What do you think?
Rate this book
Anthologies of Terror
Liminal: 15 Horror Stories about Infinite Spaces
WAITING A man finds himself lost in a doctor's waiting room, for all of eternity.
A couple gets lost in a never-ending development of identical, cookie-cutter houses.
A big box store that never ends...
Back rooms. Never-ending offices. Hallways that twist and turn. The stories in this book explore liminal spaces--infinite, unsettling, shrouded in darkness. Read... if you dare.
A couple gets lost in a never-ending development of identical, cookie-cutter houses.
A big box store that never ends...
Back rooms. Never-ending offices. Hallways that twist and turn. The stories in this book explore liminal spaces--infinite, unsettling, shrouded in darkness. Read... if you dare.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
October 1, 2024
Some stories exploited the concept of liminality better than others but overall, it was a pretty solid collection of short stories dealing with the concept of endless spaces. There's a sprinkle of retail horror too, I can't get enough of liminality or retail horror, so I was pretty happy about that.
October 16, 2024
The idea of liminal spaces is truly scary to me, but, sadly, most of these stories weren’t great. I wish the idea would be used by a different group of writers.
August 7, 2024
From first to last page, this book captivated me. It was spectacularly creepy, with each tale having its own unique flavour of weirdness and horror.
Backrooms, liminal spaces, the uncanny valley… you’ll find so much to make a chill creep up your spine in each entry. Going to a greenhouse, the supermarket, a roadside restroom will forever have me thinking about what I’ve read. What if you’re trapped in endless halls with monstrous things chasing you? What if the people you know slowly start disappearing or transforming around you? What if they aren’t the same people at all? What if they aren’t people?
Now I will be on the search for more stories about eerie places. Hopefully they’ll be a Liminal 2 anthology in the future as well!
Thank you to the publisher, BookSprout & authors for a copy!
Backrooms, liminal spaces, the uncanny valley… you’ll find so much to make a chill creep up your spine in each entry. Going to a greenhouse, the supermarket, a roadside restroom will forever have me thinking about what I’ve read. What if you’re trapped in endless halls with monstrous things chasing you? What if the people you know slowly start disappearing or transforming around you? What if they aren’t the same people at all? What if they aren’t people?
Now I will be on the search for more stories about eerie places. Hopefully they’ll be a Liminal 2 anthology in the future as well!
Thank you to the publisher, BookSprout & authors for a copy!
February 3, 2025
This was a nice collection of short, sort-of-silly Liminal horror stories that has a little fun with the environments. Worlds that enter the Twilight Zone right at the moment that you arent paying attention; sidewalks, rooms, hallways, and parking lots. Store aisles become infinite, and dreamlike, stranding the characters in a different reality. Fun stuff, a nice collection.
August 20, 2024
It's very easy to get excited about this anthology: great theme, awesome stories, incredibly good endings and impeccable execution. I really liked all the stories and would heartily recommend them to all horror fans who enjoy creepy, immersive, Backrooms-style tales. You don't even need to know what "liminality" means, just that it implies the idea of getting lost in places which produce a feeling of uncanniness and unfamiliarity, coupled with a sense of menace and an atmosphere of dread. Not one story let me down; three of them, however, stood out, and one of them actually stunned me for its incredible prose and mood. The three stories were: Blair Daniels' "Playground", a perfect liminal space story with a heart breaking ending, T.W. Vesperbelle's "Isomart", the quintessential "lost in a supermarket" story with a fantastic twist, and H.T. Wiate's "Office". The one haunting story that stands head and shoulders above the rest for its amazing writing, perfect pace, lyrical atmosphere, and original concepts, was "Beach" by Jacob Early. Worth the price of the book alone.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 14, 2025
Not bad...
This anthology was much better than I was expecting. This one was not really scary, so most people will be able to get through it with no issues.
There were no bad stories in here, all of them were readable and not too long.
I absolutely loved the story told by IT ticket. That was awesome.
This anthology was much better than I was expecting. This one was not really scary, so most people will be able to get through it with no issues.
There were no bad stories in here, all of them were readable and not too long.
I absolutely loved the story told by IT ticket. That was awesome.
October 16, 2024
Most of these stories were extremely good.
August 7, 2024
All of these stories kept me reading, faster and faster, so I could see what happened next; and each one left me wanting more of the story, leaving you hanging in the best way. It's a very aptly named book! It was an excellent way to spend a rainy, lazy afternoon. There were a few typos in "Prison" and "Mall", but overall, 5 stars to all the stories and authors. Blair Daniels is, as always, a personal favorite of mine. <3.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 20, 2024
This book was a cool read, different stories from different authors, with Blair Daniels (one of my favorite authors) contributing 2 stories to the collection. Some of my faves were OFFICE (I really liked this one), PLAYGROUND, ISOMART (had a nice twist), and I also liked SCHOOL a lot and MALL. All in all it's a nice book with good short stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
June 11, 2026
Overall... This was fine. Most of the time.
I'll start with the positive. I initially picked this up as an easy little filler to rest my brain between larger books, and it did do its job in that sense. It's a fun collection that will keep you entertained (most of the time) and you can easily finish it in one sitting. Reminded me a bit of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark anthologies from when I was a kid!
Some of the stories were incredibly engaging, with the standout being "Beach". Beautiful prose and a horribly tragic story. Other fun ones were "Office", "Suburbs", and "Waiting Room". They all felt creative and original.
However, despite the standouts, it's realllyyy hard to ignore the litany of issues this book has. First of all, as a bunch of other reviews have mentioned, this is edited HORRIBLY. Or not at all. So many typos, grammar errors, random capitalizations, syntax errors, etc. Those errors stick out like crazy in horror stories since they completely break the immersion. At one point I literally said out loud "Was there even a single editor on this?" Even an inexperienced editor would have noticed random words being capitalized and "that" being spelled as "thwt". I was actually flabbergasted at one point. Also, the cover says 13 stories, while the title says 15! What editor misses that?
Additionally, some of the stories are just... Not good at all. Some of them do have potential, but so many of read like a high schooler wrote it in one sitting and uploaded it to r/nosleep. It really just reads like a random collection of creepypastas someone pulled from Reddit and didn't bother to edit or screen. Multiple stories read as incredibly rushed, lacking detail, imagery, subtly, and realistic dialogue. So many stories felt incredibly amateurish. Writing a concise, short horror story is really difficult, I get that, but don't try to shove a novel's worth of writing into 20 pages, it strips away your story completely. A good example of that is "Prison". I genuinely was taken aback on how amateurish and middle school this story felt. It also had the most amount of typos. It was really bad. I felt the same way about "Mall". Just really hard stories to read if you value good writing.
Some stories were that - a rushed nightmare that had me shaking my head, while others were boring and predictable. Many of them felt like the same stories just reskinned.
I think this book overall felt very amateurish because all of the stories took a very straight-forward Backrooms approach, rather than playing with the concept of liminality. It's why I liked the "Beach" story so much - there was nuance and it wasn't just someone running around aimlessly in a never-ending space (I'm looking at you Greenhouse and Prison and Night Club and Rest Stop Bathroom)
Overall, this book was fine and I didn't hate it, but I am mad at the bad stories and the lack of editing. The good, creative, well-written stories save the book for me. If you need something easy and quick and like anthologies and Backrooms, I'd say pick it up. But you could also probably find better stories on r/nosleep. (Also I'd say don't buy it, use Kindle Unlimited to read it for free)
I'll start with the positive. I initially picked this up as an easy little filler to rest my brain between larger books, and it did do its job in that sense. It's a fun collection that will keep you entertained (most of the time) and you can easily finish it in one sitting. Reminded me a bit of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark anthologies from when I was a kid!
Some of the stories were incredibly engaging, with the standout being "Beach". Beautiful prose and a horribly tragic story. Other fun ones were "Office", "Suburbs", and "Waiting Room". They all felt creative and original.
However, despite the standouts, it's realllyyy hard to ignore the litany of issues this book has. First of all, as a bunch of other reviews have mentioned, this is edited HORRIBLY. Or not at all. So many typos, grammar errors, random capitalizations, syntax errors, etc. Those errors stick out like crazy in horror stories since they completely break the immersion. At one point I literally said out loud "Was there even a single editor on this?" Even an inexperienced editor would have noticed random words being capitalized and "that" being spelled as "thwt". I was actually flabbergasted at one point. Also, the cover says 13 stories, while the title says 15! What editor misses that?
Additionally, some of the stories are just... Not good at all. Some of them do have potential, but so many of read like a high schooler wrote it in one sitting and uploaded it to r/nosleep. It really just reads like a random collection of creepypastas someone pulled from Reddit and didn't bother to edit or screen. Multiple stories read as incredibly rushed, lacking detail, imagery, subtly, and realistic dialogue. So many stories felt incredibly amateurish. Writing a concise, short horror story is really difficult, I get that, but don't try to shove a novel's worth of writing into 20 pages, it strips away your story completely. A good example of that is "Prison". I genuinely was taken aback on how amateurish and middle school this story felt. It also had the most amount of typos. It was really bad. I felt the same way about "Mall". Just really hard stories to read if you value good writing.
Some stories were that - a rushed nightmare that had me shaking my head, while others were boring and predictable. Many of them felt like the same stories just reskinned.
I think this book overall felt very amateurish because all of the stories took a very straight-forward Backrooms approach, rather than playing with the concept of liminality. It's why I liked the "Beach" story so much - there was nuance and it wasn't just someone running around aimlessly in a never-ending space (I'm looking at you Greenhouse and Prison and Night Club and Rest Stop Bathroom)
Overall, this book was fine and I didn't hate it, but I am mad at the bad stories and the lack of editing. The good, creative, well-written stories save the book for me. If you need something easy and quick and like anthologies and Backrooms, I'd say pick it up. But you could also probably find better stories on r/nosleep. (Also I'd say don't buy it, use Kindle Unlimited to read it for free)
October 9, 2025
The liminal space concept is explored here with 15 short stories. The cover confusingly (or purposefully?) says there are 13 tales… a clever joke or just a poor last minute editing job?
Anyway, some of these tales did an excellent job of exploring the liminal space idea very well, creating just the right amount of ambiguity, confusion and disorienting dread of spaces. Highlights for me were Samantha Whitmore’s ‘Greenhouse’, Blair Daniels’ ‘Suburbs’ and ‘Playground’ and H.T. Waite’s excellent ‘Office’.
A few missed the mark for me in that all-too-crucial atmosphere that is absolutely necessary for a liminal space tale to be truly terrifying and unsettling. A few were somewhat predictable, or repetitive, which I think is usually the author’s attempt to create that disorientation but sometimes just comes off as exasperating or monotony without the constraint.
I think liminal space stories can be a tricky place to navigate for authors. For me they require a very balanced and sophisticated narrative and if it’s not found it becomes a basic horror story. Not necessarily a bad story, but not a strong liminal horror one. All in all, this collection averaged out with a handful of really good mixed with the ‘just ok’. It’s probably a good introduction for anyone dipping their toes into this rather metaphysical sub-genre of horror and weird fiction.
Anyway, some of these tales did an excellent job of exploring the liminal space idea very well, creating just the right amount of ambiguity, confusion and disorienting dread of spaces. Highlights for me were Samantha Whitmore’s ‘Greenhouse’, Blair Daniels’ ‘Suburbs’ and ‘Playground’ and H.T. Waite’s excellent ‘Office’.
A few missed the mark for me in that all-too-crucial atmosphere that is absolutely necessary for a liminal space tale to be truly terrifying and unsettling. A few were somewhat predictable, or repetitive, which I think is usually the author’s attempt to create that disorientation but sometimes just comes off as exasperating or monotony without the constraint.
I think liminal space stories can be a tricky place to navigate for authors. For me they require a very balanced and sophisticated narrative and if it’s not found it becomes a basic horror story. Not necessarily a bad story, but not a strong liminal horror one. All in all, this collection averaged out with a handful of really good mixed with the ‘just ok’. It’s probably a good introduction for anyone dipping their toes into this rather metaphysical sub-genre of horror and weird fiction.
September 3, 2025
A neat little theme and the majority of the stories were quite good with a few that were excellent.
The stand outs for me were:
Greenhouse by Samantha Whitmore
The first story. Eerie and set a good tone/precedent for what was coming after.
Office by H.T. Waite
Probably my second favorite story. Had an attention grabbing epistolary format that let your own imagination fill in any gaps. Borderline hilarious at moments and very creepy.
Suburbs by Blair Daniels
I have felt the unease and mild creeping panic of trying to navigate my way through a Cookie-Cutter new construction suburban neighborhood. Good setting, growing unease, well written.
Playground by Blair Daniels
Anything with kids in peril scares the hell out of me and the bar where it goes from from fun scary to intolerably upsetting is LOW. This one perfectly balanced that and so I found it very effective.
Rest Stop Bathroom by Jamie Polizzi
Nasty and scary and explains very little (positive)
and the best of the bunch:
Isomart by T.W. Vesperbelle
Impossible not to be drawn in my the first paragraph. A great hook, an interesting voice and satisfyingly weird ending.
“Good evening, shoppers. I regret to inform you that our store is now closed,” I heard a young woman announce over the Isomart’s PA system, just as I was hurrying towards the exit. I immediately thought that ‘regret to inform you’ was an odd choice of words for announcing that a store was closed, and just beneath the woman’s default retail monotone I could have sworn I picked up a tinge of guilt and anxiety. “I’m… sorry. I was supposed to warn you. I was supposed to give you time to get out but I… I’m sorry. It’s too late now. The night crew woke up early and we can’t risk them getting out. The doors are shut; there’s no way out until morning. It’s store policy; there’s nothing I can do! It’s not my fault! I’m sorry, just… just stay out of their way, and you should be fine. They’ll be out on the floor shortly if they’re not there already. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Th-thank you for shopping at Isomart, and have a nice day.”
By the time the PA system crackled off, the woman was openly sobbing."
Damn, that's a five star story right there!
The stand outs for me were:
Greenhouse by Samantha Whitmore
The first story. Eerie and set a good tone/precedent for what was coming after.
Office by H.T. Waite
Probably my second favorite story. Had an attention grabbing epistolary format that let your own imagination fill in any gaps. Borderline hilarious at moments and very creepy.
Suburbs by Blair Daniels
I have felt the unease and mild creeping panic of trying to navigate my way through a Cookie-Cutter new construction suburban neighborhood. Good setting, growing unease, well written.
Playground by Blair Daniels
Anything with kids in peril scares the hell out of me and the bar where it goes from from fun scary to intolerably upsetting is LOW. This one perfectly balanced that and so I found it very effective.
Rest Stop Bathroom by Jamie Polizzi
Nasty and scary and explains very little (positive)
and the best of the bunch:
Isomart by T.W. Vesperbelle
Impossible not to be drawn in my the first paragraph. A great hook, an interesting voice and satisfyingly weird ending.
“Good evening, shoppers. I regret to inform you that our store is now closed,” I heard a young woman announce over the Isomart’s PA system, just as I was hurrying towards the exit. I immediately thought that ‘regret to inform you’ was an odd choice of words for announcing that a store was closed, and just beneath the woman’s default retail monotone I could have sworn I picked up a tinge of guilt and anxiety. “I’m… sorry. I was supposed to warn you. I was supposed to give you time to get out but I… I’m sorry. It’s too late now. The night crew woke up early and we can’t risk them getting out. The doors are shut; there’s no way out until morning. It’s store policy; there’s nothing I can do! It’s not my fault! I’m sorry, just… just stay out of their way, and you should be fine. They’ll be out on the floor shortly if they’re not there already. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Th-thank you for shopping at Isomart, and have a nice day.”
By the time the PA system crackled off, the woman was openly sobbing."
Damn, that's a five star story right there!
Read
December 20, 2024*3.88 star average*
Greenhouse 3.5 stars
Office 4.5 stars
Suburbs 4 stars
Beach DNF
Hatchery 4 stars(purely because I kept laughing lol)
Waiting room 3 stars
Prison 2.5 stars
Float barn 3.5 stars
Playground 5 stars
Library 5 stars
Night club 4 stars
Isomart 3 stars (great setting, missed the liminal mark)
School 4 stars
Mall 4 stars
Rest stop bathroom 4.5 stars
Overall, this was a really creepy, fun collection. As with any collection some worked better for me than others but I had a good time reading a story or two before bed each night.
Greenhouse 3.5 stars
Office 4.5 stars
Suburbs 4 stars
Beach DNF
Hatchery 4 stars(purely because I kept laughing lol)
Waiting room 3 stars
Prison 2.5 stars
Float barn 3.5 stars
Playground 5 stars
Library 5 stars
Night club 4 stars
Isomart 3 stars (great setting, missed the liminal mark)
School 4 stars
Mall 4 stars
Rest stop bathroom 4.5 stars
Overall, this was a really creepy, fun collection. As with any collection some worked better for me than others but I had a good time reading a story or two before bed each night.
July 8, 2026
An eclectic mix of stories.
So, this was tough to rate. I'd say 75% of these stories were fascinating and really delved into the liminal space in a way that was intriguing. Then there's the other 25% that just felt like a slog to get through. To be honest, I'd never really realized what 'liminal space' referred to, but am happy to say that I understand.
The stories I enjoyed were REALLY good and the ones I didn't weren't necessarily bad, they just didn't click with me.
3.50 out of 5 severed thumbs-up.
So, this was tough to rate. I'd say 75% of these stories were fascinating and really delved into the liminal space in a way that was intriguing. Then there's the other 25% that just felt like a slog to get through. To be honest, I'd never really realized what 'liminal space' referred to, but am happy to say that I understand.
The stories I enjoyed were REALLY good and the ones I didn't weren't necessarily bad, they just didn't click with me.
3.50 out of 5 severed thumbs-up.
September 4, 2024
The idea of liminal space horror was a very creepy and dreadful concept. I wanted this to be better than it was. Most of the writing was good. A couple of the stories really needed to be edited. The compilation of stories here felt like the same story slightly altered over and again. There were a couple that induced some fear and anxiety, but I wouldn’t say overall it was great. The price I paid made it worth the effort.
April 13, 2025
⭐️: 3.5
”A tear leaks from my closed eyes as I realize it’s not just a hole I lay in, it’s a grave. My grave. I’m trapped here, in this deadly greenhouse at the center of this wretched maze, lost, injured, and with no way out.”
Though the stories were really good and had that creepy element to them I was hoping for, some weren’t really giving “liminal space”. So even though some stories weren’t really giving that and some did, I still enjoyed the book and the short stories.
”A tear leaks from my closed eyes as I realize it’s not just a hole I lay in, it’s a grave. My grave. I’m trapped here, in this deadly greenhouse at the center of this wretched maze, lost, injured, and with no way out.”
Though the stories were really good and had that creepy element to them I was hoping for, some weren’t really giving “liminal space”. So even though some stories weren’t really giving that and some did, I still enjoyed the book and the short stories.
August 27, 2024
Pure garbage.
Seriously, don't bother. No clear voice, no personality, nothing is salvageable about the writing or the contents of this book.
This author has 40 published books, all of which are 4 stars and above. I call bullshit. These reviews have to be artificially inflated by friends and family (AT BEST), but I honestly wouldn't be surprised to learn that they were paid for.
Seriously, don't bother. No clear voice, no personality, nothing is salvageable about the writing or the contents of this book.
This author has 40 published books, all of which are 4 stars and above. I call bullshit. These reviews have to be artificially inflated by friends and family (AT BEST), but I honestly wouldn't be surprised to learn that they were paid for.
September 27, 2024
I didn't want to be this guy, but I agree with some of the other reviews. Some of these stories are great! Unfortunately, there were a fair amount that fell short. Some that were terribly edited, which doesn't necessarily break my immersion, but with a detail lacking story, it doesn't help. There was one in particular that seemed to be trying to do too much, but couldn't quite provide the details to achieve the intended imagery. Otherwise, some solid bangers and rather enjoyable.
September 16, 2025
All in all the stories were decent and entertaining. In the future please edit. If you are self published then have friends help you with this. Some of the authors have a weak grasp on punctuation, spelling, syntax etc and it is confusing and detracts from the enjoyment of reading.
Fun example: I’s is NEVER EVER a word.
Fun example: I’s is NEVER EVER a word.
January 14, 2025
First time for this author
Stories are interesting and short..which I like..and new ideas..which I like..my favorite one was the last..I have also considered roadside restroom spooky
Stories are interesting and short..which I like..and new ideas..which I like..my favorite one was the last..I have also considered roadside restroom spooky
January 20, 2025
Like most anthologies, there are always stand outs and weaker entries. As always, Blair Daniels' contributions never disappoint.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 15, 2025
This had lots of good stories inside, once you start you can't stop. Another addition to the brilliant mind of Blair Daniels.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 8, 2025
Like most books made up of short stories, some were good and some weren't. Some of these stories didn't really have anything to do with the backrooms at all. My top favorites were probably the one about the playground and the one about the doctors office.
September 4, 2024
It wasn't my favorite book of hers but it does have some good stories. Pick up a copy and give it a go.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 21, 2024
Book of short stories. This was a hard miss for me. Lots of typos, poor grammar and just amateur writing. Felt like a collection of short stories written by schoolkids to be honest.
November 12, 2024
Every single space, or story, depicts a setting that gives you a sense of unease in every day life. Adding in the allure of liminal spaces and the back rooms, this book is a great collection of short stories about the void.
June 14, 2025
blair daniels never misses !!
September 27, 2025
ehhh this one was pretty boring tbh
October 30, 2025
Fun anthology built around the theme of liminal spaces. Some very good stories, some mediocre and some that weren't really on theme, but nothing truly bad. Nice, bite-sized, creepy reads.
September 4, 2024
🏘Chilling and successful!
15 scary stories:
- Greenhouse (Samantha Whitmore).
- Office (H.T. Waite).
- Suburbs (Blair Daniels).
- Beach (Jacob Early).
- Hatchery (René Rehn).
- Waiting Room (Kajetan Kwiatkowski).
- Prison (Kyle Harrison).
- Playground (Blair Daniels).
- Library (C.M. Robinson).
- Night Club (H.R. Welch).
- Isomatt (T.W. Vesperbelle).
- School (Jesse Pullins).
-Mall (Ashley Watson).
-Rest Stop Bathroom (Jamie Polizzi).
**********
A successful anthology of chilling, mysterious stories that sometimes leave you with a slight feeling of discomfort, oddity or unease.
A must-read for fans of the genre!
15 scary stories:
- Greenhouse (Samantha Whitmore).
- Office (H.T. Waite).
- Suburbs (Blair Daniels).
- Beach (Jacob Early).
- Hatchery (René Rehn).
- Waiting Room (Kajetan Kwiatkowski).
- Prison (Kyle Harrison).
- Playground (Blair Daniels).
- Library (C.M. Robinson).
- Night Club (H.R. Welch).
- Isomatt (T.W. Vesperbelle).
- School (Jesse Pullins).
-Mall (Ashley Watson).
-Rest Stop Bathroom (Jamie Polizzi).
**********
A successful anthology of chilling, mysterious stories that sometimes leave you with a slight feeling of discomfort, oddity or unease.
A must-read for fans of the genre!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews