History Literature / TwoSerpentsRise

'''''Two Serpents Rise''''' is the second in Max Gladstone's Literature/CraftSequence novel series.

* TheNecrocracy: Dresediel Lex is ruled by Kopil, a lich.

]* BadassBoast: The King in Red as he prepared to fight [[spoiler:Mal]].

* BetterLivingThroughEvil: The sorcerous megacorporation Red King Consolidated uses zombie laborers, enslaved gods, and other strange and ethically dubious means to provide for the people of Dresediel Lex.
* BadassBoast: The King in Red as he prepared to fight [[spoiler:Mal]].

* BlackMagic: The Craft.

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Subverted. Through Caleb’s flawed viewpoint, the reader sees Mal as his Manic Pixie Dream Girl. [[spoiler:It turns out that she’s got her own agenda.]]

* TheNecrocracy: Dresediel Lex is ruled by Kopil, a lich. There's also a mention of lands in the North ruled by "Dread Koschei".

** [[spoiler:Mal is ready to awaken the Serpents and put the city in peril in order to overthrow the King in Red and make way for a more "authentic" Quechal society.]]

-->''In the God Wars , I tore space and time asunder. I made a crack in the world. We shall see which of us is the more fearsome.''

* BetterLivingThroughEvil: The King in Red is a great boss who provides water for a desert city.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Temoc just wants to save the city! By killing a lot of people in the process. Also [[spoiler:Mal]].

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Kopil, the King in Red, killed and enslaved a pantheon of gods and tore a hole in time and space after his beloved was sacrificed to feed the hungry gods.

In a world torn between sorcery and dead gods, risk management for a water utility company could be a deadly profession. When shadow demons plague the city reservoir, and risk manager Caleb Altemoc is sent to cleanse the water for the sixteen million people of Dresediel Lex. But Caleb has more than his job security and love life to worry about when he discovers that his father, the last priest of the old god, has broken into his home and is wanted in connection to the attacks on the water supply.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Caleb and Mal defeat the craftwoman who was poisoning Seven Leaf Lake. [[spoiler:He unknowingly help along Mal’s plot to weaken the RKC and raise the Twin Serpents. ]]

** Temoc was the HighPriest of a religion which practiced HumanSacrifice and under the new regime is a notorious wanted terrorist. He's also a loving father who cares about Caleb's well-being (including asking about his love life) despite their differences in "politics". At one point, Temoc breaks into Caleb's apartment for a clandestine meeting and takes the time to make his son's bed and straighten up the place. Not to mention, he [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinks he's doing the right thing]] and [[GrayAndGreyMorality kind of has a point]].

* WouldntHitAGirl: Temoc hits Teo, and afterward apologies, telling her that he does not "relish striking women". Teo [[SarcasmMode thanks him]] for his "condescending, sexist apology".

* StealthHiBye: During Temoc's clandestine meetings with Caleb, Temoc has a tendency to suddenly disappear when Caleb's back is turned, often leaving an open window in his wake. This prompts [[ShoutOut the]] [[{{Batman}} requisite]] response from Caleb that, "[[PhraseCatcher I hate when he does that.]]"

* IllegalReligion: The new regime of Dresediel Lex is not so found of gods and their followers after overthrowing them.

* VirginSacrifice: Played with. The old religion's idea of who constituted a "virgin" for such purposes included "those untouched by the opposite sex," which through LoopholeAbuse and/or [[BuryYourGays homophobia]] included homosexuals, hence the use of "altar maid" as a ''very'' nasty UnusualEuphemism encountered by the lesbian Teo. [[spoiler:Temoc eventually attempts to follow through on the implicit threat. Decades ago, Kopil’s lover was also sacrificed, starting him on the road to becoming the deicidal King in Red.]]

The second UrbanFantasy novel in the ''Literature/CraftSequence'' by Max Gladstone.

In a world torn between sorcery and dead gods, risk management for a water utility company could be a deadly profession. When shadow demons plague the city reservoir, and risk manager Caleb Altemoc is sent to cleanse the water for the sixteen million people of Dresediel Lex. But Caleb has more than his job security and love life to worry about when he discovers that his father—the last priest of the old gods—has broken into his home and is wanted in connection to the attacks on the water supply.

* DarkActionGirl: [[spoiler:Malina Kekapania attacks Bay Station, kills a god, and awakens twin serpents to chase Craftsmen out of Dresediel Lex.]]
* AlwaysABiggerFish: [[spoiler:Waking the King in Red to curb-stomp high priest Temoc]].

Novel contains: [[ActionGirl badass female characters]], necromancy, ironic humor, [[OurLichesAreDifferent a depressed gay lich king]], sacrifice, philosophical religious questions, and coffee.

* WouldntHitAGirl: Temoc knocks Teo unconscious [[spoiler: during an attempt to use her as a human sacrifice]], and afterward apologies, telling her that he does not "relish striking women". Teo [[SarcasmMode thanks him]] for his "condescending, sexist apology".

* VirginSacrifice: Played with. The old religion's idea of who constituted a "virgin" for such purposes included "those untouched by the opposite sex," which through LoopholeAbuse and/or [[BuryYourGays homophobia]] included homosexuals, hence the use of "alter maid" as a ''very'' nasty UnusualEuphemism encountered by the lesbian Teo. [[spoiler:Temoc eventually attempts to follow through on the implicit threat. Decades ago, Kopil’s lover was also sacrificed, starting him on the road to becoming the deicidal King in Red.]]

* VirginSacrifice: Subverted. The old religion's idea of who constituted a "virgin" for such purposes was "those untouched by the opposite sex," which was explicitly defined very narrowly-- hence "altar maid" being a ''very'' nasty slur for lesbian Teo. [[spoiler:Temoc eventually attempts to follow through on the implicit threat. Decades ago, Kopil’s lover was also sacrificed, starting him on the road to becoming the deicidal King in Red.]]

* VirginSacrifice: Subverted. The old religion's idea of who constituted a "virgin" for such purposes was "those untouched by the opposite sex," which was explicitly defined very narrowly-- hence "temple maiden" being a ''very'' nasty slur for lesbian Teo. [[spoiler:Temoc eventually attempts to follow through on the implicit threat. Decades ago, Kopil’s lover was also sacrificed, starting him on the road to becoming the deicidal King in Red.]]

* VirginSacrifice: Subverted. [[spoiler:Temoc insists that Teo is a perfect sacrifice because she was “untouched by men.” Teo is gay. Along with the fact that Kopil’s lover was also sacrificed, this bring horrible implications about being homosexual before the God Wars.]]