History Literature / TheWinterQueenContingency

* AntagonistInMourning: [[spoiler:When compared with his later hostility and insults toward humanity, Sarmat's introduction of responding to news of Cassandra's death with a quiet solemnity, not any kind of celebration, hints at this.]]

As before, there are subtle and not-so-subtle AuthorTract messages around shared themes of doing good vs. seeming good, surviving vs. thriving, finding purpose/identity, connection, science, anti-authoritarianism, populism, economic inequality, civil liberties, whistleblowing, nature, and grief, along with new themes of war, global politics, communication, appreciating life, the meaning of leadership, legacy, and love. And Ashe's ubiquitous HumansAreBastards.

* MeaningfulName: Common for Ashe. Cassandra seeks the truth, no matter what. Angelina seeks peace, even while everyone around her pushes war. Jeremiah is much like the "weeping prophet" of the Bible. Sarmat . . . well, just Google what relevance his name has to a story involving nuclear weapons. Alpha is implied to be the very best warriors humanity has to offer in Part Two, but see Worf Effect. The Infinite Naval Ships Mirror and Leviathan each suggest what technical capabilities they have.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: The glowing, yellowed eyes of the infinite gradually get redder as they grow more powerful. [[spoiler:Culminating with this exact quality being The Reveal of Angelina's infection, just before she kicks the shit out of the most powerful Infinite.]]

* ItsQuietTooQuiet: What Alpha remarks after seemingly achieving their high stakes mission. [[spoiler:For good reason, as it's a trap directly laid by Sarmat.]]
* ItsRainingMen: Alpha uses HALO jump to drop into their high stakes mission.

* BloodKnight: The once-principled master warrior Elias becomes this [[spoiler:after Cassandra's deaths and the new attacks on humanity, as he fears for his family to the point of fanaticism]].

Part Two follows a now-grown Angelina as she takes the mantle of TheLeader, fighting the infected, particularly their BigBad Great Chancellor Sarmat. However, she's constantly beset by her own side, between corrupt business interests and ideological zealots for a WhoNeedsEnemies situation. It all leads to a XanatosSpeedChess finale between multiple factions. Saying much more about Part Two would venture into spoiler territory, but suffice to say, the exceptionally rough setting fits the title.

* ShoutOut: An Ashe staple, particularly with Cassandra's many quotes and apropos rock and metal songs from Music/DavidBowie, Music/BlackSabbath, Music/IronMaiden, Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/CypressHill, Music/LeonardCohen, Music/YngwieMalmsteen, and Music/PinkFloyd, along with mentions of Music/PublicEnemy, Music/WhitneyHouston, and Music/{{U2}}. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* ShoutOut: An Ashe staple, particularly with Cassandra's many quotes and apropos rock and metal songs from Music/DavidBowie, Music/BlackSabbath, Music/IronMaiden, Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/CypressHill, Music/LeonardCohen, and Music/YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of Music/PublicEnemy, Music/WhitneyHouston, and Music/{{U2}}. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from Music/DavidBowie, Music/BlackSabbath, Music/IronMaiden, Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/CypressHill, Music/LeonardCohen, and Music/YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of Music/PublicEnemy, Music/WhitneyHouston, and Music/{{U2}}. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from Music/DavidBowie, Music/BlackSabbath, Music/IronMaiden, Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/CypressHill, Music/LeonardCohen, and Music/YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of Music/PublicEnemy, Music/WhitneyHouston, and Music/{{U2}}. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming MuhammadAli when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* InspirationNod: The Prologue to Part Two ends with a rephrasing of the famous "night" narration from CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest. The title is also reminiscent of "The Winter Contingency" stage/directive in HaloReach [[spoiler:which shares Part One's themes of a Dwindling Party of military elites and a coming global catastrophe)]].

* NowItsMyTurn: [[spoiler:Sarmat knocks around Angelina, even breaking ribs, then pins her down before she lets The Reveal rip. She both has infected powers, essentially a Seven, ''and'' brought the uber-rare old t. gondii from Chloe to which he isn't immune. Cue NoHoldsBarred

The Winter Queen Contingency is the sequel to Patrick Ashe's ZombieApocalypse novel TheAutumnQueenProtocol, released in early 2023. It's also topical with sociopolitical issues RippedFromTheHeadlines. Thus, unlike the more COVID-direct issues of its 2021 predecessor, this one focuses on growing global instability and the renewed prospect of WorldWarIII, given elite profiteering from said pandemic and Russia's RealLife invasion and war on Ukraine. It retains the TwoActStructure but with a TimeLapse rather than an AnachronicOrder.

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from Music/DavidBowie, Music/BlackSabbath, Music/IronMaiden, Music/Metallica, Music/CypressHill, Music/LeonardCohen, and Music/YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of Music/PublicEnemy, Music/WhitneyHouston, and Music/U2. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming MuhammadAli when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from Music/DavidBowie, BlackSabbath, IronMaiden, Metallica, CypressHill, LeonardCohen, and YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of PublicEnemy, WhitneyHouston, and U2. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming Muhammad Ali when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from ''Music/DavidBowie'', BlackSabbath, IronMaiden, Metallica, CypressHill, LeonardCohen, and YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of PublicEnemy, WhitneyHouston, and U2. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming Muhammad Ali when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from DavidBowie, BlackSabbath, IronMaiden, Metallica, CypressHill, LeonardCohen, and YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of PublicEnemy, WhitneyHouston, and U2. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming Muhammad Ali when discussing using his "rope-a-dope" strategy.

* Mordor: The "home of infected" around Sayre in Part One. Mike invokes this very name (to Cassandra's chagrin; she likes the nerdy reference, but not his flippant attitude while they're on duty).

* Cloudcuckoolander: Julio, but with a strong helpful side.

* Bookends: Summery SceneryPorn [[spoiler:that took about 70 years to return, providing a GreenAesop about how nuclear war is really bad]].

* BewareTheQuietOnes: Sheepish Jeremiah beats himself up for being too weak and impractical to help the Remnant cause of survival, and almost everyone but his supportive sister Angelina and her sweet girlfriend Shannon join in on those dismissive criticisms. [[spoiler:But both his art on her nails and his archery skills are instrumental in destroying Sarmat and his mooks.]]

* BewareTheQuietOnes: Sheepish Jeremiah beats himself up for being too weak and impractical to help the Remnant cause of survival, which almost everyone but his supportive sister Angelina and her sweet girlfriend Shannon join in on those dismissive criticisms. [[spoiler:But both his art on her nails and his archery skills are instrumental in destroying Sarmat and his mooks.]]

* AlphaBitch: Karen Glory, a somewhat obviously corrupt private military goon who wins over audiences with half-truths and academic accolades in a bloodless rivalry against Cassandra and Mike. Somewhat applicable to power-hungry Zynema.

* AliensInCardiff: As with the previous book, Part One takes place in a zombie quarantine zone (two, this time) in rural Pennsylvania. Part Two is much more geographically diverse.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:The Reveal of Angelina's infection along with precisely how she uses Chloe's cryogenically saved t. gondii turn what could've been another one of Sarmat's CurbstompBattle into hers.]]

* AsTheGoodBookSays: The book begins with a fitting citation of Revelation 6:8. Newland chuckles about the meaning of “inherit the earth”. Also, agnostic Angelina offhandedly references Matthew 4:4, "One does not live by bread alone," speaking to the duology's theme of LivingIsMoreThanSurviving.

* BosssUnfavoriteEmployee: Angelina tells insecure “loser” Jeremiah about how this was Mike's life before the outbreak. Mike's relationship with the sour Master Sergeant echoes this dynamic.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The arguments around Just War, nuclear escalation, and elite corruption and exploitation while the public fights among themselves are obviously topical for 2023. Also, the “Final Absolution” plan of the Infinite Council to wipe out humanity sounds an awful lot like a certain Third Reich expression. Additionally, the way Sarmat pins down Angelina is suggestive of sexual assault.

* MeaningfulName: Common for Ashe. Cassandra seeks the truth, no matter what. Angelina seeks peace, even while everyone around her pushes war. Jeremiah is much like the “weeping prophet” of the Bible. Sarmat . . . well, just Google what relevance his name has to a story involving nuclear weapons. Alpha is implied to be the very best warriors humanity has to offer in Part Two, but see Worf Effect. The Infinite Naval Ships Mirror and Leviathan each suggest what technical capabilities they have.

* MockGuffin: [[spoiler:The “Whiteout” data courier mission of delivering the “invaluable” hard drives worth “the GDP of small countries” is just a trick to test and deliver Cassandra and Mike to a bunker before impending nuclear war.]]

* Mordor: The “home of infected” around Sayre in Part One. Mike invokes this very name (to Cassandra's chagrin; she likes the nerdy reference, but not his flippant attitude while they're on duty).

* NotUsingTheZWord: First “infected” and then “Infinite”. The z-word gets used once or twice with a humorous or lampshade element.

* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Karen Glory exists to look down her SmugSnake nose at Cassandra and Mike, essentially embodying the “style over substance” philosophy, StatusQuoIsGod, and CorruptCorporateExecutive power that has screwed with their lives even before the infection. Both Cassandra and Mike sneer at the thought of her while on-mission in Oscar November.

* PreAsskickingOneLiner: [[spoiler:Angelina has a few choice words in her Defensive Feint Trap against Sarmat, right before curbstomping him. A primary one being a response to him disparaging her as a “pawn who thought she was a queen” by asking what happens when a pawn reaches the other side of the board. (For those unfamiliar with chess: it becomes any other piece other than a king, most always a ''queen''.) And a couple of others, being her legendary mother's (i.e. the badass Autumn Queen) daughter, ''and'' feeling like Muhammad Ali, given said trap.]]

* TheReveal: [[As Sarmat prepares a FateWorseThanDeath for Angelina in front of his highest officers and cameras to the surviving world, he mistakenly pulls out her contact lens . . . revealing her red eye, indicating her infection and its powers. She also brought an old “gift” from Chloe in her nail polish . . .]]

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from DavidBowie, BlackSabbath, IronMaiden, Metallica, CypressHill, LeonardCohen, and YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of PublicEnemy, WhitneyHouston, and U2. Also mention of Mozart's fitting Dies Irae. Also naming Muhammad Ali when discussing using his “rope-a-dope” strategy.

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The last line of Part One, informing the reader that the infected ''survived nuclear war'' and, as the government predicted from Mike's studies, were indeed taking over the ruins. In the Prelude to Part Two: “The human race that once had been counted in the billions was now counted in thousands.” In Angelina's one-two punch final fight, “Underneath of which was her bright, blazing red eye” and answering Sarmat's question if that was her last trick, "No, this is.” Between infected powers and Chloe's super-serum in her claws, it turns from his Curbstomp to hers.]]

* WorldWarIII: [[spoiler:The greater backdrop of all the events in Part One, happening so fast as to later only be called “The Day”. The fight against the infected is merely the spark amid the many RealLife issues listed as contributing to this.]]

The Winter Queen Contingency is the sequel to Patrick Ashe's ZombieApocalypse novel TheAutumnQueenProtocol, released in early 2023. It’s also topical with sociopolitical issues RippedFromTheHeadlines. Thus, unlike the more COVID-direct issues of its 2021 predecessor, this one focuses on growing global instability and the renewed prospect of WorldWarIII, given elite profiteering from said pandemic and Russia’s RealLife invasion and war on Ukraine. It retains the TwoActStructure but with a TimeLapse rather than an AnachronicOrder.

Part Two follows a now-grown Angelina as she takes the mantle of TheLeader, fighting the infected, particularly their BigBad Great Chancellor Sarmat. However, she’s constantly beset by her own side, between corrupt business interests and ideological zealots for a WhoNeedsEnemies situation. It all leads to a XanatosSpeedChess finale between multiple factions. Saying much more about Part Two would venture into spoiler territory, but suffice to say, the exceptionally rough setting fits the title.

As before, there are subtle and not-so-subtle AuthorTract messages around shared themes of doing good vs. seeming good, surviving vs. thriving, finding purpose/identity, connection, science, anti-authoritarianism, populism, economic inequality, civil liberties, whistleblowing, nature, and grief, along with new themes of war, global politics, communication, appreciating life, the meaning of leadership, legacy, and love. And Ashe’s ubiquitous HumansAreBastards.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:The Reveal of Angelina's infection along with precisely how she uses Chloe’s cryogenically saved t. gondii turn what could've been another one of Sarmat’s CurbstompBattle into hers.]]

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:Cassandra's fears of their mission AND the deal for their likely dead families at the end of Part One, although her survival is key to Part Two. Also how Angelina sees their use of the Seven’s intel in Part Two that she thought would be a critical bargaining chip.]]

* AnAesop: As Angelina states, true power isn’t always apparent and aggressive. [[spoiler:And along with many other topical sociopolitical ideas, nuclear war is a ''really'' bad idea.]]

* AntagonistInMourning: [[spoiler:When compared with his later hostility and insults toward humanity, Sarmat’s introduction of responding to news of Cassandra’s death with a quiet solemnity, not any kind of celebration, hints at this.]]

* ArcWords: "Time", especially being short on it, gets touched on in the first line and throughout the book. Relatedly, the use of "vintage" in Part Two. It’s sentimental early on, and rather ''practical'' later on.

* BloodKnight: The once-principled master warrior Elias becomes this [[spoiler:after Cassandra’s deaths and the new attacks on humanity, as he fears for his family to the point of fanaticism]].

* BosssUnfavoriteEmployee: Angelina tells insecure “loser” Jeremiah about how this was Mike’s life before the outbreak. Mike’s relationship with the sour Master Sergeant echoes this dynamic.
* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler:Ultimately averted for Angelina’s love interest Shannon, who initially seems to have perished in a nuclear attack, but survives. They eventually break up for unnamed reasons.]]

* ChekhovsArmoury: Many seemingly unrelated details and situations in Part One and early in Part Two are critically important toward the end. [[spoiler:For example, Cassandra’s dream, her Sayre Plan, Julio’s staff (with a fake out for ''how'' it is used), Chloe surviving in a bunker, Jeremiah being a decent archer, the use of makeup and exact words that hint at The Reveal, a strange smell in the field, and even a set of ''contact lens'' are all instrumental in the final fight.]]

* TheChosenOne: [[spoiler:The Prophecy refers to humanity being saved by Sevens. Guess what secret Cassandra’s heir Angelina is hiding?]]

* CripplingTheCompetition: [[spoiler:Sarmat’s sucker punch against Angelina at the end. Unfortunately for him, she’s holding ''two'' Reveals up her sleeve, saved for such an event . . .]]

* DefensiveFeintTrap: Angelina’s overall strategy to wear out the Infinite [[spoiler:and what she uses in hand-to-hand against their leader Sarmat, invoking MuhammadAli’s name in both situations]].
* DefiantToTheEnd / DefiantStoneThrow: [[spoiler:The last member of Alpha to survive Sarmat’s trap unloads on him and spits in his face when subdued before the fatal blow. Even hateful Sarmat acknowledges his bravery.]]
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: [[spoiler:Given The Reveal, it’s apparent in retrospect that not only did Angelina prepare and argue for peace in earnest with Sarmat, even turning and walking away when he demanded a surrender, but she also had a considerable backup plan (with hints throughout the book) in the event that he chose violence. He did, and she fell, feigning defeat. When he pulled her in close to taunt her with a FateWorseThanDeath, she utilized not one, but ''two'' aces in the hole to great effect.]]
* Determinator: Cassandra on her infected hunting trip to Sayre, after her dream and Karen Glory’s trash talk, which ended with an implication that she and Mike were responsible for a supposed leak.

* DownerBeginning: [[spoiler:Part Two. Atop the world barely inching back from nuclear war thirty years later, this part begins with Cassandra’s funeral.]]

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Mike’s rain of bullets against the infected, followed by witnessing the beginning of the nuclear war.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: While Sarmat is power-hungry and genocidal, even he doesn’t misgender or deadname Cassandra (although this could be due to him considering her a Worthy Opponent).
* ExactWords: [[spoiler:Cassandra’s dream-turned-prophecy was that ''Sevens'' would save humanity from the Infinite, which Angelina shrugs off when a journalist asks her about it. While Queen Alexandra of the Sevens cautiously helps, they ultimately don’t commit to joining the battle (but Sarmat rains nukes on them anyway for mere spite). While Angelina is the leader of humanity, The Reveal is that she’s a Seven, so the prophecy ''is'' fulfilled.]]
* FakeOutTwist: [[spoiler:Angelina’s infection is a straight example of The Reveal, but the hinted-at use of Chloe’s deadly t. gondii, a possible threat to Sarmat and the Infinite, is implied to be in Julio’s staff that she’s using to feign injury. Sarmat senses it’s some kind of weapon and knocks it away. But the real deadly use of that t. gondii is her painted nails/claws. However, Julio’s staff ''is'' a weapon, but a long-distance one (i.e. bow and arrow) used to execute all the watching Infinite.]]

* AFatherToHisMen: Of the feminine variety. It’s the commanding philosophy of Cassandra and Angelina alike. While other leaders frequently compete with them and dismiss them as weak, they have many genuinely loyal subordinates (Newland being a prime example) because of their mutual respect.

* FlashbackNightmare: Both Cassandra and Mike have dreams that start nostalgic for people they’ve lost, but then turn into this as shades of how they die show up . . . along with a flash-forward that is also nightmare material.
* ForbiddenZone: The quarantine zones, especially the hive around Sayre (which Mike refers to as Tolkien’s “Mordor”). [[spoiler:In Part Two, Mobile and the Gulf Coast, where the Infinite amass.]]
* ForeShadowing: Characters make various side comments in Part One that hint at what’s to come in Part Two, most obviously when Newland talks about his favorite songs.

* GodzillaThreshold: [[spoiler:When Alpha gets easily bested by Sarmat, they call in a “Broken Arrow”; an old military parlance for saying a team is so overrun that their own side’s aerial assault should fire on their position. However, Sarmat informs them their aircraft has been spotted and is shot down.]]
* GoForTheEye: The open secret of where to aim on infected if one’s ammo doesn’t have the serum necessary to break their rhino-like skin.

* GovernmentConspiracy: PlayedWith. [[spoiler:As in the previous book, the protagonists correctly suspect malfeasance, even as they shrug off the fanatical-type conspiracies of the public. They just don’t know exactly ''what'' the malfeasance is until it’s too late.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: Among minor Infinite characters, both a radarman and one of Sarmat’s personal assistants have second thoughts, [[spoiler:apparently on the road to being the defectors the Sevens know of. Also one of the technicians loyal to Elias and Zynema, who quickly regrets helping them launch the missiles after Elias offhandedly mentions they would go after the peaceful Sevens next. Unfortunately for all of these examples, their regrets all came moments too late]].

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:How Mike meets his end, taking the gun so Cassandra and Newland can reach the bunker as infected come after them. It’s specifically with the intention to fulfill a DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife.]]

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: A theme, like Ashe’s other works. The fact that uninfected cause ''astronomically'' higher bloodshed than the infected/Infinite is a damning point.

* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:Sarmat mocks Angelina’s ''apparent'' weakness in their fight. His ArrogantKungFuGuy attitude promptly runs head-first into her Reveal.]]

* InspirationNod: The Prologue to Part Two ends with a rephrasing of the famous "night" narration from CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest. The title is also reminiscent of "The Winter Contingency" stage/directive in HaloReach [[spoiler:which shares Part One’s themes of a Dwindling Party of military elites and a coming global catastrophe)]].

* ItCanThink: The previous book established that the infected were evolving. Many of their previous cognitive limits no longer factor early this time, and they’ve become clever enough to set traps and outwit uninfected. [[spoiler:By Part Two, they’re at least as intelligent as the uninfected Remnant.]]
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: [[spoiler:What Cassandra’s last words and LastKiss mean to Mike, especially after explicitly saying she wouldn’t.]]
* ItsQuietTooQuiet: What Alpha remarks after seemingly achieving their high stakes mission. [[spoiler:For good reason, as it’s a trap directly laid by Sarmat.]]

* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Neither Cassandra nor Mike are pleased with how much the military needs them [[spoiler:nor Angelina, who succeeds them and comes to embody the prophecy originating in Cassandra’s dreams]].

* LadyOfWar: Cassandra, as before. Her intellect, quotes, pantsuit, and keyboard playing suggest grace, but she’s actually heavier on the ActionGirl side.
* LastStand: [[spoiler:Mike covers Cassandra and Newland’s escape from infected just before the nuclear war begins. HeDidntMakeIt.]]
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Darn near literal with Elias, Zynema, and their supporting military after they launch a nuclear first strike. Also exactly how Angelina kills Sarmat, matching both how he killed Alpha’s leader and what he promised he’d do to her.]]
* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: A major theme throughout this series. Particularly with the theme of flowers in Part Two. Somewhat deconstructed with Jeremiah, as he’s DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife by wanting to be more practical instead of a StarvingArtist.
* LockAndLoadMontage: A quick one for Mike right before he agrees to Cassandra’s dangerous Sayre trip.
* MartialPacifist: [[spoiler:Angelina always tries for peace first, given so few remaining in this world. And while she said to be trained, obviously for being raised by Cassandra, she also has far more capability in battle (see The Reveal) that doesn’t come out until Sarmat has pushed her completely to the limit.]]
* MauveShirt: [[spoiler:Newland is the only named member of the Special Forces escort, and the only one to survive, albeit wounded. He’s promoted to a Gold Shirt General by Part Two.]]

* Mordor: The “home of infected” around Sayre in Part One. Mike invokes this very name (to Cassandra’s chagrin; she likes the nerdy reference, but not his flippant attitude while they’re on duty).

* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: Implied in Part Two as Crazy Prepared Cassandra’s plan to save humanity.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:The Sevens at Asterite don’t commit to battle alongside humanity, but do offer intelligence to Angelina and the Remnant that they believe may help negotiate peace. An Infinite mook manning the ballistic missile submarine says to another that merely meeting with humanity means that Asterite is now forfeit, and thus why Sarmat commands that Asterite be targeted and destroyed.]]

* NowItsMyTurn: [[spoiler:Sarmat knocks around Angelina, even breaking ribs, then pins her down before she lets The Reveal rip. She both has infected powers, essentially a Seven, ''and'' brought the uber-rare old t. gondii from Chloe to which he isn’t immune. Cue NoHoldsBarred
* NuclearMutant: What it’s implied that the infected, now even stronger (albeit more grotesque) and as smart as uninfected, have become in Part Two.

* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler:How Sarmat kills Alpha’s leader. And how Angelina kills him, with a subsequent DecapitationStrike of his cabinet and top officials by Jeremiah, thus a pair of literal and metaphorical decapitations of the Infinite.]]
* OhCrap: When the soldiers at the beginning see how ineffectual their rounds are against infected. Also Mike when he realizes how much more powerful infected in Oscar November are. Then there’s several ''huge'' examples toward the end of Part One. Also a few toward the end of Part Two, notably by Elias [[spoiler:when enemy ships he didn’t know existed pop up on their instruments, complete with missile defense systems and missiles of their own.]]
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:The evolved, post-nuclear infected in Part Two, especially Sarmat, who grows larger and more monstrous, with tougher skin and elongated fangs and claws, when in battle mode. Unfortunately for them, Angelina’s name isn’t her only connection to this trope.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: A theme that speaks to the pro-civil liberties and whistleblower ideas of the duology. Named verbatim by Cassandra, as she razzes Newland for withholding information that’s much more likely to help everyone rather than hurt a la his LooseLips argument.

* PreAsskickingOneLiner: [[spoiler:Angelina has a few choice words in her Defensive Feint Trap against Sarmat, right before curbstomping him. A primary one being a response to him disparaging her as a “pawn who thought she was a queen” by asking what happens when a pawn reaches the other side of the board. (For those unfamiliar with chess: it becomes any other piece other than a king, most always a ''queen''.) And a couple of others, being her legendary mother’s (i.e. the badass Autumn Queen) daughter, ''and'' feeling like Muhammad Ali, given said trap.]]

* ProperlyParanoid: Cassandra and Mike toward the government [[spoiler:and it’s so much worse than they initially suspect]].

* RedEyesTakeWarning: The glowing, yellowed eyes of the infinite gradually get redder as they grow more powerful. [[spoiler:Culminating with this exact quality being The Reveal of Angelina’s infection, just before she kicks the shit out of the most powerful Infinite.]]
* RedshirtArmy: [[spoiler:All the Special Forces except Newland, along with the Glory Group’s attempted helicopter rescue, all perish.]]

* SaveThisPersonSaveTheWorld: [[spoiler:When Cassandra tries to interpret the military forcing them on a mysterious mission, she has a strong feeling that little Angie is somehow important. She’s right.]]

* ShoutOut: Another Ashe staple, particularly with apropos rock and metal songs from DavidBowie, BlackSabbath, IronMaiden, Metallica, CypressHill, LeonardCohen, and YngwieMalmsteen, along with mentions of PublicEnemy, WhitneyHouston, and U2. Also mention of Mozart’s fitting Dies Irae. Also naming Muhammad Ali when discussing using his “rope-a-dope” strategy.
* SinsOfOurFathers: Alexandra hints that this is part of the Infinite’s mission to destroy humanity.

* TheSoCalledCoward: [[spoiler:Angelina is frequently bashed as this, particularly by Elias, as well as Zynema, and some of her own people. Yeah . . . given The Reveal, that’s not what’s happening.]]

* SpoilerCover: [[spoiler:If you think about who was on the previous book’s cover, this one gives a pretty big hint as to The Reveal.]]

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Sarmat’s annihilation of Alpha. And in karmic irony, Angelina giving him the same treatment; a one-two punch of her own infected teeth and claws tipped with Chloe’s t. gondii.]]

* TwistEnding: [[spoiler:In Part One, it’s TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. In Part Two, it’s The Reveal and a much later Diabolus Ex Machina.]]

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Karen Glory and her Glory Group. While she/they are technically on the same side as Cassandra and Mike, there’s a clear competition/rivalry/antagonism between them. The public (as portrayed by a live studio audience) approves of her half-truths with applause.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:Queen Alexandra, the graceful ruler of Asterite, befriends Angelina and helps the humanity with intel, if not militarily, but is still destroyed by Sarmat’s nukes soon after.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: A variation. Mike’s father died of COVID before the first book, but through Mike’s dreams and the fight, he’s still trying to live up to the SemperFi Badass Marine his father was known to be.

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:The last line of Part One, informing the reader that the infected ''survived nuclear war'' and, as the government predicted from Mike’s studies, were indeed taking over the ruins. In the Prelude to Part Two: “The human race that once had been counted in the billions was now counted in thousands.” In Angelina’s one-two punch final fight, “Underneath of which was her bright, blazing red eye” and answering Sarmat’s question if that was her last trick, "No, this is.” Between infected powers and Chloe’s super-serum in her claws, it turns from his Curbstomp to hers.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There’s no word on what happened to Annette or the President after Part One. Cassandra’s personal items are mentioned, implying at least one return to Eagles Mere and/or her family’s home outside Philadelphia.
* TheWorfBarrage: [[spoiler:For its near-omnicide against the uninfected, even full-blown ''nuclear war'' doesn’t cut down the infected.]]

* ZombieApocalypse: The premise. [[spoiler:Or is it? As in the previous book, mankind’s malfeasance overshadows it . . . only this time with mushroom clouds.]]