Small Demons — Welcome to the Storyverse. Toward an Index of All Stories: Previewing Small Demons. How useful might a proper-name index to all novels and movies be? If, for example, you wanted to discover all instances of Peeps in fiction, or every time someone drove a Mustang, or took a picture of Big Ben?
That is the humble goal of Small Demons, a new service (still in beta) that aims to allow readers to discover connections between works, as well as to more fully understand the way novels and movies they love represent the world. Valla Vakili, the co-founder and CEO of Small Demons, has a great post describing the stichomancy of fictional detail–of the ring of truth that emerges as one pursues details both within and across universes. Small Demons calls those universes the Storyverse, and will make it possible for readers to search for people, places, and things across an impressive range of works. You can also browse works, and see what connections it contains. Naturally, Small Demons is also prepared to sell you a copy of books that you’ve discovered using their interface. Small Demons. Small Demons (smalldemons)
How Small Demons aims to turn books into the ‘storyverse’ California-based Internet entrepreneur Valla Vakili had a vision. “I wanted to do something that caters to pathological obsession,” he announced at a recent high-tech conference. He said he wanted to monetize “perversion” by “mainstreaming” it. And as a result of his efforts in that cause, he has emerged as the latest white knight riding to the rescue of a beleaguered book industry.
The Oxford-educated Vakili modestly prefers to be known as the industry’s “partner in promoting the discoverability of books.” Hope for the project is evident in the raft of publishers that have agreed to share content with the start-up, propelled by the enthusiasm of early adopters, reviewers and Internet socialites. More elusive is an easy explanation of what it is. Like so many other Internet sensations, would-be and real, Small Demons provides answers to questions that nobody ever thought of asking. Thus the name of a new website and a business plan, to boot.