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Beyond the Latch and Lever
A doorway can be a bridge to another world, a portal to a bygone era, or a crossroads between two cultures, or two lives. Doorways can be ledges that teeter between a racist past and a robotic future. Passages that lead to celestial spirits, earthbound souls, or a crumbling castle adrift in time.
Doorways are the ferries that usher us through beginnings and endings, steering us into possibility and misfortune, alike. Some doors protect us and give us privacy, while others keep us isolated and confined. Some doors trap you inside your haunted mind.
In this book you will find eleven doors. Eleven stories waiting to be opened. Each one a passageway into the unknown.
Beyond the Latch and Lever is an anthology of speculative literary fiction with stories from emerging authors with ties to the Pacific Northwest.
Doorways are the ferries that usher us through beginnings and endings, steering us into possibility and misfortune, alike. Some doors protect us and give us privacy, while others keep us isolated and confined. Some doors trap you inside your haunted mind.
In this book you will find eleven doors. Eleven stories waiting to be opened. Each one a passageway into the unknown.
Beyond the Latch and Lever is an anthology of speculative literary fiction with stories from emerging authors with ties to the Pacific Northwest.
- GenresShort Stories
ebook
Published December 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 2, 2021
The book’s theme revolves around the concept of doors: where they lead us from, where they lead us to, and the limitless possibilities in-between. The characters are multi-dimensional, the plots unpredictable yet thoroughly believable, and the poetry unmistakable. Like this line from Elle Blackwood’s protagonist in “Esterbell,” an elderly woman who revisits the château she grew up in post-WWII France. It is an enormous, long since abandoned edifice that tests and reimagines the complexity of “place.”
“Ester had her very own gargoyle to fight off the demons roaming her past.” And this dialogue with her driver: “Have you ever lived in the past?” she asks, searching his face. “Could it be that the past trails after us?” Clearly, Ester and her driver have a complicated, sometimes adversarial relationship with the ghosts from their respective pasts. “Ester folds her arms as if she’s trying to hold herself together.”
Bobbie Peyton’s “Between Heaven and Fire” is the harrowing, haunting story of migrant farmworkers and with all due respect to Mr. Steinbeck, and the plot is far beyond anything in The Grapes of Wrath.
By the end of the first page of Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez’s exquisite “The Two Lives of Agapito Cortez,” the senses have been assaulted, and the reader tossed headfirst into the deep end of the Civil War. This hallucinatory hike through history was perfectly complete and left me trancelike. Amazing writing throughout.
And in Erik Amundsen’s “Home to Skjolden,” the question is not just, can you go home again? The bigger conundrum is, can you make up for lost time? This story is a cocktail of reflection and nostalgia with a dash of hope, and the ending was so… so… well, I’ll let you see for yourself, but it gave me a reason to live! I loved this book!
A few years ago, I saw the Canadian speculative fiction writer Nalo Hopkinson do a reading and Q&A. Afterwards, a colleague introduced us, and I blushed when I admitted I don’t accept fantasy fiction from my creative writing students because they’re cheap knockoffs about zombies and vampires. But Nalo’s book had nothing to do with those cliches, and neither does Beyond the Latch and Lever. This book is alive. This book makes the impossible – possible!
“Ester had her very own gargoyle to fight off the demons roaming her past.” And this dialogue with her driver: “Have you ever lived in the past?” she asks, searching his face. “Could it be that the past trails after us?” Clearly, Ester and her driver have a complicated, sometimes adversarial relationship with the ghosts from their respective pasts. “Ester folds her arms as if she’s trying to hold herself together.”
Bobbie Peyton’s “Between Heaven and Fire” is the harrowing, haunting story of migrant farmworkers and with all due respect to Mr. Steinbeck, and the plot is far beyond anything in The Grapes of Wrath.
By the end of the first page of Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez’s exquisite “The Two Lives of Agapito Cortez,” the senses have been assaulted, and the reader tossed headfirst into the deep end of the Civil War. This hallucinatory hike through history was perfectly complete and left me trancelike. Amazing writing throughout.
And in Erik Amundsen’s “Home to Skjolden,” the question is not just, can you go home again? The bigger conundrum is, can you make up for lost time? This story is a cocktail of reflection and nostalgia with a dash of hope, and the ending was so… so… well, I’ll let you see for yourself, but it gave me a reason to live! I loved this book!
A few years ago, I saw the Canadian speculative fiction writer Nalo Hopkinson do a reading and Q&A. Afterwards, a colleague introduced us, and I blushed when I admitted I don’t accept fantasy fiction from my creative writing students because they’re cheap knockoffs about zombies and vampires. But Nalo’s book had nothing to do with those cliches, and neither does Beyond the Latch and Lever. This book is alive. This book makes the impossible – possible!
February 8, 2021
In the story, “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Susanna Skarland, a young couple struggles to survive in a world where the natural pollinators have died off. As a gardener myself, I can think of nothing in my garden that would exist without bees. From the tender age of a preschooler, the young woman in this story has always been in touch, connected to her family’s land and her gifts as an artist, deep-rooted lessons passed on from her grandma. Like her mother and her mother before her, she is determined to carry on the magic that once thrived on her family’s land and now lives in vivid colors on a canvas. She knows how sacred the job is of being a keeper of her beloved bees! A beautiful tale about bees existing in the real world no more.
“Like Mama with her plants, Grandma taught me well, taught me her gift. She hummed as she painted, matching her tone to the width of her brush strokes. Loud and deep for broad blocks of color, soft and high for delicate details marked with a zero round. She infused her paintings with a breath of life.” For me, this line captured the essence of this character: “I dip my brush into my paints and hum the song of forests and foragers, of predators and prey. I hum the song of my family passed down from generation to generation, the song of our lives, both bitter and sweet. I sing for our unborn child. I sing for the bees.”
In “The Third Quirk” by Karin Larsen, the narrator must come to terms with their grief: “The tears didn’t come gently. They came like my lungs were being ripped out of my body. They came like Fire would explode from my veins. They floated off my face and hung in the air. They glistened in the emergency light, shimmering like crystal, but I couldn’t find them beautiful.”
The grieving process for the narrator is going to persist, no matter if his feet are planted on solid ground, or he’s flying solo, alone in the darkness of space. The sadness is heavy, very heavy... Even when devoid of gravity, the recall of memory or sound of a voice cannot be lifted so easily.
“... Surrendering to grief... sometimes all you can do is cry.”
“Like Mama with her plants, Grandma taught me well, taught me her gift. She hummed as she painted, matching her tone to the width of her brush strokes. Loud and deep for broad blocks of color, soft and high for delicate details marked with a zero round. She infused her paintings with a breath of life.” For me, this line captured the essence of this character: “I dip my brush into my paints and hum the song of forests and foragers, of predators and prey. I hum the song of my family passed down from generation to generation, the song of our lives, both bitter and sweet. I sing for our unborn child. I sing for the bees.”
In “The Third Quirk” by Karin Larsen, the narrator must come to terms with their grief: “The tears didn’t come gently. They came like my lungs were being ripped out of my body. They came like Fire would explode from my veins. They floated off my face and hung in the air. They glistened in the emergency light, shimmering like crystal, but I couldn’t find them beautiful.”
The grieving process for the narrator is going to persist, no matter if his feet are planted on solid ground, or he’s flying solo, alone in the darkness of space. The sadness is heavy, very heavy... Even when devoid of gravity, the recall of memory or sound of a voice cannot be lifted so easily.
“... Surrendering to grief... sometimes all you can do is cry.”
January 19, 2021
Let's start out with a disclaimer: a short story of mine is in this collection... but that means I can still review the other 10/11ths of the anthology, right?
There is a nice mix within this group of speculative fiction: sci-fi, a variety of fantasy types, ghost stories, some Twilight-Zone-y stuff. This is the first time I've read most of these stories, having been a small part of the story crafting for a couple of them. It was interesting to see how the stories grew throughout the editing process. Being a part of an anthology where the editors orchestrate, nudge the contents in a direction also is fascinating. I've never seen the writing process from this angle.
I'm convinced you'll find stories you enjoy here. If you do get a chance to read the anthology, I'm sure the other authors would appreciate your reviews.
There is a nice mix within this group of speculative fiction: sci-fi, a variety of fantasy types, ghost stories, some Twilight-Zone-y stuff. This is the first time I've read most of these stories, having been a small part of the story crafting for a couple of them. It was interesting to see how the stories grew throughout the editing process. Being a part of an anthology where the editors orchestrate, nudge the contents in a direction also is fascinating. I've never seen the writing process from this angle.
I'm convinced you'll find stories you enjoy here. If you do get a chance to read the anthology, I'm sure the other authors would appreciate your reviews.
December 21, 2020
What a clever idea for an anthology book! With 11 unique stories with different plots and writing styles, you’re bound to find a story that you really enjoy, if not all of them. There are interesting elements of alternate history, futuristic technologies, and alien visitation, to name a few. These are alongside important themes of family, understanding ourselves, and realizing that not everything is always as it seems. This book is such a fun read! Definitely worth checking it out!
December 25, 2020
In times as dark as these, Beyond the Latch and Lever is a beacon for the progressive mind. Far-reaching in its scope, this anthology is methodical and thorough in its exploration of the human spirit, both at it's purest and at it's darkest. From alternate histories to mind-bending realities and dystopic futures, every story contained in this anthology is thought provoking to the highest degree. Each story is masterfully crafted with a common theme, showing the skill of, and the strong collaboration between, the authors and editors. This is easily the best short story anthology I've read all year. Incredibly fresh and a must-read!
January 19, 2021
Really enjoyed reading this wonderful collection of speculative short stories -- I've been fascinated with the concept of the door as entry point for a story since reading THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY- this scratched that itch and more. Definitely recommend!
February 4, 2021
This short story anthology is the perfect mix of heartwarming, spooky, and mind-bending speculative stories. There's something for everyone. I highly recommend it!
February 2, 2021
Delightfully distracting. And simply delightful.
I'll admit first and foremost that I bought this book because a dear friend of mine wrote one of the stories in this book. I'm so, so glad she did, because it offered me a book that I have been thinking about since I started reading it.
Life hinges (pun intended) on the doors we walk through, and the stories in this collection reflect the worlds and lives hidden or protected behind various doors. The stories in this collection are each independent from the others, and can be read in any order really. I read them in sequence as they appeared and each story continues to pop up as I move about my own life. The characters. Their choices. Their lives. And, the doors and latches they each describe.
I loved this book and this collection. It's a genre I'm not at all familiar with nor one I knew existed before my friend announced her own contribution to it. But, I'm so, so grateful she made that announcement and even more delighted that I bought it. I'll be revisiting these stories from time to time. It was just the distraction I needed at the beginning of 2021.
I'll admit first and foremost that I bought this book because a dear friend of mine wrote one of the stories in this book. I'm so, so glad she did, because it offered me a book that I have been thinking about since I started reading it.
Life hinges (pun intended) on the doors we walk through, and the stories in this collection reflect the worlds and lives hidden or protected behind various doors. The stories in this collection are each independent from the others, and can be read in any order really. I read them in sequence as they appeared and each story continues to pop up as I move about my own life. The characters. Their choices. Their lives. And, the doors and latches they each describe.
I loved this book and this collection. It's a genre I'm not at all familiar with nor one I knew existed before my friend announced her own contribution to it. But, I'm so, so grateful she made that announcement and even more delighted that I bought it. I'll be revisiting these stories from time to time. It was just the distraction I needed at the beginning of 2021.
December 19, 2020
This collection of short stories takes the reader into alternate pasts, deep space, magical presents, and uncertain futures. All the while, it explores what it means to be human and how each of us faces the metaphorical doorways in our own lives.
January 20, 2021
The short stories in this book were well written and an interesting read of each authors take on the subject. They were an easy read, fun to follow plots and had a good flow of content. Very enjoyable afternoon read!
December 16, 2020
A fabulous compilation of eleven speculative stories with themes of family and friendships, loss and possibilities.
December 23, 2020
This book of short stories is a page turner. Each unique short story with creative tales. Loved it! Definitely a must read.
January 2, 2021
Lovely collection of fantastical short stories centered around the theme of "doorways" (both realistic and metaphorical). The story by J.S. Artz toward the end was my favorite, both in terms of themes and the writing.
February 20, 2021
Beautifully written stories to read by a cozy fire. Highly recommend enjoying this anthology. I will be coming back to it year after year when I need a short escape to fill my heart with expertly crafted words.
January 24, 2021
Well worth reading! The authors are great. Love "The "Pantry Ghost" story!
February 12, 2021
A fine collection of SF, fantasy and horror tales all playing with the concept of doors and doorways. Really enjoyable and surprising in places well worth a look
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
February 5, 2021
Within the scope of the brief, i.e, the inclusion of a door in each story, the range of genres & topics showcases the talent of the authors. Widely read writers aren't afraid to mix ideas or to say "what if..." & that can clearly been seen throughout the anthology.
March 31, 2021
A wonderful example of what I love most about speculative fiction anthologies: within these pages, you can experience many worlds in such a short space, hopping from one marvelous imagination to another. These stories are atmospheric, and touch on the deep truths of humanity--parenthood, love, duty--while exploring worlds so different from our own. I particularly enjoyed "The Wending Way" by JS Artz, a haunting story of a mother--a god in her own right?--reckoning with the loss of her son and her relationship with her partner.
January 28, 2021
Charming!! A beautiful collection of whimsical stories that transport the reader to the other side of magical doorways, both literal and ethereal. A warm and welcome respite from the real world.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews