Line #24 Literature/TheBookOfTheNamed


1	[[quoteright:228:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RathasCreaturesBookOfTheNamed_3301.JPG]]
2
3	''The Book of the Named'' is a series of YoungAdult novels by Clare Bell, told from the point of view of a sentient species of prehistoric cat-like mammal called a nimravid. The story primarily focuses on one nimravid named Ratha and her people, who call themselves the Named and practice a simple version of herding with prey beasts.
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5	Ratha defies tradition and becomes a herder, nearly unheard of for female Named. Herders not only keep the animals safe from predators and slaughter them for the tribe, they also defend them from the Un-Named, nimravids who look like the Named but are non-sentient. It is in this role that she discovers her "creature," fire, which she names the Red Tongue. She also discovers that some of the Un-Named are capable of speech, just like the Named. Her discoveries will change the dynamics of the Clan forever.
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7	The series deals with the social and political conflicts between Ratha, her people, her daughter and mate, and the Un-Named.
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9	The first book in the series was adapted into an episode of ''CBS Storybreak.''
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11	!!The books in the series are:
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13	* ''Ratha's Creature'' (1983)
14	* ''Clan Ground'' (1984)
15	* ''Ratha and Thistle-Chaser'' (1990)
16	* ''Ratha's Challenge'' (1991)
17	* ''Ratha's Courage'' (2008)
18	* ''Bonechewer's Legacy'' (a published short story, 2009)
19	* ''Ratha's Island'' (a Twitter novelette, 2009)
20	----
21	!!This series provides examples of:
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23	%%* TheAbridgedSeries: [=ShilohKinz2013=] was making one on her [=DeviantART=].
24	* AbductionIsLove: Played up to a very creepy eleven in ''Ratha's Courage''.
25	* AllThereInTheManual: The author's website. See ShownTheirWork.
26	* AbusiveParents: Ratha lashes out in rage and despair when she believes her cubs are unintelligent, severely wounding Thistle-Chaser. [[spoiler:This comes back to haunt her, big time, when Thistle-chaser survives and tries to kill her.]]
27	* AnimatedAdaptation: The first book was adapted for an episode of ''CBS Storybreak''. According to her website, Clare Bell was pleased with it, especially the scene where Ratha tames her "creature," taken almost verbatim from the book. She uploaded it herself [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYHQWFFWisE here]]. Strangely, it changes the setting from nimravids on prehistoric Earth to "intelligent mountain lions on another planet". Creator/AlanOppenheimer voices Meoran, even.
28	* ArrangedMarriage: Early in the first book, Ratha worries that Meoran will pair her off with "some old graycoat."
29	* BeastFable: Abusive parents, racism, superstition, and a few other issues all get targeted, some in a more realistic manner than others.
30	* BelligerentSexualTension: Ratha and Bonechewer. Although the "will they or won't they" portion of the relationship was cut short by Ratha going into heat. To be fair, BelligerentSexualTension is par for the course in feline relationships.
31	* BloodKnight: Fessran is hot-tempered and -- as leader of the Fire Keepers -- eager to promote [[KillItWithFire feeding the Named's enemies to the Red Tongue]]. Ratha herself comes to recognize and struggles to overcome her anger issues, bloodlust, and hatred of those different from the Named.
32	* CallARabbitASmeerp:
33	** The Named and Un-Named were originally based on ''Nimravus'' before being retconned to a sentient species of ''Dinaelurus'' -- a cat-like carnivorous mammal reminiscent of cheetahs.
34	** The three-horns the Named have tamed are based on ''Synthetoceras''.
35	** The bristlemanes/belly-biters were originally intended to be prehistoric hyenas, later retconned to being amphicyonids or creodonts.
36	** The treelings are a species of lemur related to ''Notharctus''.
37	** The seamares are a species of ''Paleoparadoxia'', a hippo-like relative of dugongs and manatees, the "barking raiders" are a species of prehistoric sea-lion called ''Enaliarctos'', while the "blubber-tusker" is a short-tusked walrus.
38	** While the books call the face-tails "mammoths", the author retconned them to being ''Deinotherium'' or a species of mastodon.
39	** The "rumblers" are a species of long-necked hornless rhinoceros called indricotheres.
40	* CantHaveSexEver: Thakur. Every breeding season, he hides himself away for fear of creating wild cubs due to his Unnamed genes.
41	* CatsAreMean: Considering the way the Named treat everything, including each other, this is kind of played straight. It gets better as the books progress.
42	* TheChainsOfCommanding: As Ratha undergoes CharacterDevelopment over the course of the series, she frequently questions whether she is a good leader for the Named; and in later novels blames herself for the misfortunes the Named suffer.
43	* ChallengingTheChief: The leader of the Named can be challenged for their position.
44	* ComicBookAdaptation: Has one [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sheilaruth/rekindling-the-fire-rathas-creature-graphic-novel in the planning stages]].
45	* TheCorruption: Ratha learns the hard way in ''Clan Ground'' that the Named's religious reverence of the Red Tongue can be twisted into something dark and violent.
46	* DespairEventHorizon: Shongshar's cubs being taken from him causes him to turn against Ratha and plot to undermine and overthrow her.
47	* TheDiscoveryOfFire: Named are prehistoric big cats with rudimentary herding abilities. The first book starts with Ratha learning how to use fire, and introducing the rest of the tribe to it.
48	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The above-mentioned ArrangedMarriage and Ratha's parents are never mentioned again after the first book. The former may be justified by Ratha abolishing the law after she became leader, the latter by the Named not caring about familial bonds outside of mating season. [[BreadEggsMilkSquick The first book also has the most sexual content in the series]].
49	* EnemyWithin: The Dreambiter, a trauma-induced hallucination of Newt's/[[spoiler:Thistle-chaser's]]. In later books, Ratha later comes to consider it one for herself, the embodiment of her rage and bloodlust, [[spoiler: and expresses concern to Thakur it will consume the good part of her]].
50	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Fessran, who bordered on being Ratha's PsychoSupporter at the end of ''Ratha's Creature'', falls under the corrupting influence of the Red Tongue and Shongshar in ''Clan Ground''. She comes to her senses by the end of the novel, and remains on Ratha's side for the rest of the series.
51	* FeatheredFiend: A terror bird briefly appears in the first book.
52	* GreyAndGrayMorality: Ratha faces this more and more often as each story progresses, at times straying into VillainProtagonist territory when she considers committing genocide against the Hunters.
53	* HeadPet: The treelings' favorite places to hang out are the backs and heads of the Named. {{Justified\|Trope}} since they've formed a symbiotic relationship with the Named: they provide grooming and perform simple tasks for the Named, while the Named protect them from predators. Riding on their partner gives them maximum protection as well as making them available to their partner whenever needed.
54	* HiveQueen: True-of-Voice channels the Song that guides the Hunter clan, [[spoiler:and when he nearly dies they almost go insane]].
55	* HiveMind: The face-tail Hunters, who are guided by [[HiveMind the Song]] of True-of-Voice. As you can imagine, this freaks out Ratha's clan to the point where she seriously considers carrying out a genocide against them. [[spoiler:One, Quiet Hunter, manages to partially break away with Thistle's help and become her LoveInterest]].
56	* IgnorantAboutFire: The characters are intelligent cat-like animals with rudimentary ranching skills. It isn't until Ratha learns how to tame fire, or her "creature" as she calls it, that the characters learn to fear fire less.
57	* IntellectualAnimal: The Named and some of the Un-Named are sentient.
58	* KillItWithFire: The appeal of the red-tongue, [[spoiler: and what Ratha uses it for in the climax of the first book -- immolating Meoran when he tries to kill her]].
59	* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: The latter two books introduce quasi-supernatural elements via the [[HiveMind hunter clan]], have the Named forming monogamous couples who behave romantically with each other, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking refer to the Named as cats rather than nimravids]].
60	* MatureAnimalStory: It's a Young Adult aimed {{xenofiction}} work with its fair share of violence and other mature themes.
61	* MoralityPet: Ratha becomes a lot less self-righteous and narrow-minded after Thistle shows up. Thakur also serves as this to Ratha, pushing her to seek alternatives to violence.
62	* NearRapeExperience: [[spoiler:Every female in Ratha's clan]] at the end of ''Ratha's Courage''. [[spoiler:Weirdly enough, Ratha forgives and allies with the attackers almost immediately, because... [[BrokenAesop wisdom means befriending those who brutally attacked you, caused you severe trauma, and show no regret for doing so]]?]]
63	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished : Ratha saves the leader of the face-tail hunters only to have the other clan attack the Named again.
64	* NotSoDifferentRemark: Ratha points this out to Thistle-chaser when the latter attacks Mishanti to get at Ratha.
65	* OfficialCouple: By the end of the series, [[spoiler:Ratha and Thakur, as well as Thistle and Quiet Hunter.]]
66	* TheOphelia: Thistle-chaser, at first. [[spoiler:She is healed in the fourth book.]]
67	* OnlySaneMan: Thakur -- barring his terror of the Red Tongue in the first book -- is the most level-headed and philosophical of the Named, expressing concern that the clan's use of the Red Tongue is corrupting them, and frequently advising Ratha to reconsider her prejudices and consider alternatives to burning everything she doesn't like.
68	* PantheraAwesome: The main characters are ''Dinaelurus illumina sapiens'', a fictional species of nimravid -- a family of cat-like mammal closely related to true felines and possessing traits of cheetahs, lions, leopards, and cougars. Shongshar has some traits resembling ''Smilodon'', possessing enormous fangs and longer forelegs, though Claire Bell [[ShrugOfGod states he could be]] a hybrid between a saber-fanged ''Nimravus'' and ''Dinaelurus''.
69	* PokemonSpeak: Thakur names his treeling Aree after the sound [[YourTomcatIsPregnant she]] makes.
70	* RageAgainstTheMentor: Ratha doesn't like it when Thakur advises an alternative to burning and killing. As she undergoes CharacterDevelopment, she mellows out and [[spoiler:ultimately makes a vow to never use the Red Tongue as a weapon again]].
71	* ShownTheirWork: The author's website goes into detail about nimravids like ''Dinaelurus crassus'' , which inspired Ratha's species. She also clarifies what the sea mares, belly-biters, and treelings are.
72	* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: The Named begin the series as {{Partially Civilized Animal}}s - they talk, herd animals, and live in a clan with laws, but that's about it. As the series progresses and the clan makes more technological advances under Ratha, they progress toward fully {{Civilized Animal}}s, able to build simple structures such as animal pens, use the treelings' opposable thumbs to make things such as nets and saddlebags, and use a pair of tame ''Paraceratherium'' for demolition and very heavy lifting.
73	* TeamPet: The treelings, who form such close bonds with the Named that the Named admit to feeling lonely without them.
74	* TeenPregnancy: Ratha gets pregnant from her first heat, when she's just out of cub-hood herself.
75	* ThemeNaming: Treelings are named a {{Portmanteau}} of the owner's name and [[PokemonSpeak "aree"]]; Ratharee, Biaree, Fessree, etc.
76	* TurnTheOtherCheek: Ratha understands and forgives the face-tail hunters, refusing to attack them with fire. Thakur tells her that being able to forgive after being betrayed twice is true courage.
77	* TrueCompanions: The clan, especially after [[spoiler: Ratha takes over]].
78	* WhatTheHellHero: Ratha gets this from Thakur a lot. Although when he's invariably proved right, he's nicer about it than she is.
79	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shongshar, after [[spoiler: Ratha forces him to abandon his un-Named cubs and he hijacks Fessran's cult of fire worship]].
80	* {{Xenofiction}}: The stories are told from a uniquely feline... er... nimravid point of view.
81	* YourTomcatIsPregnant: Thakur finds out that his treeling Aree is female when she becomes pregnant.

Context Literature / TheBookOfTheNamed