History Literature / FirebirdTrilogy

* EmotionSupression: See the entry under PsychicPowers.

** [[spoiler:Tavkel Caldwell]], of Jesus, who is the Boh-Dabar, living expression of the Mighty Speaker, who comes to take darkness from all people and remake and restore the world to perfection.

* AlasPoorVillain: Brennen's reaction to [[spoiler:Phoena's]] death. [[invoked]]
* BadassPrincess: Firebird, while not technically a princess because of the Netaian inheritance structure, qualifies. She had a choice between going into advanced music studies or going into the military. She chose the military, and has repeatedly demonstrated her fighting skills. She also has no diplomatic skills, contrasting with PrincessClassic Carradee and PoliticallyActivePrincess Phoena.

-->''"It causes all the central motor neurons to fire. Every muscle contracts, every synapse sparks as if it were insane. It will near your muscles from the bones, and eventually stop your breathing . . . but it leaves sensory nerves intact to the very end."''

* ConvenientlyCoherentThoughts: Somewhat justified, as the telepaths don't merely read the thoughts off the surface off the mind; they are actively directing what they see.
* CrapsackWorld: Three Zed. Netaia isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, either.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The Federacy seems to be taking a turn for this. Well, given the political backdrop when Jesus walked the earth...
* DefectorFromDecadence: Firebird, [[spoiler:Terza Shirak]].

* {{Expy}}: [[spoiler:Tiala Caldwell]], of Mary.
** [[spoiler:Kinnor Caldwell]], of Lazarus.
** Subverted with [[spoiler:Kiel Caldwell]], who does not become an {{Expy}} of Caiaphas.
** [[spoiler:Tavkel Caldwell]] does not count as an {{Expy}} because He ''is'' Jesus.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Tel Tellai]], slowly over the course of the second book.

* TheFederation: The Federacy.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each book's name is based off of the main female character's name: ''Firebird'', ''Fusion Fire'', and ''Crown of Fire'' with Firebird; and ''Wind and Shadow'' with Wind Haworth.

* LivingLieDetector: Brennen, and presumably most of the upper-level Shuhr.
* ManchurianAgent: Devair Burkenhamn, courtesy of the Shuhr.
* MindlinkMates: Pair bonding, the natural outcome of sex for the telepathic races. The Shuhr have found a way to avoid this happening, allowing them to have sex without commitment. The Sentinels marry whomever they are compatible with (and only those they are compatible with--a pair bond between incompatible people causes both parties excruciating pain for the rest of their lives, as pair bonds are only breakable by death).

* MonsterSobStory: Poor, poor Arac Nahazh.

* PsychicBlockDefense: All telepaths have three forms of this:
** A basic mind shield that blocks out the emotional signals of those around them.
** A shield that keeps their own emotions under control.
** A shield that prevents other telepaths from entering their mind, unless the other telepath is strong enough to break through the shield.

** {{Telepathy}}
** TheEmpath
** MindOverMatter
** CompellingVoice
** EmotionSuppression
* PsychicStatic: The only way for a non-telepath to defeat a telepathic MindProbe.

* [[spoiler:TheStarsAreGoingOut: Rare heroic example, as state-of-the-art communication technology has ensured ''everyone'' hears the Word and understands the choice. The universe can therefore be remade.]]

* UterineReplicators: The Shuhr use this technology to create their children, rendering pregnancy all but obsolete in the central regions of Three Zed.

Lady Firebird Angelo is a royal wastling, born only to ensure that the royal line of Netaia does not die out and fated to commit honorable suicide now that her eldest sister has had two children. As a skilled military pilot, Firebird is ordered into the first wave of the attack against Veroh, a planet under [[TheFederation Federate]] protection, under orders to seek honorable death in combat. Unfortunately for her plans, her mental cry of distress over the death of her wingman (and best friend) is noticed by the telepathic Special Operations officer, Brennen Caldwell, piquing his interest. He orders her captured.

* SuccessionCrisis: The Wasteling tradition of Netaia was created in an attempt to avert these, by limiting the number of heirs the Queen has and killing off the aunts of the next generation of heirs so they can't try to steal the throne from their younger nieces.

* YouHaveFailedMe: {{Mook}} Arac Nahazh was in charge of the watch-link over TheMole who died under mysterious circumstances.

The Firebird Trilogy is a set of SpaceOpera novels by Kathy Tyers. Originally a duology released in the late '80s, in 2001 the series was rewritten to incorporate Christian themes and re-released, and a third book was added. In 2011, a fourth book came out, with a fifth and final book slated to be released in 2012.

* [[spoiler:TheStarsAreGoingOut: Rare heroic example, as state-of-the-art communication technology has ensured ''everyone'' hears the Word and understands the choice.]]

* ''Daystar'' (series finale, due out 2012)

* ColdBloodedTorture: The operation of the dendric striker.

* PoliticallyActivePrincess: Princess [[ManipulativeBastard Phoena Angelo]] of Netaia is very politically active. After [[TheFederation the Federacy]] takes over Netaia, she heads the resistance group and spearheads research into a biological WeaponOfMassDestruction capable of wiping out an entire planet, which she intends to use to threaten the Federacy into withdrawing. She contrasts with her PrincessClassic older sister, Carradee, and her BadassPrincess younger sister, Firebird.

* BodyHorror[=/=]ColdBloodedTorture: The operation of the dendric striker.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility

* AlasPoorVillain: Brennen's reaction to [[spoiler:Phoena's]] death. ([[InvokedTrope Invoked]])

* AlasPoorVillain: Brennen's reaction to [[spoiler:Phoena's]] death. [[invoked]]

** ''Wind and Shadow'': The Shadow possessing Tamím Bar'Baror.

The Firebird Trilogy is a set of SpaceOpera novels by Kathy Tyers. Originally a duology released in the late '80s, in 2001 the series was rewritten to incorporate Christian themes and re-released, and a third book was added. Two additional books are slated to be released in the early '10s.

* [[AlasPoorVillain Alas, Poor Villain]]: Brennen's reaction to [[spoiler:Phoena's]] death. [[invoked]]

* MindProbe: Both Sentinels and Shuhr are capable of this, although the Sentinels are only allowed to use it in very limited situations (such as for military interrogation).

* PsychicPowers: The defining feature of the Sentinels and the Shuhr. Specific abilities include:

* RacialRemnant: The planet Ehret was destroyed by civil war. Two groups fled the conflict. One group settled on an already populated planet and integrated into the existing structure, while still passing down Ehretan culture; they became the Sentinels. The other group settled on a previously barren world, creating a new culture that became known as the Shuhr.

* ''Wind and Shadow'' (due out 2011)

* BodyHorror / ColdBloodedTorture: The operation of the dendric striker.

* TheFederation: The Federacy

While interrogating her via [[MindProbe mind access]], he realizes that they are perfectly connatural: their brains function in the exact same way, potentially enabling them to connect far more deeply than they could with anyone who was not connatural with them. Not wanting to loose the only person perfectly connatural with him, Brennen offers Firebird Federate asylum. Firebird is thus forced to choose between her desire to live and her proud loyalty to a country that demands her death.

** ''Firebird'': Phoena Angelo
** ''Fusion Fire'': Eshdeth Shirak
** ''Crown of Fire'': Modabah Shirak

* DefectorFromDecadence: Firebird, [[spoiler:Terza Shirak]]

** ''Firebird'': Tel Tellai
** ''Fusion Fire'': Dru Polar
** ''Crown of Fire'': Micahel Shirak

* FalseFlagOperation: The Shuhr had one in the works to turn the Federacy against the Sentinels in ''Crown of Fire''. [[spoiler:They didn't get a chance to pull it off, though.]]

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: In several varieties. The Shuhr can induce this in their victims, so that the victim doesn't remember the less pleasant aspects of their treatment. The Sentinel Special Ops forces have a learned trigger which will cause them to forget any and all sensitive information they might know. (The latter overlaps with PsychicBlockDefense.)
* LivingLieDetector: Brennen, and presumably most of the upper-level Shuhr
* ManchurianAgent: Devair Burkenhamn, courtesy of the Shuhr

* MindProbe: Both Sentinels and Shuhr are capable of this, although the Sentinels are only allowed to use it in very limited situations (such as for interrogation).

* YouHaveFailedMe: {{Mook}} Arac Nahazh was in charge of the watch-link over TheMole who died under mysterious circumstances.

* RacialRemant: The planet Ehret was destroyed by civil war. Two groups fled the conflict. One group settled on an already populated planet and integrated into the existing structure, while still passing down Ehretan culture; they became the Sentinels. The other group settled on a previously barren world, creating a new culture that became known as the Shuhr.

!!This work provides examples of:

NeedsABetterDescription

A Christian SpaceOpera trilogy by Kathy Tyers, this work centers around Princess Firebird Elspeth Angelo of the planet Netaia, and the telepathic Special Operations officer Brennen Caldwell.

Books in the series:

!Tropes in this work