History Literature / TheHaremGames

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cover01.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[CoversAlwaysLie This scene doesn't occur in the book.]]]]

At some point in the distant future, some kind of gender specific pathogen nearly wipes out the human race by killing, shortening the lifespan and greatly reducing the viability of the male gender. The exact cause is unknown and all attempts to find a cure were met with abject failure. In addition, the oppressed female population of numerous patriarchal societies fixated more on revenge and preventing the return of the male population to dominance by creating a horrific, mandatory tournament where young male teens are forced to fight each other to the death until only one remains. After some 200-odd years, the tournament has evolved into a format where these teenagers are forced to build a BattleHarem of 6-15 girls to become their brides and assist them. This tournament is called [[TitleDrop the Harem Games]]. The story follows one of these participants, Alex Dolorean and his harem.

%%* AllMenArePerverts: Played straight with several contestants.
* AllWomenAreLustful: Alex's brides are all very ''eager'' to consummate their relations with him.
* ApocalypseHow: Class 1. The book starts by explaining how the yet unidentified pandemic ravaged the human population, starting with adult males.
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: Shinobi, Alex's sex slave, wanted to be his first, and was completely distraught when someone else got there ahead of her.
* BastardBastard: Ash's parents were never married, and he's a truly despicable example of humanity.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Alex is the living epitome of this trope. He is officially the sweetest, most sensitive, gentle, patient, and kind guy on the planet... until Ash and his flunkies push him way too far.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Alex and his brides are clearly the victims and the antagonists are clearly villains.
* BullyingADragon: [[MuggingTheMonster At first, the other contestants who harass him had no idea how dangerous Alex is]]. After having several dramatic illustrations of how dangerously powerful and intelligent he is, his rivals ''still'' continue to harass him, only being spared from retaliation because he's forbidden from fighting back. Once he's allowed to retaliate, [[CurbStompBattle they don't stand a chance]].

* ChickMagnet: Alex is ''very'' popular with women on both sides of the fourth wall.

%%* DefiantToTheEnd: A truly villainous example from Ash towards Alex. He gets the smug beaten out of him, literally.
* {{Dystopia}}: The world is ruled by an all-powerful man-hating Matriarchy, and they will do ''anything'' to keep it that way.
* EvilIsPetty: Ash Udderweis puts Alex through a great deal of suffering for an absolutely trivial slight, and it's a completely imaginary one.

* AGodAmI: The BigBad, as Alex is chosen to decide her punishment, declares that he should treat her as a god. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor He decides to comply]].
%%* GodWasMyCopilot: Implied with Shiatsu.
* HappinessInSlavery: Unusual for this trope as Alex manages to make his sex slave, Shinobi, happy with the job. He does this by treating her as family and [[BathtubBonding literally showering her with love and affection for four years]].

%%* RapeByProxy: Alex is on the receiving end, repeatedly. His brides all suffer this near the end while he is ForcedToWatch at Ash's orders. [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening Big mistake]].

* TakeThat: Several examples. Obama's policies are directly blamed, predominantly by Martufe O'oharra, for being a major contributing factor to the current world setting. A subtle reference is made to the barbaric practice of a certain religion where "proper" women are forced to undergo a rite of passage where their genitals are mutilated by whatever sharp instruments are at hand, "to promote fidelity", and the story itself is a very, ''very'' subtle stab at the premise behind the extreme militant feminist movement which loudly and repeatedly proclaims that the world would be a better place if only men didn't exist.

!The Annointed Prophetess
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cover0_2.jpg]]

The sequel to ''The Harem Games''. The plot picks up right where the previous book left off. Alex is no longer fighting fellow contestants, but is dragged into a war with the Matriarchy directly, after they decide they no longer want to live by their own rules, just to spite him.

!!In addition to the tropes above, included tropes are as follows:
* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler: Tapioca, the leads scientist producing the Draco-clones, is one.]]

* BlackAndGreyMorality: On the Matriarch's side, they bomb their own soldiers, send tank columns and attack helicopters after innocent civilian families, steal Alex's genetic material to create raping and murdering bio-weapons which they then unleash upon their own forces and civilians at large while trying to frame Alex, and hold the families of an entire news agency hostage so that the “news” they want broadcast is all that is, [[ILied ignore their own laws, rules, regulations, and promises]], and [[YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo murdered Alex's mother by slow-acting poison]]. Alex, on the other hand, in order to survive, sends his brides to break into not one, but two high-security prisons, one of which has death-row inmates, plans to blow up a civilian dam to cover his tracks [[spoiler: The Matriarchy beat him to it]], launches raids against news agencies, incites open revolt against the Matriarchy, and [[spoiler: ends the war by using nuclear weapons, and taking [=POWs=] as slaves.]]

* DespotismJustifiesTheMeans: The Matriarchy will do ''anything'' to hold on to their position as the world government, no matter the harshness of their policy, purely for the power of the position.

* GladiatorGames: Although Alex abolishes "The Harem Games" as it was previously held, i.e. participation being compulsory, and battles being to the death, he allows the "sport" to remain, not only for the entertainment of the masses, [[spoiler: but to serve as TrainingFromHell to deal with an oncoming alien invasion.]] In making participation voluntary, and allowing the battles to be non-lethal, Alex wins the support of numerous powers and countries normally opposed.
* OneDegreeOfSeparation: It's amazing how many of the central characters are closer than they appear to each other.
* ReluctantMadScientist: [[spoiler: Tapioca never wanted to be a scientist for the Matriarchy. She was conscripted after death and her consciousness forced into an automaton compelled to do it.]]
* TautologicalTemplar: The last of the Matriarchy posits that they all believed themselves inherently good people, and the man-free Crapsack world is the best possible outcome, and as such, whatever actions they take to ensure the status quo are fully justified.
* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler: Tapioca was once human until her corpse's memories were uploaded into a machine, and she was conscripted into serving the Matriarchy.]]

At some point in the distant future, some kind of gender specific pathogen nearly wipes out the human race by killing, shortening the lifespan and greatly reducing the viability of the male gender. The exact cause is unknown and all attempts to find a cure were met with abject failure. In addition, the oppressed female population of numerous patriarchal societies fixated more on revenge and preventing the return of the male population to dominance by creating a horrific, mandatory tournament where young male teens are forced to fight each other to the death until only one remains. After 200 some odd years, the tournament has evolved into a format where these teenagers are forced to build a BattleHarem of 6-15 girls to become their brides and assist them. This tournament is called [[TitleDrop The Harem Games]]. The story follows one of these participants, Alex Dolorean and his harem.

* AllWomenAreLustful: Alex's brides are all very ''eager'' to consumate their relations with him.

* BattleHarem: By design, "The Harem Games" tournament forces the few existing teenage males into a battle royale with a harem of helpers by their side.

* BullyingADragon: [[MuggingTheMonster At the very first, the other contestants who harass him had no idea how dangerous Alex is.]] After having several dramatic illustrations of how dangerously powerful and intelligent he is, his rivals ''still'' continue to harass him, only being spared from retaliation because he's forbidden from fighting back. Once he's allowed to retaliate, [[CurbstompBattle they don't stand a chance.]]
* BureaucraticallyArrangedMarriage: This is how the BattleHarem teams are chosen. The girls really don't have much choice to whom they're married. Alex's team is an exception as most of his brides specifically petitioned Martufe for the role. [[AngerBornOfWorry Much to his chagrin, though he is very grateful they came to his aid.]]

* CrapsackWorld: Poverty is rampant, slavery is the law of the land, with boys being legally required to own a sex slave, and there is a constant barrage of propaganda proclaiming that everyone of the male gender is the epitome of evil. Oh, and all boys entering puberty are legally mandated to provide sperm samples while un-married girls are required to become pregnant by artificial insemination, or else mankind will cease to exist as a species.
* CrystalDragonJesus: Justified. For camouflage, the Christian religion in the world setting is under such relenting persecution that it has hidden its faith with plenty of pagan trappings, to the point that none of the rank and file can even tell where the original Christianity ends and the paganism begins.
* DefiantToTheEnd: A truly villainous example from Ash towards Alex. He gets the smug beaten out of him, literally.

* AGodAmI: The BigBad, as Alex is chosen to decide her punishment, declares that he should treat her as a god. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor He decides to comply.]]
* GodWasMyCopilot: Implied with Shiatsu.
* HappinessInSlavery: Unusual for this trope as Alex manages to make his sex slave, Shinobi, happy with the job. He does this by treating her as family and [[BathtubBonding literally showering her with love and affection for four years.]]

* RapeByProxy: Alex is on the receiving end, repeatedly. His brides all suffer this near the end while he is ForcedToWatch at Ash's orders. [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening Big Mistake.]]
* ShoutOut: WordOfGod on the credits page is that the story was inspired by “The Hunger Games” by Susan Collins.
* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Discussed. Alex '''hates''' the institution of slavery, and his entire family shares this mindset. They are all fully aware of the history and abuses inherent in the system, but are not in a position to do anything about it. Being legally required to participate, Alex does his best to ensure HappinessInSlavery. He succeeds.
* SurpriseIncest: [[spoiler: Alex and Shiatsu don't learn they're fraternal twins until after they've been married to each other and have children on the way.]] By the time they find out, those involved no longer care.
* TakeThat: Several examples. Obama's policies are directly blamed, predominantly by Martufe O'oharra, for being a major contributing factor to the current world setting. A subtle reference is made to the barbaric practice of a certain religion where “proper” women are forced to undergo a rite of passage where their genitals are mutilated by whatever sharp instruments are at hand, “to promote fidelity,” and the story itself is a very, ''very'' subtle stab at the premise behind the extreme militant feminist movement which loudly and repeatedly proclaims that the world would be a better place if only men didn't exist.

! The Annointed Prophetess

* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler: Alex becomes the first Patriarch, ever, after winning the Matriarch War.]]

* IncestIsRelative: [[spoiler: Alex winds up married to his mother's sister-in-law, who was a fellow bride in a previous BattleHarem.]] She's the only one who freaks out about it, ''after'' they're consummated, ''and she's the one who seduced him.''

[[caption-width-right:350:[[CoversAlwaysLie This scene doesn't occur in the book]]]]

* ForcedPrizeFight: The "participants" of the Harem Games are compelled to participate, refusal is not an option, and the LoneSurvivor (and his harem, if any of the girls survive) is given one wish that the Matriarchy must publicly grant.

* AllMenArePerverts: Averted for Alex. Played straight with several other contestants.

* CrystalDragonJesus: Justified. For camouflage, the christian religion in the world setting is under such relenting persecution that it has hidden its faith with plenty of pagan trappings, to the point that none of the rank and file can even tell where the original Christianity ends and the paganism begins.

* GladiatorGames: Although Alex abolishes "The Harem Games" as it was previously held, ie participation being compulsury, and battles being to the death, he allows the "sport" to remain, not only for the entertainment of the masses, [[spoiler: but to serve as TrainingFromHell to deal with an oncoming alien invasion.]] In making participation voluntary, and allowing the battles to be non-lethal, Alex wins the support of numerous powers and countries normally opposed.

* ReluctantMadScientist: [[spoiler: Tapioca never wanted to be a scientist for the Matriarchy, she was conscripted after death and her consciousnes forced into an automaton compelled to do it.]]

!!The story includes the following tropes:

* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler: Tapioca was once human until her corpse's memories were uploaded into a machine, and she was conscripted into serving the Matriarchy.]]

* GladiatorialGames: Although Alex abolishes "The Harem Games" as it was previously held, ie participation being compulsury, and battles being to the death, he allows the "sport" to remain, not only for the entertainment of the masses, [[spoiler: but to serve as TrainingFromHell to deal with an oncoming alien invasion.]] In making participation voluntary, and allowing the battles to be non-lethal, Alex wins the support of numerous powers and countries normally opposed.

The Harem Games:[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cover01.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[CoversAlwaysLie This scene doesn't occur in the book]]]]
---> By Jorge Carreras Jr.

The story includes the following tropes:

* AGodAmI: The BigBad, as Alex is chosen to decide her punishment, declares that he should treat her as a god. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor He decides to comply.]]

! The Anointed Prophetess:[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cover0_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:]]
---> By Jorge Carreras Jr.

The sequel to The Harem Games. The plot picks up right where the previous book left off. Alex is no longer fighting fellow contestants, but is dragged into a war with the Matriarchy directly, after they decide they no longer want to live by their own rules, just to spite him.

In addition to the tropes above, included tropes are as follows:

* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Discussed. Alex '''hates''' the institution of slavery, and his entire family shares this mindset. They are all fully aware of the history and abuses inherent in the system, but are not in a position to do anything about it. Being legally required to participate, Alex does his best to ensure HappinessInSlavery. [[{{Heartwarming}} He succeeds.]]

The Anointed Prophetess:

* BlackAndGreyMorality: On the Matriarch's side, they bomb their own soldiers, send tank columns and attack helicopters after innocent civilian families, steal Alex's genetic material to create raping and murdering bio-weapons which they then unleash upon their own forces and civilians at large while trying to frame Alex, and hold the families of an entire news agency hostage so that the “news” they want broadcast is all that is, [[ILied ignore their own laws, rules, regulations, and promises]], and [[YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo murdered Alex's mother by slow-acting poison]]. Alex, on the other hand, in order to survive, sends his brides to break into not one, but two high-security prisons, one of which has death-row inmates, plans to blow up a civilian dam to cover his tracks [[spoiler: The Matriarchy beat him to it]], launches raids against news agencies, incites open revolt against the Matriarchy, and [[spoiler: ends the war by using nuclear weapons, and taking POWs as slaves.]]

* TautologicalTemplar: The last of the Matriarchy posits that they all believed themselves inherently good people, and the man-free Crapsack world is the best possible outcome, and as such, whatever actions they take to ensure the status quo are fully justified.