History Literature / TheStarsAreColdToys

* SlapOnTheWristNuke: Inverted in Danilov's backstory. Apparently, during the Russ-Ukrainian conflict over Crimea, he blew up the newest Ukrainian aircraft carrier with a single thermobaric bomb (incorrectly referred to as a "vacuum" bomb), launched from his fighter jet. It's unlikely that any missile, launched from an ordinary jet fighter, would be capable of obliterating a carrier[[note]]A "carrier kill" in the military is something that prevent the carrier from functioning; a carrier has never been outright destroyed since World War 2, and even that was only after the carrier was abandoned because it was taking on more water than could effectively be bailed out[[/note]]. In addition, thermobaric bombs are utterly terrible at destroying armored targets and buildings. They're anti-personnel weapons.

** Pyotr associates manage to obtain several prototypes of paralyzers, capable of stunning any biological organism. However, they are one-shot weapons, as human science is still incapable of recharging the unique battery used in the weapon.

** Early on, Pyotr muses that a shuttle glides with all the grace of a charcoal iron. Even passenger airplanes with disabled engines can only expect to crash. The last part isn't true at all. Most aircraft are designed with this in mind. In fact, as a rule, a large passenger airplane is fully capable of gliding in for a safe landing (in the event of a total engine failure) for up to 75 miles. There are numerous cases of this happening[[note]]In fact, it would actually be rather ''difficult'' to create an airplane that could not do this; the same principle of lift that allows an airplane to fly will, by definition, also allow it to glide. About the only thing an unpowered aircraft cannot do is gain altitude (smaller fliers like hang gliders or birds can sort of do this by riding thermals - columns of warm, rising air - but most powered aircraft are too heavy to do this)[[/note]]

** Early on, Pyotr muses that a shuttle glides with all the grace of a charcoal iron. Even passenger airplanes with disabled engines can only expect to crash. The last part isn't true at all. Most aircraft are designed with this in mind. In fact, as a rule, a large passenger airplane is fully capable of gliding in for a safe landing (in the event of a total engine failure) for up to 75 miles. There are numerous cases of this happening.

* ExactWords: When stealing a shuttle. The general in charge of the spaceport asks Pyotr if his grandfather is aboard. Having recently learned that he was adopted, Pyotr honestly answers that his grandfather is not aboard, and his confidence causes the General to hesitate. The General then asks where his grandfather and his assistant (using their names this time) are. Pyotr once again honestly replies that they're somewhere below him, clearly implying that they're on the ground when, in fact, they're on the same shuttle, just one level below.

* AlmightyJanitor: Many, if not most, Weak races are these to the Conclave (it's lampshaded several times in the text, with the general idea that Weak races are not weak in literal sence, but rather [[CripplingOverspecialisation overspecialised]]). Alari, who have the most powerful fleet, are enforcers. Counters can manipulate and transplant minds and have extreme endurance, but are used as living computers. Kualkua are symbiotic, timid, fearless amoeba-like creatures, used as universal translators and living chips in warheads. Then it's revealed that they pocess limited MindControl and can alter host's body, endoving him with sighnificant [[VoluntaryShapeshifter shapeshifter]] powers (BodySurf, ShapeshifterWeapon, HealingFactor, extreme adaptivity and law of mass conservation violation included). [[spoiler: And ''then'' they turn to be an enormous HiveMind, whose parts can communicate and ''instantly exchange their mass across half of a galaxy''.]] May be subverted if [[spoiler: these races, among with humanity, become Strong races in the end (this is uncertain).]]

* ArtisticLicenseEngineering: The ''Spiral'' shuttle is mentioned to weigh around 20 tons, while in reality it only weighed around 8 tons. It also seems to have enough space to fit a second pilot seat and some cargo pallets, while the real thing barely had enough space for one cosmonaut in a spacesuit. It’s entirely possible that some drastic modifications, including miniaturisation and the usage of more modern tech, were done, but it’s not mentioned directly in the text. The plane is also mentioned to be launched using a Proton rocket, which is not impossible (the capacity to LEO is ~23 tons), but implausible, since the Spiral was originally planned to be launched using a dedicated [[AirborneAircraftCarrier air-launch system]] based on a hypersonic bomber.

* SlapOnTheWristNuke: Inverted in Danilov's backstory. Apparently, during the Russ-Ukrainian conflict over Crimea, he blew up the newest Ukrainian aircraft carrier with a single thermobaric bomb (incorrectly referred to as a "vacuum" bomb), launched from his fighter jet. It's unlikely that any missile, launched from an ordinary jet fighter, would be capable of wrecking a carrier. In addition, thermobaric bombs are utterly terrible at destroying armored targets and buildings. They're anti-personnel weapons.

* FTLTravel: The jumper allows a ship to instantly punch through the folds of space in identical increments of just over 12 light years. The Conclave races use SubspaceOrHyperspace for interstellar travel that still takes months. The Geometers combine the two methods by entering hyperspace and then jump, allowing them to achieve extraordinary speeds.

* ExplosiveLeash: When Pyotr is captured by the Russian government, he is fitted with an explosive collar (specifically designed to explode inward to prevent collateral damage). If he gets too far away from his guide, the collar with explode. Like the [[StunGuns paralizers]], this is a prototype technology developed by an agency that watches sci-fi movies for good ideas.

* StunGuns:
** Pyotr associates manage to obtain several prototypes of paralizers, capable of stunning any biological organism. However, they are one-shot weapons, as human science is still incapable of recharging the unique battery used in the weapon.
** When Nik Rimers is taken by Geometers, they threaten him with their own stunners, which, as they claim, are not weapons (despite their pistol-like shape) but medical tools used to incapacitate patients for surgery. Nik laughs at the ridiculousness of this self-delusion.

While there's no official English translation for the novels, a fan translation of the first novel can be found [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13979099/1/The-Stars-Are-Cold-Toys here]].

** [[spoiler:The Geometers' homeworld and Earth were colonized by humans from the Core]].