Garren Jacobsen
Auror
Recently I finished the Eragon series and as I got to the end of book four I noticed a very very very blatant Dr. Who reference. It is at the end when Angela is knitting something and she says the symbol comes from Raxacori and fails to finish the quote. It took me completely out of the story and I wanted to throw the book more so than I did before. However, it did get me thinking about references and allusions in my own novels. In fact one set in the near-distant future may have a direct Harry Potter reference when a normal human figures out that magic people have their own secret culture in his country. I still want to make the reference, because it will help to break up a pretty tense scene, but I am wondering if it will kill my story. I have my own thoughts on why my reference wouldn't do what the Dr. Who in Inheirtance did to me but I want to hear what you think.