History Literature / AMemoryOfFlames

Once, dragons and other strange monsters ruled the world and humans were simply prey. Thanks to the intervention of a mysterious figure called [[TheGhost The Silver King]], however, the dragons were tamed (read: drugged into docility) and became the cavalry of kings and queens, kept in check by a mysterious organization known as The Order of the Scales. It's been so long since dragons were free that most humans have forgotten just how dangerous they truly are.

Instead, they play games of twisted politics that would rival Creator/NiccoloMachiavelli's works. Their ultimate goal is to become the speaker--the king of kings--and reside in the [[TitleDrop Adamantine Palace]]. They will do anything to achieve that, including murder.

Then one day a dragon named Snow, the first perfect white to have ever been bred, escapes from captivity. Aided by a revenge-driven mercenary named Kemir, they seek to free all dragons from their slavery and return the world to its former state of dragon rule--which would be [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt mankind's destruction.]]

''A Memory of Flames'' is a fantasy series written by Stephen Deas. So far, it consists of four books: ''The Adamantine Palace'', ''The King of the Crags'', ''The Order of the Scales'' and ''The Black Mausoleum''. Once, dragons and other strange monsters ruled the world and humans were simply prey. Thanks to the intervention of a mysterious figure called [[TheGhost The Silver King]], however, the dragons were tamed (read: drugged into docility) and became the cavalry of kings and queens, kept in check by a mysterious organization known as The Order of the Scales. It's been so long since dragons were free that most humans have forgotten just how dangerous they truly are.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: In Deas' universe, dragons are at least fifty feet tall, were apparently created by magic, don't need to breathe, are capable of [[MindRape mind-raping humans]], have immortal souls that simply recycle bodies (which burst into flame when they die), are highly anti-magical and think of humans as nothing more than amusing food. Did we mention they used to rule the world? Did we mention that humans have been keeping them as pets? And it turns out, [[spoiler: the dragons are actually half-gods who were victims of a BalefulPolymorph]].

* AwesomeMcCoolName:
** Silence's and Blackscar's true names: Crisp Cold Shaft Of Winter Sunlight and Black Scar Of Sorrow Over The Earth, respectively.
** ''I am Red Lin Feyn, daughter in blood of Feyn Charin and the Crimson Sunburst, enchantress, navigator. Arbiter of the Dralamut''. To give a clearer view: Feyn Charin is the first guy to explore the Storm-Dark, who finds a way to move between world, Crimson Sunburst is the woman who goes to war against the residential boogey man- the elemental man and very nearly won. Both title of enchantress and navigator ain't for pushovers either.

** ''The Order of the Scales'': [[spoiler: Meteroa, Kemir, Isentine, Kithyr, The Picker, Valmeyan, Prince Tichane, Jehal, Vale, Almiri, Sirion.]] [[UpToEleven Yeah.]]

** UptoEleven in the final chapters of ''The Dragon Queen''. One fully-trained dragon and rider against a city defended by Tesla Coil, Flying Airship and Lightning-flinging Titan? [[spoiler: they don't stand a chance]].
** UptoEleven again in the final chapters of ''The Silver Kings'' where the above team, Zafira and Diamond Eye slaughter an army of dragons with the Adamantine Spear and Diamond Eye's teeth and claws.

* IncestIsRelative: Meteroa really, really liked his nephew Calzarin, [[spoiler: who may have also been his [[ParentalIncest son.]]]]

* NotSoDifferent:
** Skjorl defeats [[spoiler: Blackscar]] because he knows that the dragon simply can't take the pragmatic course of action--that would be too easy and unsatisfying. [[HeWhoFightsMonsters He knows this because...]]
** When Kemir has been [[spoiler: forcibly ejected from the rogue dragons' group]] he questions the morality of his actions, and comes to the conclusion that it doesn't matter--he is who he is, and he does what he does to survive.
--> '''Snow:''' ''So do we, Kemir.''

* HumanFocusedAdatation: Majority of the protagonists are humans. Ironic when you consider the central premise...

** Actually, dragons did have morals, they used to be incredibly loyal to their master but due to [[spoiler: years of mind-slaving.]] they become like this. And the Taiytakei is actually like a bunch of rich guys playing with really dangerous stuff.

* DragonRider: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. People do ride dragons, in much the same way that knights rode horses, and the dragons themselves are similar to modern fantasy--they speak telepathically, can form bonds with humans, immortal, etc. The downside? The dragons ''hate'' their slavery, and are regularly drugged to keep them docile. The series kicks off just before a dragon manages to break free of its bonds...and the [[AnyoneCanDie total carnage that follows this]]. An exception happens solely with Zafira and her dragon Diamond Eye, both have similar personalities so they have a truly friendly relation to the point where Diamond Eye offers her "one last lifetime of service" and with her role as the true inheritor of the Adamantine Spear and Diamond Eye partially under control by the Black Moon, who sees Zafira as his pet dragonrider - the two also have a supernatural bond.

* TakeThat: The books contain some pretty unsubtle jabs towards people who think that life would be so much better if dragons were in it, or want to become dragon riders/dragon soul mates, as per its deconstruction of the DragonRider trope. This is especially apparent in the character Jaslyn.

--> '''Silence:''' ''Why? What could you possibly offer us?''

Basically, the story is about what things would be ''really'' like if dragons were as common, powerful and intelligent as people these days would like them to be. Short answer? [[CrapsackWorld Not good.]]

* BlackandGreyMorality: ''Everyone'' is bad, even the sympathetically-displayed characters, although some are much worse than others. The possible exceptions are Vale Tassan, Kataros and Lystra. Snow could also be excused due to the fact that [[BlueAndOrangeMorality she's not human.]] Justified in that it's a CrapsackWorld.
* BlingofWar: Taiyeteki wears gold and glass armour to battle. Justified since it is the only kind of armour that can withstand lightning strike.

* AlchemyIsMagic: Alchemists produce the potions that puts dragons into stupor and they also brew the treatment for Dragonscale sickness. It's because of magic, that alchemy works.

* DragonRider: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. People do ride dragons, in much the same way that knights rode horses, and the dragons themselves are similar to modern fantasy--they speak telepathically, can form bonds with humans, immortal, etc. The downside? The dragons ''hate'' their slavery, and are regularly drugged to keep them docile. The series kicks off just before a dragon manages to break free of its bonds...and the [[AnyoneCanDie total carnage that follows this]].

* EquivalentExchange: With the Adamantine Spear: What you do with it, it will do to you. So if you use it to kill...

** ''The Adamantine Palace'': [[spoiler: Sollos, Hyram, Kailin, Nastria, Aliphera and Ash (inasmuch that we never see him again)]] And Bellephoros--maybe.

* LegendaryWeapon:: The Adamantine Spear. This is the symbol of power for the Speaker of the Realms and was the weapon of the Silver King, the half-god deity of the Realms. It turned out to be even greater than that. The Adamantine Spear was originally known as the Earth Spear and it contains the power of the Dead Goddess.

* RapeAsDrama: During her enslavement, Zafir gets gangraped because a wealthy prince wants to show her who's boss. She gets the last laugh as she's a carrier Dragonscale sickness which kills her rapists and spreads rapidly throughout that world. Zafir was also regularly raped by her stepfather when she was a child. This led to her fear of the dark.

%%* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: [[spoiler: Zafir.]]
%%* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The Elemental Men's bladeless knife

%%* AfterTheEnd: ''The Black Mausoleum.''

%% * LegendaryWeapon:: The Adamantine Spear.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: In Deas' universe, dragons are at least fifty feet tall, were apparently created by magic, don't need to breathe, are capable of [[MindRape mind-raping humans]], have immortal souls that simply recycle bodies (which burst into flame when they die) and think of humans as nothing more than amusing food. Did we mention they used to rule the world? Did we mention that humans have been keeping them as pets?

%% * PsychicLink: In the third book, Snow and Kemir develop one.