M. Kirin š¶ā” @maxkirin - Tumblr Blog | Tumlook
M. Kirin š¶ā”
@maxkirin
supercharged they/them šāØ
š author of fiction
š designer of ttrpgs
š streams at youtube.com/mistrekirin
š find more at mkirin-author.com
My book is out TODAY! [Memory Leak] is a psychological horror novel about an indie game dev throuple being haunted by their work. It's queer as hell you'll love it š
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My latest book, MEMORY LEAK, is in a SFF book bundle for Trans Day of Visibility š³ļøāā§ļø!! There's a total of 38 queer books, please consider picking up the bundle and supporting your local neighborhood authors~ šš
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Every year I draw a card, get it printed, and mail it to all of our friends around the world. It's a little late to get this one in the mail, but here's one for you too~ š
(( Check below to read the back š ))
This year was really hard for us. Family losses. Job losses. The state of the world. And yet, the eternal optimist in me can't ignore the good that happened. Memories with friends. Laughter. Tears (of all kinds).
This year was awful--but that only makes the good moments sweeter.
Let's keep going š
Bez Reviews Independent Books 5: The Last Bread Mage
Hey everyone!Ā I wanna do little reviews/writeups for the independently-published books I find on itch.io, and so, here I am.Ā I want to review one book every month or two (or quicker, if Iām lucky); itāll get me reading more, and get authors who often go without feedback some thoughts on their work!Ā I think itāll be cool for everyone!
If you want your book reviewed, the only requirement I have is that itās hosted on itch.io.Ā Even if itch is just one of many places you can get the book, I want to review books that have a home there at least.Ā Feel free to get in touch with me with your booksāIām @NorbezJones on Twitter (I refuse to call it X), Bluesky, Pillowfort, Threads, Instagram, and Tumblr; Iām norbez2.0 on Discord.
Looking forward to seeing your books! <3
__________
After I reviewed M. Kirinās Memory Leak, Kirin ( @maxkirin ) contacted me and asked if I wanted a review copy of another one of their books, The Last Bread Mage!Ā I said yes, and here we are!Ā So to make it plain as possible: I was giving a free copy of this book in order to review it.Ā However, that does not sway my opinion of the book either way, and my opinions are 100% my own.
So, whatās The Last Bread Mage about?Ā Well, in a fantasy world, the end times have arrived.Ā A red mage named Fel manages to survive the destruction of his magic school, and he finds a saint named Amara, who insists they must go to The Pinnacle, the center of the world.Ā Along their journey, they find a knight named Virgen and a thief named Dormi.Ā The four journey to the center of the world using the help of Felās magic, and when they get there, they make a surprising discovery.
There are almost 30 chapters, and between each chapter is a mini-chapter that describes something that ended off the previous chapter and/or will start off the next chapter.Ā This āsomethingā can be an object, a person, a piece of worldbuilding, anything really.Ā These mini-chapters are a cool idea and add a lot to making the world feel real.
So, I wonāt bury the lead: I liked this book a whole lot.Ā I really, really love it.Ā And not because I got it for freeālike I said, that does not affect my opinion, and I honestly wish I could go back in time and spend money on this.Ā Iām going to make this review as in-depth as possible to make up for the fact that barely anybody has read this fucking amazing book.Ā I have criticisms, obviously, but overall, this book is a 10/10 from me.
It reminded me of the thick sci-fi & fantasy epics I read to pass time in the hospital (to be clear, that is a compliment), immersing myself in deep worlds with rich characters between the pages.Ā I wish Iād had The Last Bread Mage during my last trip to inpatient.Ā Iām glad I have it now, at least.
Also, itās one of those books that the more you read it, the more the meaning of the cover becomes clear & changes.Ā The last time that happened was with Still Life With Woodpecker, and it was pretty cool to see it happening here.
You might be asking, āWhy is it called The Last Bread Mage?āĀ This is because Fel is the last red mage, and ābread mageā is another name for āred mageā due to the fact that red mages make bread for hungry people.Ā They basically use their magic to bend the rules of the universe using the three basic components all things are made of: texture, fiber, & substance.Ā By mixing & matching these basic materials, they can turn one thing into an entirely different thing, like when Fel renders the bars of a cell into bread.Ā They use up energy when they do that though, so they canāt do it foreverāafter all, even magic-users are only human.
The magic system in this book is very interesting, and makes for some very unique ways for Fel to get him & his friends out of the perils they end up facing.Ā It also soon leads to theological implications, because red magesā magic changes the logic of the universe set by God.Ā However, God can only āseeā the basic components all things are made of, so since a transmuted item retains the same basic materials, in Godās eyes, nothing has changed.Ā These theological implications are explored in various ways and go in many directions I didnāt expect, like when Fel uses his powers to make him & his friends not exist in the eyes of God.
There are also times where Felās powers go awry, though, through no fault of his own.Ā Basically, the apocalypse occurring in the world is causing the worldās logic to fall apart, drowning continents and making fantastical creatures appear that previously only existed in fiction.Ā This means that the logic behind Felās powers sometimes fails him, such as when he tries to make a doorway for him & Amara to escape down the block from a threat, but when they go through that doorway, theyāve been transported halfway across the world.
By making the story about the logic of the universe and how it can be exploited or make what should go right go wrong, the book carries a consistent throughline throughout the whole thing, even & especially when Fel does his most shocking action near the end of the story.Ā Itās a very admirable feat.
Speaking of the ending, I do want to talk about that.Ā If you donāt want to be spoiled, skip to the āSPOILERS END HEREā line.
**SPOILERS START HERE**
When Fel and his friends reach The Pinnacle, they meet a few other folks thereāand they meet God.Ā I wasnāt sure if God was going to end up being real or not, but there it is, fretting as the world comes to an end.Ā Itās revealed that God made the world in an effort to make order out of chaos, but chaos keeps seeping through, no matter what it does.Ā It has ended & restarted the world many, many, many times, always bringing back The Chosen Four (Amara & three others named Lumbre, Huesos, & Frio) and The Fated Four (Fel [true name: Felicidad], Virgen [true name: Virtud], Dormi [true name: Domino (a name Dormi finds āfucking stupidā) & Beatrix [true name: Hambre])
Beatrix is a very interesting character.Ā In this lifetime, she was the butcher in the prison Dormi was locked up in, ruthlessly killing many of Dormiās friends.Ā But she regrets being that person, thought she had to make herself into what she now realizes is a monster.Ā Her & Dormiās reflection is shown in this passage:
āDormi and Beatrixāāāwho had been incredibly lost until this pointāāāfound themselves looking at one another. They thought about the life theyād led and wondered how different things wouldāve been had they switched places. It humbled Beatrix, for she had been taught to hate the people of Gritlan, and it scared Dormi, for they were terrified of the butcher they mightāve become.ā
The eight of them are always created when a new cycle begins.Ā Amara remembers every single cycle, every single timeline that has ever existed.Ā So does God, of course.Ā And now, itās time for the world to end for a new cycle to begin.
The Chosen Four all carry pieces of The Worldly Egg, from which a new cycle of the world will hatch.Ā They take out their pieces, the egg formsābut God doesnāt hatch it.Ā Instead, God admits to them that it is tired of change, of chaos.Ā It longs for predictability, and wants this all to end.Ā It wants this to be the last cycle to ever exist.
Of course, everyone else protests.Ā So, God asks them all to vote whether this should be the last cycle of the world.Ā God votes Yea, as it is tired of doing this over & over again.Ā Everyone else votes, until finally, Fel has to be the tiebreaker.Ā
But instead of voting, Fel takes the The Worldly Egg and rends it, crunching it down to its most basic materials and absorbing them into himself.Ā In doing so, Fel absorbs everything existing into himselfāthe world, his friends, even Godāand becomes the new creator of the universe.Ā The Prince of Absolute Chaos.
He creates a new cycle, brings his friends back.Ā God is reborn as a child, and as a being who has never had a name, it asks Fel to have hisāto be named Felicidad.Ā Fel says yes, as long as, ā[Y]ou must promise me to honor the name by living a life full of joy, laughter, and smiles.Ā Do you promise?ā
The previous God thinks about itāafter all, life could be full of ājoy, laughter, and smilesā or it can be full of āmisery and misfortuneā.Ā In the end, it promises Fel it will uphold the name, and the book ends on that final exchange.
I teared up quite a bit as I read through the ending, and even going back to find quotes for this review made me tear up again.Ā Saving your friends, saving the world, and even saving Godāthereās something very beautiful in that, I think.
I also love how Kirin was able to bring aspects of his Mexican culture into the book, by making all of the true names that of āthe first languageā within the bookās universe (Spanish).Ā Itās a nice little touch and I think itās neat.
**SPOILERS END HERE**
Now for my criticisms.Ā Like Adrian in Memory Leak, Fel is referred to as āthe young manā quite a lot.Ā Sometimes this happens multiple times in the same paragraph.Ā This seems to be in an effort to avoid using pronouns instead, but sometimes, itās better to just say āheā, as someone who also has this problem in eir writing (thanks, OCD [literally, not a figure of speech]!).
Thatās basically my only nitpick.Ā I wish I had more to criticize honestly, but I really donāt.Ā Good problems to have.
In conclusion, Iāve never been angrier that a book isnāt popular than when I finished this one.Ā Where are the Tumblr shitposts and multiple pieces of fanart for this book?Ā Iām so mad lmao!Ā Also, I imagine I will have that feeling quite a bit as I continue this book review series.
I want to leave off with these words that Amara says to Fel, because I think theyāre beautiful:
āāThe only thing worth a damn in this world is being the best versions of ourselves. What does that look like to you, sweet Fel? What does the best version of you look like? It may seem far away, unreachable at the best of times, but you should reach out for this impossible ideal. Be the truest version of yourself. Thatās the only thing we can do. Everything else? My dear, everything else is a gamble.āā So true, bestie.Ā Amen.
Hey everyone!Ā I wanna do little reviews/writeups for the independently-published books I find on itch.io, and so, here I am.Ā I want to review one book every month or two (or quicker, if Iām lucky); itāll get me reading more, and get authors who often go without feedback some thoughts on their work!Ā I think itāll be cool for everyone!
If you want your book reviewed, the only requirement I have is that itās hosted on itch.io.Ā Even if itch is just one of many places you can get the book, I want to review books that have a home there at least.Ā Feel free to get in touch with me with your booksāIām @NaomiNorbez on Twitter (I refuse to call it X), Pillowfort, Threads, and Instagram; Iām @norbezjones on Tumblr; Iām norbez2.0 on Discord.
Looking forward to seeing your books! <3
__________
The first book Iām reviewing Is Memory Leak by @maxkirin !Ā M. Kirin is a streamer who I happened to follow not long before their book release.Ā Thatās how I heard about it.Ā Some light spoilers below, but nothing too big is revealed.Ā Most of the major stuff discussed you can read about right on the bookās itch page.
The plot is basically this: a trouple made a controversial game that won many awards, and also got lots of hate.Ā Now, theyāre trying to make a new project to follow up such a release, but spooky things are happening.Ā Will they find out why strange events are occurring, or succumb to the haunting?
Everyoneās trans, and I love it.Ā Adrianās trans.Ā Evaās trans.Ā Caseyās . . . idk, very queer at least.Ā Sheās also missing for a while, which has turned the game making trio into a duo as theyāre trying to finish their new game based on Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.
Most of the book is about blackouts & memory loss, which occur as development goes on.Ā Reading about those things hurt.Ā Especially the part where Adrian says, āIt didnāt matter if he didnāt remember. He was making something. Something that mattered.ā (pg 17-18).Ā That hit hard, as someone whoās experienced intense periods of memory loss in the pastāthat was during my pseudo-dementia era (more on that here if you wanna hear the full story).Ā I had a similar thought to Adrian when I was making A Single Ouroboros Scale while I had pseudo-dementia.Ā I was desperate to make an impact because I was convinced I would soon forget everything I knew, including how to make games, and everyone would forget me in turn.Ā It came out as well as you can expect from a very sick, depressed person (which is to say, not good), as I talked about in the postmortem.Ā I imagine that for our game development trio, the same result occurs.
The hauntings in Memory Leak are rooted in real-life problems in the game development industry, mainly crunch and overworking yourself in order to meet a deadline.Ā Though in the case of Adrian, Eva, & Casey . . . was a deadline ever specified?Ā Itās strongly implied, but not overtly stated, as I recall.Ā Regardless, as a creator in the internet/social media age, you do have to act quickly to release new works, or the public will forget you.Ā Perhaps thatās why they feel like they need to work as quickly as possible.Ā Thereās some irony in thatāthe charactersā rush to be remembered, all while they forget more & more.Ā Itās sad sometimes, the things we sacrifice to be known.
Also, it turns out the famous game the trio made, King Leer, possibly indirectly caused the death of multiple people, and that isnāt mentioned until about halfway through the book?Ā Itās surprising how that information flies out of nowhere, like a sucker punch.Ā If one of my games indirectly caused a person to die, I would be haunted by that for the rest of my life.Ā But the trio seem to have gotten over it, somehow.
My main little nitpick about the writing is that Adrian is referred to as āthe young manā quite a bit, and I didnāt like that.Ā It felt too impersonal, distant.Ā Thatās also something I do in my own writing, referring to the character as anything but their name to avoid saying their name too many times in a row (I blame my OCD [which I literally do have, that is not a figure of speech]).Ā So maybe it irks me because I see myself in that repeated action.Ā
As much as I like the writing style, I do have to acknowledge that it keeps us as a distance from the characters.Ā Theyāre young men, young women, lost souls.Ā Itās like weāre also haunting them, a ghost from beyond getting a peek into their lives from the top-down.Ā The chapter openers reinforce this: in those, you, the reader, are brought into the story, from a second person perspective, and given information about Starling games from YouTube videos, forum posts, messages, etc.Ā We see them win Game Of The Year, watch as fans deride & praise them, stuff like that.Ā Itās definitely an interesting way to give us information.
A big issue is that weāre told a lot that these characters love each other, but that bond isnāt quite shown to me. One can argue that it is between Adrian & Eva at least, but Casey?Ā In the beginning, it seems like she dislikes Adrian & Eva, but then thereās still a scene where she cries while apologizing to Adrian for yelling at him, saying how much she loves him.Ā I got the sense that she clings to Adrian & Eva because she used to love them, for a long time, and she doesnāt want to let that go.Ā Because to let that go would be venturing into unknown & very awkward territory.Ā How do you break up your polycule if you rely on them to earn a living and make games?Ā Short answer: you donāt, so you pretend instead.Ā And when you pretend enough, it can become real again.
This is a problem because the love these characters have for each other is a core tenant of the book, especially in the climax.Ā I wish we couldāve spent more time seeing how they fell in love with each other, back when Starling Games was new.Ā At least Caseyās love for the others becomes clearer as the book goes on; thatās a good thing.
As for the big twist, I saw the first part of it coming from a mile away.Ā Thatās not a bad thingāa good twist should fit the plot & themes, not be 100% unpredictable, and this twist did.Ā The second part of the twist is mentioned on the bookās page, but the execution is so interesting you can almost forget that fact.
Last note: I was hoping the book would tell us why the works the trio make are so fucked up, if theyāre a reflection of the soul, or just dark spurts of creativity.Ā The reason is revealed, and itās fascinatingāafter all, if weāve learned anything from The Beginnerās Guide, itās that art doesnāt always reflect the author.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book.Ā It was a very interesting story about the struggle of game development, and how our search for a legacy can haunt us.Ā The characters are interesting, and the story is very well told.Ā I would recommend it.
If you want to read Memory Leak, you can do so FOR FREE right here!Ā Give it a look!Ā Please!Ā Iām begging you!
Thanks for reading!Ā The next review will be of To Wield The Darkest Night by Beau Van Dalen.Ā But I donāt know what Iām doing after that, so please send me your lovely books!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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I was curious, how long is Memory Leak in terms of word count? I just downloaded it, but my readers don't mention that statistic, but I was curious to see how big it is.
It really looks like a fun book! I'm excited to try it!
You're right! I didn't mention the word-count (gotta fix that š )
The standard pdf version of MEMORY LEAK (formatted like as a 6x9 hardback) is 439 pages! I hope you enjoy my book š¤
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
My book is out TODAY! [Memory Leak] is a psychological horror novel about an indie game dev throuple being haunted by their work. It's queer as hell you'll love it š
