History ContinuityNod / Literature

** In ''The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian'' Bernie does some running, which is a reference to his claiming to be a runner during a podiatrist's appointment in ''The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza''. His new lawyer, Wally Hemphill, was a minor character in ''The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling''.

** In ''The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian'' Bernie does some running. This is a reference to his claiming to be a runner during a podiatrist's appointment in ''The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza''.

** Within ''KZ'' itself, any continuity nods will explicitly state which previous book of the franchise did that reference happen, for example:
-->''I first went to Wakatake's house during ''The Egg Hamburg Steak Knows.

** Gandalf getting dragged into a pit by a Balrog he has defeated can feel like one to "The Fallof Gondolin", where the Elf Glorfindel is dragged off a cliff by a Balrog.

** Book Five is basically one ContinuityNod after another. When Harry takes his exams, he reminisces over all the stuff he did and learned over the past five years.

** During the booksr, Tyrion loses his nose. Much later, when the dwarf Bobono, [ShowWithinAShow who plays Tyrion in a play], starts groping Mercy([spoiler: Arya]),she threatens to rip off his nose if he doesn't stop.

* It's not uncommon for stories in the CthulhuMythos to make reference to one another in some way with varying degrees of subtlety. When it's not bringing in one of Lovecraft's monsters, this can range from using common elements (i.e. the Necronomicon, referred to frequently by Lovecraft and used just as often by other writers) to referencing the events of specific stories.

** In the ''Literature/{{Rihannsu}}'' novel ''The Empty Chair'', it’s mentioned that there’s a planet just barely inside the Rihannsu side of the Neutral Zone that is almost richer in dilithium than [[Literature/HowMuchForJustThePlanet Direidi]]. In ''Swordhunt'', a Klingon refers to a "[[Literature/TheFinalReflection Thought Admiral]]".

** PeterDavid's ''Literature/StarTrekNewFrontier'' novels include an immortal character named Morgan Primus. It's hinted that the character may be the same as Number One (from "The Cage"), suggested that she is the original model for shipboard computers' voices, and both Jean-Luc Picard and Montgomery Scott mistake her for other women they're familiar with (Lwaxana Troi and Christine Chapel, respectively). All of which is a big wink at the numerous roles that actress Majel Barrett (-Roddenberry) has filled in the Franchise/TrekVerse.

* The Johannes Cabal series does this twice, with minor throw-away supernatural weather terms brought up in the very first Cabal short story "Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day" showing up first in the epilogue ''Literature/JohannesCabalTheDetective'' where we encounter the Blood-Red Snow and its creator, and then later in The Brothers Cabal when Horst encounters Cumulonemesis.

* In the novel ''Cetaganda'', from Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'', Miles was on the titular planet to attend a state funeral, and was talking privately with one of the keepers of the Star Creche, haut-lady Rian. The discussion is interrupted by a call to Rian from a Cetagandan agent, ghem-Colonel Millisor about tracking down some useful genetic line. Millisor was the antagonist of an earlier novel, ''Ethan of Athos'', which took place at the same time but was written ten years earlier. The plots have nothing to do with each other outside of this one call, though Miles does note that this will be a useful fact to distract Illyan with when he gets back to Barrayar and has to report. Presumably this led to the events of ''Ethan of Athos'', which in turn led to the mission Miles gets sent on in the short story "Labyrinth", which introduced several major supporting characters.
** That story results in him being given, in his words, "a lead weight, suitable for sinking small enemies." [[spoiler:(The Cetagandand Order of Merit - their third highest honour)]]. Ivan asks if he'll ever wear it, and he says only if he ever needs to be really obnoxious. In ''Memory'' the need arises, and it is briefly commented on.
** Also, in both ''Komarr'' and ''Diplomatic Immunity'' reference is made to his mother's infamous "shopping trip."

* ''Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse'':

* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'':

** In ''Literature/DarkForceRising'', Luke and Mara sneak aboard a Star Destroyer to rescue Talon Karrde. Luke sneaks into and out of the detention area via a trash compactor. (Also, earlier, looking to [[DressingAsTheEnemy disguise themselves]] for the rescue attempt, Luke advises Mara that stormtrooper armor is hard to see out of.)
*** ''"I can't see a thing in this helmet!"''
** References to "[[RunningGag I have a bad feeling about this]]" are rife in the EU. And ''Death Star'' is absolutely packed with acknowledgments about the builders of the Death Star, the prototypes, and what else is going on in the galaxy.

** The ''Star Wars EU'' is unusually continuous, for an ExpandedUniverse. In theory all books are a view of the same 'verse; some views are crystal clear, some are blurry, and some are downright abstract. In practice it depends on the writer. Karen Traviss does no research at all and merrily tramples on previous canon, then calls people who dislike this the "[[DearNegativeReader Talifan]]". TimothyZahn reads everything, takes it into account, and then incorporates details and characters freely and subtly, though he retcons things here and there. In the first book of the ''HandOfThrawn'' duology, he introduced the Caamaasi species, though none of them were named characters. Immediately after that, Stackpole wrote "[[JediAcademyTrilogy I, Jedi]]" which had a Caamaasi character, and in the second book of the duology Zahn included this character in a fairly prominent role. The two books of the duology were published a year apart. The character was ''in character''. Most writers lean more towards Zahn than towards Traviss, but is it any wonder [[CreatorWorship who is more loved?]]
*** While authors try to mimic Zahn in this way, LucasArts itself seems to merely despise the fanbase when they ignore the idea that there is any pre-established continuity. They ultimately decide the outline of new ''Star Wars'' material, and in an actual ''inversion'' of the Continuity Nod that goes beyond simple Retcon, they add new events to the timeline thousands of years apart and then connect them together. For example, the new ''Fate of the Jedi'' series, which takes place about 40 years after the movies, involves plot elements from 5,000 years before movies. Previously, the span of important events covered to about 4,000 years before. When they ran out of room to reference events, they just tacked it on the end, and at an arbitrary date no less. Plans spawned from said 5,000 year plot must coexist alongside other plans, such as [[ItWasHisSled Palpatine's rise to power]], The Sith Empire from ''The Old Republic'' hiding in the Unknown Regions, and The One Sith (which is itself another example of this): all of these plans manipulate politics and events at a ''galactic'' level, yet they never contradict one another. This new element is simply the newest of a long trend, and one that just ramps it UpToEleven. The characters are unaware of these plots (as is the audience) but the Galaxy Far, Far Away, in its omniscience, knew about them the whole time.
* Little windows to [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone the first book]] of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' abound in the seventh, and show starkly just how bad things have gotten.

** In ''[[TheThrawnTrilogy Dark Force Rising]]'', Luke and Mara sneak aboard a Star Destroyer to rescue Talon Karrde. Luke sneaks into and out of the detention area via a trash compactor. (Also, earlier, looking to [[DressingAsTheEnemy disguise themselves]] for the rescue attempt, Luke advises Mara that stormtrooper armor is hard to see out of.)

* Creator/MichaelConnelly novel ''Film/NineDragons'' starts with Detective Harry Bosch investigating the murder of an AsianStoreOwner--at the same store where Bosch wound up at the end of a previous Connelly novel, ''Angels Flight''.

** In ''PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians: Sea of Monsters'' Annabeth regrets forgetting her special coconut sunblock from Medea's department store.
** And the bronze dragon also makes its first appearance in ''The Demigod Files''.
** Also, while shopping in Medea's shopping mall, a bronze breastplate that is corroded with acid is mentioned along with other merchandise belonging to deceased campers. It likely belonged to Silena or Clarisse.

** ''Literature/BlackLegion'' tells the tale of how Justaerin came to be corrupted and possessed, two qualities that are noted in ''Literature/NightLords'', written much earlier, but taking place millenias later.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: Literature/GauntsGhosts'' has quite a few nods to other books Creator/DanAbnett has written, and almost all of his books include references to the events and characters in his other works. Many, however, are retroactive, having been written about first as a passing reference, then [[SequelHook developed into a full story]]. This can result in circular Continuity Nods.

* One of the first ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' books makes reference to there being record of a Commissar who held the dual rank of Colonel-Commissar, a ShoutOut to Abnett's [[Literature/GauntsGhosts Ibram Gaunt.]]

*** Indeed, if you know the backstories well enough, the ''entire'' HorusHeresy series contains at least one example per chapter that is just like that. Fans will often yell 'No! No! Don't do that! You stupid plonker!' at certain actions, and frankly groan at the various lines that are just dragging the currently on-top-of-the-galaxy Horus [[spoiler:deeper and deeper into wannabe EvilOverlord territory.]]