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* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" units operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during [=WW2=]. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early UsefulNotes/ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
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Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" units operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during [=WW2=]. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
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* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" units operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during [=WW2=]. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar UsefulNotes/ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
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In the future, Earth is engaged in a war with the alien Sirian Empire. The Terrans have the advantage of superior technology, but the Sirians have vastly greater resources and manpower. With the war at an impasse, Terrans need a way to tip the scales way into their favor, and bring the Sirians down for good.
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In the future, Earth is engaged in a war with the alien [[TheEmpire Sirian Empire.Empire]]. The Terrans have the advantage of superior technology, but the Sirians have vastly greater resources and manpower. With the war at an impasse, Terrans need a way to tip the scales way into their favor, and bring the Sirians down for good.
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Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" units operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during WW2. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
to:
* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" units operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during WW2.[=WW2=]. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
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Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during WW2. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
to:
* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" units operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during WW2. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during WW2. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar led to inevitable failure once the SecretPolice became organized.
to:
* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during WW2. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar [[AwesomeButImpractical led to inevitable failure failure]] once the SecretPolice became organized.organized and the Soviet military made it clear they would use force against any serious insurgency.
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* OlderThanTheyThink: The book has been described as a "handbook for terrorists", but the techniques used would be very familiar to "dirty tricks" operating in Nazi-occupied Europe during WW2. Note that the Wasps operate in advance of a military invasion. Attempts to use similar disruption techniques against communist countries during the early ColdWar led to inevitable failure once the SecretPolice became organized.
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* BadGuyBar: The Café Susun.
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* RubberForeheadAliens: The Sirians are very similar to humans, their most striking feature being their purple skin, a "bow-legged gait", and a number of other minor differences. This allows Mowry to pass as a Sirian without suspicions.
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* RubberForeheadAliens: The Sirians are very similar to humans, their most striking feature being their purple skin, a "bow-legged gait", and a number of other minor differences. This allows Mowry to pass as a Sirian without suspicions. It also helps (and the primary reason he was recruited) that his family used to live on the Sirian homeworld for a number of years before hostilities arose, so he knows their language and customs (one of the plot points is his inability to hide his homeworld accent on a remote, backwater planet).
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Deleted line(s) 21 (click to see context) :
* GutFeeling: One of the things that Mowry is taught: if you ever feel an inexplicable sense of dread, treat it seriously and ''run'', because it usually means that they're onto you. (It's speculated that this is actually subconscious telepathy, sensing the enemy agents' mental focus on catching him.) It saves Mowry's life at least once, making him move to a different apartament just before his current one is raided.
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* ModernStasis: For a planet settled by an interplanetary alien empire from the future, Jaimec's technological level is pretty much on par with 1950s Earth. It might be a tad justified, because Syrians are stated to be technologically inferior, but still.
to:
* ModernStasis: For a planet settled by an interplanetary alien empire from the future, Jaimec's technological level is pretty much on par with 1950s Earth. It might be a tad justified, because Syrians Sirians are stated to be technologically inferior, but still.
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* SpiderSense: One of the things that Mowry is taught: if you ever feel an inexplicable sense of dread, treat it seriously and ''run'', because it usually means that they're onto you. (It's speculated that this is actually subconscious telepathy, sensing the enemy agents' mental focus on catching him.) It saves Mowry's life at least once, making him move to a different apartament just before his current one is raided.
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Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
* RubberForeheadAliens: The Sirians are very similar to humans, their most striking feature being their purple skin (and it's jocularly implied that lots of alcohol can get a human more purple than any Sirian), a "bow-legged gait", and a number of other minor differences. This allows Mowry to pass as a Sirian without suspicions.
to:
* RubberForeheadAliens: The Sirians are very similar to humans, their most striking feature being their purple skin (and it's jocularly implied that lots of alcohol can get a human more purple than any Sirian), skin, a "bow-legged gait", and a number of other minor differences. This allows Mowry to pass as a Sirian without suspicions.
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* YouGotMurder: One of Mowry's tactic is to send packages to several officials, which contain a loudly ticking mechanism and a message saying "This package could have killed you". He later sends another batch which looks and sounds exactly the same on the outside... except this time the bombs are real.
to:
* YouGotMurder: One of Mowry's tactic tactics is to send packages to several officials, which contain a loudly ticking mechanism and a message saying "This package could have killed you". He later sends another batch which looks and sounds exactly the same on the outside... except this time the bombs are real.
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->''Sallana is the first. \\
The list is long. \\
Dirac Angestun Gesept.''
''Wasp'' is a 1957 ScienceFiction [[SpyFiction spy thriller]] novel by Creator/EricFrankRussell.
In the future, Earth is engaged in a war with the alien Sirian Empire. The Terrans have the advantage of superior technology, but the Sirians have vastly greater resources and manpower. With the war at an impasse, Terrans need a way to tip the scales way into their favor, and bring the Sirians down for good.
Enter James Mowry, who is given [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse an offer he can't refuse]]: he will lend his skills and talents to the Terran cause and become a "wasp", a lone saboteur whose task is to bring one of the many Sirian planetary governments into chaos and give the Terrans an opportunity to attack. Mowry is given extensive training, disguised as a Sirian and sent to the planet Jaimec. With ample resources at his disposal, he proceeds with the plan, a great part of which is faking the existence of a revolutionary organization, the Dirac Angestun Gesept ("Sirian Freedom Party") to tie up the army and the Sirian StateSec, Kaitempi, with defending themselves against an imaginary enemy. But while the plan is going well, the government of Jaimec is slowly homing in on Mowry's person, and things are getting increasingly riskier.
----
!!The example list is long:
* AgentProvocateur: James Mowry's role.
* AssholeVictim: Mowry kills two agents of the Kaitempi, the Sirian StateSec known for their sadism and brutality.
* BavarianFireDrill: Used by Mowry to great effect. Half of his schemes work on the basis "act as if you were in charge, and nobody will question you". For example, he gets past a military cordon without an exit permit and without being asked too many questions by virtue of being disguised as a Military Intelligence officer and speaking with complete confidence. In another case he manages to plant fake wire-tapping devices on rooftops in full view of numerous bystanders, simply by doing so "openly and with quiet confidence."
* BlackAndGrayMorality: Some characters are deeply immoral, but certain of Mowry's actions are morally gray, such as when he booby-traps two civilian merchant ships, implicitly causing their crews' deaths.
* ChromosomeCasting: An extreme example. No women are ever mentioned in the novel, even as background characters.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Mowry and a couple of hired thugs disguise themselves as Military Intelligence and Kaitempi in order to break an ally out of jail.
* EnemiesList: {{Invoked}}. After every kill, the "Dirac Angestun Gesept" sends out a message where they claim responsibility and state that "the list is long."
* FollowThatCar: A variant. Mowry doesn't outright tell the taxi driver to "follow that car" to avoid drawing suspicion to himself. Instead he claims that he's unable to exactly name where he's heading, but he remembers how to get there, so if the driver would just please follow the directions that Mowry will give during the journey...
* GuileHero: Mowry relies on his wits and his ability to manipulate people and act unsuspicious.
* GutFeeling: One of the things that Mowry is taught: if you ever feel an inexplicable sense of dread, treat it seriously and ''run'', because it usually means that they're onto you. (It's speculated that this is actually subconscious telepathy, sensing the enemy agents' mental focus on catching him.) It saves Mowry's life at least once, making him move to a different apartament just before his current one is raided.
* KickTheDog: Sagramatholou's first on-page action is to beat up an old man and kick him while he's down. [[spoiler:This grants him AssholeVictim status once he dies by Mowry's hand.]]
* LaResistance: Mowry's primary task is to make it appear as if LaResistance exists in the form of ''Dirac Angestun Gesept'' (the Sirian Freedom Party) in order to distract the government and the StateSec with fighting a nonexistent enemy.
* ModernStasis: For a planet settled by an interplanetary alien empire from the future, Jaimec's technological level is pretty much on par with 1950s Earth. It might be a tad justified, because Syrians are stated to be technologically inferior, but still.
* NicknamingTheEnemy: Sirians call humans "Spakum", which means "bed bug". Humans return the favor by referring to them as "blowflies" (because of their blue bottoms.)
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Mowry has a choice--either to become a wasp, or get conscripted into the regular army.
* OneWordTitle
* PardonMyKlingon: The Sirian insult "soko", which apparently means something analogous to "bastard".
* PlanetTerra: Earth is called "Terra" and humans are "Terrans".
* PropagandaMachine: The Sirian empire covers up their military failures and regularly claims spectacular victories over the Terran fleet. The Sirian citizens find it rather hard to believe, though, especially thanks to the "wasps" undermining their morale.
* RubberForeheadAliens: The Sirians are very similar to humans, their most striking feature being their purple skin (and it's jocularly implied that lots of alcohol can get a human more purple than any Sirian), a "bow-legged gait", and a number of other minor differences. This allows Mowry to pass as a Sirian without suspicions.
* TranslationConvention: All conversations in Sirian are in English, but a number of Sirian slang terms remain (the swearword "soko", "yar" and "nar" which mean yes and no, and the VerbalTic "hi?")
* VerbalTic: Sirians have a tendency to occasionally add "hi?" at the end of questions, especially when irritated or menacing.
* YouGotMurder: One of Mowry's tactic is to send packages to several officials, which contain a loudly ticking mechanism and a message saying "This package could have killed you". He later sends another batch which looks and sounds exactly the same on the outside... except this time the bombs are real.
----
The list is long. \\
Dirac Angestun Gesept.''
''Wasp'' is a 1957 ScienceFiction [[SpyFiction spy thriller]] novel by Creator/EricFrankRussell.
In the future, Earth is engaged in a war with the alien Sirian Empire. The Terrans have the advantage of superior technology, but the Sirians have vastly greater resources and manpower. With the war at an impasse, Terrans need a way to tip the scales way into their favor, and bring the Sirians down for good.
Enter James Mowry, who is given [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse an offer he can't refuse]]: he will lend his skills and talents to the Terran cause and become a "wasp", a lone saboteur whose task is to bring one of the many Sirian planetary governments into chaos and give the Terrans an opportunity to attack. Mowry is given extensive training, disguised as a Sirian and sent to the planet Jaimec. With ample resources at his disposal, he proceeds with the plan, a great part of which is faking the existence of a revolutionary organization, the Dirac Angestun Gesept ("Sirian Freedom Party") to tie up the army and the Sirian StateSec, Kaitempi, with defending themselves against an imaginary enemy. But while the plan is going well, the government of Jaimec is slowly homing in on Mowry's person, and things are getting increasingly riskier.
----
!!The example list is long:
* AgentProvocateur: James Mowry's role.
* AssholeVictim: Mowry kills two agents of the Kaitempi, the Sirian StateSec known for their sadism and brutality.
* BavarianFireDrill: Used by Mowry to great effect. Half of his schemes work on the basis "act as if you were in charge, and nobody will question you". For example, he gets past a military cordon without an exit permit and without being asked too many questions by virtue of being disguised as a Military Intelligence officer and speaking with complete confidence. In another case he manages to plant fake wire-tapping devices on rooftops in full view of numerous bystanders, simply by doing so "openly and with quiet confidence."
* BlackAndGrayMorality: Some characters are deeply immoral, but certain of Mowry's actions are morally gray, such as when he booby-traps two civilian merchant ships, implicitly causing their crews' deaths.
* ChromosomeCasting: An extreme example. No women are ever mentioned in the novel, even as background characters.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Mowry and a couple of hired thugs disguise themselves as Military Intelligence and Kaitempi in order to break an ally out of jail.
* EnemiesList: {{Invoked}}. After every kill, the "Dirac Angestun Gesept" sends out a message where they claim responsibility and state that "the list is long."
* FollowThatCar: A variant. Mowry doesn't outright tell the taxi driver to "follow that car" to avoid drawing suspicion to himself. Instead he claims that he's unable to exactly name where he's heading, but he remembers how to get there, so if the driver would just please follow the directions that Mowry will give during the journey...
* GuileHero: Mowry relies on his wits and his ability to manipulate people and act unsuspicious.
* GutFeeling: One of the things that Mowry is taught: if you ever feel an inexplicable sense of dread, treat it seriously and ''run'', because it usually means that they're onto you. (It's speculated that this is actually subconscious telepathy, sensing the enemy agents' mental focus on catching him.) It saves Mowry's life at least once, making him move to a different apartament just before his current one is raided.
* KickTheDog: Sagramatholou's first on-page action is to beat up an old man and kick him while he's down. [[spoiler:This grants him AssholeVictim status once he dies by Mowry's hand.]]
* LaResistance: Mowry's primary task is to make it appear as if LaResistance exists in the form of ''Dirac Angestun Gesept'' (the Sirian Freedom Party) in order to distract the government and the StateSec with fighting a nonexistent enemy.
* ModernStasis: For a planet settled by an interplanetary alien empire from the future, Jaimec's technological level is pretty much on par with 1950s Earth. It might be a tad justified, because Syrians are stated to be technologically inferior, but still.
* NicknamingTheEnemy: Sirians call humans "Spakum", which means "bed bug". Humans return the favor by referring to them as "blowflies" (because of their blue bottoms.)
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Mowry has a choice--either to become a wasp, or get conscripted into the regular army.
* OneWordTitle
* PardonMyKlingon: The Sirian insult "soko", which apparently means something analogous to "bastard".
* PlanetTerra: Earth is called "Terra" and humans are "Terrans".
* PropagandaMachine: The Sirian empire covers up their military failures and regularly claims spectacular victories over the Terran fleet. The Sirian citizens find it rather hard to believe, though, especially thanks to the "wasps" undermining their morale.
* RubberForeheadAliens: The Sirians are very similar to humans, their most striking feature being their purple skin (and it's jocularly implied that lots of alcohol can get a human more purple than any Sirian), a "bow-legged gait", and a number of other minor differences. This allows Mowry to pass as a Sirian without suspicions.
* TranslationConvention: All conversations in Sirian are in English, but a number of Sirian slang terms remain (the swearword "soko", "yar" and "nar" which mean yes and no, and the VerbalTic "hi?")
* VerbalTic: Sirians have a tendency to occasionally add "hi?" at the end of questions, especially when irritated or menacing.
* YouGotMurder: One of Mowry's tactic is to send packages to several officials, which contain a loudly ticking mechanism and a message saying "This package could have killed you". He later sends another batch which looks and sounds exactly the same on the outside... except this time the bombs are real.
----
