Line #21 Literature/RumoAndHisMiraculousAdventures


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rumo_cover_4.jpg]]
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3	''Rumo and his Miraculous Adventures'' (''Rumo'' for short) is a book by Creator/WalterMoers set in Zamonia, the setting for ''Literature/TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear'' and ''Literature/TheCityOfDreamingBooks''.
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5	It revolves around Rumo, a wolperting (an intelligent, bipedal, horned dog), after he is kidnapped by [[{{Cyclops}} cyclopean]] pirates. Following his escape from them, he sets off on a journey to find 'the silver thread' that will lead him to true love, but is waylaid repeatedly, most importantly when almost everyone he knows is kidnapped and taken to the hellish underground Netherworld, which he must rescue them from. Along the way he picks up several friends, including Dandelion and Krindle, the talking sword possessed by two very different spirits, Voltozan Smyke the shark grub, and Urs of the Snows, another wolperting and talented chef.
6	----
7	!!The book provides examples of:
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9	* AchillesHeel: The Demonocles' is [[spoiler:their tongue, which has a complex cartilagineous structure connected to their spinal cord]]. Hyronically, also [[spoiler:The Lunawraith, who are supposedly intangible, and ''even General Tick-Tock's virus'' have one equivalent weakness. You'd ask yourself how can a virus have a spinal cord, but given the [[MindScrew massive amount of weirdness]] you will have been exposed to by then, it won't be too much]].
10	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: As always, there are some Zamonian races who lack any redeeming qualitites. The Demonocles are probably the worst, though -- their entire culture, such as it is, revolve around taking prisoners to eat them alive, making sure their victims stay alive for as long as possible because they like their food to struggle. Completely lacking in empathy ([[spoiler:unless it involves [[BizarreAlienBiology breaking a Demonocle's tongue]]; that's [[EvenEvilHasStandards just taking it too far]]]]), they can't even begin to see anything wrong with this.
11	* AndShowItToYou: General Tick-Tock kills [[spoiler:Ushan]] by ripping the [[BeatStillMyHeart still beating heart]] from his chest, and then shows it to the fighting crowd. [[spoiler:Rumo pays Tick-Tock back in kind shortly afterwards by removing the General's "heart" of Zamonium.]]
12	* ApocalypticLog: Kolibri's journal, which details his scientific experiments in Murkholm as he gradually descends into madness, and ends with [[spoiler:his abduction into the Netherworld]].
13	* TheAtoner: Volzotan Smyke has traces of this in the latter parts of the novel, when he performs heroic deeds largely in an attempt to make up for past misdeeds.
14	* AxCrazy: Gornab the 99th, Ruler of Hel, is a bloodthirsty tyrant who loves to see people kill each other.
15	* BeastOfBattle: The Hellings use alchemical substances to tame giant vrahoks and ride them into battle.
16	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Urs is a friendly and [[MotorMouth talkative]] soul who doesn't care much for fighting and would rather spend his time cooking or eating; he's viewed as a bit of a pushover by Rumo. Later on, however, he proves himself as one of the most formidable warriors in Wolperting: His reluctance to fight is for personal reasons, not because he isn't any good at it.
17	* BerserkerRage: Rolv's "White Fire."
18	* BigBrotherInstinct: Rolv is fiercely protective of Rala. Needless to say, he's less than thrilled with Rumo's crush on her.
19	* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:During the book's climax, the undead yetis show up to support Rumo and the prisoners in the Theatre of Death in their battle against Gornab's forces.]]
20	* BigEater: Urs loves to eat and can spend hours talking about food and cooking.
21	* BloodKnight:
22	** Rumo is a very benevolent example of this trope. While he loves the thrill of fighting and prefers to solve problems through physical strength rather than intellect, he doesn't kill unless it's absolutely unavoidable, and would NeverHurtAnInnocent.
23	** General Tick-Tock, by contrast, is an outright {{Sadist}} who relishes in violence and wanton destruction. While he doesn't mind killing helpless victims, he prefers going after more challenging targets to prove his strength.
24	* BrainsAndBrawn:
25	** Rumo and Smyke have this dynamic on their travels through southern Zamonia, with Smyke as the brains and Rumo as the muscle.
26	** Later in Hel, Smyke becomes the muscle to Kolibri's brains. While both are much more brainy than brawny, Smyke is part shark while Kolibri, like all Eydeets, is physically frail.
27	* BreakoutCharacter: Rumo and Voltozan Smyke were both important minor characters in Walter Moers's previous book, ''Literature/TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear.''
28	* TheCaligula: Gornab is so violently insane that he can barely articulate himself, let alone rule a kingdom, without the assistance of his chancellor Friftar.
29	* CassandraDidIt: Uggly Witches are often hit by this. Their predictions usually involve misfortune and they are always unavoidable.
30	* CatchPhrase: Rumo will say "I'm not good with words" as an excuse whenever he's called upon to tell a story or explain something to someone else. He first says it, once, in ''Literature/TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear'', but in this book he says it so often it's become his CatchPhrase.
31	* ChefOfIron: Urs is a friendly, talkative guy who [[BigEater loves to eat]] and "aims to become the best cook in the city". Come to find out, he was at one point the best swordsman in [[ProudWarriorRace Wolperting]], and even though he hasn't touched a blade longer than a kitchen knife [[RetiredBadass in years]], when the time comes he [[LetsGetDangerous proves]] he's still among his people's top three fighters.
32	* ChekhovsGun: The Non-Existent Teenies and their advanced nanotechnology are introduced in the early parts of the book as the research object of Professor Kolibri, but don't become important until the second act, when [[spoiler:their microscopic ships are used to bring Rala back from the dead]].
33	* ClockworkCreature: General Tick-Tock and the Copper Killers.
34	* ComingOfAgeStory: We follow Rumo from his early childhood into his adult years.
35	* ColdBloodedTorture: The fate of anyone unlucky enough to fall into General Tick-Tock's clutches, especially poor [[spoiler:Rala]].
36	* CondemnedContestant: All the contestants in the Theatre Of Death.
37	* ContinuityNod:
38	** Professor Ostafan Kolibri is a former student of Abdullah Nightingale, who featured heavily in ''Literature/TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear.''
39	** Nightingale himself makes a short appearance at the fair in Wolperting, promoting one of his new inventions. He also expresses interest in a certain Alpine Imp whom readers of ''Bluebear'' will recognise as Fredda, one of Nightingales future students.
40	** Once again, Zamonium is the driving force behind a major antagonist.
41	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass:
42	** Gornab is mostly extremely stupid and unhinged but docile, but is prone to sudden murderous rages that endanger everyone around him.
43	** Only when Rumo has to defend himself for the first time as a grown wolperting he finds out how badass he is.
44	* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the first Zamonia book. Also doubles as BloodierAndGorier.
45	* DeathByIrony:
46	** [[spoiler:General Tick-Tock kills his last victim, Ushan [=DeLucca=], by ripping out his heart, only to be killed by Rumo in the same way shortly afterwards.]]
47	** [[spoiler:Gornab's HairTriggerTemper becomes is downfall when he kills one of his advisers in a fit of rage. The smell of blood triggers a feeding frenzy in a nearby vrahok, which promptly devours Gornab.]]
48	** The alchemist Tychon Zyphos, who created a SyntheticPlague as a biological weapon, was killed when General Tick-Tock decided to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard test said plague on him.]] [[spoiler:Decades later, the whole kingdom of Hel suffers the same fate after Friftar inadvertently releases the plague.]]
49	* DemBones: The Dead Yetis.
50	* DescriptiveVille: The wolpertings mainly live in the town of Wolperting. (They found it empty but otherwise ready to move in and named it appropriately.)
51	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Rumo kills a Lunawraith, a creature that feeds on life energy and was supposedly unstoppable. It turned out they have a breakable spinal chord.
52	* DogStereotype: The various breeds of Wolpertings often conform to certain stereotypes:
53	** Rolv closely resembles a Bull Terrier which are known for being protective and he is very protective of his sister.
54	** Rala, a Saluki, is portrayed as feminine and [[WomenAreWiser dignified]], though she can still [[ActionGirl hold her own in a fight.]]
55	** Ushan, a Basset, is a [[TheStoic stoic]] PerpetualFrowner with a very [[DeadpanSnarker dry sense of humour.]]
56	** Urs, however, completely averts the BullyBulldog stereotype by being the most [[NiceGuy amicable and relaxed person]] in the book.
57	* DragonWithAnAgenda: Both Friftar and General Tick-Tock intend to kill Gornab to take over Hel for themselves.
58	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Demonocles are consummate sadists who [[LovesTheSoundOfScreaming like their prey alive and screaming]] and will beat their buddies to death ForTheEvulz. [[spoiler:Damage another Demonocle's tongue in front of them, though, and they all cringe in horrified shock.]]
59	* EvilChancellor: Friftar, though he's not that much more evil than the people around him.
60	* FantasticVoyagePlot: [[spoiler:Near the end when the microscopic ships are injected into Rala to save her life.]]
61	* GeniusBruiser: Most Wolpertings are formidable fighters, but very intelligent, they are very talented chess fanatics for example. The mayor of Wolperting is trying to support an image of wolpertings are more than just fighters, which is what they are known for throughout Zamonia. Rumo, however, is not the brightest wolperting in the world.
62	* GeniusLoci: The Nurn Forest Oak, a sentient tree with roots that reach deep into the Netherworld.
63	* GiantEnemyCrab: Vrahoks resemble a cross between spider crabs and jellyfish, and grow to titanic size.
64	* HeroicSacrifice:
65	** [[spoiler:Ushan [=DeLucca=]]] dies so that Tick-Tock can't reach the other fighters to kill them.
66	** Also, [[spoiler: the skeletal yetis]] prevent Gornab's conquest of the surface by collapsing a cave roof on top of themselves.
67	* IHaveThisFriend: The protagonist asks TheMentor what his friend Urs is supposed to do after falling in love with a girl. He's a BadLiar and several times says "I" instead of "Urs". The mentor is nice enough not to mention -- at least at first, but he does eventually lose patience, [[spoiler: especially since Rumo's situation was the talk of the town anyway and EverybodyKnewAlready.]]
68	* ImAHumanitarian: The Demonocles.
69	* ItsPersonal: During his first fight in the Theatre of Death, Urs initially staunchly refuses to resort to violence, even if it means his own death. Then he finds out that his opponent is the same man who [[YouKilledMyFather killed his adoptive father]] years ago, and a brutal CurbstompBattle ensues.
70	* JerkJock: Rolv picks on Rumo from the very first moment they meet in school, and the two get into numerous fights with each other. [[spoiler: By the end of the book, however, they've come to respect each other.]]
71	* MartialPacifist: Despite being among the most capable swordsmen in Wolperting, Urs is extremely reluctant when it comes to violence, and would much rather teach Rumo to cook than to fight.
72	* MasterSwordsman: Ushan [=DeLucca=] is reputed to be best fencer in all of Zamonia, with good reason.
73	* MookHorrorShow: The [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Demonocles]] find themselves on the receiving end of this, courtesy of Rumo.
74	* MoreThanMeetsTheEye: Krindle is "hideously ugly, extremely bloodthirsty, boundlessly vindictive, infinitely evil and absolutely honest about it because it's all too obvious there's no point in hiding the fact", and in times of need teaches Rumo to sing and [[spoiler:swim]] and joins in sharing terrifying stories once Dandelion mentions they can be helpful in warding off fear. He also gradually stops meaning it and eventually arrives at being {{Tsundere}} when he says he [[spoiler: wishes to kill Skullop]].
75	* NestedStory: There are lots and lots and lots of stories-within-a-story in this book, and often there are stories within the stories-within-a-story. This is even {{lampshaded}} by Smyke when he tells Rumo the story about the siege of Lindworm Castle. Since Rumo at this point is very young and knows next to nothing about the world, Smyke needs to include several other stories in order to explain the events of his primary one. At one point he remarks rather dryly that this is the third consecutive story he's had to tell, and he hasn't even gotten to the part about the siege yet.
76	* ObfuscatingInsanity: Played with. When the two Helian rebels disobey Rumo because he is too nice to hurt them, he pretends to hear voices from his sword which tell him to feed the one to the other. They think he is mad and comply. Rumo is sane, but the voices are real. Grinzold even admits that Rumo's threat might well have been suggested by him.
77	* OminousFog: The gloomy city of Murkholm is perpetually covered in thick fog. [[spoiler:Also qualifies as FogOfDoom, as it has a mind on its own and drives anyone not native to the area insane.]]
78	* OnlySaneEmployee: Friftar. This means even more since he has an AxCrazy boss who is able and allowed to kill people with his own teeth if he likes it.
79	* OurHomunculiAreDifferent: They are created in Hel from a massive vat and they are a mash-up of the various creatures thrown into the vat.
80	* OurMonstersAreWeird: At one point they fight a 7-foot long blind albino rat with tentacles for eyes. This is probably the least odd creature they encounter in Netherworld.
81	* ThePlague: General Tick-Tock has one engineered, as an ultimate weapon.
82	* ProudWarriorRace: Wolpertings are very talented fighters, which is why fighting is an important part of their culture and education. They don't seem to think slaughter is their life's calling, though, unlike the demons and the yeti, and also devote themselves to other trades and disciplines.
83	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Ushan [=DeLucca=] gives one to General Tick-Tock, pointing out that no matter how many people Tick-Tock kills, he will never feel truly alive.
84	* RecoveredAddict: Ushan spent his adolescent life as an [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] and a petty criminal, before finding his true calling in the art of fencing. He was even named after a certain type of wine, but turned it into an AppropriatedAppellation.
85	* RedStringOfFate: It is called the silver thread, and can actually be perceived by wolpertings from their early childhood; at that point they don't even know it's a romantic thing, they just have the notion that if they follow the silver thread to its source, something wonderful will be at the other end. Unfortunately, Rumo knows nothing about relationships or even what girls are until he arrives in Wolperting, so it's not as much use as you might think. Also, the trope is played with a bit, because while following the silver thread ''does'' lead to the wolperting's soulmate, it's by no means a given that it'll actually work out in the long run -- as exemplified by Urs, whose soulmate eventually left him.
86	* RelativeError: Rumo sees Rala’s affection towards Rolf and goes mad with jealousy, until Urs tells him she’s Rolf’s sister.
87	* RetiredMonster: [[spoiler:Volzotan Smyke is revealed to be a former mercenary leader who eventually became TheAtoner.]]
88	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Wolperting puppies are ridiculously cute, they even feed on love.
89	* RoboticPsychopath: General Tick-Tock is a fully mechanical construct with the mind of a sadistic psychopath.
90	* RunningGag: To Rumo's steadily increasing annoyance, he shares his name with a popular Zamonian card game, and (with a few exceptions) every single person he introduces himself to will ''immediately'' mention this. Towards the end, he just snaps "yes, like the card game!" as soon as they open their mouths.
91	* SexyDiscretionShot: The book ends just as [[spoiler:Rumo and Rala are about to have sex for the first time]], with the narrator noting that some things are best left in the dark.
92	* ShoutOut: The book contains many references to Myth/NorseMythology, such as a sentient tree called Ygg Drasil, the underground kingdom of Hel, and a minor character called Nagelfar the Ferryman.
93	* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Chess is a very popular pastime among the more intellectual Wolpertings.
94	* TheStarscream: Friftar planned to take over Hel's throne and start his own dynasty by killing Gornab. And he would have succeeded, if it weren't for the Copper Killers' conveniently-timed intervention.
95	* StoutStrength: Urs's love for eating clearly shows, but don't let that fool you into thinking he's slow or weak.
96	* TalkingWeapon: Rumo's sword hosts the souls of two sentient beings: Dandelion, a cowardly, talkative troll, and Krindle the Cleaver, a single-minded BloodKnight. They're constantly bickering with each other, and at one point, Rumo actually threatens to abandon the sword if they won't shut up.
97	* ThemeNaming:
98	** Wolpertings have names like "Name" + "geographic location where they are originally from"
99	** Eydeets haves names like "Arabic Name" + "bird species" (somewhat LostInTranslation: ''Kolibri'' means ''humming bird'').
100	* ToHellAndBack: The second half of the book describes Rumo's descent into the Netherworld to rescue the other Wolpertings.
101	* TorturePorn: Rala becomes the victim of general Ticktock. [[spoiler:And dies. Which drives him mad, since he never had as much "fun" with a victim like with her. But later, she gets revived.]]
102	* TheUnintelligible: Gornab's speech so messed up, only his chancellor can understated him. OTOH, he consistently manages to speak all words exactly backwards (by syllable, not by sound or letter).
103	* UnskilledButStrong:
104	** Before he arrives in Wolperting and is taught how to fight by Urs and Ushan [=DeLucca=], Rumo relies on his innate strength and reflexes to overpower his enemies.
105	** Urs's adoptive father, Koram Marok, was a professional duelist with severely underdeveloped fighting skills, but still managed to win (or at least survive) most of his duels through his exceptional stamina and sheer stubbornness.
106	* VillainousBreakdown: General Tick-Tock doesn't take well to [[spoiler:Rala's premature death]].
107	* VillainousCrush: [[spoiler:General Tick-Tock]] has one on [[spoiler:Rala]]. Though his idea of "love" is quite... uhm, particular.
108	* VillainousIncest: [[TheCaligula Gornab]] is the result of [[InTheBlood generations]] of [[RoyallyScrewedUp royal]] incest.
109	* WhenTreesAttack: The nurns, who gave the Nurn Forest its name, are spider-like, predatory creatures somewhere between plants and animals. When they don't move, they are almost indistinguishable from regular trees.
110	* {{Xenofiction}}: Wolpertings have a highly developed sense of smell. This comes into play quite a bit and is highly important to the plot.

Context Literature / RumoAndHisMiraculousAdventures