History Literature / WindOnFire

%%* ApocalypseHow: Class 0-2, it's hard to tell, but [[spoiler:from a glimpse near the end of ''Wind on Fire'' things look pretty desperate]].%%ZCE

%%* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:The ultimate fate of all the Singer People, including Kestrel.]]%%Is?

%%* BadassFamily: The Haths (and their adopted kin, Mumpo, Sisi, and Emperor Creoth).

%%* TheEmpire: The Mastery.

%%* HiveMind: The Zars.
%%* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Mumpo and Pinto, towards the end of Firesong.
%%* IAmLegion: The army of the Zars.

* FantasticCasteSystem: in ''The Wind Singer'', Aramanth is divided into color-coded castes: Grays at the bottom, then Maroons, Oranges, Scarlets, and the elites are Whites. These colors are marked on their clothes and homes and determine the kinds of jobs they can do. [[spoiler:The Emperor]] wears blue.

* AbductionIsLove
* [[spoiler:ApocalypseHow: Class 0-2, it's hard to tell, but from a glimpse near the end of Wind on Fire things look pretty desperate.]]

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:The ultimate fate of all the Singer People, including Kestrel]].

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Bowman]] by the end of ''Slaves of the Mastery''.
* BadAssFamily: The Haths (and their adopted kin, Mumpo, Sisi, and Emperor Creoth).
* BaseOnWheels: The warring desert cities of Omchaka and Ombaraka.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Subverted in ''Slaves Of The Mastery;'' [[spoiler: when Sissi rejects Zohon, he slashes both her cheeks, saying "I kill your beauty!"]]

* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: "If you tell anything you've heard here, I'll have your tongues pulled out, and rabbits' heads pushed into your mouths, and your lips sewn up." - Princess Sisi. [[spoiler:[[BewareTheNiceOnes She later disembowels a young man with a steak knife]]--in self-defense, of course]].
* CluelessChickMagnet: Bowman - at least when it comes to Sisi. Vice versa in the Kestrel and [[spoiler:Ortiz]] scenario. She's not just clueless - she's totally oblivious.

* DistantFinale
* DoesNotLikeMen: Kestrel.

* TheEmpire: The Mastery

* HiveMind: The Zars
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Mumpo and Pinto, towards the end of Firesong.
* IAmLegion: The army of the Zars.
* ImpossiblyDeliciousFood
* InLoveWithTheMark: Ortiz. Although he doesn't know it.

* MindOverMatter

* TheMigration: In ''Firesong'' a group of the Manth, their old home destroyed, travel across the continent to seek a prophesied homeland.

* {{Adorkable}}: Bowman. Mumpo. Hanno. [[spoiler:Ortiz]]. It seems as though most main male characters will have their fair share of the spotlight in this category.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Kestrel and Bowman. (Possibly Pinto, but she's never explicitly described as such.)

* TheEmpath: Bowman can use his powers to understand people on a subconscious level and have mind-to-mind combat with other empaths such as the Master. The downside is that he is [[{{Angst}} easily affected by the feelings of those around him]].
* TheForce
* TheLoad: Mumpo may have his moments in ''The Wind Singer'', but boy does that change.
* TheMigration: In ''Firesong'' a group of the Manth, their old home destroyed, travel across the continent to seek a prophesied homeland.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Rufy Blesh]]

* TheKingdom: Gang, or at least it's implied to be (it's never seen in the trilogy).

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thewindsinger.jpg]]

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Subverted in ''Slaves Of The Mastery''.

* CrapsackWorld: By the time of ''Firesong'' the world is falling apart, indeed a fair amount of it seems to be literally burning thanks to wars and bandits.

* DecadeDissonance: The world appears to be quite out of whack technologically. Aramanth is implied to be rather technolgically advanced in ''The Wind Singer'', as does the Mastery in ''Slaves of the Mastery'', yet the primary mode of transportation seems to be horse and carriage, with civilizations becoming ever-more ramschackle and sparse the farther out from Aramanth you go.

* TheMigration: in ''Firesong'' the Manth, their old home destroyed, travel across the continent to seek a prophesied homeland.
* TookALevelInBadass: Just about all the main characters over the trilogy, some combat based and others gaining wisdom and maturity. Munpo and Sisi probably have the greatest.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Rufy Blesh
* [[VoiceOfTheLegion Eyes of the Legion]]: When Bowman destroys the Master he uses the power of The Morah, which is portrayed by hundreds of eyes being visible within his own.

A modern(ish) fantasy series by William Nicholson, describing the lives of the Hath family and their quest to find the homeland. The trilogy of books are as follows:

''Slaves of the Mastery'' is set a short time later, where Aramanth is no longer ruled by exams. However, the raiders of an empire called the Mastery destroy it and takes all the citizens of Aramanth as slaves. Kestrel is split up, and meets the representatives of a different kingdom, who are heading to the Mastery to marry their princess daughter to their prince son. Eventually, the Mastery is overthrown and the citizens begin to search for their homeland.

''Firesong'' is about their journey to their homeland. And without giving away everything, we can say very little else.

The first book is set in the city of Aramanth, where hierarchy is decided solely on exam results for the age of 2 onwards. Kestrel and Bowman Hath, after being prosecuted by the head examiner, decide to find the key to the Wind Singer,a device in the centre of Aramanth which once made people happy. However, it was stolen and the city fell into depression.

Modern(ish) fantasy series by William Nicholson, describing the lives of the Hath family and their quest to find the homeland. Consists of three books;

* SpoiledSweet: Despite the occasional threat of [[{{CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon}} ordering someone's eyes to be gouged out]], Sisi is generally a sweet-natured, loving girl.

* VoiceOfTheLegion Eyes of the Legion]]: When Bowman destroys the Master he uses the power of The Morah, which is portrayed by hundreds of eyes being visible within his own.

* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: "If you tell anything you've heard here, I'll have your tongues pulled out, and rabbits' heads pushed into your mouths, and your lips sewn up." - Princess Sisi. [[spoiler:[[BewareTheNiceOnes She later disembowels a young man with a stake knife]]--in self-defence, of course]].

* FoeYay: A smidge between Ortiz and Bowman.

* MessianiacAchetype: Played with: [[spoiler:Bowman is set up to be one, but he's stopped on the threshold of actually saving the world by Kestrel, who does it in his place]].

* TheMessiah: Played with: [[spoiler:Bowman is set up to be one, but he's stopped on the threshold of actually saving the world by Kestrel, who does it in his place]].

* BreakTheCutie: The first book was beautiful in its childish glory, containing a few disturbing elements. However, childhoods are shredded to pieces from the second book onward and we're looking at some serious {{Gorn}} when the Mastery seizes Aramanth, and the manaxa, and the monkey cages, and let's not forget the grand finale. Bowman goes from timid to [[spoiler:the destroyer of the Master's civilisation]]. Kestrel goes from a rebellious young girl to being the [[spoiler:avenger, caught up in what seems like a million unending love triangles]]. Mumpo goes from friendless to [[spoiler:killer]].

* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: "If you tell anything you've heard here, I'll have your tongues pulled out, and rabbits' heads pushed into your mouths, and your lips sewn up." - Princess Sisi. [[spoiler:[[BewareTheNiceOnes She later disembowels a young man with a stake knife]]]].

* DiscOneFinalBoss: Maslo Inch in ''The Windsinger''.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: By restoring the voice of the Windsinger and cleansing the Morah's influence over Aramanth, Kestrel, Bowman, and Mumpo inadvertently condemn the city to destruction at the hands of the Mastery.

* RagsToRiches: [[spoiler:Bowman, who becomes the "Bowmana of Gang" after marrying Sisi and helping her apparently reclaim her family's empire during the TimeSkip between the climax and epilogue of ''Firesong'']].