History Literature / SholanAlliance

* BloodBrothers: Any set of Sword-brothers falls into this trope. Sometimes they are more like HeterosexualLifePartners and sometimes they are actual lovers. This can sometimes result in DidTheyOrDidntThey.
** Kusac and Kaid.
** Banner and Jurrell.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Sholans in general. They're digitgrade felines with 4 sets of retractable claws.

* TriangRelations: Not to be confused with the LoveTriangle, wherein someone usually has to go, since this series has many TriangRelations which can sometimes lead to Triads when Leskas are involved. Sholans play it loose with fidelity, but they don't have all of the lies and deceit a lot of adulterous Humans have, so they are mostly cool with their partners taking lovers and so forth. Carrie having two husbands (Kusac and Kaid) at the same time, who may or may not also be sleeping with each other as Sword-Brothers, is a fine example of this trope. Don't forget to mix in Kaid's recognized Companion, T'Chebbi, who also sometimes sleeps with Kusac when Carrie and Kaid are getting busy. It can also be speculated Carrie and T'Chebbi have been intimate, although the degree of intimacy is never specified. Ah, love. Could be classified as LoveDodecahedron, with all involved are totally cool with the sleeping arrangements ... 99.9% of the time.

The Sholan Alliance novels are a series of science fiction/romance novels written by British-born author [[http://www.sff.net/people/lisanne/ Lisanne Norman]].

The series begins with humanity having finally colonized a planet around a distant star. However, the colonists soon discover that they are not alone in the universe, with the reptilian Valtegans invading and occupying the colony. That is until the Sholans - a race of intelligent, mostly bipedal [[CatFolk felines]] with advanced technology and {{Telepathy}} - show up on a rescue mission. While assisting the Sholans in driving off the Valtegans, a young human telepath named Carrie forms a psychic bond with the Sholan warrior-monk Kusac, with the pair becoming a mentally-linked Leska pair. Now tied to one another for life, Carrie is drawn into the Sholan's alien society, aiding Kusac in his people's long-running fight against the Valtegans.

A Science fiction/romance series written by British-born author [[http://www.sff.net/people/lisanne/ Lisanne Norman]].

Humanity has finally colonized a planet around a distant star. They soon discover that they are not alone in the universe, with the reptilian Valtegans invading and occupying the colony. That is until the Sholans - a race of intelligent, mostly bipedal [[CatFolk felines]] with advanced technology and {{Telepathy}} - show up on a rescue mission. While assisting the Sholans, a young human telepath named Carrie forms a psychic bond with the Sholan warrior-monk Kusac, with the pair becoming a mentally-linked Leska pair. Now tied to one another for life, Carrie is drawn into the Sholan's alien society, aiding Kusac in his people's long-running fight against the Valtegans.

* AerithAndBob: Where to start, when you have over half a dozen species with featured parts in the later books?
** For a pair of aliens, Kusac and Vanna have very Bob names, while Garras and T'Chebbi are more Aerith.
** Ross Derwent seems like a very Aerith name for a human.
** Then we have the Valtegans, the Cabarrans and the Telaxaudin, whose names are ''very'' Aerith, which is to be expected.

** On Keiss, Kusac brings down a long-legged animal that Guynor calls a ''rhakla''. Carrie calls it a deer. As a native of a distant colony planet, it is neither.

* MagicPoweredPseudoscience: Turns out that Vartra was using his own telepathic abilities (unwittingly) to mutate DNA, which was why only his experiments resulted in more powerful telepaths.

* SpaceStation: There's a major orbiting station above Shola that plays a minor part in the series. There are also hollowed out asteroids orbiting distant stars that play vital plot roles in the later books.
* SpareAMessenger: The commander of the Khalossa tells his crew to allow one enemy ship to leave the Kiess system to inform their homeworld that this colony world is now under new management.

* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: T'Chebbi held a flame for Kaid after he saved her from the Packs, but never felt comfortable staking any claim on him until a later time. He was not opposed to her advances and they are a legitimate item, even though he is part of a Triad.

* PregnantBadass: Carrie, full stop. She goes off on various missions, time travel adventures and escapes from captivity while pregnant. [[spoiler: Horribly subverted by her DuelToTheDeath in the third book, though. She wins, but loses the baby due to injuries sustained in the fight.]]

* ScienceFantasy: Aside from the obvious SpaceOpera elements of Carrie integrating into Sholan society and joining their fight against the Valtegans, the psychic powers quickly becomes magic in all but name.

* TriangRelations: Not to be confused with the LoveTriangle, wherein someone usually has to go, this series has many TriangRelations which can sometimes lead to Triads when Leskas are involved. Sholans play it loose with fidelity, but they don't have all of the lies and deceit a lot of adulterous Humans have, so they seem to be cool with their partners taking lovers and so forth. Carrie having two husbands (Kusac and Kaid) at the same time, who may or may not also be sleeping with each other as Sword-Brothers, is a fine example of this trope. Don't forget to mix in Kaid's recognized Companion, T'Chebbi, who also sometimes sleeps with Kusac when Carrie and Kaid are getting busy. It can also be speculated Carrie and T'Chebbi have been intimate, although the degree of intimacy is never specified. Ah, love. I suppose you could classify it more as a LoveDodecahedron, but that seems to have just as negative a connotation as the LoveTriangle, and once again, in this series all involved are totally cool with the sleeping arrangements ... 99.9% of the time.
** You could also throw in a little OT3 or PowerTrio trope-dom here.

* We keep finding more...

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: Vartra]] gets this.
** Even if he was a mere mortal during [[spoiler: ''Fire Margins'']]. That's sort of the point, though.
** You have to wonder if Kusac is headed this way, or heck, his entire Triad.

* RapeAsDrama: M'Zullian Valtegans will sexually assault women of any species, with the threat of this happening arising on several occassions.

* VisionaryVillain: To varying degrees ...
** Kezule
** Khedduk
** The Camarilla

* AIIsACrapshoot: Played straight with the Prime A I, Zshadi.

** Played straight with some of the Valtegans, as they have some strange stuff going on. Especially with the different castes they have been selectively bred into over the millennia.

Humanity has finally colonized a planet around a distant star. They soon discover that they are Not Alone in the universe. Then, things go downhill. Things get a little complicated from there when the Sholans, a race of intelligent, mostly bipedal [[CatFolk felines]] with advanced technology show up on a rescue mission.

* ''Turning Point''
* ''Fortune's Wheel''
* ''Fire Margins''
* ''Razor's Edge''
* ''Dark Nadir''
* ''Stronghold Rising''
* ''Between Darkness and Light''
* ''Shades Of Gray''
* ''Circle's End''.

* AerithAndBob: Where to start when you have over half a dozen species with featured parts in the later books.
** For a pair of aliens, Kusac and Vanna have very Bob names. While Garras and T'Chebbi are more Aerith.

** Averted with ''most'' of the other species.
* AlienInvasion: Happens about a decade before the opening of the first book.
** Then more aliens arrive, resulting in a BenevolentAlienInvasion.

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Justified for some Sholans, as they've been taught English by way of a Telepathic transfer.

* AlmightyJanitor: Sort of: K'hedduk starts off as a lowly '''steward''' then murders his way to the Imperial Throne.

* ApocalypseHow: The M'Zullians visit a Planetary Class 4 variant on 2 planets before the first book opens. Once more near the end of the sixth.
** Due to an accidental ColonyDrop, a Planet-wide overweight Class 1 / underachieving Class 2 version happens to Shola over 1500 years ago.
*** Sholans call it ''The Cataclysm''.
*** [[spoiler: Ancient Valtegan dreadnoughts must have been '''HUGE''' to gouge a big enough chunk out of one of Shola's moons to cause the kind of damage attributed to The Cataclysm.]]
* ArrangedMarriage: Kusac '''hates''' Rala. [[spoiler: Carrie gets rid of her. ''Permanently''.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: Almost. But several major characters Have joined their ancestors.

** Even if he was a mere mortal during [[spoiler: Fire Margins]].
*** That's sort of the point, though.

* AxCrazy: The M'Zullians get this way when they sense that they are in the presence of Sholans.
** They make suicide attacks or even go catatonic when they find this happening
* BadAssLongRobe: Mainly Kaid, but can apply to any of the Brothers or Sisters.
** Especially potent example occurs in Fire Margins when Kaid really [[LetsGetDangerous gets dangerous]] by [[TheCoatsAreOff removing the robe]] to fight Ghezu.
* BerserkButton: Do NOT attempt to harm Carrie. You will NOT survive the wrath of Kusac.

* BizarreAlienBiology: Both averted and played straight. [[spoiler: There's a reason for the aversion...]] [[spoiler: Carrie and Kusac have children.]]
** Played straight with some of the Valtegans, as they have some strange stuff going on.

** Carrie gets this,
** Even Vanna gets a little of this.
* ButICantBePregnant: Pretty much every mixed Leska pair and/or gene-altered telepath or Brother/Sister experiences this at least once.
** [[spoiler: Inverted for Mara for... unusual reasons.]]
* CallARabbitASmeerp[=/=]CallASmeerpARabbit: On Keiss, Kusac brings down a long-legged animal that Guynor calls a ''rhakla''. Carrie calls it a deer. As a native of a distant colony planet, it is neither.

** The TeLaxaudin eat insects.

* CatFolk: Sholans, obviously. With a strong racial proclivity towards PsychicPowers

** In the second and third books, Ghezu is Made of this trope.

* TheChessmaster: The Camarilla has, for many centuries, been a manipulative [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness collective version]] of this, resulting in an AncientConspiracy.
** They had considered adding the Touibans to their assembly at one point.
* CoolStarship: The ''Khalossa'' exemplifies this nicely. Ambassadorial suites, stores, lounges. It's all good.
** The ''wilderness'' area buried deep inside this '''HUGE''' military ship just makes this ship even more desirable.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Kaid, full stop.

* DataCrystal: Sholan computers make extensive use of removable data crystals. When the lead characters are preparing to return from their [[StableTimeLoop trip to the past]], One of the ancient locals points out the location where they've hidden an important data crystal that is later recovered in the present.

* DidTheyOrDidntThey: Readers have to frequently speculate as to whether or not a couple of characters have had sex or not. The author cleverly keeps mum about it, leaving it up to the readers to decide for themselves.
** One big example is Kaid and Kusac.

* DuelToTheDeath: Sholans still practice this. Bare handed yet. Remember: 200+ pound felines.
** Several duels are fought during the series. [[spoiler: Most end in the death of the challenger, one way or another.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: The heroes in this series go through A LOT. Once in a while the author [[{{ThrowTheDogABone}} throws them a bone]], only to [[{{YankTheDogsChain}} snatch it away again]].

* TheEmpire: The above-mentioned war turns out to be two of four Valtegan home planets. The other two are much less warlike.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Some Sholans believe this will happen with the introduction of the Humans to their society, but a much more drastic version of this trope is hovering over the heads of just about everyone while [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness The Chessmasters]] play their games.
** It already happened '''for real''' to 2 Sholan colony worlds just before the opening of the first book.
*** [[spoiler: It happens again in the sixth book. All three are courtesy of the AxCrazy M'Zullians and their [[WeaponOfMassDestruction stolen weapon system]].]]
* ExpressDelivery: Human gestational period of 9 months is overruled by the Sholan gestational period of about 6 months. In addition to this, Kashini is born early due to the effects of her parents experiencing time travel.

* FlatCharacter: With the numerous characters in this series, there are a few who don't get much page time. Character development absolutely requires that lots of page time be devoted to a given character.
** As such, the above mentioned General Kezule is the polar opposite of flat.
* FrothyMugsOfWater: Thanks to BizarreAlienBiology the Sholans find coffee affects them like alcohol. The stronger it is, the more drunk it makes them. This leads to a sort of ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin effect, as you tend to read the word coffee for so long, with so many characters drinking it casually, you almost forget it's alcoholic for them.
** Chocolate has even more ''Interesting'' effects on Sholans.
*** Yet Kusac still offers some to his '''son''' at one point in the eighth book.

* GooGooGodlike: Kashini is born with her telepathic abilities fully awakened after her mother time travels while pregnant.

* HeelFaceTurn: Kezule, sort of.
** Nearly the entire fan base still seems to dislike him, although many grudgingly admit he's more of a NobleDemon than a complete [[{{Heel}} meanie]]. He could also be evolving toward being a NobleBigot, which is slightly less evil than the NobleDemon in that he is trying to do good (whereas the NobleDemon does good in spite of himself), but he's still a nasty individual.

* HumanAliens: The Jalnans look almost exactly like Earth-born Humans.

* HumansAreSpecial: Things really start cookin' in the Alliance when the Sholans discover them on Keiss. Watch out, universe!
** [[spoiler: Humans are not merely a Loose Cannon, but an entire ''Loose Artillery Battalion'' variable in the Camarilla's schemes and calculations]].

* HumongousMecha: In the eighth book, the Sholan military has recently introduced a mecha called the MUTAC. (Think multi-ton quadruped-x-biped powered armor. Design is based on the feline Sholan.) It even appears on the cover of the eighth book.

* JediMindTrick: Pulled off with style by Carrie and Kusac in Turning Point.
** Most of the rest of the main characters can pull this off convincingly for the same reason.
*** Maybe because most of them are high-level [[{{Telepathy}} telepaths]]?

** Fire Margins gives us:

** Razor's Edge gives us Bradogan getting mowed down by one of his victims. (See Fyak above)
** Dark Nadir gives us J'Koshuk on the receiving end of an EnergyBall from an '''Extremely''' angry Kusac.
** [[spoiler: Shades Of Gray gives us two and almost gives us a third.]]

* MeaningfulName: The Telaxaudin, Hkairass. (See Jerkass above)

* MutantDraftBoard: The Telepath Guild is a mild, friendly version of this.
** Seems to be getting played straight on Earth eventually.
* MutilationInterrogation by way of {{Fingore}}: In ''Fire Margins''.
* [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Names to Run Away From]]: Hkairass, Kezule, J'koshuk, K'hedduk, M'ezozakk, there's more.
** The Valtegans must ''really'' love their 'K' names.
* NaturalWeapon: Sholans are all about this. Claws, teeth, powerful muscles and real speed.

* OhMyGods: Shola has an extensive pantheon. Different versions can be found throughout the series.

* OneHitKill: Kusac does this in Dark Nadir, cooking someone from the inside out ... ''[[{{Telepathy}} with his mind.]]''
* OnlyOneName: Lots of one-name characters. Most notably the Valtegans and Primes, the Telaxaudin, and the Cabbarans.
** Some Sholans get this as well. Some Sholans start out with one name and acquire a second name in later chapters/books.

** 2; He gets angry about how the Camarilla has been manipulating him.
** 3; He finds out where they are located. [[spoiler: By the end of Shades of Gray, 1 and 2 have pretty much fallen into place.]]

* PregnantBadass: Carrie. Full stop.
** Let's review; fights and wins a DuelToTheDeath, (Loses the baby due to injuries sustained in the fight) Goes off time travelling, Escapes from captivity on an alien starship...

* SequelHook: The first book ended ''fairly'' neatly. All subsequent books have arrived with CliffHanger endings.
** The eighth book, Shades of Gray, does end ''fairly'' neatly. But there is still some hook.

* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: The Cabbarans and the Telaxaudin seem to pull this off.
** And they are trouble anywhere they are seen due to [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness being]] [[TheChessmaster Chessmasters]].
* SurvivalMantra: The Brotherhood of Vartra's Litanies, which are designed to help one overcome various mental/emotional hurdles.
** In no particular order, they are the Litanies for Pain, Relaxation, Fear (inspired by the one from Franchise/{{Dune}}), Clear Thought, and Preparation. They're never actually spelled out within the narrative, and in fact weren't more than named/mentioned until the seventh book in the series, where they were included on otherwise blank pages between chapters, spaced throughout the book.
*** Side-note: they were actually written by members of the books' fan club.

** In "Fire Margins", when Carrie, Kusac and Kaid do their time travel thing, their destination winds up being a temple, many miles from where they started for a type 3.

* TookALevelInBadass: Telepaths can't fight. So why, during the '''First''' book, does Kusac challenge someone?
** Apparently, his Link with Carrie gave him a boost and some incentive.
* TouchedByVorlons: Kusac gets some of this in Stronghold Rising and it finally surfaces in Between Darkness and Light.
** [[spoiler: Vartra himself seems to have gotten a little of this. or maybe it's because he IS a God.]]

* [[spoiler: TransformationSequence: Happens to Kusac more than once in Shades of Gray.]]
* TwinTelepathy: Carrie and her twin Elise are twins linked to the point of Synchronization, with Carrie experiencing all pain and illness of either of them.
** It is theorized that Elise's death caused Carrie and Kusac to become Leska Linked to begin with.
* {{Tykebomb}}: Shaidan has the potential for this as he is close to his father's psi talent power level.

* UnstoppableRage: Happens to a number of characters throughout the series.
** The Sholans call this state Kzu-Shu, the red mist.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Kusac plays the part of an ordinary forest feline in order to get medical attention for his crash-related injury.
** Maybe more like ObfuscatingStupidity there.
*** Carrie is a pro at ObfuscatingStupidity as shown in Turning Point when she avoids Valtegan scrutiny in a bar raid.

** Especially potent example occurs in Fire Margins when Kaid [[UpToEleven really]] [[LetsGetDangerous gets dangerous]] by [[TheCoatsAreOff removing the robe]] to fight Ghezu.

** Kusac is like ... UpToEleven or TookALevelInBadass.

* FlatCharacter: With the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters in this series, there are a few who don't get much page time. Character development absolutely requires that lots of page time be devoted to a given character.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Numerous new characters get introduced with each new book.

** [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens The Camarilla]] can apparently pull off a type 4, though the energy expenditure and other issues make this troublesome.