History Literature / TheBookOfTheNamed

* ''Ratha's Creature''
* ''Clan Ground''
* ''Ratha and Thistle-Chaser''
* ''Ratha's Challenge''
* ''Bonechewer's Legacy'' (a published short story)
* ''Ratha's Island'' (a Twitter novelette)
* ''Ratha's Courage''

** The "rumblers" are a species of long-necked hornless rhinoceros called ''Indricotheres''.

* SeldomSeenSpecies: A given due to being about prehistoric mammals [[SmallReferencePools not from the Ice Age]]:
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimravidae Nimravids]], relatives of true felines.
** The three-horn deer are most likely [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetoceras ''Synthetoceras'']].
** A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalicothere chalicothere]] briefly appears in the first book, referred to as a [[CallARabbitASmeerp "shambleclaw"]].

''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 on nimravid named Ratha and her people, who call themselves the Named and practice a simple version of herding with prey beasts.

* NotSoDifferent: Ratha points this out to Thistle-chaser when the latter attacks Mishanti to get at Ratha.

* 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 cougars on another planet".

* 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.]]

* TheDiscoveryOfFire: Named are prehistoric big cats with rudimentary herding abilities. The first book starts with Ratha learning how to use fire,

* 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''.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: Ratha faces this more and more often as each story progresses.

* 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 {{CivilizedAnimal}}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.

%%* MatureAnimalStory

* SeldomSeenSpecies: A given due to being about prehistoric mammals [[SmallReferencePools not from the Ice Age]].

* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: The Named begin the series as {{PartiallyCivilizedAnimal}}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 {{CivilizedAnimal}}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.

* MatureAnimalStory

* 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. The first book also has the most sexual content in the series.

'''The Book of the Named''' are 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 on nimravid named Ratha and her people, who call themselves the Named. They practice a simple version of herding with prey beasts.

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 who 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.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Justified, the leader of the Named can be challenged for his position.

* CallARabbitASmerp:

* NotSoDifferent: Ratha points this out to Thistle-chaser when the latter attacks a cub to get at Ratha.

* PantheraAwesome: The main characters are a fictional species of nimravid, a species of cheetah-like mammal closely related to true cats. Shongshar and True-of-Voice have some traits resembling ''Smilodon'', possessing enormous fangs and longer forelegs.

* TeenPregnancy: Ratha gets pregnant from her first heat, which seems to correlate to this.

* TheAbridgedSeries: [=ShilohKinz2013=] is making one on her [=DeviantART=].

* MoralityPet: Ratha becomes a lot less self-righteous and narrow-minded after Thistle shows up.

* ChainsOfCommanding: 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.

* AbusiveParents: Ratha herself. [[spoiler:This comes back to haunt her, big time.]]

* 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.

* DespairEventHorizon: For Shongshar, anyway.

* EnemyWithin: The Dreambiter, a trauma-induced hallucination of Newt's/[[spoiler:Thistle-chaser's.]]

* [[HiveQueen Hive King]]: True-of-Voice
* HiveMind: The face-tail Hunters. As you can imagine, this freaks out Ratha's clan. [[spoiler:One, Quiet Hunter, manages to break away with Thistle's help and become her LoveInterest]].
* IntellectualAnimal: The Named and some of the Un-Named.
* KillItWithFire: The appeal of the red-tongue, [[spoiler: and what Ratha uses it for in the climax of the first book]].
* 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 Names as cats rather than nimravids]].

* 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]]?]]

* NotSoDifferent: Ratha to Thistle-chaser when she attacks a cub to get at Ratha.
* OfficialCouple: By the end of the series, [[spoiler: Ratha and Thakur, as well as Thistle and Quiet Hunter.]]

* PantheraAwesome

* RageAgainstTheMentor: Ratha doesn't like it when Thakur advises an alternative to burning and killing. At least at first.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Shongshar, after [[spoiler: Ratha forces him to abandon his un-Named cubs and he starts a cult of fire worship]].
* {{Xenofiction}}: The stories are told from a uniquely feline...er...nimravid point of view.
* YourTomcatIsPregnant: This is how Thakur finds out that his treeling Aree is female.

* 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]].

* HiveMind: The face-tail Hunters. As you can imagine, this freaks out Ratha's clan.

* KillItWithFire: The appeal of the red-tongue, [[spoiler: and what Ratha uses it for in the climax of the first book]]

* 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.

* TheAbridgedSeries: [=ShilohKinz2013=] is making one on her [=DeviantART=]

* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler: Ratha herself, unfortunately. This comes back to haunt her, big time]].

* TheAbridgedSeries: [[=ShilohKinz2013=]] is making one on her [[=DeviantART=]]

* AbductionIsLove: Played up to a very creepy eleven in ''Ratha's Courage''.

!!!The books in the series are:

* 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.

* 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.

* KillItWithFire: The appeal of the red-tongue, naturally.
** [[spoiler: and what Ratha uses it for in the climax of the first book]]

''The Book Of The Named'' are 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 on nimravid named Ratha and her people, who call themselves the Named. They practice a simple version of herding with prey beasts.

* ComicBookAdaptation: Has one planned.

* HeadPet: The treelings favorite places to hang out are the backs and heads of the Named. {{Justified}} 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.