History Literature / TheSummerKingChronicles

* HeroesWantRedheads: Shard falls for Brynja, who has russet plumage and even freckle-like speckles on her face.

* CallARabbitASmeerp: For some reason, the only animals referred to this way are bison (greatbeast) and orcas (blackfish).

** [[spoiler:[[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Dragons]] have Japanese names such as Hikaru and Ai. Subverted with wyrms, as they are one of the few non-sapient species in the world. The one Shard establishes a dream connection with responds to the name "Rhydda" given to her by the dragons, but they do not have their own names.]]

%%* CleverCrows: The ravens [[Myth/NorseMythology Hugin and Munin]].%%How?
* CultureChopSuey: The Winderost is a sort of Biome Chop Suey between the North American prairies and mountains (great herds of bison, red rock formations and canyons} and the African savanna (lions and painted wolves, antelope).

%%* DecemberDecemberRomance: Stigr and Valdis.
%%* {{Deuteragonist}}: Kjorn.

%%* TheHero: Shard.

* InterspeciesFriendship: Some gryfon befriend wolves. For example, Rashard befriends Catori in the first book.

%%* ShrinkingViolet: Astri.

%%* TragicVillain: Sverin ultimately becomes this.%%Becomes what?
%%* TheWisePrince: Kjorn.
%%* {{Xenofiction}}

The first book in the series, ''Song of the Summer King'', starts with the young male gryfons of the Silver Isles pride undergoing a coming of age test, the dangerous initiation hunt. While on the hunt, one of the gryfons, Shard, comes across a wolf who hints that Shard's past is more than it seems. Shard's life becomes uncertain when the king of his pride declares war against the wolves.

The series stars griffins (spelt "gryfons" by the author). However, it treats them as animals instead of fantastical beasts.

The series stars gryfons. However, it treats them as animals instead of fantastical beasts.

%%* TheTrickster: The ravens [[Myth/NorseMythology Hugin and Munin]].%%How?

NeedsWikiMagicLove

** [[spoiler:[[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Dragons]] have Japanese names such as Hikaru and Ai. Subverted with wyrms, as they are one of the few non-sentient species in this world. The one Shard establishes a dream connection with responds to the name "Rhydda" given to her by the dragons, but they do not have their own names.]]

* AnimalTalk: Gryfons have their own language, as do birds, and mammals speak in "earth speech." Only [[TheChosenOne the Summer King]] "speaks to all who hear."

* TheChosenOne: The Summer King.

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler: The mystic gryfess Groa and her Arctic fox companion who Shard encounters are actually ancient spirits.]]
* DecemberDecemberRomance: Stigr and Valdis.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Kjorn.
* DeviousDolphins: The orcas encountered in the third book - the pod we see are a gang of {{Psychopathic Manchild}}ren who enjoy "playing with their food" (sadistically torturing their prey).

* TheHero: Shard.

* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: Gryfon in ''The Summer King Chronicles'' gryfons resemble traditional gryphons, being half-eagle-half-lion quadrupeds with tufted ears, except they have feathered tails instead of the typical feline ones. They live up to 60 years and are adults at around 10. They live in prides where females primarily hunt and males primarily fight, and the females give birth to a single kit at a time. Gryfons mate for life. As for the two races:

* ShrinkingViolet: Astri.

* TragicVillain: Sverin ultimately becomes this.
* TheTrickster: The ravens [[Myth/NorseMythology Hugin and Munin]].
* TheWisePrince: Kjorn.
* {{Xenofiction}}

** [[spoiler:[[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Dragons]] have Japanese names such as Hikaru and Ai. [[spoiler:Subverted with wyrms, as they are one of the few non-sentient species in this world. The one Shard establishes a dream connection with responds to the name "Rhydda" given to her by the dragons, but they do not have their own names.]]

* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: Most gryfon have normal mammalian colors like brown, orange, and black. Dragon-blooded Aesir are more bird-like and can have green, bright red, blue, and purple feathers. Their abnormal coloring comes from [[spoiler:dragons blessing their ancestors.]]

* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:The series ends with adorable fluffy gryfon kits for [[Deuteragonist Kjorn]] and [[TheHighQueen Thyra]], [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy Astri and Einarr]], [[JerkJock Halvden and Kenna]], and most other Silver Isles gryfons. ''The Starward Light'' develops the next generation further and introduces [[OfficialCouple Shard and Brynja]]'s daughter Embra.]]

* CivilizedAnimal: The gryfons of the Dawn Spire, thanks in no small part to their keeping of fire. [[The dragons even more so.]]

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler: After recovering from SanitySlippage and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizing what he's done to his pride, [[TragicVillain Sverin]] sacrifices himself in order to deal a fatal blow to a wyrm.]]

[[NobleBirdOfPrey Eagles]] use similar conventions with matronymics instead.

* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: Most gryfon have normal mammalian colors like brown, orange, and black. Dragon-blooded Aesir are more bird-like and can have green, bright red, blue, and purple feathers. [[spoiler:Their abnormal coloring comes from dragons blessing their ancestors.]]
* AnimalNamingConventions: The various {{Talking Animal}}s of the setting tend to have names loosely based in different human cultures.

''The Summer King Chronicles'' is a {{Xenofiction}} HighFantasy series by Jess E. Owens. The series consists of four books covering the ''Summer King Chronicles'' {{arc}} and a SequelSeries beginning with ''Rise of the Dragon Star.''

The series stars gryfons. However it treats them as animals instead of fantastical beasts.

The first book in the series, ''Song of the Summer King'', starts with the young male gryfons of the Silver Isles pride undergoing a coming of age test, the dangerous initiation hunt. While on the hunt, one of the gryfons, Shard, comes across a wolf who hints that Shard's past is more than it seems. Shard's life becomes uncertain when the king of his pride declares war against the wolves.

The series stars gryfons. However it treats them as animals instead of fantastical beasts.

** [[spoiler:[[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Dragons]] have Japanese names such as Hikaru and Ai. [[spoiler:Subverted with wyrms, as they are one of the few non-sentient species in this world. The one Shard establishes a dream connection with responds to the name "Rhydda" given to her by the dragons, but they do not have their own names.]]
** Averted with the albatross. He says that his kind have NoNeedForNames, but permits Shard to call him Windwalker.
* AnimalReligion: The Aesir worship Tyr, a god of sun and war. [[spoiler: Tor, goddess of the moon, the sea, and fertility, is of equal importance to the Vanir, but the Aesir suppressed worship of her when they conquered the Vanir.]]
* AnimalTalk: Gryfons have their own language, as do birds, and mammals speak in "earth speech." Only [[TheChosenOne the Summer King]] "speaks to all who hear."
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler:The series ends with adorable fluffy gryfon kits for [[Deuteragonist Kjorn]] and [[TheHighQueen Thyra]], [[SomeoneToRememberHimBy Astri and Einarr]], [[JerkJock Halvden and Kenna]], and most other Silver Isles gryfons. ''The Starward Light'' develops the next generation further and introduces [[OfficialCouple Shard and Brynja]]'s daughter Embra.]]
* BeastFable: The series gradually develops into one about colonialism and reconciling past violence between two nations as the backstory is revealed. However, TheReveal that [[spoiler:the Aesir colonized the Silver Isles because they were chased there by [[AnimalisticAbomination wyrms]] makes it into more of a FantasticAesop]].
* CallARabbitASmeerp: For some reason, the only animals referred to this way are bison (greatbeast) and orcas (blackfish).

* CivilizedAnimal: The gryfons of the Dawn Spire, thanks in no small part to their keeping of fire. [[The dragons even more so.]]

* InterspeciesAdoption: At the end of the second book, [[spoiler: a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] entrusts Shard to raise her hatchling and bring him to her homeland]].

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: [[spoiler: "Dragons" here refers only to Eastern dragons, who can grow huge but live only one year. They are easily the most {{Civilized Animal}}s in the setting, having martial arts and walls engraved with their history, and turn to crystal when they die. Introduced before them are Western dragons, [[CallAPegasusAHippogriff here called wyrms]]. They are {{Kaiju}}-sized, mindlessly destructive monsters who [[BrownNoteBeing drive other creatures to mindless terror with their very presence]]. The dragons took advantage of the wyrms' [[DragonHoard love of gems and gold]] and being one of the few non-sentient creatures in the setting to enslave them to mine gems.]]
* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: Gryfon in ''The Summer King Chronicles'' gryfons resemble traditional gryphons, being half-eagle-half-lion quadrupeds with tufted ears, except they have feathered tails instead of the typical feline ones. They live up to 60 years and are adults at around 10. They live in prides where females primarily hunt and males primarily fight, and the females give birth to a single kit at a time. Gryfons mate for life. As for the two races:

* MaternityCrisis: [[spoiler:Every female gryphon in the Silver Isles in the climax of the fourth book. The wyrms [[ContrivedCoincidence just happen to attack at the start of the whelping season]]. Justified as the stress of their homeland being under attack from borderline {{Animalistic Abomination}}s while they have to crawl through damp underground tunnels would be enough to trigger labor.]]
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Most gryfons are solid-colored, but Asvander has falcon-like coloration. Apparently, this is common in the Ostral Shores population of Aesir.
* PartiallyCivilizedAnimal: The Silver Isles gryphon pride has a king, laws, an honor code, folklore, and the concept of a colony, but otherwise behave like animals. Much the same goes for wolves.

** Most Aesir gryfon are afraid of the night.

''The Summer King Chronicles'' is a young adult fantasy series by Jess E. Owens. The series currently consists of four books covering the ''Summer King Chronicles'' {{arc}}.

The first book in the series, ''Song of the Summer King'', starts with various young male gryfon undergoing a coming of age test, the dangerous initiation hunt. While on the hunt, one of the gryfon named Shard comes across a wolf who hints that Shard's past is more than it seems. Shard's life becomes uncertain when the king of his pride declares war against the wolves.

The series stars gryfons, however it treats gryfon as animals instead of fantastical beasts.

* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: Most gryfon have normal mammalian colors like brown, orange, and black. Dragon-blooded Aesir are more bird-like and can have green feathers. Their abnormal coloring comes from dragons blessing their ancestors.
* AnimalReligion: The different breeds of gryfon have different religious beliefs. For example, Vanir worship both Tyr and Tor.
* FantasticCasteSystem: Aesir gryfon in the Dawn Spire live in a strict tier system that they inherit from their parents. Gryfon can move up a rank by accomplishing certain deeds. Your tier decides many things, including how high up your den is.

* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: Gryfon in ''The Summer Kings Chronicles'' resemble traditional gryfon, except they have feathered tails instead of the typical feline one. They live up to 60 years and are adults at around 10. They live in prides where females primarily hunt and males primarily fight. Gryfon mate for life.
* PeopleOfHairColor: A gryfon's breed is distinguished by their coloring: dragon-blooded Aesir come in reds, golds, oranges, and greens, Vanir come in greys, whites, browns, and blacks, and Dawn Spire Aesir come in greys, whites, browns, blacks, and shades of red.
* PrimalFear: Most Aesir gryfon are afraid of the night.

''The Summer King Chronicles'' is a young adult fantasy series y Jess E. Owens. The series currently consists of four books covering the ''Summer King Chronicles'' {{arc}}.

* FantasticCasteSystem: Aesir gryfon in the Dawn Spire live in a strict Tier system that they inherit from their parents. Gryfon can move up a rank by accomplishing certain deeds. Your tier decides many things, including how high up your den is.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Most gryfon have normal mammalian colors like brown, orange, and black. Dragon-blooded Aesir are more bird-like and can have green feathers. Their abnormal coloring comes from dragons blessing their ancestors.

* InterspeciesFriendship: Some gryfon befriend wolves. For example, Rashard befriends Catori in the first book.* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: Gryfon in ''The Summer Kings Chronicles'' resemble traditional gryfon, except they have feathered tails instead of the typical feline one. They live up to 60 years and are adults at around 10. They live in prides where females primarily hunt and males primarily fight. Gryfon mate for life.
* PeopleOfHairColor: A gryfons breed is distinguished by their coloring: dragon-blooded Aesir come in reds, golds, oranges, and greens, Vanir come in greys, whites, browns, and blacks, and Dawn Spire Aesir come in greys, whites, browns, blacks, and shades of red.

* PeopleofHairColor: A gryfons breed is distinguished by their coloring: dragon-blooded Aesir come in reds, golds, oranges, and greens, Vanir come in greys, whites, browns, and blacks, and Dawn Spire Aesir come in greys, whites, browns, blacks, and shades of red.

* InterspeciesFriendship: Some gryfon befriend wolves. For example, Rashard befriends Catori in the first book.