Alexandra Quick and the Lands Below: Author's Notes (Chapter 7 - Threats)

[inverarity]

Comments

[tealterror0]

I think I'm unusual among the AQ readership in that, while I really appreciated Max as a character, I didn't actually...well...like him that much as a person. (Long post ahoy

Maximilian

[inverarity]

You're not alone. miles2go, one of my betas for book three, really disliked Max.

I didn't actually intend Max to be particularly likable. He was bigoted, chauvinistic, and had a lot of his father's worst traits. I deliberately made him a swaggering bully before the Big Reveal; after it, I needed to make him sympathetic enough that readers would care about his fate, but he would probably not have had the moral objections Alexandra has had to some of their father's actions.

Re: Maximilian

[tealterror0]

I don't recall him being bigoted, actually. Or particularly chauvinistic, either (despite his reluctance, he did train Alexandra, and seemed to get along well with Beatrice).

Despite your intentions, though, it seems that most people did like Max. Hence why I said I was unusual; miles2go would be another exception.

Re: Maximilian

[inverarity]

His bigotry was more of a "soft" kind of bigotry - remember his comment to Alexandra that Muggles are inferior to wizards "but it's not their fault." Likewise, being a chauvinist doesn't mean ALL WOMEN MAKE ME A SANDWICH. Mostly he was patronizing and overprotective to his sisters. Which I think was what made him so popular - apparently overprotective big brothers have a lot of reader appeal.

Tomo

[ext_2137784]

Tomo is probably my favorite character in this series after Alexandra. She takes so much shit and never stops throwing it back even when she's scared to death and none of the people who are supposed to protect her seem to give a crap. I really hope we see more of her from book 5 on.

Re: Tomo

[inverarity]

You probably won't see much of her in book five, but Tomo and the Majokai will definitely play a role in book six.