Story Notes: Land of Ten Thousand Faces

Notes to: Land of Ten Thousand Faces

And now we get to see things from the government's point of view. I think that this is as good a time as any to mention that I plan for Babylonian Medley to go on for a little longer. An astronomer, Damocles or one of his soldiers, the sorcerers, the nobles, and maybe the Peregrines and/or the Fourth Estate.

Land is a story about identities, and shedding them, and losing them. It's about prices paid.

Tizifone is Tisiphone, the Greek Fury.


While I didn't intend it, the reference to listening spiders and metal bees implies an entomological motif in the government or at least the law enforcement. I'll have to pay mind to that as I continue.

"And mercy may not rob justice" comes from Alma 42:25, which states, "What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God." Does the establishment see itself as divine? Perhaps. Probably, actually. It fits in with their use of mythological motifs in the law enforcement and Babylon's very name.

Auberon is Oberon, and the islands of dream could be Fairyland. His brother's name, Merovius, is the Latin form of Merovech, the founder of the Merovingian dynasty. Together they are the Hero Twins of Babylonian mythology. Auberon exists to be the truly impartial judge, the one who has no claim at all to anyone because this is not his kingdom and he is but a sojourner here. Of course, his impartiality means nothing when his superiors can twist the facts to suit them.

Charu is from Etruscan mythology. He's a lot like the Greek deity Charon. Insofar as he's there at birth just as he is at death, he has some similarities to Death of the Endless. Charu's blue face is mytho-canonical.

John's father's fate is first alluded to in Things Unsaid, when John implies that something bad happened to him because he was a Peregrine priest. Now we find out just a little bit of what happened (though not why, not yet).

The ending is ambiguous on purpose. Did John deserve to be sent to Letois? Probably not. Probably. But maybe.