The Soldier Son (Literature)

Shaman's Crossing cover art by John Howe

The Soldier Son is a Fantasy trilogy by Robin Hobb, featuring a more modern setting than usual. The books are:

Contains examples of:

Agent Mulder: Epiny.
A Million Is a Statistic: As it turns out, the authorities of Gettys knew all along about the holy trees of the Specks and the creeping depression/fear; they just didn't care, since changing the road's route would draw trading away from Gettys.
Anti Anti Christ: Nevare doesn't particularly want to wipe out every Gernian in existence just because the Speck magic says so...
Anti-Magic: Iron.

Balancing Death's Books: Well, Soldier's Boy tries, at least.
Big Bad Friend: Hitch. Of course, things are a bit more complicated than usually in this trope, since there's no clearly Evil side. Not to mention he couldn't exactly help it.
Blessed with Suck: Being a wizard sounds great, but not when you realize what it can and will do to you, should you ever go against the will of your magic.

The Caligula: Nevare's father becomes this after the Speck Plague strikes his family.
The Cassandra: Nevare throughout most of the second book.
Cast from Calories: Speck Great Ones gouge on food (especially magically potent food) to become obese and full of magic. Using the magic withers all the stored fat from their bodies
Cold Iron: Iron stops magic and is harmful to magic-users.
Cosmic Plaything: Nevare, Buel Hitch, Nevare's father and others, for the magic.
Country Mouse: Nevare and most of the battle lords' sons, compared to the old nobles' sons.
The Chosen One: You get one guess.
Culture Clash: Between the Gernians and the Specks.
Cute Kitten: Comes into play near the end.

Daddy's Girl: This time it's Epiny.
Dating Catwoman: Olikea.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Amzil.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Gernian gender roles, among other things.
Despair Event Horizon: Nevare's father crosses it, and it drives him mad.
- Used as a weapon by the Speck magic in Forest Mage.

Fantastic Racism: Goes with the Mighty Whitey attitude of the Gernians, mentioned below.

Fantasy Gun Control: Averted.
Functional Magic: the "Wild" subtype (Speck); the Plains magic appears to be some kind of Force Magic.
Gaia's Vengeance: Subverted.
Gentlemen Rankers: Nevare ends up enlisting in the ranks after his expulsion from the Cavalla Academy. Aggravating his situation, Spink (who does have a commission) is assigned to the same regiment, as is the officer his former fiancee married.
Gods Need Prayer Badly: Averted.
Orandula: Do you honestly believe that we derive our powers because you believe in us? What sort of impotent god would that be?
Going Native: Although "being dragged" might be a better verb choice.
Gollum Made Me Do It: A curse here, a hand sign there, a steel knife there...

I Just Want to Be Normal: Nevare, fiercely. Provided "nobility, with lots of privileges" counts as normal.

Love Makes You Evil: Lisana at the end, killing two guards in a nightmarish way and trying to kill Amzil.
Man-Eating Plant: Corpse eating plant, although, of course, sometimes they make the corpses themselves...
Mighty Whitey: Deconstructed in Gernia's colonization of the Plainspeople and the Specks.
Moral Myopia: On all sides, regarding the others.
Murder the Hypotenuse: See Love Makes You Evil above.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Nevare gets a couple of these from Hitch, among others.
The Neidermeyer: Colonel Stiet, among others.
Noble Savage: Dewara. Possibly. Subverted with the Specks.

Pater Familicide: Mention is made of a father who strangled his wife and drowned his children before shooting himself.

Powered by a Forsaken Child: The Dance generates the creeping sense of gloom in Gettys and of terror in the forest outside the town.

Rebellious Princess: Epiny
Refusal of the Call: Nevare has practically disconnected the phone, and yet it keeps ringing ...
Rich Bitch: Carsina, and Epiny's mother.
Sentient Cosmic Force: The magic behaves much like this.
Shotgun Wedding: Epiny runs away in the night to meet Spink to force her parents' hands.
Spirit World: Nevare and Dewara's spirit journey, later the location of Tree Woman's afterlife.

Villainous BSoD: Although the villain in question is a lesser one.
Weaponized Weakness: Iron beats magic. And mages.
We Have Reserves: Kinrove's attitude towards the Dancers.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: All the Great Ones except Jodoli.
Wham Chapter: At least one per book.
What The Hell, Hero?: Despite meaning well, poor Nevare gets way more of these than words of encouragement.