A Short Stay in Hell
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peckby Steven L. Peck
Ranked 5 of 8 novellas by recommenders
People recommend it as a quick, fun weekend read and a modern take on Library of Babel. One reader notes it is pretty dark.
People recommend it as a quick, fun weekend read and a modern take on Library of Babel. One reader notes it is pretty dark.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Quick, fun weekend read
“It's a short story about a guy who ends up in hell that is this library. Fun weekend read.”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Borges Labyrinth in Venice reopens to the public” “A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.”
Comment from 12 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations” Modern take on Library of Babel
“A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.”
Comment from 12 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations” Hell is a library
“It's a short story about a guy who ends up in hell that is this library. Fun weekend read.”
Comment from 1 Sep 2026 in “Borges Labyrinth in Venice reopens to the public”
Other novellas people recommend
The four most recommended other novellas, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Farmby George Orwell | 22 | 5 | 81% | 10 | — | Approved |
| The Little Princeby Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 18 | 4 | 82% | 3 | — | — |
| Flatlandby Edwin Abbott Abbott | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Notes from Undergroundby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| A Short Stay in Hellby Steven L. PeckThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's a short story about a guy who ends up in hell that is this library. Fun weekend read.”
“A short stay in hell falls in the same category.”
“A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.