between doorways: explorations into liminal space

by T.J. Price (Editor), Mob, Demi-Louise Blackburn

There are ᵖˡᵃᶜᵉˢ ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ which blur and fuzz when your attention strays toward them—places which can only be seen out of the corner of your eye. They are everywhere around us: lurking behind the door-left-ajar, shifting in the dimly-lit mirror, phasing in and out of both dream and memory. These interstitial domains are what we call ‘ʟɪᴍɪɴᴀʟ sᴘᴀᴄᴇs,’ ecotones of dread and persistent unease between reality and an undefined beyond.

In between doorways, seventeen authors explore this hazy middle-ground with tales of transient neverwheres, choosing to fix with their most confident gaze that which evades definition. Here you will find hallways and stairwells that go on forever; portals that invite and trap in equal measure; airports where no plane will ever land; memories distorted by nostalgia’s eerie poison; and, above all, an increasing sense that everything as you know it is 𝚌ｏ𝚖ｉ𝚗ｇ ｕ𝚗ｄ𝚘ｎ𝚎 in spectral threads all around you . . .

Cross the threshold between doorways, and enter into [                   ]

Cross the threshold between doorways with these tales of transient neverwheres and—

Cross the threshold between doorways, but beware [                   ]


Enter between doorways, and cross the threshold into a transient neverwhere

(tales of transient neverwheres)
(seventeen tales of transient neverwheres)


stairwell/playtime/factory                 oɥɔǝ/graveyard/glass
airport/bubble/airport/hallway                 Internet/abandoned/dream
Void/hotel/barrow                   memory/noone/∞

Genres: Horror

229 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2025

About the author

TJ Price's corporeal being is currently located in Raleigh, NC, with his handsome partner of many years, but his ghosts live in northeastern Connecticut, southern Maine, and north Brooklyn. He is the author of The Disappearance of Tom Nero, a mixed-media novelette; his work appears in Nightmare Magazine, PseudoPod, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and Ninth Letter, as well as various anthologies and assorted grimoires. He currently serves as Assistant Editor at Haven Speculative magazine, and has also performed as editor in various other ways.

He can be invoked online at tjpricewrites.com. Failing that, one can make a circle of chalk on the floor, stand in the center, and burn a photograph of a loved one until all that remains is ashes. Then, listen for a murmuring from within the walls. Leave your message after the sound of the screb.

Reviews

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this title as I was submitting a short story through dark weird magazine portals online, go figure. Since it said BETWEEN and also EXPLORATIONS and also LIMINAL SPACE, I immediately put it on #MyList for when a book-buying excuse rolled around (Indie Day), because it looked like perfect writing project vibes Driscoll is that you.

Hit a tuning fork and this collection resonates somewhere between (ahahaha get it) The Magnus Archives and I Am In Eskew--much more real world trauma than TMA, not quite as relentlessly depressing as Eskew (I say, as a fan of Both). Deeply unsettling and weird and fucked up and horrifying, this is probably the best-edited anthology I have ever read. The flow between stories was amazingly fluid for how distinct all the contributors' styles were, and the pieces absolutely felt like they were in conversation with each other, or at least echoing each other down endless hallways, which was supremely cool.

I didn't love all of them (it's an anthology; who ever does?), but I did get freaked out by at least a moment or image in every story. Obviously, I loved the ones that engaged in POV fuckery--second person abounds, and some of that second person is implicating You, The Reader, which fucked me right up.

My favorites were:

- "…. ./- …. .. -. --./.-- .. - …./. -.-. …. --- . …" by Elou Carroll
- "Portal" by SE Denton
- "The Lights" by Joseph Andre Thomas
- "Where We Are, Where We Were, Where We Always Will Be" by Erik McHatton
- "The Wings" by RSL (WOW what a note to end on!!)

If you liked either of the above-mentioned podcasts, definitely check this collection out! A lot of the stories reminded me of particular episodes (although possibly I am conflating which episodes belong to which podcast; I binged them basically back to back, okay?).

[Emma E. Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsettling, wondrous, and dreadful all at once, the liminal spaces in Between Doorways are that perfect juxtaposition of familiar and alien we all crave. Whispers of abandoned places, twisting staircases, and infinite hallways haunt these pages, and the uncanny melancholy of their songs will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading.

Some favorites included:
"The Halls" by Christi Nogle
"Where We Are, Where We Were, Where We Will Always Be" by Erik McHatton
"Fun-A-Lot" by Demi-Louise Blackburn
"The Death Factory" by Carson Winter

A very strong anthology that anyone who loves liminal spaces will want to pick up

[C.B. Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the "liminal spaces" trend that has cropped up online in the past few years, in which fellow internet users share photos of mundane and unoccupied locations that evoke uncanny feelings of isolation, foreboding, and nostalgia. These are typically universal experiences that many of us have had that we temporarily pass through and do not dwell upon for we have other places to be. They are brief tangents that sometimes go unobserved because this is not our final destination, there is no reason to dwell here, we are just passing through (thus the liminality). They are long hallways with dim lighting, empty airport terminals, your elementary school after hours, a convenience store burning bright and lonely in the far-off distance of a frozen winter night.

There is a second wave liminal space posting that has occurred even more recently. Here, people share artificial environments that have been created via 3D rendering software. Many of these appear photorealistic but are impossible in their vastness and paradoxical architecture. They are bleak and empty spaces, but oftentimes the creator inserts a trigger for childhood nostalgia in the form of colorful slides or playground equipment. Think M.C. Escher designing a waterpark. Borges' Chuck E. Cheese of Babylon. An infinite ballpit is just around the next corner.

between doorways: explorations into liminal space, edited by TJ Price, uses this recent and viral trend as theme for its anthology. Authors were given the theme of writing a story inspired by liminal spaces and the result is a solid and varied collection of stories with many high points.

Some of my favorite stories seemed to be directly inspired by some of the more viral liminal space images. "Play Space" by Mob features an excellent staccato prose and a neverending stairwell. "Fun-a-Lot" by Demi-Louise Blackburn is a genuinely freaky excursion into an abandoned arcade/playground.

Traveling will oftentimes bring you face-to-face with many liminal spaces. "Queue" by Julie Sevens and "Out of Context" by Alex Wolfgang are two stories that will make you hesitant to take any more long-distance trips.

Other stories play more loosely with the idea of liminal spaces, relying not on the internet trend but their own interpretation. "Glass Door" by Ivy Grimes is a sweet tale that provides us with the notion of a room that we all might like to escape to at our lowest moments.

"The Halls" by Christi Nogle manages to weave its surreal strands subtly. Before you know it, the strings are wrapped around you, tugging you into another place.

So many of the images of liminal spaces are immersive, transporting you to the place depicted, playing upon your memories, that a 2nd-person story seems like it would be necessary in such an anthology. Fortunately, Caleb Stephens offers us one with the tearjerker "The Last Carnival".

"Where We Are..." by Erik McHatton doesn't mess around. This one is a dizzying nightmare, approached head-on, full of surreal and disgusting imagery.

"The Wings" by RSL was another favorite in the collection. Within a handful of pages, the author somehow manages to craft a narrative and lore that is every bit as epic as an impossible and infinite space deserves. I want to read a whole book that's set in this world.

[Kyle Nowak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun collection with various interpretations of so-called 'liminal' spaces, many of which were highly effective. The stories are accompanied by artwork that ties into the specific piece, and all of the illustrations (along with the cover art) were more than appreciated.

Though none of the stories are directly connected, the entire collection is crafted in an interesting way that presents an overall narrative, highlighting the many facets of liminality; plus an amazing 'beforewards' which is all too easy to lose oneself in. This is also a great way to discover talented authors as there were a number of pleasant surprises within.

In addition to the obvious liminal theme, I would also recommend this to any fan of horror, or the weird and uncanny. A few of the stories are actually quite unsettling.

I am excited to explore this collection again in the future!

[Alex Wolfgang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased, as this anthology contains one of my own stories, but this is one of my favorite projects I've ever been a part of. There are so many excellent stories in here, some that are disorienting and mind-bending, others that are just downright terrifying. The other authors interpreted liminal spaces in ways I hadn't expected, but they all fit. Highly recommended.