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Secrets of Power
(aka: Shadowrun Secrets Of Power Trilogy)

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Secrets of Power (Literature)
Never deal with a dragon.

The Secrets of Power trilogy is a series of novels written by Robert N. Charrette set in the Shadowrun universe. It is a Cyberpunk and Dungeon Punk universe where The Magic Came Back in 2012 and much of the world underwent surprising mutations into elves, orks, trolls, and dwarves.

Sam Verner is an unlucky computer programmer working for Renraku Corporation when he finds out his sister is undergoing goblinization. This brings shame to his family and he is transferred to the Renraku arcology in Seattle and derails promising career in Tokyo. Along the way, his plane is hijacked by a group of Shadowrunners that he ends up befriending. From there, he is introduced to the complicated and terrifying world of crime in 2050. Eventually, he will discover that he is a shaman and the fate of the world depends on him.

The series consists of:

  • Never Deal with a Dragon (1990)
  • Choose Your Enemies Carefully (1991)
  • Find Your Own Truth (1991)


This series contains the following tropes:

  • Big Bad: Three.
    • Haesslich the Dragon is the primary party behind the murder of Haena Norwood and the Hutton clone.
    • Hyde-White is the secret master of the Hidden Circle and a wendigo corrupting Sam's sister.
    • Spider is an insect totem who wants to bring about The End of the World as We Know It.
  • Brought Down to Normal: Sam Verner loses his shamanic powers after the Ghost Dance burns them out destroying Spider.
  • Consummate Professional: Ghost is a great deal more interested in doing the job without drama than other Shadowrunners, having an in-universe reputation for doing the job regardless of personal feelings and sweating the details.
  • Cool Bike:
    • Sally and Dodger drive a Yahama Rapiers, which are the equivalent of the Akira bike.
    • Unlike the rest of his team who ride Yamahas, Ghost rides a customized Harley.
  • Cool Old Guy: Daniel Howling Coyote is the world's most powerful shaman and happy to help Sam with his sister.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Happens multiple times in the novels.
    • Sally's crew manages to take out the dragon Haesslich despite the fact, well, he's an immortal dragon.
    • Sam despite being a beginning shaman manages to destroy Hyde-White in a magical duel.
    • Sam, Daniel Howling Coyote, and Janice use the Ghost Dance to destroy the Spider insect totem. Is a Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu moment, though since two of them die while Sam is Brought Down to Normal.
  • Cool Sword: Sally keeps an intricately crafted mage sword at her side at all times.
  • The Cracker: Dodger is a professional hacker renowned throughout the Shadowrunning world.
  • Hollywood Hacking: As a Decker, this comes with the territory and Dodger is one of the best in the world.
  • Honor Before Reason: Sam wanted to arrest Mr. Drake, the man who killed his girlfriend, rather than kill him.
  • Magical Native American: Averted. He's one of the few non-mages among the group.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Sally Tsung tends to do her runs in a bikini top and shorts with a Badass Longcoat.
  • Nay-Theist:
    • Sally Tsung deeply contemptuous of religion despite the proven existence of Mentor Spirits.
    • Sam tries to put all of Shadowrun's mythology through a Judeo-Christian lens that isn't accurate.
  • Not Quite the Right Thing: Sam has a history of this.
    • Sam helps the signature characters on a run in hopes of protecting his fellow captives after they're all kidnapped. It results in his boss being sexually assaulted when left alone with some gang members.
    • Sam tries to defect from Renraku with his girlfriend. Hanei is murdered along with several other Runners when they're used as decoys.
    • Sam assumes that Dodger is in on Ms. Hart's betrayal of him just because he's an elf.
    • Sam steals an opal that is actually the capstone for a protective barrier that binds away an insect totem.
  • Only in It for the Money: While an honorable and decent man, he states that he's a Shadowrunner for this.
  • Ridiculously Average Guy: A middle class white heterosexual American Christian male is actually notable in Shadowrun compared to other settings.
  • Robosexual: Dodger falls in love with one of the world's three A.I.s Pre-Second Crash.
  • Sewer Gator: In the second of the Never Deal with a Dragon trilogy of novels, the protagonist Sam learns that generations of childhood belief in the fact that alligators live in sewers after being flushed has caused them to become an urban magical totem as well as a nature one.
  • Strange-Syntax Speaker: Dodger inexplicably speaks in Shakespearian flourishes, referring to women as "milady" and men as, "Sir [their name]."
  • Unexplained Accent: Has a Victorian English accent reminescent of a Dickens character despite being a product of the modern world.


Alternative Title(s): Shadowrun Secrets Of Power Trilogy

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