Katrin

Katrin asked Mark Lawrence:

Hi Mark! I just finished the trilogy about Jorg and wanted to ask about the symbolism of the names Gog and Magog. I was left with the impression that there are no coincidences when you choose to link names of people, places and such from your story to our reality. I know them as territories in Eastern Asia in connection to the mongols. Is that it? Or are they connected with the ones from the Bible?

Mark Lawrence Jorg picked the names and his background is an imagined variant on the Catholic one. So they are biblical references and also to the legends that depict Gog and Magog as giants, thus it's a joke to name two such small individuals for giants, and maybe aspirational.

More Answered Questions

Jonathan Bennett

Jonathan Bennett asked Mark Lawrence:

Have you read, or were you influenced, by the Flashman novels in creating Prince Jalan's character ? I read and enjoyed all of the Flashman books, as I have the Jalan books I should add :-), and see lots of similarities in the dashing, bluff coward who somehow comes out as the hero so was curious. Thanks

Anirudh

Anirudh asked Mark Lawrence:

How much thought goes into the naming of your novels? Do you always get to keep the names you picked?

A Goodreads user

A Goodreads user asked Mark Lawrence:

First off, fuck you. Used to be able to run through pretty much anything fiction in a sitting, now I can't even remember the last book I finished. Jorg's character has been sitting in my head ever since I read Prince of Thorns and I'm unable to shake his realistic philosophy from my thoughts. Any recommendations for something similar, other than ACO? (Best chapter I've ever read was No other Troy)

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