me

i'm max.
writer, witch, anarchist, fool.
my pronouns are they/them, i'm nonbinary.
currently hurtling through space on a wet rock, waiting for my inevitable demise.
once ate three bags of skittles in a single sitting and only threw up a little in my mouth.

contact

if you want to contact me for some reason, you can pm me on mastodon, or email me at:
max [at] letterlock [dot] eu

stuff i like

following is a bunch of different media that shaped me and continue to inspire me (in no particular order). some of these works have been hugely formative for me, while others are just cool as hell.

navigation:

books
comics, manga, etc.

books

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they're all series, which maybe says something about what kind of reader i am.
as long as i can remember, i've loved series. there's something about being able to get into a universe and really live there that has always spoken to me. if i'm being cynical, i guess i've always had a reason to escape, but if i'm being hopeful, i think it's because i've always been able to see the world's capacity for contingency. it fascinates me, just how different things can be, even just on the other side of a door (or a book).
all of my favourites are some flavour of fantasy, i love other genres, of course, but fantasy books were very formative for me, and these stuck with me the most.

circle of magic - tamora pierce:
when i said this list was unordered i lied a little. circle of magic gets to be first because if you take one thing from my prattling, let it be that you should read these books.
tamora pierce singlehandedly showed little me what love and beauty looks like. i reread this series recently and i cannot shake how beautifully queer and caring and compassionate it is.
the dresden files - jim butcher:
these books are such an amazing ride. the characters are so compelling and the pacing is breakneck from minute one. i love how grounded the magic feels and i love the grungy noir-esque detective vibe.
the inheritance cycle - christopher paolini:
i read these when i was really young. i think in the beginning my mum actually read them to me. i remember her struggling with some of the ancient language words and little me confidently leaning over and proclaiming how they obviously 'should' be pronounced. patient parents are so important.
also i think the many of the characters in this series contributed to fundamentally altering my brain chemistry and fostering my incoherent, desperate attraction to powerful women.
his dark materials - philip pullman:
fuck capitalism. fuck the religious institutions it rode in on. this series slaps.
skulduggery pleasant - derek landy:
they're fun! :^) they start off as fairly typical young adult style books and then eldritch, unknowable horrors leak in quietly from the seams between the pages until you're lost in them without realising it! :^) they're quick witted and hilarious! :^)
the keys to the kingdom - garth nix:
i can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something very enthralling about these books. the universe is extremely compelling and there are so many interesting little touches to the worldbuilding.
discworld - terry pratchett:
surprisingly deep and witty, full of social commentary and just really really well written. also has hands down the most interesting interpretation of death as a character i've ever seen.
percy jackson & the olympians - rick riordan:
little me felt very understood and seen by the characters in here. turns out i had adhd too. figures.
really cool worldbuilding, heartfelt storytelling, and the worlds most relatable mother.
the kingkiller chronicle - patrick rothfuss:
i always found myself saying "oh you should read this series, i don't know when/if book three is coming out but it's still good"...
recently i've realised that the profound love for these books i have is more important than the conclusion of the story. i'll never forget getting to the end of the book and realising the last chapter mirrored the first, but simultaneously recontextualised the entire story while somehow also casting a new tonal light over every event within. also the chapter with felurian is all rhyming couplets. prose and poetry are not separate artforms.

graphic novels, comics, manga, etc.

back to top.

i was never that into this kind of storytelling when i was younger, so a lot of these are more recent discoveries for me. i think some of the disinterest is due to me always having struggled with the fast turnaround and bite-sized updates of much of the medium. i end up forgetting they exist for long stretches of time and then feel like i have to reread the whole thing to get the full context. i've never disliked them, but recently i've been more appreciative of the medium.

the true lives of the fabulous killjoys - written: gerard way & shaun simon/art: becky cloonan:
the art is as good as the story is incomprehensible. somehow you manage to wander from page to page knowing fuckall but still being so damn invested in it. i love the unhinged speed of visual and written exposition and the absolute refusal to fully tell the reader anything. it shouldn't work... but it does?
witch hat atelier - kamome shirahama:
my first real foray into manga. kamome shirahama's art is so fucking amazing. the hatchy, impressionistic and slavishly executed style is right up my alley. the characters are all gorgeous and so visually interesting and distinct.
the umbrella academy - written: gerard way/art: gabriel bá:
i read this after watching the tv series of the same name. i love gabriel bá's chunky, shapey art and it has the same unhinged storytelling style as killjoys, but it's tempered somewhat which i think really suits the story.
stand still, stay silent - minna sundberg:
the first real work of horror or post-apocalyptic fiction that really stuck with me and inspired me. historically i've hated consuming horror media of any kind because i'm honestly already scared enough as it is, and my vivid imagination often gets the better of me if i get too immersed in something horrific. this really showed me that these genres can mean something more than scary for scary's sake or 'zombies'. also the art is fantastic.
i don't really know what to make of the artist's later intense conversion to christianity and subsequent denounciation of SSSS as reflecting her previous 'progressivist' worldview, but, hey, i don't think it's hurting anyone so more power to her.
unsounded - ashley cope:
it's beautiful! i love the characters! i love the story! it's sometimes gory in a frankly unconscionable manner! i should go back and read it again!
homestuck - andrew hussie: