History Literature / TheGoldenOecumene

%%* OedipusComplex

%%* TheyDo

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Rhadamanthus ''really'' likes to dress up as a penguin.

* LiteralMetaphor: Phaethon undergoes "a fall from grace" at the end of ''The Golden Age''. He also gets kicked off the space station he's on and has to physically descend the space elevator to the planetary surface.

* BewilderingPunishment: Ungannis thinks that [[spoiler:multiplying her personas and having many redact their memories in the dream that this will spare them, resulting in this for them, would horrify the Oceumene.]]

* BloodyMurder: [[spoiler: Atkins' blood contains nanite poisons.]]

* CommonalityConnection: Phaethon feels this for Atkins when he calls [[spoiler: the Phoenix Exultant "she" and not "it."]]

%%* CoolStarship

* DeathIsSuchAnOddThing: [[spoiler: The divergence between Daphne Prime and Daphne Tertius was the former's exposure to death at an early age.]]

* DoAndroidsDream: Says pretty clearly yes, all self-aware creatures do. In fact, making a creature or device self-aware legally makes you its parent.

** Also [[spoiler: Socrates at the end.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}} / FridgeBrilliance: When Daphne approaches Atkins' house, she notes a paddock and quintain off to one side. However, when Atkins comes out to meet her, he is noticeably wary of her horse. Daphne doesn't quite put the dots together for another chapter or so.

* HeroicBSOD: Phaethon has a somewhat literal moment in the second book; fortunately, [[spoiler: Daphne arrives to help with the reinstallation]]. Atkins has a brief moment in the third.
* HeroicSacrifice: Helion makes one pre-series, remaining on the solar station to protect [[spoiler: Phaethon and his ship]] during a solar storm.

** At the hearing [[spoiler: for Helion's property]], Gannis remarks that there's no chance of Phaethon winning his lawsuit [[spoiler: when all he had to do was wait ninety days]] because he's far too headstrong and is bound to do something stupid before then.

%%* NotSoDifferent

%%* HollowWorld: Or so it is claimed.

%%* TricksterArchetype

--> '''Ironjoy''': [[GoodFeelsGood "At last we shall begin a new era of peace, cooperation and prosperity!"]]
--> But he had forgotten to adjust his voice-programs, and the words were uttered in tones of dripping sarcasm.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

* BrokenAesop: An in-universe example with Wheel-of-Life's (?) ecoperformance criticizing Phaethon. She imagines that [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption overcompetition between linked systems will lead to mass extinction]], and so it does... as long as she is directly controlling the action. After the performance is over and the grove has time to recover, the trees re-adapt to one another and cooperate without any outside interference.

* VictorianBritain: The Silver Gray house deliberately models itself on this era -- chosen because it was the first time that people realized their societies were not laws of nature but had to be built and maintained.

''The Golden Oecumene'' trilogy (also known as ''The Golden Age'') is a series of works by JohnCWright set in a hard SF far future world.

* LibertyOverProsperity: Atkins's family's principles, as recounted by himself.

%%* PluckyGirl: Daphne Tertius.

* VillainProtagonist: Most of the Golden Oecomene believes Phaethon is this. Several of them tell him so to his face.
* VocalDissonance: an unintentional version:

* LeonineContract: Ironjay to the Afloats. The Afloats are outcasts and banned making any transactions--such as for thought-modifiers, mind-programs, hallucinogens, or food--with any reputable citizens of the Oecumene. Ironjay, however, is not reputable, and is quite willing to deal with them, for a price.