History Literature / EarlyRiser

* IncongruouslyDressedZombie: Some of the Nightwalkers show up wearing strange clothes, or nothing at all. Eddie Tangiers was naked when he suffered neural collapse in his sleep, so when he's discovered he's both totally nude and "displaying a tumescence of considerable size and rigidity." Creator/CarmenMiranda, who in this AlternateHistory did not die in 1955, shows up as an aged woman in a ballgown and a fruit hat. [[spoiler: Carmen keeps the fruit hat even after she's cleaned up and put in a pair of standard coveralls by the Campaign for [=RealSleep=] ]].
* InhumanableAlienRights: Once a person suffers neural collapse during hibernation, they're declared legally dead. All Nightwalkers can move around and feed themselves, several can speak, and "tricksy" ones can perform skills they possessed before neural collapse (like playing the bouzouki, sketching scenes from life, or translating speech into Morse code), but in the eyes of the law they're either the property of [=HiberTech=] or vermin to be eliminated for a bounty.

** Porter Lloyd has been storing Nightwalkers in the basement of the ''Sarah Siddons'' Dormitorium to make a bit of extra cash. When Charlie needs to get to the Sno-Trac vehicle in the parking garage, they have to navigate six hungry Nightwalkers in the dark.
** The [[spoiler: ''Giraldus Cambrensis'']] was supposed to be emptied out following a boiler meltdown that would have destroyed the miniature nuclear power plant in the basement, leaving the building frigid and highly radioactive. When Charlie takes shelter from a storm inside, they find it's full of Nightwalkers [[spoiler: that Campaign for [=RealSleep=] agents Jonesy and Toccata are harboring inside, rather than killing or turning over to [=HiberTech=] ]].

* ZombieAdvocate: If any citizen holds the belief that Nightwalkers are anything more than the brain-dead husks of the people they use to be, they're not stupid enough to publicize the fact. But there are those who risk execution to "harbor" their loved ones after they turn, hiding the Nightwalkers away and keeping them fed on illegally obtained foodstuffs. [[spoiler: The Campaign for [=RealSleep=] is full of individuals who go out of their way to protect and rehabilitate Nightwalkers, including Jack Logan, Bronwyn "Jonesy" Jones, Toccata, "Hugo Foulnap"/ "Danny Pockets", and eventually Charlie. Josh-the-secretary-from-[=HiberTech=] also defects to their side, bringing a Nightwalker named Wendy with him.]]

* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: Famous works of theater like Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet and Theatre/{{Agamemnon}} have slightly altered plots that reflect the fact that humans hibernate during the winter. Both the Zeffirelli's [[Film/RomeoAndJuliet1968 film adaptation]] and [[Creator/BazLuhrmann Baz Luhrmann's]] [[Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet version]] of Romeo and Juliete are mentioned, in the context of how the respective directors handle Romeo's awakening in Spring (expecting to see Juliete beside him but finding the desiccated corpse of his beloved instead).

A sci-fi/ fantasy/ crime/ satirical comedy AlternateHistory novel by Creator/JasperFforde, ''Early Riser'' is set in a world where the last ice age never ended and the human population hibernates to survive. During the bitterly cold eight-week-long "month" of Standard Winter, the world is a snow-draped landscape of desolate loneliness, devoid of human activity.

...well, not quite.

Protagonist Charlie Worthing has just joined the ranks of the Winter Consuls, a group of committed but mildly unhinged misfits responsible for ensuring the hibernatory safe passage of the sleeping masses. The decision might have been spur-of-the-moment, but Charlie will get to work with the best in the industry: Jack Logan, a famed Winter Consul with over 20 years experience under his belt.

Charlie's first overwinter shift is supposed to be a safe, simple affair. Just filing and paperwork and doing laundry for the senior agents. But when Jack Logan is suddenly removed from the picture during a routine assignment, Charlie is compelled by duty to carry out Logan's investigation into an outbreak of viral dreams in Talgarth -- home to [[MegaCorp [=HiberTech=] headquarters]] and one of the remotest regions of Sector 12.

But teasing truth from Winter is never easy. Anyone who wants to survive the 118 days from Slumberdown to Springrise will have to avoid roving Villains (with their penchant for [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking murder, kidnapping and stamp collecting]]); ensure they aren't eaten by [[TechnicallyLivingZombie Nightwalkers]] (whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food); and sidestep the dangers of the increasingly [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve less-than-mythical]] [=WinterVolk=] of lore. Charlie will also have to contend with the minefield of allegiances out in Sector 12. One wrong move could upset the delicate balance between the Winter Consul, [=HiberTech=], and the assorted shamans, dreamers, drowseys, porters, and insomniacs who all have their reasons to keep active during the coldest and most dangerous time of the year.

** The British Isles don't exist - the story takes place on the "Albion Peninsula," attached to the continent of Europia. [[labelnote:Great Britain has, in the real world, been a peninsula of Europe.]] Great Britain was a peninsula of Europe during the last real-world ice age: ocean levels were much lower, owing to the amount of water locked away in glacial masses. When that ice age ended and the atmosphere warmed, the landbridge known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doggerland Doggerland]] floodded, creating the British Isles we know today.[[/labelnote]] Wales still exists though, and is part of a political entity called the "Northern Federation." The Northern Federation appears to be in conflict with the still extant Ottoman Empire. Both male and female characters are introduced as veterans of either the first or second campaigns in the Ottoman.

** Recognizable brands (Snickers, Jaffa Cakes, Ambrosia Rice, etc...) and cultural figures like Tom Jones still exist, but James Bond is instead "Jane Bond."

* ChemicalMessiah: Morphenox.

** Morphenox (and its counterpart "Juvenox" for the under-12 set) is the recently developed drug that puts humans into a deep, dreamless hibernatory state and prevents them from accidentally waking halfway through their hibernation. Before the introduction of Morphenox in 1974 (several decades before the start of the book), there was a much higher death rate among hibernators. Waking up early or dreaming too intensely could cause hibernators to burn through too much of their stores of fat, leaving them to starve to death before spring. The side effect of Morphenox is that 1/3,000 overwinter users suffer a neural collapse while asleep, ending up nearly-brain dead cannibals. These "Nightwalkers" are declared legally dead and either killed outright, harvested for their organs, or reprogrammed to perform menial labor for a few years and ''then'' harvested for their organs.

* MadDreamer: The viral dreams afflicting the overwinter crowd who take berths on the 9th Floor of the ''Sarah Siddons'' end up driving the dreamers mad. Suzy Watson snapped, attacking customers in the Mrs. Nesbit's tea room and ending up "thumped" by Toccata. Roscoe Smalls walked out into the winter and froze to death to avoid the dreams. Moody snapped and attacked the facade of Mrs. Nesbit's with an axe, ending up "thumped" by Agent Hooke.

* TheSocialDarwinist: While the majority of the population would prefer to see Morphenox made available to everyone, there are also those who espouse the belief that hibernation weeds out those who are unfit to survive. The [[EncyclopediaExposita chapter header]] for "Over the Hump" provides one such example:

But teasing truth from Winter is never easy. Anyone who wants to survive the 118 days from Slumberdown to Springrise will have to avoid roving Villains (with their penchant for [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking murder, kidnapping and stamp collecting]]); ensure they aren't eaten by Nightwalkers (whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food); and sidestep the dangers of the increasingly [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve less-than-mythical]] [=WinterVolk=] of lore. Charlie will also have to contend with the minefield of allegiances out in Sector 12. One wrong move could upset the delicate balance between the Winter Consul, [=HiberTech=], and the assorted shamans, dreamers, drowseys, porters, and insomniacs who all have their reasons to keep active during the coldest and most dangerous time of the year.

But teasing truth from Winter is never easy. Anyone who wants to survive the 118 days from Slumberdown to Springrise will have to avoid roving Villains (with their penchant for [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking murder, kidnapping and stamp collecting]]); ensure they aren't eaten by Nightwalkers (whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food); and sidestep the dangers of the increasingly less-than-mythical [=WinterVolk=] of lore. Charlie will also have to contend with the minefield of allegiances out in Sector 12. One wrong move could upset the delicate balance between the Winter Consul, [=HiberTech=], and the assorted shamans, dreamers, drowseys, porters, and insomniacs who all have their reasons to keep active during the coldest and most dangerous time of the year.

* RummageSaleReject: Villains, being deposed English aristocracy who have taken up banditry and kidnapping to maintain their illegal estates, dress in a combination of "upper class" signifyers (tweed, HighClassGlass, etc...) and warm winter gear. When Lord Farnesworth first threatens Charlie, his outfit is described as such:
--> He was dressed in the mismatched blend of clothes that was the adopted uniform of the Winter Villain: much-mended ski salopettes with a mammoth-wool tweed jackets under a down-filled puffa, criss-crossed with belts of thermalites. He had large boots, again mismatched, a sturdy tea cosy for a hat which was embroidered 'A gift from Whitby' and was missing his nose -- frostbite, I figured. There was also a scar the thickness of a little finger that ran from his forehead to his chin by way of his left eye -- which held a cracked monocle.

* SexualEuphemism: Intimate activities are referred to as "bundling", and enjoying one's own company is called "bundling with yourself." Partners for such activities are referred to as either "bundlechums" or "dumbundles."

* TallDarkAndHandsome: Jack Logan is introduced as a man who "was tall, dark, and had with matinee idol good looks."

* DreamWeaver: [[spoiler: Aurora specialized in interrogating the targets of [=HiberTech=]'s security team]], racking up hundreds of hours poking around in the dreams of her victims. She eventually developed the ability to mold their dreams to her will and used it to [[spoiler: torture confessions and information out of suspects]].

---> '--when I was two my parents sold the option on my firstborn to Partwood Associates to pay off their gambling debts. The option was resold several times before being packaged with other subprime child options and eventually on to Jim Treacle as part of a collateralised child obligation. my genetic sleep disorder means I possess a genome in which [=HiberTech=] have a great deal of interest. I've chosen not to license my genetic rights, and my unborn should have that right, too. I don't want them to go to [=HiberTech=] to be some kind of -- I don't know -- lab rat.'

%%** Jim Treacle the Bondsman.

%%* RepressiveButEfficient:

** The [[spoiler: ''Giraldus Cambrensis'']] was supposed to be empty following a boiler meltdown that would have destroyed the miniature nuclear power plant in the basement, leaving the building frigid and highly radioactive. When Charlie takes shelter from a storm inside, they find it's full of Nightwalkers [[spoiler: that Campaign for [=RealSleep=] agents Jonesy and Toccata are harboring inside, rather than killing or turning over to [=HiberTech=] ]].

* DismembermentIsCheap: Due to the large supply of Nightwalkers who are "parted out" when their usefulness is up, there's a high availability of spare organs (for those who need a transplant) and entire limbs (for those who need a replacement).

** The [[spoiler: ''Giraldus Cambrensis'']] was supposed to be empty following a boiler meltdown that would have destroyed the miniature nuclear power plant in the basement, leaving the building frigid and highly radioactive. When Charlie takes shelter from a storm inside, they find it's full of Nightwalkers [[spoiler: that Campaign for [=RealSleep=] agents Jonesy and Toccata are harboring inside, rather than killing or turning over to [=HiberTech=].

** The "wastage" of citizens who don't make it through the winter results in constant public panic that the population will die off faster than it can be replaced. Women are encouraged to have as many children as possible, and each successful birth results in a "Silver Stork" award. The government split over whether they should offer more benefits/ subsidies to mothers and families (the liberal position), or to shame the barren and enforce stiffer penalties for women who don't produce (the conservative position).

** Morphenox (and it's counterpart "Juvenox" for the under-12 set) is the recently developed drug that puts humans into a deep, dreamless hibernatory state and prevents them from accidentally waking halfway through their hibernation. Before the introduction of Morphenox in 1974 (several decades before the start of the book), there was a much higher death rate among hibernators. Waking up early or dreaming too intensely could cause hibernators to burn through too much of their stores of fat, leaving them to starve to death before spring. The side effect of Morphenox is that 1/3,000 overwinter users suffer a neural collapse while asleep, ending up nearly-brain dead cannibals. These "Nightwalkers" are declared legally dead and either killed outright, harvested for their organs, or reprogrammed to perform menial labor for a few years and ''then'' harvested for their organs.

** The British Isles don't exist - the story takes place on the "Albion Peninsula," attached to the continent of Europia. [[labelnote:Great Britain has, in the real world, been a peninsula of Europe.]] Great Britain was a peninsula of Europe during the last real-world ice age: ocean levels were much lower, owing to the amount of water locked away in glacial masses. When that ice age ended and the atmosphere warmed, the landbridge known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doggerland Doggerland]] floodded, creating the British Isles we know today.[[/labelnote]] Wales still exists though, and is part of a political entity called the "Northern Federation." The Norther Federation appears to be in conflict with the still extant Ottoman Empire. Both male and female characters are introduced as veterans of either the first or second campaigns in the Ottoman.
** English nobility was disbanded during the "devastating Class Wars" of the ninteeth century, with the royal family rumored to be living in asylum in British Columbia (or hiding out in a mansionette in the countryside). Other members of the aristocracy have taken to living in the wilderness beyond the reaches of society as bandits called "Villains," occasionally kidnapping citizens keep their hideouts fully staffed with butlers, maids, and pastry chefs.

** Shakespeare and Greek Mythology still exists, but famous works like Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet and Theatre/{{Agamemnon}} have slightly altered plots that reflect the fact that humans hibernate during the winter. Both the Zeffirelli's [[Film/RomeoAndJuliet1968 film adaptation]] and [[Creator/BazLuhrmann Baz Luhrmann's]] [[Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet version]] of Romeo and Juliete are mentioned, in the context of how the respective directors handle Romeo's awakening in Spring (expecting to see Juliete beside him but finding the dessicated corpse of his beloved instead).

* BravingTheBlizzard: The last few chapters take place as a blizzard sweeps into Sector 12, with temperatures at -40 degree Celsius and wind gusts that can lift a man off his feet. Multiple characters are forced to travel through the cold, both on foot and in large snow-trac vehicles. And while Charlie might be able to negotiate with trigger-happy Consul agents or scheming [=HiberTech=] security personnel, no one can negotiate with a blizzard.

* BullyingTheDisabled: Gary Findlay, one of Charlie's pool-mates, bullied Charlie for their [[facial deformity]] until Charlie snapped at the age of nine and bit Gary's ear off.

* DreamingOfTimesGoneBy: Invoked -- part of the viral dream infesting the Sarah Siddons involves the dreamer dreaming that they've become Don Hector (the inventor of Morphenox) sitting on a pile of boulders at the base of a huge oak tree. As Charlier discovers, this isn't just a dream [[spoiler: but an actual memory of Don Hector's that became a dream-trap for anyone trying to explore Don Hector's recorded dreams. It's those recorded dreams/memories that [=HiberTech=] is playing back, projecting them into the minds of the sleepers at the Sarah Siddons.]]

* MegaCorp: [=HiberTech=] is the sole producer and provider of Morphenox, the [[ChemicalMessiah wonder drug]] that puts humans into a safe, dream-free hibernatory state and lowers the risk of dying overwinter from early waking and overtaxing neural activity. They've also taken responsibility for managing the unfortunate 1-in-3000 morphenox users who suffer a total neural collapse during hibernation, turning the mindless, cannibalistic Nightwalkers into productive menial laborers and plentiful organ donors (an industry that generates a considerable amount of value).

* RummageSaleReject: Villains, being deposed English arristocracy who have taken up banditry and kidnapping to maintain their illegal estates, dress in a combination of "upper class" signifyers (tweed, HighClassGlass, etc...) and warm winter gear. When Lord Farnesworth first threatens Charlie, his outfit is described as such:
--> He was dressed in the mismatched blend of clothes that was the adopted uniform of the Winter Villain: much-mended ski salopettes with a mammoth-wool tweed jackets under a down-filled puffa, criss-crossed with belts of thermalites. He had large boots, again mismatched, a sturdy tea cosy for a hat which was embroidered 'A gift from Whitby' and was missing his nose -- frostbite, I figured. There was also a scar the thickness of a little finger that ran from his forehead to his chin by way of his left eye -- which held a cracked monacle.

* ZombieAdvocate: If any citizen holds the belief that Nightwalkers are more than the brain-dead husks of the people they use to be, they're not stupid enough to publicize the fact. But there are people who risk execution to "harbor" their loved ones after they turn, hiding the the Nightwalkers away and keeping them fed on illegally obtained foodstuffs. [[spoiler: The Campaign for [=RealSleep=] is full of individuals who go out of their way to protect and rehabilitate Nightwalkers, including Jack Logan, Bronwyn "Jonesy" Jones, Toccata, "Hugo Foulnap"/ "Danny Pockets", and eventually Charlie. Josh-the-secretary-from-[=HiberTech=] also defects to their side, bringing a Nightwalker named Wendy with him.]]

* MadDreamer: The viral dreams afflicting the overwinter crowd who take berths on the 9th Floor of the Sarah Siddons end up driving the dreamers mad. Suzy Watson snapped, attacking customers in the Mrs. Nesbit's tea room and ending up "thumped" by Toccata. Roscoe Smalls walked out into the winter and froze to death to avoid the dreams. Moody snapped and attacked the facade of Mrs. Nesbit's with an axe, ending up "thumped" by Agent Hooke.

%%* RecurringDreams: Invoked

** Porter Lloyd has been storing Nightwalkers in the basement of the ''Sarah Siddons'' Dormitoria to make a bit of extra cash. When Charlie needs to get to the Sno-Trac vehicle in the parking garage, they have to navigate six hungry Nightwalkers in the dark.

** The British Isles don't exist - the story takes place on the "Albion Peninsula," attached to the continent of Europia. [[note:]] Great Britain was a peninsula of Europe during the last real-world ice age: ocean levels were much lower, owing to the amount of water locked away in glacial masses. When that ice age ended, the landbridge known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doggerland Doggerland]] floodded, creating the British Isles we know today.[[/note]] Wales still exists though, and is part of a political entity called the "Northern Federation." The Norther Federation appears to be in conflict with the still extant Ottoman Empire. Both male and female characters are introduced as veterans of either the first or second campaigns in the Ottoman.

** The story takes place in an alternate version of the United Kingdom, where the Ice Age still continues and the human population hibernates through winter. Humans bulk up by gorging on fatty foods before they hibernate, and grow a hairy "winter coat" to survive the extreme cold.
** The British Isles are part of a political entity called the "Northern Federation" which appears to be in conflict with the Ottoman Empire. Both male and female characters are introduced as veterans of either the first or second campaigns.
** English nobility has been disbanded, with the royal family rumored to be living in asylum in Canada (or hiding out in a mansionette in the countryside). Lesser houses have taken up living in the wilderness beyond the reaches of society as bandits called "Villains," occasionally kidnapping citizens keep their hideouts fully staffed with butlers, maids, and pastry chefs.
** Recognizable brands (Snickers, Jaffa Cakes, Ambrosia Rice, etc...) and cultural figures like Tom Jones still exist, but James Bond is instead "Jane Bond." Shakespeare and Greek Mythology still exists, but famous works like Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet and Theatre/{{Agamemnon}} have slightly altered plots that reflect the fact that humans hibernate during the winter.

* EerieArcticResearchStation: Zig-Zagged - Sector 12 isn't in the Antarctic, it's in Wales. But the encroaching ice sheets from the north result in regular blizzards and -40 degree temperatures that make most of the British Isles little better than the arctic in winter time. [=HiberTech=]'s research facilities and manufacturing plant are situated in Sector 12.

%%* DreamingOfTimesGoneBy: Invoked

%%* MadDreamer:

* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Aurora and Toccata are playing a long-distance game of chess, and are both invested in obscure strategies that they hope will pay off and allow them to outmaneuver the other. Because they never seem to run into each other in real life, they have to relay their moves through various agents who act as go-betweens for [=HiberTech=] and the Winter Consul office.

%%[[caption-width-right:315:some caption text]]

* BabiesEverAfter: Downplayed -- [[spoiler: Brigitta and Charles]] go on to have two daughters.

** The [[BreedingCult Sisters of Perpetual Gestation]] run child rearing pools (i.e. orphanages), and their religious calling dictates they fill the pools with as many children as possible... by giving birth as many times as they're physically able to do so. Even leadership in the sisterhood seems to linked to one's ability to give birth, with Mother Fallopia claiming that her decision to step down from the position of Mother Superior is due to "flagging fertility" (after she had given birth to 28 infants).

* IncongruouslyDressedZombie: Some of the Nightwalkers show up wearing strange clothes, or nothing at all. Eddie Tangiers was naked when he suffered neural collapse in his sleep, so when he's discovered he's both totally nude and "displaying a tumescence of considerable size." Creator/CarmenMiranda, who in this AlternateHistory did not die in 1955, shows up as an aged woman in a ballgown and a fruit hat. [[spoiler: Carmen keeps the fruit hat even after she's cleaned up and put in a pair of standard coveralls by the Campaign for [=RealSleep=] ]].

* OneSteveLimit: Charlie's name is similar to Brigitta's husband, Charles. [[spoiler: When Brigitta turns into a Nightwalker, she's only able to say the phrase "I love you, Charlie," as "Charlie" was her nickname for her husband. It gives protagonist Charlie quite a shock to hear the supposedly brain-dead Brigitta declare her love for them, before Charlie realizes the origin of the phrase.]]

** Porter Lloyd has been storing Nightwalkers in the basement of the ''Sarah Siddons'' Dormitoria to make a bit of extra cash. When Charlie needs to get to the [=SnoTrac=] vehicle in the parking garage, they have to navigate six hungry Nightwalkers in the dark.

But teasing truth from Winter is never easy. Anyone who wants to survive the 118 days from Slumberdown to Springrise will have to avoid roving Villains (with their penchant for [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking murder, kidnapping and stamp collecting]]); ensure they aren't eaten by Nightwalkers (whose thirst for human flesh can only be satisfied by comfort food); and sidestep the dangers of the increasingly less-than-mythical [=WinterVolk=] of lore. Charlie will also have to contend with the minefield of allegiances out in Sector 12. One wrong move could upset the delicate balance between the Winter Consul, [[=HiberTech=]], and the assorted shamans, dreamers, drowseys, porters, and insomniacs who all have their reasons to keep active during the coldest and most dangerous time of the year.

** D-reem is a drug Shaman Bob and his coterie of dreamers take to enhance their dreams.

---> 'Treacle has told [=HiberTech=] he wants two million euros as my eighteenth.'

* MegaCorp: [=HiberTech=] is the sole producer and provider of Morphenox, the [[ChemicalMessiah wonder drug]] that puts humans into a safe, dream-free hibernatory state and lowers the risk of dying overwinter from early waking and overtaxing neural activity. They've also taken responsibility for managing the unfortunate 1-in-3000 morphenox users who suffer a total neural collapse during hibernation, turning the mindless, cannibalistic Nightwalkers into productive menial laborers and plentiful organ donors.

!!Tropes in ''Early Rise'':

* Teen Pregnancy: Discussed as one method to stem the "wastage" that happens every year when young children and able-bodied adults die during hibernation. One character mentions that this would mean redefining who counts as a "child," as pregnancies are frowned upon until women turn 18. Even the Villains (who have no compulsion against kidnap, murder, and theft) look down on teen pregnancy, with the outlaw Lady Farnesworth quoted saying "one does not approve of child with child."

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Downplayed -- Charlie [[spoiler: was born with an extensive facial deformity]] which is hardly mentioned until several chapters in.