekir garrison, in his fight against the Merduks.

Another story arc evolves around Abeleyn, the king of Hebrion, who has to fight the Prelate Himerius of the Ramusian church in order to save his kingdom and its inhabitants.

At the same time Richard Hawkwood sets out to find the mysterious western continent to colonize it.

While all this happens two monks, Alberic and Avila, discover evidence that the great religion of Ramusio is based on a lie.

* AntagonistInMourning: At the beginning of the first book Shahr Baraz is seen weeping in front of the crucified body of John Modgen.

* ColdIron: to the Shifters - the iron need not be cold, but the trope is otherwise played straight.
* CorruptChurch: The Ramusian church becomes one under [[spoiler: SinisterMinister Himerius]]
* CrystalDragonJesus: St Ramusio. [[spoiler: It turns out that he's also Crystal Dragon Mohammed.]]

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Bardolin]]

* FantasyGunControl: [[AvertedTrope avoids this one]], with primitive guns and swords coexisting seamlessly. The guns are based on the earliest rifles - they are only able to be fired twice a minute (three times if the soldier is particularly well trained) and have a limited range, so arrows of various sorts are still useful, and traditional cavalry and infantry are the bulk of forces - although some characters have forebodings that guns will change the nature of war forever.

* TheHeretic: [[spoiler: the two wings of the Ramusian Church each declare the other heretical; and Albrec's unrelated 'heresies' are actually a truth that has been suppressed by the Church.]]

* InformedAbility: The reason the reader knows that John Modgen was a [[TheStrategist great strategist]] is that nearly every person Corfe encounters mentions this. The reader never sees him commanding his troops because the day the story sets in is the day of his defeat at Aekir, followed by his death.

* MemeticBadass: an in-universe example Corfe Cear-Inaf becomes one over the course of the story. [[spoiler: Also becomes a FourStarBadass.]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Ultimately deconstructed. [[BigBad Aruan]] talks a good game about wanting to create a better world for [[OurMagesAreDifferent dweomer-folk]], but it's pretty clear to anyone who pays attention that he's just using this rhetoric to gather followers and really only cares about power for himself. [[spoiler: As a result, some of his own minions ultimately end up deciding that the best way to realize Aruan's stated vision for the world is by removing Aruan himself from it, and turn on him]].

* OurHomunculiAreDifferent: Homonculi are familiars grown without Ur Blood; they mature faster than Imps, but they [[ImAHumanitarian have bad eating habits]] and are AlwaysChaoticEvil.
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent

* VestigialEmpire: The Republic of Fimbria once was the Fimbrian Empire. Most of the streets were built to march its armies. Now Fimbria is only one relatively small country. But don't worry. It is [[RisingEmpire rising]] [[WordofGod again]].

* WorthyOpponent: Shahr Baraz considers John Modgen to be this.
* ZergRush: The strategy of the Merduks after they deposed of [[spoiler:Shahr Baraz]].

# ''The Heretic Kings''(1996)

''The Monarchies of God'' is a series of HighFantasy novels by Irish author Paul Kearney.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Aruan]]

* TheChessmaster: lots of people want to be this, but the only ones who are very good at it are [[spoiler: Jemilla, Golophin and Araun. Most people who go up against Corfe want to be chessmasters, but are defeated when Corfe devises yet another IndyPloy.]]

Definately NeedsMoreLove.

HighFantasy series by Irish author Paul Kearney.

!!''TheMonarchiesOfGod'' provides examples of: