History StuffBlowingUp / Literature

* ''Literature/TheBeyonders'' has orantium, an extremely volatile substance that explodes on contact with air or water. In the first book, the protagonists carry a single (rare) specimen of the stuff to serve as an EmergencyWeapon, and its singular use is devastating enough to end a skirmish (with most of the combatants in pieces). [[spoiler: In later books, the heroes find an entire ''arsenal'' of the stuff, and at one point, ''trick a shapeshifter into turning its entire body into orantium.'' The resulting blast leaves a ''mushroom cloud.'']] Interestingly, [[GeniusBonus nearly all of orantium's portrayal points to being an alkali metal]], [[UpToEleven just on fantasy steroid.]]

* In ''Discworld/SoulMusic'' by Creator/TerryPratchett, there's a dramatic scene near the beginning when a wooden carriage is speeding along a narrow mountain road. The carriage misses a turn and crashes far below in the canyon, exploding on impact. (With the mandatory wheel rolling away from the wreckage, which is, in accordance with ancient narrative tradition, on fire.)

** In ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'', the wizards of Unseen University make the [[HideousHangoverCure ultimate hangover cure]] by tossing together every normal hangover cure they can think of, and three magic spells. The final ingredient, provided by Munstrum Ridcully, is Wow-Wow Sauce, a condiment that contains two-thirds of the making of gunpowder. The other wizards, seeing this trope coming, hide behind the furniture. When Ridcully upends the entire bottle, ''nothing happens''. It's only as Ridcully is chiding his colleagues' lack of backbone when the fireball erupts.
** Because [[OurDragonsAreDifferent swamp dragons]] have such volatile internal chemistry, they have a tendency to blow themselves up. This was weaponized in ''Discworld/MenAtArms'' by a power-hungry Assassin.

* [[spoiler: The fate of the titular manor in the BittersweetEnding]] in ''Literature/MurderAtColefaxManor''.

** Blowing anything (especially themselves) up is very much a staple of the Ankh-Morpork Alchemists' Guild. Well, that and turning [[strike:lead into gold]] gold into less gold. (When Cheery Littlebottom joined the Watch as a Forensic Alchemist, Sam Vimes asks her how she left the Guild, and she answers, "Through the roof, sir.")

** Blowing anything (especially themselves) up is very much a staple of the Ankh-Morpork Alchemists' Guild. Well, that and turning [[strike:lead into gold]] gold into less gold.

* While he was generally on the side of huge explosions being a bad thing, Creator/HBeamPiper not only [[spoiler: nuked a major city]] in ''Uller Uprising'', ''[[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20728/20728-h/20728-h.htm Space Viking]]'' (one of the most {{badass}} names in literature) featured three uses of the Bethe-cycle bomb, commonly known as the "hellburner." What does this do, you ask? This creates '''A MINIATURE SUN WHICH LASTS SEVERAL HOURS''' in the target area, destroying everything within about ''a thousand miles''. Anyone pack the marshmallows? The craters are ''still'' smoking roughly two weeks later.

* [[spoiler: The fate of the titular manor in the BittersweetEnding of]] ''Literature/MurderAtColefaxManor''.

* In ''[[Literature/VampireAcademy Last Sacrifice]]'', Rose's escape includes giant statues and stone walls blowing up.

* In ''Literature/{{Havemercy}}'', Royston's Talent is making things explode. He manages to state this in the wordiest way possible.
* While he was generally on the side of huge explosions being a bad thing, Creator/HBeamPiper not only [[spoiler: nuked a major city]] in ''Uller Uprising'', ''[[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20728/20728-h/20728-h.htm Space Viking]]'' (one of the most {{badass}} names in literature) featured three uses of the Bethe-cycle bomb, commonly known as the "hellburner." What does this do, you ask? This creates '''A MINIATURE SUN WHICH LASTS SEVERAL HOURS''' in the target area, destroying everything within about ''a thousand miles''. Anyone pack the marshmallows? The craters are ''still'' smoking roughly two weeks later.
** Later in the same book, during a space battle an enemy cruiser survives several hits from antiship missiles. Frustrated beyond endurance, the ship's gunner smacks it with a ''planetbuster bomb''. The resulting explosion lit up the sky for a hemisphere of the planet they were orbiting at the time.
* ''In Literature/ProjectNRI'', Louise and Juuri attempt to break everyone out by blowing up a window. [[spoiler:It fails.]]

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': "Then there was a crash and a flash of flame and smoke. The waters of the Deeping-stream poured out hissing and foaming: they were choked no longer, a gaping hole was blasted in the wall."

* In ''Literature/WizardAndGlass'', the fourth book in Franchise/TheDarkTower series by Stephen King, Roland et al. blow up an ''entire oil field''. It is impressive.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': It's not a proper day in the life of Harry Dresden if something hasn't exploded. Also, the premise of one of the best BatmanColdOpen beginnings ever.
-->"The building was on fire, and it [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial wasn't my fault]]."
** Much later on, when he's told that his duel has to stay within the confines of the arena, his response is, "Well, I have this ''[[DestructiveSaviour thing]]'' with buildings..."
* In the finale of ''Literature/DarknessVisible'' we get Marsh throwing [[spoiler: a bottle of pyroglycerine from the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, with predictably messy results for the crowd of bad guys below.]]
* Each of the Draconian races from ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' die in...inconvenient ways, including one breed that explodes on death.
* ''Literature/TheBeyonders'' has orantium, an extremely volatile substance that explodes on contact with air or water. In the first book, the protagonists carry a single (rare) specimen of the stuff to serve as an EmergencyWeapon, and its singular use is devastating enough to end a skirmish (with most of the combatants in pieces). [[spoiler: In later books, the heroes find an entire ''arsenal'' of the stuff, and at one point, ''trick a shapeshifter into turning its entire body into orantium.'' The resulting blast leaves a ''mushroom cloud.'']] Interestingly, [[GeniusBonus nearly all of orantium's portrayal points to being an alkali metal]], [[UpToEleven just on fantasy steroid.]]
* It's a rare Literature/StephaniePlum book that doesn't have something (usually Stephanie's current AllegedCar) getting blown up or set on fire.

* While he was generally on the side of huge explosions being a bad thing, HBeamPiper not only [[spoiler: nuked a major city]] in ''Uller Uprising'', ''[[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20728/20728-h/20728-h.htm Space Viking]]'' (one of the most {{badass}} names in literature) featured three uses of the Bethe-cycle bomb, commonly known as the "hellburner." What does this do, you ask? This creates '''A MINIATURE SUN WHICH LASTS SEVERAL HOURS''' in the target area, destroying everything within about ''a thousand miles''. Anyone pack the marshmallows? The craters are ''still'' smoking roughly two weeks later.

* MatthewReilly: This is his signature style. By the 3rd book of his ''Shane Schofield Trilogy'' this was being lampshaded all over the place.

* ''TheBeyonders'' has orantium, an extremely volatile substance that explodes on contact with air or water. In the first book, the protagonists carry a single (rare) specimen of the stuff to serve as an EmergencyWeapon, and its singular use is devastating enough to end a skirmish (with most of the combatants in pieces). [[spoiler: In later books, the heroes find an entire ''arsenal'' of the stuff, and at one point, ''trick a shapeshifter into turning its entire body into orantium.'' The resulting blast leaves a ''mushroom cloud.'']] Interestingly, [[GeniusBonus nearly all of orantium's portrayal points to being an alkali metal]], [[UpToEleven just on fantasy steroid.]]
* It's a rare StephaniePlum book that doesn't have something (usually Stephanie's current AllegedCar) getting blown up or set on fire.

** Much later on, when he's told that his duel has to stay within the confines of the arena, his response is, "Well, I have this ''[[DestructiveSavior thing]]'' with buildings..."

* ''TheLordOfTheRings'': "Then there was a crash and a flash of flame and smoke. The waters of the Deeping-stream poured out hissing and foaming: they were choked no longer, a gaping hole was blasted in the wall."

** Played for laughs in the sports sections. Making fun at the fact that AmericansHateSoccer, they have an alternate sport to the popular wizard-esque football Quidditch: Quodpot, in which the players try to catch an explosive quaffle and not let it fall down.

* In the ''HarryPotter'' series, this is the result if the Killing Curse (''Avada Kedavra'') hits an inanimate object instead of its intended target, [[MadeOfExplodium it will explode]].