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
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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
Fuck, I've written 250 of these.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
No Substance #250: Some Vague Old Is New Statement
A while back, probably twenty-five years ago or so, I made a blog on livejournal.
nosubstance.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Fuck, I've written 250 of these.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
Fuck, I've written 250 of these.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
No Substance #250: Some Vague Old Is New Statement
A while back, probably twenty-five years ago or so, I made a blog on livejournal.
nosubstance.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Fuck, I've written 250 of these.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
Anyhow, last one for the year, which is partly a recap, partly about old things, partly about nothing. I hope you've all enjoyed, or haven't, and I'll see you next year after a bit of a break.
After yesterday’s heat.
December 7, 2025 at 4:19 AM
After yesterday’s heat.
Coming on 9 and it’s 30 already. Gonna be a filthy day.
December 5, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Coming on 9 and it’s 30 already. Gonna be a filthy day.
Reposted by ben peek
It's Bandcamp Friday! My band Djinn And Miskatonic has music you can buy.
Our most recent EP, Paleo:
djinnandmiskatonic.bandcamp.com/album/paleo-ep
Our most recent EP, Paleo:
djinnandmiskatonic.bandcamp.com/album/paleo-ep
Paleo EP, by Djinn and Miskatonic
3 track album
djinnandmiskatonic.bandcamp.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:24 AM
It's Bandcamp Friday! My band Djinn And Miskatonic has music you can buy.
Our most recent EP, Paleo:
djinnandmiskatonic.bandcamp.com/album/paleo-ep
Our most recent EP, Paleo:
djinnandmiskatonic.bandcamp.com/album/paleo-ep
Sitting on the train listening to two women hate read the synopsis of an old school friend’s book. This is the true miracle of publishing. The envy. The bitterness. The secret purchase later and the denial they did it until one day they break down crying cause they always wanted to write a book.
December 4, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Sitting on the train listening to two women hate read the synopsis of an old school friend’s book. This is the true miracle of publishing. The envy. The bitterness. The secret purchase later and the denial they did it until one day they break down crying cause they always wanted to write a book.
Reposted by ben peek
Arcs for The Pandemonium Waltz, my collection due out in February, should be available fairly soon. If you are a reviewer for a publication, drop me a line. Cover art by Derek Ford. And there is an interview with me by Kelly Link. TOC in 2 Comments below.
December 1, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Arcs for The Pandemonium Waltz, my collection due out in February, should be available fairly soon. If you are a reviewer for a publication, drop me a line. Cover art by Derek Ford. And there is an interview with me by Kelly Link. TOC in 2 Comments below.
Reposted by ben peek
This week's No Substance is out. It's a bit of a long one.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
No Substance #249: 10 Short Story Writers to Start Your Journey
It’s coming to the end of the year and it seems like the madness is starting to creep in on everyone.
nosubstance.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:26 AM
This week's No Substance is out. It's a bit of a long one.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
This week's No Substance is out. It's a bit of a long one.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
No Substance #249: 10 Short Story Writers to Start Your Journey
It’s coming to the end of the year and it seems like the madness is starting to creep in on everyone.
nosubstance.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:26 AM
This week's No Substance is out. It's a bit of a long one.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
Anyhow, it's a post about short story writers, and I talk briefly about 10 writers who I think are a good place to start if you want to get into reading more short stories but haven't.
Watched The Terminator last night. The Ritz had a 35m print and my partner and I hadn't seen it in a cinema, so why not? There were scratches, missing frames, and other various imperfections in the print. It was great, though. That's how you should watch The Terminator.
November 28, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Watched The Terminator last night. The Ritz had a 35m print and my partner and I hadn't seen it in a cinema, so why not? There were scratches, missing frames, and other various imperfections in the print. It was great, though. That's how you should watch The Terminator.
This is just a small reminder that I had a new book out this year called The Red Labyrinth. It's a little book and it's about mad monks and a big labyrinth and other things, most of them terrible.
It makes ane excellent gift this coming holidays.
It makes ane excellent gift this coming holidays.
Ben Peek - The Red Labyrinth | Snuggly Books
The Red Labyrinth tells of the violent histories of the Red King and the Black Queen, the twisted maze they lived in, and the cruel, tattooed monks who oversaw their rule.
www.snugglybooks.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 3:39 AM
This is just a small reminder that I had a new book out this year called The Red Labyrinth. It's a little book and it's about mad monks and a big labyrinth and other things, most of them terrible.
It makes ane excellent gift this coming holidays.
It makes ane excellent gift this coming holidays.
All this talk of short stories. Finished this collection by Arthur Miller this morning. Wasn’t a fan of all of it, but he’s got some good pieces in it, especially ‘Fitter’s Night’ and ‘The Misfits’.
November 23, 2025 at 8:17 PM
All this talk of short stories. Finished this collection by Arthur Miller this morning. Wasn’t a fan of all of it, but he’s got some good pieces in it, especially ‘Fitter’s Night’ and ‘The Misfits’.
Reposted by ben peek
Google has started automatically opting you in to let it read your stuff to train AI. You need to turn this off in SEVERAL places in your settings (not just for Gmail), if you want to maintain privacy and confidentiality.
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out
A new Gmail update may allow Google to use your private messages and attachments for AI training. Here's how to turn it off.
www.malwarebytes.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Google has started automatically opting you in to let it read your stuff to train AI. You need to turn this off in SEVERAL places in your settings (not just for Gmail), if you want to maintain privacy and confidentiality.
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Reposted by ben peek
Reposted by ben peek
This study show that using poems to jailbreak LLMs is... super effective? What the heck.
November 20, 2025 at 5:36 PM
This study show that using poems to jailbreak LLMs is... super effective? What the heck.
The things US Presidents say.
November 21, 2025 at 12:22 AM
The things US Presidents say.
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.