Intricate multi-page diagrams aren't even the start of it.
The Guild of Specialists trilogy is a series of novels by children's author Joshua Mowll, published by Walker Books. They are designed to look like diaries and are filled to the absolute brim with maps, diagrams and sketches, some folding out to as much as four or five pages. There are antique photographs (purportedly) of the characters and settings and museum-style photographs of objects that appear in the books.
The premise is thus: after the death of his grandmother, Rebecca MacKenzie, the author discovered a hidden passageway behind a bookcase in her house. This led him down a flight of stairs to a series of vaults (there are colour photographs and diagrams of everything described). After "persuading" one of them to open, the author enters it to discover a rich and varied treasury of objects, artifacts, notes, and diaries that tell the story of her life. The three books that follow are that story, and the objects, diagrams, and photos contained therein all come from that secret collection.
The series follows the lives of Rebecca and Douglas MacKenzie in their quest to find their parents after they disappeared while on an expedition to the Sinkiang desert in China. The children soon discover that they were members of a secret society known (where it is known) as The Honourable Guild of Specialists.
The books have been widely praised for their elaborate setup and their incredible ability to make you wonder if you might not, somehow, be reading a real account.
General Tropes:
- Affectionate Nickname: Liberty da Vine calls Becca and Doug "cuz" since they pretended to be her cousins when they first met.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Zoridium. A few grains can do anything from serve as an accelerant in a torpedo to power a machine capable of changing the planet's atmosphere.
- Attack Animal: The Dutchess, a great big white tiger trained to kill people who enter the room without knocking. And she belongs to the heroes.
- Badass Creed: The Guild of Specialists have one that is recited whenever one enters into the Guild: Honor, Duty, or Death.
- Bald of Authority: Master Aa is the Large and in Charge bald leader of the Sujing Quantou, a Chinese military order.
- The Captain: Fitzroy MacKenzie is the captain of the Expedient.
- Cool Ship: The Expedient. A research ship with a submarine on board and heavily armed to boot with massive disappearing guns, torpedo tubes and a 12-pound machine gun.
- Dead All Along: Three of the Sujing Quantou orders have long-documented histories and influences, with the exception of the Southern Chapter which vanished c. 326 B.C. Their fate is revealed in the second book: their ship ran aground and was buried in a mudslide.
- Deadly Disc: The Sujing Quantou's Eastern Chapter (the first one introduced) use a number of discus-type weapons with a number of effects: explosive, smoke bombs, gas bombs, etc. This is intended as a nod to their Greek ancestry.
- Direct Line to the Author: And how. The entire setup is that everything in the books are a documentation of real events. It is incredible how well done it is.
- The Engineer: Wolfgang Schmidt for the Expedient. When Captain MacKenzie finds himself forced to fight in a ship-to-ship duel with Sheng-Fat in the first book, he insists on having Schmidt freed so he can operation the engines.
- Family Business: The MacKenzies have been involved with the Guild of Specialists for at least 200 years by the time the books started, oftentimes in a Sibling Team.
- Force and Finesse: Becca and Doug's preferences in swordsmanship. Becca prefers a rapier, while Doug is much more comfortable with a heavier weapon like a saber (during the climax of the first book Becca specifically finds him a cutlass to use).
- Handicapped Badass: Captain MacKenzie has a limp in one leg, but that doesn't stop him from battle.
- Katanas Are Just Better: The Eastern Chapter of the Sujing Quantou use a pair of katanas as their primary melee weapons.
- Large and in Charge: Master Aa, the leader of the Sujing Quantou, is even larger than his hulking bodyguard.
- Living MacGuffin: Hamish and Elena MacKenzie, Becca and Doug's parents. Their primary reason for the kids going on this adventure is to find their parents.
- No Hugging, No Kissing: Four married couples appear, but nothing more romantic than that ensues.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Xi and Xu. Xi is impetuous and arrogant while Xu is quiet and introspective.
- Portmanteau: The gyrolabes were named by combining the words "astrolabe" and "gyroscope".
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Doug is the red, Becca is the blue. Doug is outgoing and sociable while Becca is quiet and withdrawn.
- Ruthless Modern Pirates: Sheng-Fat and his Tong operate mostly in the South China Sea.
- Sibling Team: At least three sets throughout the MacKenzie family. Cameron and Duncan quelled the Northern Chapter's rebellion in the 1700s, Fitzroy and Hamish are involved in expeditions, as are Becca and Doug.
- Speech Impediment: Posh Charlie has a noticeable stutter.
- Team Chef: Mrs. Ives is the cook onboard the Expedient. Also the only woman crewman.
- These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: A pervading discussion throughout the books, as there are constant debates over zoridium and its potential, which have been raging since 326 B.C.E., leading to the founding of the Sujing Quantou. In this case, when Alexander the Great reached the Indus Valley where the gyrolabes and 99 elements texts were found, the decision was made to separate the materials so they could not be used for war, which were given to the best reconnaissance units in Alexander's army and taken as far away as they could.
- The Triads and the Tongs: The main villains of the first book are a tong led by Sheng-Fat, who have just acquired a set of highly dangerous torpedoes.
Tropes that appear in Operation Red Jericho:
- Angrish: Inverted with Posh Charlie, whose Speech Impediment disappears whenever he's in danger.
- Big Bad: Sheng-Fat, who ordered the creation of the zoridium torpedoes that the crew of the Expedient seeks to destroy.
- Broomstick Quarterstaff: Xi uses a broomstick to fight the cook on Chung-Fat's ship.
- Character Tics: Ives mentions that his nose twitches whenever there's danger ahead.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Xi first appears as a mischief-maker in the Sujing Quantou's fireworks shop.
- Collateral Damage: A missed shot by Sheng-Fat's motor torpedo boat winds up blowing up one of his junks.
- Death Glare: Sheng-Fat and his brother Chung-Fat are described as having extremely cold eyes for their default expressions.
- Disney Death: Wireless operator Sparkie is initially believed dead thanks to the telegraph office being bombed in the battle at Wenzi Island. He's later found alive, having been blown into the secret cabin, providing Captain MacKenzie with another set of hands.
- Distressed Dude: Chambois is chained to the Expedient's hull for Sheng-Fat to use as target practice.
- Don't Try This at Home: The diagrams for the fog generator are listed with warnings against making a similar device due to the high possibility of electrocuting oneself.
- Dramatic Slip: Xi's fight with the cook ends with him slipping on fish guts and getting captured.
- Fingore: Sheng-Fat likes to collect the pinky fingers of his victims. Enough to have a whole necklace.
- Follow That Car: Becca and Doug attempt this to follow Julius Pembleton-Crozier, but the rickshaw driver gets too tired and they have to follow him on foot.
- Ghostly Gape: The dead prisoner in a neighboring tide cage has his jaw hinging up and down depending on where the tide is.
- He Knows Too Much: Julius Pembleton-Crozier murders the captured Sheng-Fat before leaving Wenzi Island.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Happens twofold with Sheng-Fat; he is captured after the back-blast from one of his torpedoes flips his boat, then his fortress is destroyed when the rest of his torpedoes are detonated.
- Improvised Weapon: Xi and Xu take out a gun emplacement with a flaming basket.
- Inertial Impalement: Master Aa takes out one of Sheng-Fat's pirates by sticking his katana out into the hallway and letting the man walk into the blade.
- In-Series Nickname: Julius Pembleton-Crozier is initially referred to as "Linen Suit" before his name is revealed.
- Knockout Gas: Mrs. Ives and the Duchess were gassed by the villains and brought to Wenzi Island.
- Mundane Utility: The Sujing Quantou also use their expertise in explosives to create spectacular fireworks.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Sheng-Fat orders his men to disable, not sink the Expedient because he wants the guns.
- Scary Teeth: Sheng-Fat has filed his teeth to sharp points.
- Siblings in Crime: Sheng-Fat and his two brothers Chung-Fat and Li-Fat. The latter is a Posthumous Character who was killed when Chambois escaped Sheng-Fat.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The Battle at Wenzi Island ends with Sheng-Fat's fortress being completely vaporized when the zoridium torpedoes are detonated."In a blinding blue flash, Sheng-Fat's fortress ceased to exist."
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Sheng-Fat declines to just stab Chambois. Instead, he decides to try and avenge his brother's death (caused by Chambois) by blowing him up with a zoridium torpedo.
- Would Hurt a Child: When Sheng-Fat learns that the MacKenzie siblings are of no value to him, he tries to take Becca's finger, only to be interrupted by the Expedient's attack on the fortress.
- Wrecked Weapon: When Xu attempts to cut the tide cages, the rusted blade he uses eventually snaps.
- You Killed My Father: Sheng-Fat has a grudge against Chambois for sabotaging a torpedo so it blew up the ship that Sheng-Fat's brother was on.
Tropes that appear in Operation Typhoon Shore:
- Abandon Ship: What happens to the Expedient at the end of the book. Already beached, an explosive charge set off during the battle with the Kalaxx rips a large hole in its hull and the crew is forced to scuttle it offshore.
- Big Bad: Julius Pembleton-Crozier's mining operation with the Kalaxx is the force that the crew of the Expedient seeks to stop.
- Cain and Abel: Julius Pembleton-Crozier and Posh Charlie are brothers. Charlie wants to defend the secrets of the Tembla and zoridium, while Julius seeks to make a profit.
- Evil Counterpart: The Coterie of Saint Petersburg was founded as an offshoot of the Guild who wanted to profit off zoridium.
- Face–Heel Turn: Alfonso Borelli betrays the Guild and steals the Eastern gyrolabe to give to the Coterie of Saint Petersburg.
- Given Name Reveal: Posh Charlie's surname is Pembleton-Crozier, making him and Julius Pembleton-Crozier brothers.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Posh Charlie manages to free Captain MacKenzie, Becca, Doug and Liberty from the gravitational pull of the gravity machine, but is severely injured from the pressure.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: The original Coterie of Saint Petersburg was destroyed when their gravitational machine exploded thanks to unstable electronics.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Posh Charlie's translation of Tembla texts allowed the Cotiere of St. Petersburg and the Kalaxx to find the Tembla zoridium mines. This is why Charlie sacrifices himself to free Becca, Doug, Liberty, and the Captain from the gravity machine.
- Private Military Contractors: The Kalaxx, the disgraced Northern branch of the Sujing Quantou. After losing a war with the other two branches of the Sujing Quantou where they tried to take over the order, they sought employment with the Russian government, serving them from 1720 to 1861. What that ended, they became miners and mercenaries for hire.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Posh Charlie has unpleasant memories of his time in the trenches during the Battle of the Somme in World War I and cites this as an example of humanity's inability to use technology wisely.
- Sword and Gun: The Kalaxx's main weapons are a single-shot pistol and sword.
- Villain Team-Up: The Coterie of Saint Petersburg teams up with the Kalaxx to mine zoridium.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Alfonso Borelli says he has a year to live, and is determined to make his mark on history, specifically as the "greatest scientist since Newton".
Tropes that appear in Operation Storm City:
- Alas, Poor Villain: Despite the centuries-long feud between the Kalaxx and the other orders of the Sujing Quantou, the Sujing Quantou and the crew of the Expedient feel that the Kalaxx didn't deserve to be mowed down.
- Big Bad: General Nikolai Pugachev, a Romanov loyalist who seeks to use Ur-Can to wipe out the Bolsheviks for the death of his family. He's also the Greater-Scope Villain for the present events because he captured Hamish MacKenzie and his wife, fueling their children's search that is the driving force behind the entire trilogy.
- Deadly Gas: Pugachev's forces used mustard gas to kill the Western Chapter of the Sujing Quantou.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Capulus serves as The Heavy for the first third of the book, then disappears when the protagonists board the Cotiere's zeppelin.
- Disney Villain Death: Julius Pembleton-Crozier kicks Pugachev off the control platform to his death. Pembleton-Crozier does the same to himself a few moments later.
- Disposable Pilot: Some of Capulus' men are caught disposing of the crew of the Maharaja's train. When confronted, they choose to follow their victims off the train.
- Due to the Dead: When the MacKenzie siblings, Xi, Xu, and Liberty catch up to Captain MacKenzie and the Sujing Quantou, they're in the midst of burying the warriors who accompanied Becca and Doug's parents.
- End of an Age: This book details the fall of the Sujing Quantou as their weapons prove inadequate against modern technology like machine guns and flamethrowers.
- Enemy Mine: Becca and Doug team up with Julius Pembleton-Crozier to stop Pugachev from activating Ur-Can.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Pugachev's family was killed by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution and his plot is to avenge them by causing mass climate change to kill the Bolsheviks.
- Everybody's Dead, Dave: Xi and Xu reveal that the Western Chapter of the Sujing Quantou was murdered by Pugachev's forces. The rest were killed on the expedition headed by Becca and Doug's parents.
- Fire-Breathing Weapon: Pugachev's forces use flamethrowers mounted on horses alongside their machine guns.
- Flaying Alive: Pugachev had a man flayed alive for speaking out against the Czar.
- The Ghost: Dante, a Native Guide in the Sinkiang. Pugachev sought him out when he looked for Ur-Can in 1912 and Becca told the Cotiere to find him, but Captain MacKenzie tells Becca and Doug that the Kalaxx killed him after getting information from him before they meet him.
- Last of His Kind: Xi and Xu are left as the only surviving members of the Sujing Quantou.
- Not Quite Dead: Professor Zorid, the scientist Chambois was framed for killing back in the first book. The only difference is that he's taller than before as an effect of inhaling too much of the fumes from zoridium, which explains the great size of the members of the Sujing Quantou.
- Number Two: Capulus was General Pugachev's deputy on an expedition to find Ur-Can in 1912.
- Put on a Bus: Posh Charlie is still recovering from his wounds received in the previous volume.
- Red Shirt Army: The Maharaja's guards are all Killed Offscreen by Capulus' men before attacking the rest of the train.
- Robbing the Dead: Pugachev's men take the northern gyrolabe from the Kalaxx after slaughtering them.
- Running Gag: Liberty's blunderbuss misfires throughout the book. It winds up being more useful as a blunt weapon until it breaks.
- Schizo Tech: The flamethrowers used by Pugachev's men as a cavalry contingent are a peculiar blend of new and old technology.
- Side Effects Include...: Inhaling too much of the vapors from zoridium will make you taller, as evidenced with the Sujing Quantou and Professor Zorid.
- Together in Death: Master Aa and his wife, with Master Aa's last instructions to bury them together at Ur-Can.
- Trick Arrow: The Western Chapter of the Sujing Quantou use arrows as their ranged weapons, from arrows tipped with zoridium explosives to standard explosive arrows to regular arrows.
- Undying Loyalty: One of Pugachev's trademarks is his fanatical loyalty to the Romanovs.
- Weather of War: How Pugachev intends to use Ur-Can: Create a massive storm that will disrupt Soviet agriculture and bring down the Bolsheviks.
