Terms, titles, and bits of lore from AMoK, defined without giving away the plot.
A
AMOK
The name given to a creature assembled from a pile of blooded books. Also evokes the English idiom "running amok" — to behave uncontrollably or violently. The word this whole story is named for.
B
Better Her Than Me
A rationalization one of the adults in Timmy's life leans on to avoid confronting an uncomfortable truth close to home.
Big Paul
The lumberjack mascot of Timmy's school.
Blooded
The state a book enters once it's used in a significant, often violent, act. A blooded book bonds permanently to its owner — it cannot be given away, confiscated, destroyed, or truly lost.
C
Chrysalis
A metamorphic process, referenced obliquely throughout the story, tied to something ancient trying to fully cross over into our world.
D
Despicio
A name that surfaces in the story's margins, from the Latin despicio — "I despise" or "I look down upon." Make of that what you will.
G
Good Steward
Conroy's term for the kind of person he's looking for — someone in genuine need of what a blooded book can offer, entrusted to carry that responsibility.
Grooming
A term used explicitly within the story by one of its investigators to name a pattern of manipulative, predatory behavior toward a child. Handled directly and without euphemism in the text — see the Spoilers page for full content warnings.
L
Library, The
Conroy's house, or what's inside it: a floor-to-ceiling maze of books that doesn't obey ordinary rules of space or time. See Locations.
Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet
A chant that appears late in the story, borrowed from the familiar real-world placeholder text — repurposed here as something considerably less harmless.
N
Needful Reader
The novel's term for a reader whose need is great enough to turn a pile of books into something more. Introduced in the Prologue's opening lines.
"Nonsense is only nonsense until you learn the rules."
An inscription that resurfaces at an unexpected, meaningful moment for one of the story's investigators.
O
One and Done
A bar referenced in passing as part of the story's wider adult world.
P
Power and Control
A phrase that recurs in the mind of one of the story's more dangerous adults — worth paying attention to.
Z
Zenodotus
An alternate name associated with Conroy, referencing the historical first librarian of the Library of Alexandria — a hint at exactly how long he's been doing this. See Characters.