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
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’.
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
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.
AI sure does bring out the sad losers.
October 3, 2025 at 8:47 AM
AI sure does bring out the sad losers.
One of the complaints I have about Alien: Earth is, oddly, how much the xenomorph looks like a man in the suit. Every now and then you get a flash of that in one of the films, but the way they put together those scenes in the series doesn't hide the suit well, sadly.
September 22, 2025 at 3:58 AM
One of the complaints I have about Alien: Earth is, oddly, how much the xenomorph looks like a man in the suit. Every now and then you get a flash of that in one of the films, but the way they put together those scenes in the series doesn't hide the suit well, sadly.
You know the thing about lists like this, they change and change and change and you don't vote for anyone you know personally because obviously you love/hate all their books and come on now - it's just not cool.
top100books.abc.net.au/thanks
top100books.abc.net.au/thanks
September 21, 2025 at 4:57 AM
You know the thing about lists like this, they change and change and change and you don't vote for anyone you know personally because obviously you love/hate all their books and come on now - it's just not cool.
top100books.abc.net.au/thanks
top100books.abc.net.au/thanks
Conan, what is best in life?
August 25, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Conan, what is best in life?
I could've been working, but I wasn't.
July 16, 2025 at 6:25 AM
I could've been working, but I wasn't.
Watched Wes Anderson's Phoenician Scheme last night. Really liked it. I know a lot of people complain about the aesthetics of Wes Anderson films, but at this point, why watch them if that upsets you? I like it. Benicio del Toro is fantastic. He carries ithe film gracefully and with charm throughout.
July 3, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Watched Wes Anderson's Phoenician Scheme last night. Really liked it. I know a lot of people complain about the aesthetics of Wes Anderson films, but at this point, why watch them if that upsets you? I like it. Benicio del Toro is fantastic. He carries ithe film gracefully and with charm throughout.
The movie I added was Bi Gan's Kaili Blues. I was surprised it wasn't there, to be honest.
Anyway, subject to change and all that shit. Finally settled on these so I could go back to work and stop thinking about it. Got about a dozen that could go in, really.
Anyway, subject to change and all that shit. Finally settled on these so I could go back to work and stop thinking about it. Got about a dozen that could go in, really.
June 24, 2025 at 1:34 AM
The movie I added was Bi Gan's Kaili Blues. I was surprised it wasn't there, to be honest.
Anyway, subject to change and all that shit. Finally settled on these so I could go back to work and stop thinking about it. Got about a dozen that could go in, really.
Anyway, subject to change and all that shit. Finally settled on these so I could go back to work and stop thinking about it. Got about a dozen that could go in, really.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow.
June 6, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Yesterday, today, tomorrow.
Finished Roberto Bolaño’s small collection, The Insufferable Gaucho, this morning. A handful of stories and a pair of essays. The stories are pretty great, the essays mixed. It’s not the place to start with Bolaño, but it’s pretty decent.
May 16, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Finished Roberto Bolaño’s small collection, The Insufferable Gaucho, this morning. A handful of stories and a pair of essays. The stories are pretty great, the essays mixed. It’s not the place to start with Bolaño, but it’s pretty decent.
Yeah fuck you Dutton and your bigoted little shits
May 3, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Yeah fuck you Dutton and your bigoted little shits
Finished Ha Seong-nan’s third collection, Wafers, this morning. It’s maybe her best? As good as Flowers of Mold at least. A nice return after Bluebeard’s First Wife, which I didn’t think was any good.
March 12, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Finished Ha Seong-nan’s third collection, Wafers, this morning. It’s maybe her best? As good as Flowers of Mold at least. A nice return after Bluebeard’s First Wife, which I didn’t think was any good.
Some kind thoughts for our boy, Capote. He's back at the vet again. He has been in and out for the last week. No one is quite sure what's wrong with him, other than he's quite unwell (but not unwell in a way that shows up on any tests).
February 12, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Some kind thoughts for our boy, Capote. He's back at the vet again. He has been in and out for the last week. No one is quite sure what's wrong with him, other than he's quite unwell (but not unwell in a way that shows up on any tests).
Watched Kourosh Ahari's Parallel last night. It's a small, multiverse film with three actors (Danielle Deadwyler and Aldis and Edwin Hodge, who also wrote it) It's pretty cool.
February 6, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Watched Kourosh Ahari's Parallel last night. It's a small, multiverse film with three actors (Danielle Deadwyler and Aldis and Edwin Hodge, who also wrote it) It's pretty cool.
Watched Johan Grimonprez's Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat ont he weekend. It's pretty cool. The mix of jazz and politics is nice (tho incomplete), but the film remains fascinating as it tells an all to familiar story of so called 'progressive' countries taking advantage of developing ones.
January 27, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Watched Johan Grimonprez's Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat ont he weekend. It's pretty cool. The mix of jazz and politics is nice (tho incomplete), but the film remains fascinating as it tells an all to familiar story of so called 'progressive' countries taking advantage of developing ones.
Pedro Almodóvar’s The Last Dream is, no lie, a great collection. It does help if you’re a fan of Almodóvar’s films, since much of the life that animates them is here, as well (if you hate the films this isn’t for you). But there’s not a bad piece here. It’s legit great. Translated by Frank Wynne.
January 23, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Pedro Almodóvar’s The Last Dream is, no lie, a great collection. It does help if you’re a fan of Almodóvar’s films, since much of the life that animates them is here, as well (if you hate the films this isn’t for you). But there’s not a bad piece here. It’s legit great. Translated by Frank Wynne.
Cover for my novella, The Red Labyrinth. It'll be published by Snuggly Books in May, I believe.
January 14, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Cover for my novella, The Red Labyrinth. It'll be published by Snuggly Books in May, I believe.
Dahlia de la Cerda’s Reservoir Bitches is pretty decent. It’s a collection of linked stories about women living in Mexico (gangsters, vampires, spinsters). The organisation of the collection isn’t great (certain links disappear too early, for example) but the complaint is probably just a me thing.
January 14, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Dahlia de la Cerda’s Reservoir Bitches is pretty decent. It’s a collection of linked stories about women living in Mexico (gangsters, vampires, spinsters). The organisation of the collection isn’t great (certain links disappear too early, for example) but the complaint is probably just a me thing.
The last ten years have been the hottest on record. All these wild, harsh weather events you see around the world are just part of our new normal now.
January 10, 2025 at 7:22 AM
The last ten years have been the hottest on record. All these wild, harsh weather events you see around the world are just part of our new normal now.
I wanted to watch The Substance for a while, but only got around to it the other night. I got no real excuses for you.
Anyhow: There's a lot to like about Coralie Fargeat's film, but I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by it as a whole by the end.
Anyhow: There's a lot to like about Coralie Fargeat's film, but I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by it as a whole by the end.
December 28, 2024 at 11:13 PM
I wanted to watch The Substance for a while, but only got around to it the other night. I got no real excuses for you.
Anyhow: There's a lot to like about Coralie Fargeat's film, but I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by it as a whole by the end.
Anyhow: There's a lot to like about Coralie Fargeat's film, but I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by it as a whole by the end.
Pretty mid Nabokov. Might, in fact, be the least of the dozen or so books of his I’ve read. Lots of contrived moments, thin characters, and heavy handed symbolism. It maintains some interest though as a touchstone for Lolita, if only lightly.
December 22, 2024 at 1:49 AM
Pretty mid Nabokov. Might, in fact, be the least of the dozen or so books of his I’ve read. Lots of contrived moments, thin characters, and heavy handed symbolism. It maintains some interest though as a touchstone for Lolita, if only lightly.