literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "The Vein" by Steph Nelson
I genuinely thought that this book sounded interesting when I first bought it, so why I waited some time before I actually read it is a mystery to me. Part murder-mystery, part urban horror, and part psychological thriller, this book combines the folk stories of a small town with the multiple timeline structure of a modern thriller novel to create a very atmospheric piece complete with complex main characters and a strong supporting cast. For this review, I will overlook how many characters there are as you know, I do not like having too many characters in a book - but it is personal taste and has nothing to do with the writing of the book itself. It may have been short but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.
By Annie Kapurabout 15 hours ago in Geeks
Ringolevio by Emmett Grogan
The autobiography of the author, Emmett Grogan's book was a record of the 1960s counter culture movement known as the Diggers. These people were a grassroots community outreach group who focused on street theatre and access to local services. Emmett Grogan was at the forefront of this movement and records the actions and intitiations of the group with linguistic oddities and vivid social criticism. The title of course, comes from a street game played by the New Yorkers (even though the Diggers are based in San Francisco) and the subheading a 'life played for keeps' is definitely fitting with some of the books more open, social themes.
By Annie Kapura day ago in Geeks
Book Review: "White Trash Gothic" by Edward Lee
This was a fairly cheap book on my Kindle and so, even though I judged from the cover that it wasn't going to be much but would be a little bridge from one good book to another, I decided I was going to try to get into it. Needless to say, I did not have to try very hard. Although I have some questionable opinions of the splatter-punk sub-genre, this book proved itself to be surprisingly very interesting. A slow, slimy descending into something more disgusting and nightmarish, the author writes dread absolutely brilliantly. Yes, it is graphic and yes, sometimes you'll have to stop reading it because there's only so much you can take - but you're going to genuinely want to know what is going to happen to our main character: a man who does not even know himself. Quite literally...he doesn't know who he is.
By Annie Kapura day ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Revival" by Stephen King
One of the world's most beloved storytellers, Stephen King is probably on the list of every reader's favourite authors somewhere in the top 20. When I say 'I love atmospheric writing' I mean the sort of stuff that Stephen King does. Like a horror version of a Dickensian text, Stephen King builds the feeling of dread so perfectly that it pretty much does the job of digging into your soul and frightening the daylights out of it. When I was in my early teens, I scared the hell out of myself by reading Salem's Lot. Since then, I've probably read more than 20 Stephen King novels and I can honestly say, I am yet to read one which is even remotely bad. Revival is yet another brilliant work. I cannot believe I am only reading this now.
By Annie Kapur3 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Possession" by Peter James . Top Story - November 2026.
Let me start by saying this: I got genuinely upset that I had to put this book down from time-to-time and do 'life'. I don't know how I have got to my 30s without having read this book already but as you can already tell, it is going to be a very positive review. From the cover, it looks like a crime thriller novel but it is not - it is contemporary horror through and through. It has everything: ghosts, possessions, exorcisms, false leads, malevolent spirits and someone beneath a lake. It was so good I just kept trying to take in as much as I can - the atmosphere was written perfectly, the horror scenes were not cheesy and filled with unnecessary blood and gore, the ending was spectacular and fit the book perfectly. This was a mischievous mixture of evil and questioning - a book that returns us to the very real possibility of the demonic through characters who categorically do not believe in it until it is too late.
By Annie Kapur4 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Castle Dor" by Daphne Du Maurier
Daphne Du Maurier's novels are best known for scaring the pants off of those who read them. But she's much more than a horror extraordinaire, she's also a woman who can write a terribly upsetting story. Castle Dor is not a horror novel - instead it is one of those books where you recognise what's happening and you just hope what you think is going to happen doesn't. Based on the tale of Tristan and Isolde, Daphne Du Maurier's modern re-enactment captures the fateful atmosphere of the original tale perfectly.
By Annie Kapur5 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Tales to Terrify" by PD Thompson
So you guys know how much I love a good independent horror anthology right? Well, it's even better now because at the time of writing this it is mid-September, which of course means that it's only a few weeks away from Halloween! Tales to Terrify was a book I got on my phone for free and I didn't really know what to expect. I don't know who P.D Thompson is, I didn't know what to think about some of the stories upon first read but the more I got into it, the happier it made me. So get prepped for another 'I am very happy for reading this and it made me grin like an idiot' review. Whoever P.D Thompson is, I would like to thank them - this was awesome in all the best ways.
By Annie Kapur6 days ago in Geeks
Feared and Admired: Aegir the Ocean God of the Norse
An Inhospitable or Accommodating God? Aegir made for an inhospitable god. His realm was the cold, dark sea; his palace dominated its murky bottom. And, forget about visiting the Nordic/Germanic God of Ocean. The only way you were getting there was by being onboard a sinking vessel that he managed to pull under the waves.
By Dean Traylor6 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Monster Lairs" ed. by Anna Madden
There is something about being in the body of the beast, the house of the monster, the lair of what lurks beyond that has always fascinated us as human beings consumed by stories. From the Dunwich Horror by HP Lovecraft to the tale of Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm - it is where we live. I love the way this intertwines with the folk, the meeting of worlds where humans cross that threshold and whether it is a positive or negative experience depends entirely on the genre you're reading. Of course, you can probably guess what kind of experiences are involved here. Where monsters sleep, giants live and demons wander the earth - this anthology is just as brilliant as the other two I have read by Dark Matter. I would highly recommend this one. Trust me, it's wonderful...
By Annie Kapur7 days ago in Geeks
The Maias by Eça de Queiroz
Background and Context: Way back when I was on Twitter before COVID, I would of course, post about the books I was reading and actually communicate with other people who liked books too. Nowadays, I don't tend to do the latter because there is absolutely no use of having a conversation with anyone on Twitter since 99% of them are incels and bots. On one of these days in which I was communicating about books I was reading, a Portuguese friend of mine offered up a recommendation of The Maias by Eça de Queiroz. And so it began...
By Annie Kapur9 days ago in Geeks
