Spiral Arm

The Spiral Arm is a Space Opera series by Michael Flynn, consisting thus far of

• The January Dancer
• Up Jim River
• In the Lion's Mouth
• On the Razor's Edge (forthcoming)

They take place in a far-future galaxy, caught between the League on one side, and the Confederacy on the other, of a starless rift, in a great game of intrigue and adventure.

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Tropes used in Spiral Arm include:

• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Arson, rebellion and leaving your licensed township.
• Artifact of Doom: The Dancer, they think.
• Bad Dreams: Discussed in January Dancer
• Blessed with Suck: You find a marvelous array of treasures -- that you can't remove.
• Bottled Heroic Resolve: Booster
• Buy Them Off: Werguild is offered, after a civil war.
• The City Narrows: Terran Corner on Jehovah
• Compelling Voice: What the Dancer gives
• Corrupt Bureaucrat: On one planet, a country revolts from a honest administration.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason For Abandoning You: Sometimes you really have to deal with something dangerous.
• Darkskinned Blonde: The planet Alabaster's Phenotype Stereotype
• Disappeared Dad: the harper was raised by her mother alone.
• Doomed Moral Victor: Discussed in a subverted form.
• Dramatic Thunder: When the storm first strikes.
• Drowning My Sorrows: In the bar on Jehovah.
• Dysfunctional Family: The Hounds are somewhat likely this, according to noe.
• The Exile: Fa Li, according to those at court
• Famed in Story: The civil war was immortalized in song before it was four weeks old.
• Fearless Fool: The Brute
• Fire-Forged Friends: In the civil war.
• Fisher King: The emperor of the morning dew really hates that his subjects believe this.
• Friendly Enemy: After a civil war, the two sides often join to sing of the various exploits.
• Friend or Foe: A problem with an undercover war.
• Full-Circle Revolution: Discussed in a subverted form.
• Good Samaritan: Gives "booster" after an ambush.
• Green Eyes: One of the first things noted about the woman in the opening of January Dancer. Before her name, even.
• Green Eyed Red Head: Supplmented by the observation about her hair.
• Harmless Lady Disguise: Hugh uses it.
• Honorary Uncle: Does not make a man less dangerous.
• Honor Before Reason: Burning down your own ammunition factory to keep guns out of the war.
• In Harm's Way: Brute's opinion
• I Have Many Names: The narrator introduces the scarred man with observations about how many names he has
• I Gave My Word: Hugh's motive
• It Was a Gift: The harper's necklace
• King in the Mountain: Hugh escapes and promises to return
• La Résistance: The Loyalists
• Living Legend: Zorba
• Luke, I Am Your Father/Luke, You Are My Father: Both in a fraught scene
• MacGuffin: Discussed
• The Man Behind the Man
• Missing Mom: The motivation in Up Jim River
• Never Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight: An attempt to avert it by burning down the ammunition factory means
• Never Speak Ill of the Dead: the Fudir covers up a dead man's treachery.
• The Nondescript: Greystroke
• Oireland: A country puts it on for the tourist trade.
• Old Flame Fizzle: Despite Fire-Forged Friends
• One for Sorrow, Two For Joy: Invoked
• Ontological Mystery: Given the Dancer's powers, how can you know what really is happening?
• Opposites Attract
• Ouroboros: The Ouroboros Circuit
• Political Correctness Gone Mad
• Precursors: "the folk of sand and iron."
• Proud Warrior Race
• The Quest: Discussed
• Reassigned to Antarctica: Fa Li
• The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Jumdar's characterization of the Loyalists.
• Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: The man who betrays Hugh to an assasin
• Seven Deadly Sins: One library caters to at least five of them.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Discussed in January Dancer
• Shout-Out: Dozens
• Soft Gas: When you hit a star at speed -- it's not true.
• Space Is an Ocean: Played with.
• Stern Chase: And a stern chase is a long chase.
• A Storm Is Coming: Drives them off the planet
• The Storyteller: The scarred man in January Dancer -- the ministrel sought him out for it.
• Tap on the Head: the dangers are hinted at but not used.
• There Are No Coincidences: thought of a murder
• Used Future
• Wandering Minstrel: In the opening of January Dancer, a woman shows up at the bar, and plays for her food, without asking.
• White-Haired Pretty Girl: One of the Seven of Jehovah.
• Would Not Shoot a Civilian: One failure draws down opprobrium
• Xanatos Gambit: Retrieving Donovan
• You Are in Command Now: Hugh
• You Shall Not Pass: Many rear guards near the end of the war on New Eireann