History Literature / BelDameApocrypha

* PrettyBoy: Rhys, A LOT. Almost EVERY character comments on how pretty he is. And due to his status as an IneptMage, it may well be the only reason Nyx keeps him on the team in the first book.

* UnusualEuphemism[=/=]FutureSlang: "Catshit" is used in place of "bullshit". (Sandcats are large creatures used to pull carts.)

* WorldOfActionGirls: Most of the main cast is made up of tough women hardened up by their harsh environment. More generally, boxing is a popular pastime in this world, and almost completely female-dominated due to many men being away for the war.

* {{Bloodsport}}: Boxing is a popular form of entertainment on Umayma, and far more brutal and seedy than the modern-day version. Weight classes are apparently not a thing, and bouts have no set number of rounds, so fights continue until one boxer is knocked out or submits. Certain passages even indicate that boxers losing eyes or bits of their ears is not an uncommon occurrence, even though they wear gloves that seem to be little different from our own. Merely leaving the ring with a bashed-up face is practically a given.

* {{Bloodsport}}: Boxing is a popular form of entertainment on Umayma, and far more brutal and seedy than the modern-day version; there are no set numbers of rounds, so fights continue until one boxer is knocked out or submits, and certain passages indicate that boxers losing eyes or bits of their ears is not an uncommon occurrence. Merely leaving the ring with a bashed-up face is practically a given.

* {{Bloodsport}}: Boxing is a common form of entertainment on Umayma, and far more brutal than the modern-day version; certain passages indicate that boxers losing eyes or bits of their ears is not an uncommon occurrence. Merely leaving the ring with a bashed-up face is practically a given.

A ScienceFiction trilogy by Kameron Hurley, consisting of ''God's War'', ''Infidel'', and ''Rapture''.

* FantasticRacism: There is serious societal discrimination against [[{{Shapeshifting}} shifters]] in Ras Tieg and Tirhan.

* FantasticReligiousWeirdness: Mecca, and even Earth itself seem to, at best, be vague memories so of course no one prays in it's direction. In addition the Chenjans have added a sixthe prayer period. But the really strange part is Nasheen which is an Islamic ''matriarchy''.

* TimeSkip: At the end of Part I of the first book, we skip a year (the year Nyx is in prison). Then seven more years pass between Part I and Part II. And between the end of the first book and the start of the second, there is another time skip of six years.

* BodyHorror: SO MANY instances: [[spoiler:We know that Nyx cut off Raine's cock, inducing his RoaringRampageOfRevenge against her. Later in the first book Nyx loses two fingers to ColdBloodedTorture by Rashida, as well as almost losing her legs to bloodworms as part of the torture. In the second book her chest ''explodes'' from a magical disease, leaving her with almost no breast tissue.]] But the most horrifying example thus far is in the second book: [[spoiler: Rhys not only loses his hands, but ''has to have them replaced with someone else's.'' They're ugly and stubby and ''not his.'' Nyx hates them almost as much as he does.]]

** Then again, we're not sure how long a year is on Umayma. It may be longer than an Earth year...

* InternalDeconstruction: According to Hurley, she started writing the trilogy because of her dissatisfaction with the way that {{Action Girl}}s in SF and UrbanFantasy were often written: as having been made that way against their wills, lamenting their inability to achieve AcceptableFeminineGoals, and benefiting from BeautyIsNeverTarnished to keep them sexy for male audience members. She decided to create a female character who actually was a gender-swapped version of a truly badass male action hero. Then she decided that action heroes of that kind were basically assholes regardless of gender, explaining why the books become gradually less approving of Nix as a person as they go on.

* InternalDeconstruction: According to Hurley, she started writing the trilogy because of her dissatisfaction with the way that {{Action Girl}}s in SF and UrbanFantasy were written as having been made that way against their wills and lamenting their inability to achieve AcceptableFeminineGoals, and wanted to create a female character who actually was a gender-swapped version of a truly badass male action hero. Then she decided that action heroes of that kind were basically assholes regardless of gender, explaining why the books become gradually less approving of Nix as a person as they go on.

* {{Badass}}: Nyx, ''of course''. Rhys. Khos. Inaya [[TookALevelInBadass levels up in a major way]] at the end of the first book.

* {{Islam}} [[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE]]: Along with Future Space Catholics and Future Space Orthodox Jews, among others. It's sort of implied that all the different races and religions came from EarthThatWas, but seeing as 3,000 years have passed between the time the First Families settled Umayma and the time the books take place, the details are very fuzzy indeed.

** Good old-fashioned racism abounds, too. During Rhys's time in Nasheen, practically every Nasheenian woman on the street hurls slurs at him, "black man" being the mildest.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: Kameron Hurley was an amateur boxer, and many scenes in the trilogy take place in gyms or boxing rings.

* HumanAliens: Even if they're full-fledged ''H. sapiens'', human visitors from other worlds are referred to as "aliens".

* RunningGag: Nyx is a lousy shot. She may be a decent boxer, and an excellent fighter when it comes to swords, knives, and her whip ([[WhipItGood her favorite]])--but she can't shoot worth a [[IncrediblyLamePun damn]].

A ScienceFiction trilogy by Kameron Hurley, consisting of ''God's War'', ''Infidel'', and ''Rapture.

A ScienceFiction trilogy by Kameron Hurley.

The first two books are ''God's War'' and ''Infidel''. The third book, ''Rapture,'' is due out October 23, 2012.

* BilingualBonus: "Bel dame" literally translates as "beautiful girl" and has been used ironically to refer to an ugly old woman, but while researching the book the author discovered [[PunctuationShaker "bēl damê"]] was also [[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike an ancient Assyrian/Babylonian term meaning "blood avenger"]].