Bizenghast while Lalibela, a holy town in northern Ethiopia, inspired Bali Lali's. Another minor character, Dr. Morstan, takes his name from Mary Morstan, Dr. Watson’s wife. "марионетка", the Russian word for marionette, inspired the name of the antagonist Maphohetka. LeGrow comments that the series "is about life, death and fabulous outfits (not in that order)" and notes that there are "a lot of religious themes" present. The town of Bizenghast "represents a world cut off from that sort of constant access [of technology]." The series was initially written to span about fourteen volumes and be divided into three seasons: the first
Mary Russell (character) make a drawing room appearance. She is quite unconventional - not a surprise for a young woman who married an older famous eccentric. She prefers trousers and functional clothes, although often dons the traditional tweed skirts and sensible shoes of a female British naturalist. She only rarely accepts the title "Mrs. Holmes" and goes by her given name "Mary Russell", which she uses with the title "Miss" (i.e., "Miss Russell"). She wears a gold band on her right hand. This makes her status ambiguous - people she meets may think she is wearing a ring for sentimental reasons, or perhaps