History Literature / NoMoreHeroes

* TheFatalist: almost everyone on Avia is this, except for MageMaster

* OmnicidalManiac: Kurn intends to kill not just [[spoiler: our heroes]] or [[spoiler: the whole of Avia]] or even [spoiler: the entire universe in which Avia exists]] but possibly [[spoiler: multiple universes, including the one in which Earth exists]]

* CrapSackWorld: Avia is a brutal world with a barely functioning economy under military occupation by mercenary armies who will kill you as soon as look at you. And there are all sorts of dangerous creatures. And lethal dungeons filled with traps and monsters. And then there’s The Circle which is a protrusion into the sanity-destroying hell world of Ko-Thaggor which is filled with [eldritch abominations]. And then there’s the Evil Overlord who plans on killing absolutely everyone horribly. There are also dragons (but these aren’t too dangerous)[our dragons are different]
* ColdBloodedTorture: Kurn is a master of torture and thoroughly enjoys it, carrying out horrific mutilation for not much reason. He also likes to talk about it. Sokol is also an expert torturer but does at least employ it to learn actually relevant information

* TheDeterminator: Eddie (and to a lesser extent Howie and Sally)
* DualWielding: Two magical swords [Frank and Vortus] are ultimately dual-wielded. It is implied this has never been done before on Avia

* HereTherebeDragons: Words actually spoken by Howie when he realises they are on Avia

* ImmuneToFate: Averted, or played straight, or averted again… or is it?

* MindControl: Eddie is placed under a form of this, also Sokol has several people in Brighton in Thrall
* AMinorKidroduction: We open in flashback with one of the characters as a kid playing D&D

* TheMultiverse: Earth, Avia, Ko’Thaggor and countless others. Eddie illustrates with strings on a harp

* OnceUponATime: The title of the opening chapter (although with a slight Bon Jovi twist)

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: The vampire in The Crypts. Vampires on Avia [[spoiler: are basically black holes to life and magical energy]] and frighten even Sokol

* RocksFallEveryoneDies: Invoked no further than p2 of the book [spoiler: the child DM had previously killed a player’s character under a rockfall for giving it an overly stupid name]]
* ScrewDestiny: Invoked literally by Sally

* TheQuest: Played straight, inverted and possibly subverted as our heroes have to complete the Quest that they don’t initially care about, simply to get home. [Eventually they do start to care, then maybe don’t even get a choice in the matter]

* Sliding Scale of Free Will vs. Fate – A central question of the book
* SquishyWizard: The most powerful Sorceror on Avia and his deranged wizardess advisor Troda

* TurnUndead: Averted extremely hard – Their only response to a terrifying and debilitating vampire is [an extremely hard kick in the bollocks]
* UrbanFantasy: The first part of the book involves magic users having arrived in Brighton, England

* YouAllMeetInAnInn: Played incredibly straight as befits an homage to/deconstruction of the fantasy genre. We first meet our heroes in a pub and this is also where they first meet Razz

* Mordor – Everything inside the circle is Kurn’s domain and effectively populated by his psychopathic Black Dagger guards. Although the barrier they have to travel through is actually even worse[Hell]

In modern-day Brighton Howie, Eddie and Sally have their dull lives shattered when they are accidentally transported to a world of High Fantasy by Razz, a naive apprentice mage who is searching for legendary magical beings to save his world from an unimaginably horrific apocalypse. In this strange fantasy land they encounter monsters, magic, mercenaries and mind-shattering dimensions of incomprehensible horror, and all they have to help them are an iPod, a management strategy certification and a passing knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons. But in a land of fantasy their normality makes them extraordinary and their belief that even fate itself can be changed starts to affect a world...

''[[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E5GSZSO No More Heroes]]'' is a 2014 Fantasy novel set in modern day Brighton, England, and the magical HighFantasy world of Avia. As much a deconstruction of the [[{{Fantasy}} fantasy genre]] as it is a straight adventure across magical worlds, ''No More Heroes'' deliberately invokes many of the main tropes of [[{{Fantasy}} Fantasy Novels]] and [[RoleplayingGame Roleplaying Games]], occasionally crossing over into [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror]].

The story centres on Howie, Eddie and Sally have their dull lives shattered when they are accidentally transported from modern-day Brighton to a Dungeons & Dragons style world of High Fantasy by Razz, a naive apprentice mage searching for legendary magical beings to save his world from an unimaginably horrific apocalypse.

* CoolSword: A lot of swords in Avia including examples of FlamingSword, ItsMadeOfIce, WeaponWieldsYou, NamedWeapons, ICallItVera

* {{Hell}}: The dimension of [[EldritchLocationm Ko’Thaggor]] which, if not actually hell, is pretty much the same. [[GoMadFromTheRevelation A place which can drive you insane even just by being near to it…]]

* WizardDual

* TheJuggernaut: Hox, and to a certain extent, Sokol

* TheJuggernaut: Hox

* InMediaRes: The Prologue on the ship

* HP Lovecraft – The world/universe of Ko’Thaggor is pure Lovecraft and will drive people insane just from proximity. Actually going there is A Fate Worse than Death. One of the statues in the Dungeon also implies other Lovecraftian entities.
* I Call It “Vera” – Frank
* Immune to Fate – Averted, then played straight, then averted… or is it?
* Impossibly Tacky Clothes – When Eddie attempts to dress heroically
* In Media Res – The Prologue on the ship turns out to be from near the end of the story
* The Juggernaut – Hox
* Law of Alien Names – Lots (this is a fantasy universe which also contains a section of a Lovecraftian universe)
* Level Drain – The Battlefield Drain around Brighton’s Pier is implied to be able to do this to the extent that it terrifies the mage Razz
* Magical Land – Avia
* Mind Control – Eddie is placed under a form of this, also Sokol has several people in Brighton in Thrall
* A Minor Kidroduction – We open in flashback with one of the characters as a kid playing D&D
* Morning Routine – Eddie’s routine for getting out of bed is described in painstaking detail

* NormalBadass: [[spoiler: Howie]] becomes this, with a little help from [[ICallItVera Frank]]

''[[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E5GSZSO No More Heroes]]'' is a 2014 Fantasy novel set in modern day Brighton, England, and the magical High Fantasy world of Avia. As much a deconstruction of the [[{{Fantasy}} fantasy genre]] as it is a straight adventure across magical worlds, ''No More Heroes'' deliberately invokes many of the main tropes of [[{{Fantasy}} Fantasy Novels]] and [[RoleplayingGame Roleplaying Games]], occasionally crossing over into [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror]].

* TheChosenZero: Eddie who lacks even a useful magical item

* Here There be Dragons – Words actually spoken by Howie when he realises they are on Avia
* Heroes – All sorts, played straight, inverted, reluctant etc[Accidental Hero], [Nerd Action Hero], [Action Survivor], [The Atoner], [Badass Bookworm], [Plucky Girl], [Hope Bringer], [Socially Awkward Hero], [Unlikely Hero]
* Heroes want Redheads – Eddie and Portissia
* High Fantasy – Avia is a world of magic, myth and monsters

* The Multiverse – Earth, Avia, Ko’Thaggor and countless others. Eddie illustrates with strings on a harp
* Named weapons – Vortus, Frank, Velkran
* Normal badass – Howie becomes this, with a little help from Frank[I call it vera]
* Omnicidal Maniac – Kurn intends to kill not one, but possibly several universes
* Our Dwarves are Different – Humboldt
* Once Upon a Time – The title of the opening chapter (although with a slight Bon Jovi twist)
* Our Dragons are Different – Puff dragons are like big floating cows. That can explode
* Player Party – In a sense Howie, Eddie and Sally are literal [player characters], ‘real’ people enacting with a ‘fantasy’ world
* Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies – Invoked no further than p2 of the book in a reference to an instance where the child DM had killed a player’s character under a rockfall for giving it an overly stupid name
* Screw Destiny – Invoked literally by Sally
* The Pawn – [Kurn sees our heroes as pawns – and he might be correct]
* The Quest – Played straight, inverted and possibly subverted as our heroes have to complete the Quest that they don’t initially care about, simply to get home. [Eventually they do start to care, then maybe don’t even get a choice in the matter]
* Secret Identity – Howie, Eddie and Sally have to pretend to be temps, then True Heroes, except when they are pretending to be Wandering *Minstrels, except when they are pretending to be magical researchers… after that it gets complicated

* Squishy Wizard – The most powerful Sorceror on Avia and his deranged wizardess advisor Troda
* Spell Levels – Razz explains spells in Avia have levels according to difficulty in casting. This doesn’t mean that low level spells can’t drain magical energy at a huge rate (Eddie drains Razz’s stone after asking for repeated small pointless bottle levitations when they first meet)
* Tomes of Prophecy and Fate – The Codex of Koth
* Treacherous Quest Giver – Razz’s master Birau is suspected to be not entirely trustworthy, unfortunately by everyone except for Razz
* Turn Undead – Averted extremely hard – Their only response to a terrifying and debilitating vampire is [an extremely hard kick in the bollocks]
* Urban Fantasy – The first part of the book involves magic users having arrived in Brighton, England

[[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E5GSZSO ''No More Heroes'']] is a 2014 Fantasy novel set in modern day Brighton, England, and the magical High Fantasy world of Avia. As much a deconstruction of the [[{{Fantasy}} fantasy genre]] as it is a straight adventure across magical worlds, ''No More Heroes'' deliberately invokes many of the main tropes of [[{{Fantasy}} Fantasy Novels]] and [[RoleplayingGame Roleplaying Games]], occasionally crossing over into [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror]].

[[caption-width-right:313:No More Heroes - Amazon cover]]

''No More Heroes'' is a 2014 Fantasy novel set in modern day Brighton, England, and the magical High Fantasy world of Avia. As much a deconstruction of the [[{{Fantasy}} fantasy genre]] as it is a straight adventure across magical worlds, ''No More Heroes'' deliberately invokes many of the main tropes of [[{{Fantasy}} Fantasy Novels]] and [[RoleplayingGame Roleplaying Games]], occasionally crossing over into [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian Cosmic Horror]].

''No More Heroes'' is a 2014 Fantasy novel set in modern day Brighton, England, and the magical High Fantasy world of Avia. As much a deconstruction of the fantasy genre as it is a straight adventure across magical worlds, ''No More Heroes'' deliberately invokes many of the main tropes of fantasy novels and Roleplaying games, occasionally crossing over into Lovecraftian cosmic horror.

The story centres on Howie, Eddie and Sally have their dull lives shattered when they are accidentally transported from modern-day Brighton to a Dungeons & Dragons style world of High Fantasy by Razz, a naive apprentice mage searching for legendary magical beings to save his world from a horrific apocalypse.

->The captain leaned forward and looked at the map.
->‘This other place... the mage tells me it exists and I believe him. But I do not think it is a place as we know it. Not a location on our charts or even in our skies.’ He sat back and stared out of the tiny window in the cabin.
->‘There are other worlds, other skies. Places we could not comprehend.’ He looked back at the mate with eyes hollowed from lack of sleep.
->‘From what little I have been told I believe it to be a realm beyond our understanding. A realm of almost pure chaos.’
->‘What is this realm?’
->‘I know little of it other than a name. I have heard the strangers refer to it as… Brighton.’

->He ran to the kitchen, threw the dungeon notes into the bin, scurried up to his room, dove beneath the covers and curled into a ball. Tears stung his eyes. The bruises didn’t hurt much, but the taunts still rang in his ears. He made a decision. The lost city would remain lost. The Lector would never be explained. The puzzles would never be solved.
->He was done with fantasy.

** [[VancianMagic The Rule-Based Mage]] Razz
** [[{{Necromancer}} The Necromancer]] Kurn
** [[MagicKnight Evil Fighter Mage]] Sokol
** [[SummonMagic The Summoner]] Troda
** TheBrute Hox
** BarbarianHero Xantox
** [[MasterOfIllusion The Illusionist]] Sleevane
** [[ProfessionalKiller The Assassin]] [[VideoGameStealing The Thief]] Portissia
** [[ForestRanger The Ranger]] Forgen
** Other examples [[{{Swashbuckler}} The Swashbuckler]], TheBerserker, [[ArmyScout The Scout]], [[TheMedic TheCleric]] [[WanderingMinstrel The Bard]]

** Other examples TheSwashbuckler, TheBerserker, [[ArmyScout The Scout]], [[TheMedic TheCleric]] [[WanderingMinstrel The Bard]]

** Razz [[VancianMagic The Rule-Based Mage]]
** Kurn [[{{Necromancer}} The Necromancer]]
** Sokol [[MagicKnight Evil Fighter Mage]]
** Troda [[SummonMagic The Summoner]]
** Hox TheBrute
** Xantox BarbarianHero
** Sleevane [[MasterOfIllusion The Illusionist]]
** Portissia [[ProfessionalKiller The Assassin]] [[VideoGameStealing The Thief]]
** Forgen TheRanger

** Howie TheSwashbuckler, TheBerserker
** Sally [[ArmyScout The Scout]]
** Eddie TheCleric TheBard

** Portissia TheThief TheAssassin

** Troda [[Summon Magic The Summoner]]
** Hox TheBrute
** Kurn [[{{Necromancer}} The Necromancer]]

Razz [[VancianMagic The Rule-Based Mage]]
Howie TheSwashbuckler, TheBerserker
Sally [[ArmyScout The Scout]]
Eddie TheCleric TheBard
Xantox BarbarianHero
Sleevane [[MasterOfIllusion The Illusionist]]
Portissia TheThief TheAssassin
Forgen TheRanger
Troda [[Summon Magic The Summoner]]
Hox TheBrute

* FantasyCharacterClasses: Razz TheMagician,Howie theSwashbuckler TheBerserker, Sally TheScout, Eddie TheCleric TheBard, Xantox TheBarbarian, Sleevane TheIllusionist, Portissia TheThief TheAssassin, Forgen TheRanger

* {{Hell}}: The dimension of Ko’Thaggor which, if not actually hell, is pretty much the same. [[MadFromTheRevalation A place which can drive you insane even just by being near to it…]]

* Determinator: Eddie (and to a lesser extent Howie and Sally)

* Hell – The dimension of Ko’Thaggor which, if not actually hell, is pretty much the same. A place you go insane even if you get close…

* The Hero: Howie, Eddie and Sally
* Eldritch Abomination – The things which live in The Circle (inhabitants of Ko’Thaggor)
* The Fatalist – almost everyone on Avia is this, except for MageMaster
* Fate Worse Than Death – What Kurn has planned for everyone in the world [and eventually happens to him]
* Fantasy Character Classes – Razz,[The Magician],Howie[the Swashbuckler][The Berserker], Sally[The Scout], Eddie[The Cleric][The Bard], Xantox[The Barbarian],Sleevane[The Illusionist],Portissia[The Thief][The Assassin],Forgen[The Ranger]
* From Bad To Worse – Almost becomes Eddie’s catchphrase every time he discovers the latest downturn in their situation
* Functional Magic – Fulsing bluestones with Jagen
* Genre Savvy – Our protagonists are a Computer Game Developer an ex D&D DM and a medieval history graduate. But their genre savviness is mostly negated by their inability to form anything approaching a sensible plan
* Grim Up North – Kurn’s stronghold and The Circle itself are of course, In The North
* Heel Face Turn – Vengeance, particularly Xantox

* CoolSword: A lot of swords in Avia including examples of ItsOnFire, ItsMadeOfIce, ItsGotaMindofItsOwn, NamedWeapons, ICallItVera, YouCantGetRidofIt

* CoolSword: A lot of swords in Avia including examples of ItsOnFire, ItsMadeOfIce, ItsGotaMindofItsOwn, ItsGotaNameofItsOwn, YouCantGetRidofIt

* DungeonCrawling: The Crypts of Ramen are the very embodiment of this trope (the layout based loosely on the dungeon in Literature/{{FightingFantasy}} novel ''Deathtrap Dungeon'')

* TheDragon – Sokol, Hox
* The Hero – Howie, Eddie and Sally