Flatterland is no exception. The heroine's name, Victoria Line, and her mother's, Jubilee Line, are both lines on the London Underground. Her great-great-grandfather's name is the fictional Albert Square in London, from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Her father's name, Grosvenor Square, is a square situated in the Mayfair district of London. Hawk King is a simple pun on the surname of the famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, whose research includes the Theory of Relativity and Hawking radiation. Vikki, while travelling in the Topological Dimension, also meets a one-sided cow named Moobius (derived from the Möbius strip) who sells her milk in Klein bottles (the strip and the bottle both being one-sided topological figures). The Doughmouse, the Harsh Mare, and the Mud Hutter are the counterparts in Topologica (the rubber-sheet continent) of Carroll's Dormouse, March Hare, and Mad Hatter, respectively. The Doughmouse works with a dough tea set, dough being flexible. Editions Original hardback from Macmillan Hardback edition by Perseus Paperback edition by Perseus Mass-market edition by Pan References Books by Ian Stewart (mathematician) 2001 British novels Novels about mathematics Fictional dimensions 2001 science fiction novels British science fiction novels Metaphysical fiction novels Quantum fiction novels Perseus Books Group books