History YMMV / XeeleeSequence

*** "The Xeelee Sequence is 40k for Adults" - [[labelnote:Explanation]]Related to above, but some disgruntled/disillusioned 40k fans who migrated to the Sequence found the series to be far more appropriate for the much older 40k demographic. Given the much more serious tone of the Sequence, nearly devoid of camp humour whilst filled to the brim of hard sci-fi astrophysics and humanist philosophies. Whereas 40k despite being the namer of Grimdark is filled with camp humour, overexaggerated feats, colourful characters, flowery language and is now targeting to a [[Literature/WarhammerAdventures much younger audience.]] The argument may have a point.[[/labelnote]]

** "The Unholy Trinity of Dystopias" - [[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to its horrifying nature that is almost unmatched. The Xeelee Sequence is often paired with [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]] and [[Literature/IHaveNoMouthandIMustScream I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream]] as the unholy trinity of peak Dystopias in places like 1d4chan. This is compared to the "Godfather Trinity of Dystopias" which is [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]] (again), Literature/{{We}} and [[Literature/BraveNewWorld Brave New World]], which are the trope codifiers of classical dystopias.[[/labelnote]]

* ItWasHisSled: If you are even vaguely aware of the Sequence, then the plot twist that the Xeelee Ring is in fact, a giant evacuation portal to another universe should be unsurprising given how much the Ring itself is often used in versus forums, used in theoretical physics or used in artwork. So this plot twist in itself, isn't really that spoilery.

** "The Interim Coalition of Governance is the Khmer Rouge on Bath Salts" - [[labelnote:Explanation]]The [=ICoG=] has often been described as the Khmer Rouge on steroids due to how similar the tactics are in terms of indoctrination, mass utilisation of child soldiers, mass genocides and just general mass brutality to an insane degree. This can bleed into [[FridgeHorror Fridge Horror]] once you realise that the tactics used by the [=ICoG=] have indeed been used in real life.[[/labelnote]]

* TrueArtIsAngsty: The Sequence is considered as one of the most thought-provoking hard science-fiction ever written and is considered a masterpiece of upper-level Kardashev-scale time-travel stories that does not fall into the narrative traps that plagues most time-travel series. Yet, it is one of the most depressing, bleak and horrific science-fiction epics to have ever been birthed through pen and paper.

* TearJerker: The end of ''Mayflower II'', one of the stories in ''Resplendent''. The immortal protagonist, guardian of the titular generation ship, has lost everyone dear to him, watched the onboard society unravel and then the inhabitants devolve over generations. [[spoiler: Then two of the main characters of ''Exultant'' (who are now married with a baby) show up to rescue the pitiful descendants of the original crew and tell the protagonist he's done his job well. Finally able to rest, he sees the face of the lover he left behind before the voyage. It's left ambiguous whether it's a hologram the visitors left for him or just a hallucination, because it doesn't matter.]]

* NauseaFuel: Just....anything that has to do with pregnancy and woman in these apocalyptic futures is enough to enter BrainBleach territory.

** Strangely enough, there is also a lot of friendly overlap with fans of Literature/TheCulture series, despite both books being the complete tonal opposite of one another. The friendliness is due to the fact that they are both space operas that deal with ''immense scale and power capabilities''. Likewise, both the Xeelee and the Culture are often popular benchmarks in versus forums for 'top-tier' Sci-Fi factions, with the Culture being agreed as the most powerful Sci-Fi civilization short of time-travel whereas the Xeelee being the most powerful Sci-Fi civilization short of comic book level omnipotence.

* JustHereForGodzilla: It's very niche series by subject matter alone, being a long running hard sci-fi novel series - and it'd be virtually unheard of if it weren't for years and years of power level arguments on internet forums. Heck, look at this page itself - most of the examples listed relate to comparing it to more well-known series!

* FriendlyFandoms: Due to both being a time travel-heavy sci-fi with a sense of scale that is roughly an equal to one another, both the fanbase of the Xeelee Sequence and [[Series/DoctorWho Doctor Who]] often overlap.

* CompleteMonster: Nearly every single faction of the Sequence would make the villains of other literature mediums look like rational folks in comparison. But special mention goes to the [=ICoG=] which goes one step further into depravity. One must just look at the Nightmare Fuel page for a more comprehensive analysis.

* FandomRivalry: A really interesting example. But the [[Main/DarkerandEdgier Darker and Edgier]] points in the main page would eventually lead to this. [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]] is a really popular and well known IP that often prides itself on its grimarkness and 'power levels'. This would inadvertently lead to the franchise being incredibly popular in versus forums to the point that 40k fans has garnered a...''reputation'' of being overly competitive. As such, certain folks from other fanbases got sick of 40k and always ends up dragging the Xeelee Sequence fanbase into it. Given the sheer ''scale'' between the Xeelee and Warhammer, the end results always [[Main/CurbStompBattle never look good for 40k.]] Since the Xeelee Sequence is by far, a ''much more serious series'' than the camp nature of 40k, the small fanbase of the Xeelee understandably, cannot take 40k's 'grimdarkness' seriously at all; finding it vapid at ''best'', and embarrassingly edgy and juvenile at ''worst''.

* FandomEnragingMisconception: If you are new to the Sequence, fans of the Xeelee will warn you that the series is a ''setting''-based storyline, not a ''character''-based one. If you come to the Sequence expecting compelling characters, than you are reading the story wrong. In the Sequence, the characters act more like [[Main/AudienceSurrogate vehicles]] to introduce the characters to the overarching plot. Given the sheer scale of the Sequence, having dry characters is a necessary compromise to properly handle the scope of the multiverse.

* FandomRivalry: A really interesting example. But the above mentioned points would eventually lead to this. [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]] is a really popular and well known IP that often prides itself on its grimarkness and 'power levels'. This would inadvertently lead to the franchise being incredibly popular in versus forums to the point that 40k fans has garnered a...''reputation'' of being overly competitive. As such, certain folks from other fanbases got sick of 40k and always ends up dragging the Xeelee Sequence fanbase into it. Given the sheer ''scale'' between the Xeelee and Warhammer, the end results always [[Main/CurbStompBattle never look good for 40k.]] Since the Xeelee Sequence is by far, a ''much more serious series'' than the camp nature of 40k, the small fanbase of the Xeelee understandably, cannot take 40k's 'grimdarkness' seriously at all; finding it vapid at ''best'', and embarrassingly edgy and juvenile at ''worst''.

** "The Interim Coalition of Governance is the Khmer Rouge on Bath Salts" - [[labelnote:Explanation]]The icog has often been described as the Khmer Rouge on steroids due to how similar the tactics are in terms of indoctrination, mass utilisation of child soldiers, mass genocides and just general mass brutality to an insane degree. This can bleed into [[FridgeHorror Fridge Horror]] once you realise that the tactics used by the icog have indeed been used in real life.[[/labelnote]]

* CoolOfRule: Part of the reason the Sequence is so awesome is that all of the science is explained, and not just in a HandWave.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: The Transcendence would be considered as most franchises' god-like race and even they pale in comparison to the Xeelee, who themselves are losing against the Photino Birds. And even these two near-omnipotents are mere insects to the Monads. This trope also applies to out of universe as well, for the Xeelee series is often considered as the gold-standard of ''overpowered franchises'' that eclipses other 'traditionally powerful Sci-Fi franchises' such as [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]], [[Literature/TheCulture The Culture]], [[Literature/TheForerunnerSaga Ancient Halo]] and [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]] by ''several orders of magnitude''. In fact, the amount of franchises that could stalemate or surpass the Sequence in scale could be counted on one hand.

* EvilerThanThou: The Sequence is pretty infamous especially in versus forums for how atrociously dark and deprave it can get; often making [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]] look extremely PG and tame in comparison.

* RetCon: There's some inconsistencies across the series, mainly between the earlier novels and the ''Destiny's Children'' books. Some of it is simply the result of a lot more light being shed on the period between the fall of the Qax and the end of ''Ring'', but (for example) the fact that Xeelee-style FTL drives [[spoiler: function as time machines, including the ability to create paradoxes]] is only revealed in ''Exultant'', when one would have expected it to be mentioned earlier.

* FandomRivalry: A really interesting example. But the above mentioned points would eventually lead to this. [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]] is a really popular and well known IP that often prides itself on its grimarkness and 'power levels'. This would inadvertently lead to the franchise being incredibly popular in versus forums to the point that 40k fans has garnered a...''reputation'' of being overly competitive. As such, certain folks from other fanbases got sick of 40k and always ends up dragging the Xeelee Sequence fanbase into it. Given the sheer ''scale'' between the Xeelee and Warhammer, the end results always [[Main/CurbStompBattle never look good for 40k.]] Since the Xeelee Sequence is by far, a ''far more serious series'' than the camp nature of 40k, the small fanbase of the Xeelee understandably, cannot take 40k's 'grimdarkness' seriously at all; finding it vapid at ''best'', and embarrassingly edgy and juvenile at ''worst''.

* AlwaysABiggerFish: The Transcendence would be considered as most franchises' god-like race and even they pale in comparison to the Xeelee, who themselves are losing against the Photino Birds. And even these two near-omnipotents are mere insects to the Monads. This trope also applies to out of universe as well, for the Xelee series is often considered as the gold-standard of ''overpowered franchises'' that eclipses other 'traditionally powerful Sci-Fi franchises' such as [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]], [[Literature/TheCulture The Culture]], [[Literature/TheForerunnerSaga Ancient Halo]] and [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]] by ''several orders of magnitude''. In fact, the amount of franchises that could stalemate or surpass the Sequence in scale could be counted on one hand.

* FandomRivalry: A really interesting example. But the above mentioned points would eventually lead to this. [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]] is a really popular and well known IP that often prides itself on its grimarkness and 'power levels'. This would inadvertently lead to the franchise being incredibly popular in versus forums to the point that 40k fans has garnered a...''reputation'' of being overly competitive. As such, certain folks from other fanbases got sick of 40k and always ends up dragging the Xeelee Sequence fanbase into it. Given the sheer ''scale'' between the Xeelee and Warhammer, the end results always [[Main/CurbStompBattle never look good for 40k.]] Since the Xeelee Sequence is by far, a ''far more serious series'' than the camp nature of 40k, the small fanbase of the Xeelee understandably, cannot take 40k's 'grimdarkness' seriously at all, let alone terms like 'power levels'.

* FandomRivalry: A really interesting example. But the above mentioned points would eventually lead to this. [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]] is a really popular and well known IP that often prides itself on its grimarkness and 'power levels'. This would inadvertently lead to the franchise being incredibly popular in versus forums to the point that 40k fans has garnered a...''reputation'' of being overly competitive. As such, certain folks from other fanbases got sick of 40k and always ends up dragging the Xeelee Sequence fanbase into it. Given the sheer ''scale'' between the Xeelee and Warhammer, the end results always never look good for 40k. Since the Xeelee Sequence is by far, a ''far more serious series'' than the camp nature of 40k, the small fanbase of the Xeelee understandably, cannot take 40k's 'grimdarkness' seriously at all, let alone terms like 'power levels'.

* FandomRivalry: A really interesting example. But the above mentioned points would eventually lead to this. [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]] is a really popular and well known IP that often prides itself on its grimarkness and 'power levels'. This would inadvertently lead to the franchise being incredibly popular in versus forums to the point that 40k fans has garnered a...''reputation'' of being overly competitive. As such, certain folks from other fanbases got sick of 40k and always ends up dragging the Xeelee Sequence fanbase into it. Given the sheer ''scale'' between the Xeelee and Warhammer, the end results always never look good for 40k. Since the Xeelee Sequence is by far, a ''far more serious series'' than the camp nature of 40k, the small fanbase of the Xeelee understandably, cannot take 40k's 'grimdarkness' seriously at all, let alone 'power levels'.

*** "The Xeelee Sequence is 40k for Adults" - [[labelnote:Explanation]]Related to above, but some disgruntled/disillusioned 40k fans who migrated to the Sequence found the series to be far more appropriate for the much older 40k demographic. Given the much more serious tone of the Sequence, nearly devoid of camp humour whilst filled to the brim of hard sci-fi astrophysics and humanist philosophy. Whereas 40k despite being the namer of Grimdark is filled with camp humour, overexaggerated feats, colourful characters, flowery language and is now targeting to a [[Literature/WarhammerAdventures much younger audience.]] The argument may have a point.[[/labelnote]]

* EvilerThanThou: In terms of series, the Xeelee Sequence is this to nearly any other sci-fi Dystopias, but specifically to [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40,000]]. This is due to Warhammer and the fanbase priding itself on its grimarkness and 'power levels' only for someone in the Xeelee fanbase to come and remind them how outclass Warhammer is in comparison.

* NightmareFuel:
** The riots on the Raft. Bathed in the blood-red light of the star overhead, Rees is trapped in a burning city gone mad where people he's known ever since his arrival are torn to pieces by the angry working class.
** The [[spoiler: Photino Birds.]] They are essentially the Xeeleeverse's GreaterScopeVillain, seeking to literally [[ApocalypseHow destroy the Universe as we know it]] to propagate their existence. And they [[ItCanThink actively resist the Xeelee leaving the Universe;]] they arrange galaxies to shake the Ring apart.
** The Qax from the future destroying [[spoiler: the past Governor of Earth]] and taking charge. The sheer [[NoNonsenseNemesis callousness and brutality he displays]] while killing [[spoiler: the Governor with a starbreaker beam]] is very frightening, especially when he implies [[spoiler: the Governor will [[AndIMustScream spend the last hours of his existence in agonising pain, feeling his sentience, his very existence, slip away bit by bit as he decays into the sludge which carries him.]] And poor Jasoft was ForcedToWatch as the first actually evil character in the novel kills the closest thing he (as a collaborator) has to a friend and colleague.]]
** Even though [[GoryDiscretionShot not many details are given]], the atrocities committed by the Protestant mercenaries during the Sack of Rome flashback in ''Coalescent'' are nauseating. They include [[RapeAsDrama a man being forced to rape his daughter]], [[GroinAttack another being castrated and forced to eat his own testicles]], and [[spoiler:six members of the Order being gang-raped by Clemens and his men, one of them dying from the abuse she receives]]. Then there's the revelation that [[spoiler:those six women stayed behind to [[HeroicSacrifice get captured and divert attention from the rest of the Order]].]]