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Poison and Cure Gambit: Difference between revisions

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* In [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s ''[[Vorkosigan Saga|Vorkosigan]]'' series, Baron Fell of Jackson's Whole has this as the basis of most of his business, selling both traditional military weaponry and their defenses, as well as manufacturing chemical and biological weapons along with their cures.
* A variation occurs in John Collier's famous story ''The Chaser'': [[The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday]] sells a [[Love Potion]] for a pittance which the owner strongly implies will turn the main character's beloved into a [[Love Freak]]. The antidote in this case is the "chaser" of the title, which is some sort of poison to "solve" that problem.
* Thomas of Magnus, the ''hero'' of Sigmund Brouwer's ''Wings of Dawn'', uses this -- thethis—the price of being given regular doses of antidote is continued cooperation from the [[Ancient Conspiracy|agents]] pursuing him, all of whom claim to be with the good guys and want him to join them. {{spoiler|In reality, this is a [[Batman Gambit]] to weed out which side is lying; Knowing that the villains have [[Combat Pragmatist|fewer compunctions about fighting dirty]] and [[Out-Gambitted|think they're smarter than he is]], Thomas is slipping non-lethal doses into every meal and providing them with flavored water as the "antidote". When he "inadvertently" allows them enough information to determine the recipe of the supposed antidote, the villain works it out and seizes the opportunity to... [[Hoist by His Own Petard|poison himself]]. OOPS}}.
* In ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', Harry pulls a unique subversion by poisoning HIMSELF so that he can strong-arm a faerie with an interest in his survival into cooperating with his plan.
* In ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]'' this gambit is used to ensure that Arya couldn't escape prison, as only her captors had the antidote.
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