Parellity is a 2012 adventure novel by Brad Cole. The book is about a young man, Douglas Moreau, who finds himself transported from his apartment in the city to the planet of Parellity.
After escaping from a group of marauders called the Corsairs and fighting a strange, alien creature, Doug is brought to the city of Harborage, the Last Fertile Region in a continent-spanning desert. After some convincing, Doug is persuaded to help protect the city from an impending attack by the Corsairs. As the battle draws nearer, it becomes apparent that greater forces are working their influence over the Corsairs, the people of Harborage, and Doug.
This book contains the following tropes:
- Alien Sky: Parellity has some weird skies. Purple sky rather than blue, three moons, and two suns, one a red giant and one a blue dwarf.
- Awesome, but Impractical: The Kraid shotgun, while powerful enough to blow a hole through a Corsair bike, uses ammo not found anywhere on Atrea and so is discarded shortly after its use.
- Bittersweet Ending: While the Corsairs are defeated and pushed out of Harborage, the occupation of the CORE means that things are back to the way they were under Abend's rule.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: In the time it takes Doug to beat down one Corsair, Archer kills or knocks out over ten. Without breaking a sweat.
- The CORE does this to most of the invading Corsair army.
- Dynamic Entry: Archer is introduced this way, along with a dose of...
- Super Window Jump: ...and a bit of...
- Destination Defenestration: ...and it's as cool as it sounds.
- Super Window Jump: ...and a bit of...
- Establishing Character Moment: The first thing we see of Archer is him climbing up the side of a building, punching through one of the windows, and pulling a Corsair out to his death. Badass indeed.
- When we meet Valentich, he's yelling and snarking at a group of incompetent recruits.
- Yon Yonson: Completely oblivious to the danger he's in, like always.
- Expy: What are you talking about, Valentich totally isn't Malcolm Reynolds.
- Keeping up with the Firefly theming, Archer is Jayne, though much smarter and more loyal.
- Gunship Rescue: There is an entire chapter called Big Damn Gunships.
- Mood Whiplash: Explicitly referred to just after the Kraid is killed, and Yon Yonson can be found almost oblivious to the recent danger.
- Mooks: Individual Corsairs, though hardly weak, as it takes most of Doug's strength to take down just a couple.
- Mortal Wound Reveal: To Doug, just after the last Corsair buggy is set on fire.
- Nerves of Steel: Part of Doug's character development is getting over his fear and adrenaline.
- No OSHA Compliance: Though really, did you expect as much from the Corsairs?
- Shout-Out: So many.
- Yon Yonson's name.
- "What do you think about naming our little pride and joy here Mobius?"
- The Templars bear a striking resemblance to Spartans.
- Abend's personal guard also share similarities with a different kind of Space Marine.
- The final battle also reminds of the Battle of Helm's Deep.
- Our protagonist steps through a mundane portal between our world, and a new and strange land. Are we talking The Chronicles of Narnia, or Parellity?
- Those Two Guys: Mr. Hall and Mr. White, the mysterious men who continuously contact Doug.
- Too Dumb to Live: You'd think that the Corsairs would eventually stop trying to capture Independents alive, considering how many times they manage to escape.
