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Revision as of 21:27, 1 November 2013 (view source) prefix>Import Bot (Import from TV Tropes TVT:Literature.AshASecretHistory 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Literature.AshASecretHistory, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license)		Latest revision as of 20:26, 7 May 2017 (view source) SelfCloak (talk \| contribs) m (removed Category:Arthur C Clarke Award; added Category:Arthur C. Clarke Award using HotCat)
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Line 2: [[File:AshASecretHistory_3611.jpg\|frame\|U.S. one-volume hardback cover.]] '''''Ash: A Secret History''''' is a 2001 [[Fantasy]] / [[Alternate History]] / [[Historical Fiction]] / [[Science Fiction]] novel by [[Mary Gentle]]. The story follows a 15th-century female mercenary captain, Ash, as she gets involved in literally world-changing events. It's long, [[~~Door Stopper~~Doorstopper]]-long; at 1,100 pages, it's often billed as the longest single-volume fantasy novel. It can also be found [[Divided for Publication]] in four volumes in U.S. paperback printing: ''A Secret History'', ''Carthage Ascendant'', ''The Wild Machines'', and ''Lost Burgundy''. ---- {{tropelist}} ~~=== This work contains examples of: ===~~ * [[Action Girl]]: Go ahead, take a rough guess. Line 18: * [[Framing Story]]: The book is supposedly the work of historian Pierce Ratcliff, who is piecing together the story of Ash from historical documents. Interspersed in the inner story are correspondences between Ratcliff and his editor as the story related in these documents begins to diverge from known history. * [[Golem]]: The Carthaginians have them. This is one of the first clear signs that this isn't ''our'' history. * [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]]: Ash has facial scars inflicted by her rapists when she was a child, but they are described as non-disfiguring, even making her look more impressive. * [[Hearing Voices]]: Since puberty, Ash hears a voice in her head telling her which tactics to use to win battles. She thinks it's the voice of God. {{spoiler\|It turns out to be the voice of a Carthaginian war computer that she has been specifically bred to hear.}} * [[Jeanne D 'Archetype]]: Ash is in some respects very much like Jeanne d'Arc, including hearing voices. * [[Literary Agent Hypothesis]]: the book is supposedly what Pierce Ratcliff, the historian who's piecing together Ash's history or legend, is writing for publication. Interspersed in the work are snippets of Ratcliff's private notes and correspondence with his editor. * [[Private Military Contractors]]: Ash's mercenary company, made of soldiers from all over Europe. * [[Rape Asas Backstory]]: Ash, aged 8, is raped right at the beginning. She kills her attackers. * [[Shown Their Work]]: Gentle completed a master's degree in war studies as research for the book, and it shows. * [[Sweet Polly Oliver]]: {{spoiler\|Florian/Floria}} * [[Translation Convention]]: The characters speak in reasonably modern English, including cursing, as a deliberate stylistic choice to make them more approachable and understandable. * [[White -Haired Pretty Girl]]: Ash herself. {{reflist}} [[Category:Fantasy Literature]] [[Category:Alternate History Literature]] [[Category:Arthur C. Clarke Award]] [[Category:Ash: A Secret History]] [[Category:Literature]]