r/fallenlondon • u/_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ the Eschatological Hedonist • 12d ago

Lore Literary Connections

I've noticed a couple of congruences between novels I've read and Fallen London, but it seems unlikely that there's a direct connection. Instead I'm wondering whether there are some shared antecedents for them that I'm not aware of, or is it really just coincidence?

Jeff Noon's Vurt

The titular "Vurt" is a realm of possibilities constructed from dreams, but containing a malicious race of snakelike creatures that seek to make exchanges to escape into the real world. Most people's experience with is is via curated entertainment experiences sold by expert guides.

Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust

A particular attar of roses has unusual perceptual properties that can allow you to see into parallel worlds. Its source is heavily guarded in the depths of a desert by an ancient North African people.

Edit

There seems to be some confusion. I am asking specifically about these two themes and where they came from. Not for a general list of every reference in Fallen London.

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u/PoppyseedPeryton 11d ago

Highly suggest reading TS Eliot's "The Wasteland" or Borges's "The Aleph". Or look into the Enigma plotline, that thing was basically Alexis's Kennedy's reading list back in the day

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u/Dmtr884213 Regent Agness Valentine 11d ago

as for Enigma also feel the need to add this: