I don’t think this is something I’ve bothered to compile before, mainly because I didn’t think anybody would care because while I occasionally participate in some spaces it is as a guest. I’ve never felt as if I were truly part of a community. But that’s not my problem. It never was, which is something I’ve known for decades and should have believed sooner.
But I don’t think it had occurred to me to share any of this until I saw the following people doing it.
The following is material that has inspired me, challenged me, comforted me, or merely amused me (which doesn’t come easily). Make of it what you can. If there’s anything on here that you find objectionable or ‘problematic’, dial 1-800-B-DAMNED. Because de gustibus non disputandum est; there’s no arguing with taste — even if you yourself think it’s bad taste.
books
- The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
- The Revenge of the Rose, The War Hound and the World’s Pain, and The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock
- The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
- Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
- Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen
- Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
- Gate of Ivrel, Well of Shiuan, Fires of Azeroth, Heavy Time, Hellburner, and the Foreigner saga by C. J. Cherryh
- The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
- Swordspoint and The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
- Traitor’s Blade, Knight’s Shadow, Saint’s Blood, Tyrant’s Throne by Sebastian de Castell
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
- The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, Last Argument of Kings, Best Served Cold, and The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
- Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram
- Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber
- Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher
- Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe
- Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
- A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
- The Reactionary Mind by Corey Robin
- The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
- Howl by Allen Ginsberg
- Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
- All Fours by Miranda July
- Atheism: The Case Against God by George H. Smith
- God Against the Gods by Jonathan Kirsch
- Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena
- The Satan: How God’s Executioner Became the Enemy by Ryan E. Stokes
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Berserk by Kentaro Miura
- the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
- The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
- X by CLAMP
- The City We Became and The World We Make by N. K. Jemisen
- Fight Club by Chuck Pahlahniuk
- Human Aggression by Anthony Storr
- The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson
- Cabal, The Hellbound Heart, The Damnation Game, and Imajica by Clive Barker
- The Crow by James O’Barr
- IT, Apt Pupil, and The Gunslinger by Stephen King
- Rage and The Running Man by Richard Bachman
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- The Sandman and American Gods by Neil Gaiman (accused rapist)
- Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
- Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche
- The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
- The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Call of Cthulhu, and At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft (racist, misogynist, and anti-Semite)
- Hyperion by Dan Simmons
- The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould
- The Unique and Its Property (sometimes rendered as The Ego and Its Own) by Max Stirner
- No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
- The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
- The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
- Armor by John Steakley
- Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
- Mutual Aid by Peter Kropotkin
- Sex for One by Betty Dodson
- Watchmen and V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
- To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
- Boyslut by Zachary Zane
- Nine Princes in Amber and Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
- The Black Company by Glen Cook
- Dokkōdō (The Way of Walking Alone) by Miyamoto Musashi
- Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
- The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller
- The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z by Max Brooks
albums
- Secret Treaties and Imaginos by the Blue Öyster Cult
- Rage For Order and Operation: Mindcrime by Queensrÿche
- Cross Purposes by Black Sabbath
- Sin After Sin, Stained Class, Screaming for Vengeance, and Painkiller by Judas Priest
- Powerslave, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, The X Factor, and Brave New World by Iron Maiden
- Don’t Break the Oath by Mercyful Fate
- The Eye by King Diamond
- Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani
- Prologue and Ashes are Burning by Renaissance
- Machine Head and Perfect Strangers by Deep Purple
- Brain Salad Surgery by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
- Close to the Edge by Yes
- Hot Rats, Apostrophe, and Overnite Sensation by Frank Zappa
- Focus and Traced In Air by Cynic
- Birds of Fire by the Mahavishnu Orchestra
- Subsurface and March of Progress by Threshold
- Draconian Times by Paradise Lost
- Act II: The Father of Death by The Protomen
- Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater
- Cruel Magic by Satan
- The Plague by DEMON
- Blood and Glitter by Lord of the Lost
- Blood Red Bouquet and Queen of Broken Dreams by Scarlet Dorn
- Diana’s Day by Fourth Dominion
- Lucifer V
- A Night at the Opera by Blind Guardian
- The Mountain by Haken
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Iced Earth (released decades before founder Jon Schaffer got involved with right-wing militias)
- Deggial by Therion
- First and Last and Always, Floodland, and Vision Thing by The Sisters of Mercy
- The Head on the Door, Disintegration, and Bloodflowers by The Cure
- Meliora and Impera by Ghost
- October Rust by Type O Negative
- Countdown to Extinction by Megadeath
- Seasons in the Abyss by Slayer
- Oceanborn by Nightwish
- We Are The Others by Delain
- The Universal Migrator by Ayreon
- On This Perfect Day by Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s Guilt Machine
- Beyond the End of Despair by Galneryus
games
When a title can also refer a series, I am referring to the series.
- Final Fantasy
- Metal Gear Solid
- Shin Megami Tensei
- Chrono Trigger
- SaGa
- Suikoden
- Devil May Cry
- King’s Field
- Armored Core
- Demon’s Souls
- Dark Souls
- Bloodborne
- Elden Ring
- Phantasy Star
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Persona
- Xenogears
- Vagrant Story
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Deus Ex
- Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
- Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom
movies
- They Live
- Unbreakable
- Young Frankenstein
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Nightbreed
- Event Horizon
- Full Metal Jacket
- Escape from New York
- The Crow (starring Brandon Lee)
- Mickey 17
- Fight Club
- Vampire Hunter D
- Spaceballs
- American Psycho
- Heavy Metal
- The Devil’s Advocate
- Shaft
- Purple Rain
- Scarface
- Colossus: The Forbin Project
- Batman (1989)
- A Better Tomorrow
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Hellraiser
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- The Fifth Element
- The Substance
- Kill Bill
- The Thomas Crown Affair
- The Killer
- GoodFellas
- Seven Samurai
- Die Hard
- Apocalypse Now
- Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy #1
television
- Cowboy Bebop (anime)
- Firefly (created by accused predator Joss Whedon)
- The Devil Judge (K-drama)
- Luke Cage (Marvel)
- Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1995)
- The Boys
- RahXephon (anime)
- Tulsa King
- One Punch Man (anime)
- The Glory (K-drama)
- Doctor Who (mainly the Tom Baker and Christopher Eccleston runs)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Girl From Nowhere
- Great Pretender (anime)
- Love Death + Robots
- Samurai Champloo (anime)
- Hotel Del Luna (K-drama)
- Vision of Escaflowne (anime)
- Hellbound (K-drama)
- Marcella
- Fleabag
I should close with a word of caution. I no more my favorite media than I am what I do for a paycheck. Neither are you. Even if the media we consume played some role in shaping us, we are more than that. Or, at least, we damned well should be.
Also, perhaps this should be a slash page rather than a grimoire entry. So, you can also find this via https://starbreaker.org/canon/.