█ The Media That Tempers Me

May, 2026

“Think in straight lines but feel in curves."

— Harrison Lee Coyle

My creative style has been tempered by the books and other media I've consumed over the course of my life and this is a museum to those biggest inspirations.

• Albert Camus' The Stranger
  • ... for its perfectly mundane portrayal of a man in French-controlled Algeria. This book had me in the first half, which is essentially all setup for a payoff that comes later
• Tarsem Singh's The Fall
  • ... for its beauty and vision. I think this movie is one of the most under-appreciated works of art to exist. It affected me on an emotionally deep level the first time I saw it, and remains one of my favourites 20 years later. Singh spent much of his own money producing it and it never quite broke even, far as I can tell. He has been relegated to directing second-rate studio feed but the man is a visionary and deserves so much more.
• Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo
  • ... for being the greatest revenge story ever put to page. I could talk all day about Monte Cristo - not just its plot and characters but its creation and author as well. Alexandre Dumas, who was inspired to write books set during a romanticized period in French history thanks the actions of his father, who was a half-black officer under the employ of of the republic during and after the revolution.
• Harrison Lee Coyle’s Jack Finds a Window
  • ... for being a seminal work of dystopian, sci-fi. I read this book in the eight grade and haven't managed to find a copy since. It's been out of print for years and not many people have heard of it, evidently. Records barely exist of it online. It's worth the read if you can find a copy; it was written at the beginning of the computer age about artificial intelligence.
• GATTACA
  • ... for its realistic take on a society obsessed with ability, healthiness, and opportunity. It is ultimate in its atmosphere in a way I don't see sci-fi movies trying for anymore. GATTACA is overshadowed by flashier films from the era, like The Matrix, but is far more cerebral. The plot flows at a pace that requires you to soak it all in, one gorgeous scene after another.