Orphans of Gaia is a book series by independent author S.G. Olson. It follows Max Hartford, a young man who is forced to leave his home after he discovers he can use magic. He is also pursued by an ancient dragon with a God Complex and a mysterious Masked Man who is intent on killing Max. Eventually Max and his friends find themselves further involved in the conflict which could determine the fate of the world.
- Badass Army: Though mostly a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits, The Phoenix Brigade becomes a true force to be reckoned with composed of the New Angel's, the remaining members of the Genian Resistance, and powerful allies recruited by Max.
- Big Bad: Forge is the central antagonist and remains the greatest threat to Gaia and the main characters.
- Big Bad Ensemble: While Forge is the central antagonist Annabelle, The Masked Man/Marcus, and Dion are all more personal antagonists. Later they are joined by the other Reapers Teal, Silver, Morgan, Stella, and Lionel.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Intially with Hawk, Jay and Tina. Later they are joined by the blue-haired Lily and a second Redhead Sparky.
- Corrupt Church: The Genian Church does not have a positive reputation in Western Gaia. Captain Dion is initially pleasant but eventually reveals himself as a religious zealot and even allies with Forge.
- Ensemble Cast: Max is the Main Protagonist and viewpoint character, but he shares the spotlight with the other mostly Jay, Hawk, and Alex.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: The initial four Main Characters (Max, Jay, Hawk, and Alex) fall into this with Max being Phelgmatic, Jay as the Sanguine, Hawk as the Choleric, and Alex as the Melancholic. Max does adopt more Sanguine characteristics as he grows in confidence and leadership and Jay becomes more phlegmatic.
- It's Personal with the Dragon: After the Masked Man is revealed to be Marcus his rivalry with Max becomes much more personal and emotional. Jay and Hawk also develop a deep rivalry with Forge's most loyal follower Annabelle due to her being revealed to be Jay's sister. And Alex of course has to deal with his adopted father Dion.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Dragons in Gaia are not monsters but simply another race of humanity, even having the ability to change between human and dragon forms.
- Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Actually averted. The Dwarves in Gaia share more with actual Dwarfs and not the stereotypical fantasy Dwarves, and there are actually more female dwarves in the main cast than male, notably Sparky and Roll.
- Our Trolls Are Different: Unlike the typical monstrous Trolls, the Trolls of Gaia are stone-skinned nomadic giants, and nowhere close to the Always Chaotic Evil race they're often portrayed as.
- Tied-Together-Shoelace Trip: Frequently happens to Jay due to her shoelaces always being untied. In Haven Oasis this is actually one way boys can show a girl they're interested in them which Jay admits she finds strange. Becomes a bit of a Chekhov's Gun when Hawk pulls this trick on Annabelle in the first book and helps Jay to defeat her or at least one of her water clones.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: How Hawk basically relates to everyone even after she warms up to them. Chip and Shadow also become this after their initial antagonism towards each other.
