When authors give shout outs to other great works, people, and events, it's usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
This novel's cup doeth runneth over with references to Hinduism, Buddhism, and their respective mythologies. As such, we're only going to mention a few choice examples here for two major reasons: (1) Zelazny knows his mythology, so we're certain we've missed several hidden gems; and (2) almost every character is a shout-out to some mythological figure. If we named even just the ones we noticed, we'd be here all day.
Literary and Philosophical References
- Sermon on the Mount, Gospel of Matthew 5-7 (1.396; 7.470-477)
- Popol Vuh (1.396)
- Homer, The Illiad (1.396)
- Katha Upanishad (3.215; 5.377)
- William Carlos Williams Paterson (4.544)
- Dante Alighieri, The Inferno (4.544)
- Psalm 23:4 (5.186)— "the valley of the shadow of death" has been replaced with "the realm of the phantom cats."
- Marxism (5.61)
- Jesus and his Crucifixion (7.279)
- Islam (7.279)
- Judas Iscariot (7.345)
- Matthew 7:17 (7.487)
- Ecclesiastes 1:6 (7.489)
(Some) Mythology References
- Hades (2.344-345)
- The Pandava Brothers (3.22)
- Rama the Seventh Avatar of Vishnu (3.22)
- Azrael the Archangel of Death (7.468)
Historical References
- Niccolò Machiavelli (1.129)
- Leonardo Da Vinci (2.284)
- Thomas Edison (2.305)
Pop Culture References
- Johann Stauss II, The Blue Danube (2.44, 2.48)
- Jack Judge, "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" (2.145)
- Kathakali Dancers (3.22)
- Irish Stand-down (6.338)