ben peek
@nosubstance.bsky.social
Author of The Godless, 26Lies, Dead Americans and other novels. Short fiction in Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, Nightmare, Overland, etc. Lives in the edges of Sydney, Australia.
http://linktr.ee/benpeek
http://linktr.ee/benpeek
Pinned
ben peek
@nosubstance.bsky.social
· Jun 5
The Red Labyrinth
The Red Labyrinth [Peek, Ben] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Red Labyrinth
www.amazon.com
I've got a new book out, The Red Labyrinth. It's a dark little novella about a giant underground labyrinth and a woman who starts a revolution inside it. Also, there are monks. Most of them are mad.
It's good for your friends. It's good for your enemies. It's good for completely random strangers.
It's good for your friends. It's good for your enemies. It's good for completely random strangers.
Reposted by ben peek
A government that can’t bring itself to tax fossil fuel, big tech or any wealth properly but defunds its critical institutions is not a good government, sorry
November 18, 2025 at 8:17 PM
A government that can’t bring itself to tax fossil fuel, big tech or any wealth properly but defunds its critical institutions is not a good government, sorry
This week's No Substance if you missed it (and lets be honest, you probably did)
This week's No Substance is about the new Frankenstein.
I did not like it.
I did not like it.
No Substance #248: Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein
I am a big fan of Guillermo del Toro, but I am not a fan of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
nosubstance.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:45 AM
This week's No Substance if you missed it (and lets be honest, you probably did)
I discovered this week that The Wizard of Earthsea still works for kids. It has been in print forever so I suppose I oughtn't be, but sometimes you wonder if those old books are surviving on nostalgia and vibe kicks cause everything (rightly) changes. But Earthsea is still alright, I am told.
November 19, 2025 at 2:43 AM
I discovered this week that The Wizard of Earthsea still works for kids. It has been in print forever so I suppose I oughtn't be, but sometimes you wonder if those old books are surviving on nostalgia and vibe kicks cause everything (rightly) changes. But Earthsea is still alright, I am told.
Reposted by ben peek
This week's No Substance is about the new Frankenstein.
I did not like it.
I did not like it.
No Substance #248: Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein
I am a big fan of Guillermo del Toro, but I am not a fan of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
nosubstance.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:19 AM
This week's No Substance is about the new Frankenstein.
I did not like it.
I did not like it.
This week's No Substance is about the new Frankenstein.
I did not like it.
I did not like it.
No Substance #248: Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein
I am a big fan of Guillermo del Toro, but I am not a fan of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
nosubstance.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:19 AM
This week's No Substance is about the new Frankenstein.
I did not like it.
I did not like it.
Every time I read about Szalay’s Flesh it sounds awful. It’s a real feat in marketing.
November 17, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Every time I read about Szalay’s Flesh it sounds awful. It’s a real feat in marketing.
Reposted by ben peek
Ben's novella is an outstanding work of dark fantasy with a richly imagined setting and vivid, complex characters. Great book.
Convincing you to read my novel by the first sentence. Share yours if you want.
From The Red Labyrinth
From The Red Labyrinth
November 11, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Ben's novella is an outstanding work of dark fantasy with a richly imagined setting and vivid, complex characters. Great book.
Convincing you to read my novel by the first sentence. Share yours if you want.
From The Red Labyrinth
From The Red Labyrinth
November 11, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Convincing you to read my novel by the first sentence. Share yours if you want.
From The Red Labyrinth
From The Red Labyrinth
Reposted by ben peek
This week's No Substance. I talk a little about Javier Serena's Last Words on Earth, a fictionalised recount of the live of Roberto Bolaño.
Please enjoy.
Please enjoy.
No Substance #247: Last Words on Earth by Javier Serena
Book I am a big fan of Roberto Bolaño’s work.
nosubstance.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:12 PM
This week's No Substance. I talk a little about Javier Serena's Last Words on Earth, a fictionalised recount of the live of Roberto Bolaño.
Please enjoy.
Please enjoy.
The great Japanese actor Nakadai Tatsuya has died at the age of 92. He was in some amazing films including The Human Condition trilogy, Ran, Kwaidan, and my personal favourite Harakiri.
If you've never seen any, do yourself a favour.
If you've never seen any, do yourself a favour.
1962 - Harakiri Trailer
YouTube video by Trailers Through Time
www.youtube.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:27 AM
The great Japanese actor Nakadai Tatsuya has died at the age of 92. He was in some amazing films including The Human Condition trilogy, Ran, Kwaidan, and my personal favourite Harakiri.
If you've never seen any, do yourself a favour.
If you've never seen any, do yourself a favour.
A truly excellent actor. Harakiri is an amazing film.
Nakadai Tatsuya has passed away, aged 92. He was one of the greats of Japanese screen actors, appearing in The Human Condition, Harakiri, Kwaidan, Ran, Sword of Doom, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and many, many others.
November 11, 2025 at 4:19 AM
A truly excellent actor. Harakiri is an amazing film.
This week's No Substance. I talk a little about Javier Serena's Last Words on Earth, a fictionalised recount of the live of Roberto Bolaño.
Please enjoy.
Please enjoy.
No Substance #247: Last Words on Earth by Javier Serena
Book I am a big fan of Roberto Bolaño’s work.
nosubstance.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:12 PM
This week's No Substance. I talk a little about Javier Serena's Last Words on Earth, a fictionalised recount of the live of Roberto Bolaño.
Please enjoy.
Please enjoy.
Male edition arrived yesterday, so have both editions of this excellent book now.
November 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Male edition arrived yesterday, so have both editions of this excellent book now.
I had one of those vegan, plant based Gaytimes today. I literally couldn’t tell you the difference between it and a real one.
November 7, 2025 at 6:14 AM
I had one of those vegan, plant based Gaytimes today. I literally couldn’t tell you the difference between it and a real one.
It's nice to hear Mamdani won. It's even nicer, though, to hear that Dick Cheney is still dead.
November 5, 2025 at 5:11 AM
It's nice to hear Mamdani won. It's even nicer, though, to hear that Dick Cheney is still dead.
I hear the American kids adopting Australian slang. Someone told me they grabbed ‘sheila’ for some reason. Anyhow, for a minimal fee I’ll tell you about some of the better words like smoko, bogan, rooted, durry, and sickie. Americans could really so with learning what a sickie is.
November 4, 2025 at 7:55 PM
I hear the American kids adopting Australian slang. Someone told me they grabbed ‘sheila’ for some reason. Anyhow, for a minimal fee I’ll tell you about some of the better words like smoko, bogan, rooted, durry, and sickie. Americans could really so with learning what a sickie is.
Order a copy of the male edition of this excellent book today (I read the female edition when I wrote this)
This week's No Substance is about the really cool, really excellent Dictionary of the Khazars. It's so good you don't even need to read this. You should just buy a copy.
No Substance #246: Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić
This Week’s Book
nosubstance.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Order a copy of the male edition of this excellent book today (I read the female edition when I wrote this)
Reposted by ben peek
This week's No Substance is about the really cool, really excellent Dictionary of the Khazars. It's so good you don't even need to read this. You should just buy a copy.
No Substance #246: Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić
This Week’s Book
nosubstance.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:56 AM
This week's No Substance is about the really cool, really excellent Dictionary of the Khazars. It's so good you don't even need to read this. You should just buy a copy.
This week's No Substance is about the really cool, really excellent Dictionary of the Khazars. It's so good you don't even need to read this. You should just buy a copy.
No Substance #246: Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić
This Week’s Book
nosubstance.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:56 AM
This week's No Substance is about the really cool, really excellent Dictionary of the Khazars. It's so good you don't even need to read this. You should just buy a copy.
You know, I can name more literary zombie novels than I can zombie horror novels.
November 1, 2025 at 5:17 AM
You know, I can name more literary zombie novels than I can zombie horror novels.
Reposted by ben peek
it’s Halloween time
October 30, 2025 at 8:03 PM
it’s Halloween time
Lol
Now, I like House of Leaves. I think it's a good book for a certain age. But every book Danielewski has written since has been awful, just plain awful. Thus, it's a bit hilarious to see the new one described as a supermax prison.
Now, I like House of Leaves. I think it's a good book for a certain age. But every book Danielewski has written since has been awful, just plain awful. Thus, it's a bit hilarious to see the new one described as a supermax prison.
Enuf Is Enuf | Los Angeles Review of Books
Tom LeClair clop-clops through Mark Z. Danielewski’s new novel “Tom’s Crossing.”
lareviewofbooks.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Lol
Now, I like House of Leaves. I think it's a good book for a certain age. But every book Danielewski has written since has been awful, just plain awful. Thus, it's a bit hilarious to see the new one described as a supermax prison.
Now, I like House of Leaves. I think it's a good book for a certain age. But every book Danielewski has written since has been awful, just plain awful. Thus, it's a bit hilarious to see the new one described as a supermax prison.
Reposted by ben peek
This week's No Substance is out. It discusses Maria Judite de Carvalho's collection, So Many People, Mariana, which is pretty cool. You should buy it even if you don't read this.
But you should read this as well.
But you should read this as well.
No Substance #245: So Many People, Mariana, by Maria Judite de Carvalho
In the last year or so I’ve started writing short stories differently.
nosubstance.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:58 AM
This week's No Substance is out. It discusses Maria Judite de Carvalho's collection, So Many People, Mariana, which is pretty cool. You should buy it even if you don't read this.
But you should read this as well.
But you should read this as well.
This week's No Substance is out. It discusses Maria Judite de Carvalho's collection, So Many People, Mariana, which is pretty cool. You should buy it even if you don't read this.
But you should read this as well.
But you should read this as well.
No Substance #245: So Many People, Mariana, by Maria Judite de Carvalho
In the last year or so I’ve started writing short stories differently.
nosubstance.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:58 AM
This week's No Substance is out. It discusses Maria Judite de Carvalho's collection, So Many People, Mariana, which is pretty cool. You should buy it even if you don't read this.
But you should read this as well.
But you should read this as well.
Google is so bad now.
October 26, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Google is so bad now.