Liminal Spaces: An Anthology of Dark Speculative Fiction

by Kevin Lucia (Editor)

Liminal Spaces is a quiet horror anthology from Cemetery Gates Media featuring stories from well-known dark fiction writers such as: Joanna Koch, Jessica McHugh, Mark Allan Gunnells, Anthony J. Rapino, Gwendolyn Kiste, Michael Wehunt, Bob Ford, Kelli Owen, Richard Thomas, Todd Keisling, Chad Lutzke, Kristi DeMeester, Joshua Palmatier, and Norman Prentiss.

“The word ‘liminal’ comes from the Latin root limen. It means ‘threshold'. A liminal space is a ‘crossing over’ space–a space where you have left something behind, yet you are not fully in something else. It’s a transition space

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Anthologies, Horror Thriller

213 pages, Paperback

Published September 27, 2021

About the author

Kevin Lucia is the ebook and trade paperback editor at Cemetery Dance Publications. His short fiction has been published in many venues, most notably with Clive Barker, David Morell, Peter Straub, Bentley Little, and Robert McCammon.

His first short story collection, Things Slip Through, was published by Crystal Lake Publishing in November, 2013. He's followed that with the collections Through A Mirror, Darkly, Devourer of Souls, Things You Need, October Nights, and the novellas Mystery Road, A Night at Old Webb, and The Night Road.

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost]

Soft DNF at 40%, I was looking for horror dealing with the concept of liminality but here it's only in the loosest sense that there's any liminality, nothing wrong with the stories otherwise just really not what I was looking for.

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIMINAL SPACES: AN ANTHOLOGY OF DARK SPECULATIVE FICTION is filled with such an impressive lineup of authors that you can't NOT get this one. Not only am I impressed with the caliber of authors listed in the TOC, but I am even more blown away at how my extremely high expectations (which probably isn't fair) were met story after story after story. It's extremely rare for me to find an anthology that totally blows me away cover to cover, but this one does it in spades.

According to the summary, ‘liminal’ means ‘threshold' and so a liminal space is a ‘crossing over’ space (or a space where you've left something behind, yet you aren't totally in something else) It’s a transition space - an in-between space. Some of these stories I was able to distinctly make that connection whereas others I had to think about some (and there's no right or wrong way to go about that). All the authors brought forth their own interpretations and all the stories are just so good. Like... SO GOOD!

I alluded earlier that not all anthologies are a solid knockout from beginning to end, but this one is for me. Every story had me totally invested. Some stories were more quiet than others while some were quirky, fast-paced, and right in your face. I did love every single story here and if rated individually, they all get a 5 star from me. But below are my personal favorites:

"Written in Water" - Robert Ford
"Phoenix" - Mark Allan Gunnells
"Sharp Echoes" - Kelli Owen
"Womb With a View" - Chad Lutzke
"Back to One" - Jessica McHugh

This anthology is one to be read with as few distractions as possible. Turn off the TV. Put your phone somewhere else. And just cozy up with your beverage of choice, a blanket, and maybe your furbaby... and really let these stories be absorbed. An anthology this good with all these authors in one place should almost be illegal. Lucky for us it isn't.

[Ipsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

read if your whole life has just been new kinds of assemblages of liminality because you lack faith so utterly that you can't even bring yourself to believe in a meaningless existence and all you've ever been capable of are guttural sounds because of the inhuman blood pressure because of the paucity of space because...that's right, your whole life is a liminal space and your body (being?) has become a shrine of monstrous deformities where tumour-like bulbs of bile and sand sprout out from all angles. try walking around with all that extra skin.

nope lol that's just me. this collection isn't all that good but VERY readable, which was a blessing after all the boring cosmic horror stuff ive read this year.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible line up and great stories!

[Lezlie The Nerdy Narrative · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology is fantastic. I was very familiar with the majority of the authors who have pieces included, so I *knew* it would be a great read. The authors I was not familiar with, oh they're on my list to read more of now, so huge thanks to the editor, Kevin Lucia, for including more works by the authors with each piece to make it easy for me to find my next read.

Liminal Spaces - A transitional space where we're neither one thing or the other...a crossing over space - this is our theme for this collection of dark fiction. Speculation of what could or could not happen in certain circumstances or places. 14 stories where authors create worlds, places, shadows, events for us to enter into and experience the darkness. I would say there are only perhaps 4 stories that I could take or leave. The rest were absolutely stellar, some are actual new favorites as far as short stories. I love when authors make me use my head to think about what the intent is or they are so clever in their creation that I'm left shaking my head in awe.

I will absolutely pick this one up time and again to revisit the genius of some of these stories!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now THAT is what an anthology should be.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this anthology with the intention of reading a couple of short stories in- between full length novels. Instead, I ended up reading this straight through.  There wasn't a bad story in this book and they were all good in their own ways. Here are a few of my absolute favorites:

Phoenix- by Mark Allan Gunnells
Sharp Echoes- by Kelli Owen
Womb With a View- by Chad Lutzke
Midnight in the Southland- by Todd Keisling
The Black Door- by Anthony J. Rapino

I don't read a lot of short stories but one thing I love about anthologies like this is getting a small glimpse into their writing style and finding new authors to follow. Thanks so much to Cemetery Gates Media for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Carla (There Might Be Cupcakes Podcast) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reviewing this book for Cemetery Dance in my position as an early reviewer, so I must note I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
A new, refreshing horror collection about the spaces between, running the gamut from simply the best Lovecraftian story I have ever read to the most disturbing body horror about the most selfish cat lady that has ever lived. Two of the stories take place in the time of Covid without being stressful to the reader, and both take a unique approach to this new horror we face, our”new normal” and the in-between space it has created in our lives. With carefully crafted introductions to each author, the reader will be making TBR lists as they go along, and making new horror friends as they crawl between these walls.

[Adrienne L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this anthology. There wasn't a single dud in the bunch, although some of the stories were just okay for me. But there were some real gems in here too, and they introduced me to new-to-me authors whose other work I intend to check out. Highlights included:

Phoenix by Mark Allan Gunnells
The Animal of Our Bodies by Kristi DeMeester
Womb with a View by Chad Lutzke
Midnight in the Southland by Todd Kiesling
The Cabinet People by Norman Prentiss

I'll be looking out for future Liminal Spaces collections.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this anthology collection expecting to like it far more than I did. The stories were for the most part just okay. No story in the anthology is awful or a waste of time to read, thankfully. But few hit high notes either. None of the stories stand out in my mind, though the first three are the most memorable.

The first story was arguably the best in the anthology, except that it wasn't horror. It wasn't even speculative. It featured no supernatural elements. To my surprise, it finished as it started, ensconced in the land of mainstream fiction. The story is well told and definitely worth reading. I just don't see it as belonging in an anthology that bills itself as containing speculative fiction. Still, I am glad to have encountered the story, even if like a penguin at a state aquarium it was out of its natural setting.

The second story, "The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own" by Gwendolyn Kiste was another surprise. I had never heard of this author, but she has published about fifty short stories and a couple novels, all within the past decade alone. Covid may have slowed her down. She only published two stories last year, this being one of them, and two the year before that. The anthologist said at the beginning of her story that Kiste is known for her myth building. I certainly saw evidence of that here. She has given a lot of thought to what it means for a spirit to haunt a place. I like her take on it, that a spirit can only haunt for as long as that spirit is remembered and in the heart of the living. When no one alive remembers a person who died any more, they lose their power to haunt. This story is a reflection on what this principle means for the world and the places haunted by the spirit that departs it.

I get where the author is coming from on this. It's an atheistic perspective. Since atheists don't believe in an afterlife, or supernatural extensions of the spirit truly lasting to enter other realms, ("All we are is dust in the wind") people only live on (after death) in the hearts and memories of the living. By this view, dead people move on "heaven" if they're remembered fondly and grieved but are assigned to "hell," if we're all glad they're gone, or, even worse, perhaps in Kiste's view, we the living don't care one way or the other about the departed person. This story is a speculation in terms of an extension of that same principle, only told in a more narrative and less philosophical manner. It really got me thinking on the meaning of life.

I liked the second story better than the first, since reading the first was as much fun as being a pediatric oncologist, even if the story was poignantly and sensitively told. Both stories were excellent.

The third story is the most memorable in the anthology if frustrating for being a fragment. Its author, in any event, will be the one author from this collection whose work I seek more of. It has a lot of conflict in which both sides accuse the other of atrocities, but the motivations for the actions taken by a larger than necessary cast of characters aren't clear. Even though we're only seeing a small part of a richer story, the world we catch a glimpse of is intriguing. I'd like to see more of it and will find out if Joshua Palmatier sets other writings of his there.

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the anthology "Liminal Spaces" as part of the monthly group read at Literary Horror. Typically I haven't had much luck lately with anthologies, but this one was much more hit than miss. As an anthology that collects dark stories about the space between, there was a lot here to like. Some of my favorites included the first story, "Written in Water," "O Adelin," and "Rotten to the Core." Chad Lutzke's "Womb with a View" was especially unnerving, and I found myself on the edge of my seat as the story reached its peak.

[Lara Pittmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legit Frightening

Holy cow! I haven’t had a book scare me enough to put it down in a couple years. This was awesome! I can’t wait for the next anthology.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling stories about when life makes a turn into unexpected places.

[Paul Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

“My life has become a sum of all the ways a person can be powerless.” -Kristi DeMeester
Sometimes it feels like we are there, in between, in a liminal space. A transitional space where we are neither one thing or another.
Disturbing and dark, these are stories of places you don’t want to find yourself. Reminiscent of the old Tales From the Darkside where regular people slip off the path of normality.
Wander into the drive-in, the parking garage, the delivery room, the bar, or the cat cafe- however, you won’t walk out the same, assuming you walk out at all.
Great writing with a wide variety of settings and styles that come together to create a nice collection of suffering.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed work by a number of the contributors. But I don't think their stories here compare with their best.

More notes here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good collection with only one or two stories that didn't work for me.

Favorite stories
The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own-Gwendolyn Kiste
Mirror, Mirror-Joshua Palmatier
Sharp Echoes-Kelli Owen
Midnight in the Southland-Todd Keisling
Rotten to the Core-Richard Thomas
The Black Door-Anthony J. Raping

7/10

[C.B. Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of tales with a theme of "liminal spaces". Keep in mind this isn't necessarily the same as the liminal space trend as seen online that often features photos of particular environments that evoke a sense of eerie nostalgia while featuring surreal, dreamlike aspects and occasionally impossible architecture. Instead, this anthology focuses on liminal space more broadly, a transitional zone or state and the authors were left to take this to their own interpretation.

There are stories that feature waiting rooms, empty drive-in theaters, Xeroxed apartment hallways, and parking garages--some of the classic liminal spaces that have been featured with the online phenomenon image sharing servers, but by-and-large this anthology exists alongside that definition of liminal space. In here you will find various and creative interpretations of the term. There are homes as liminal spaces, mirror worlds as liminal spaces, night-time ferries as liminal spaces, and even a story featuring the most liminal space of all: the womb.

Some faves in this anthology include stories by Gwendolyn Kiste, Michael Wehunt, Richard Thomas, Kristi DeMeester, and Norman Prentiss. But there isn't a bad story in the bunch. Todd Keisling's tale is vintage King. Joshua Palamatier's had me wanting to check out more dark fantasy. Mark Allan Gunnells made me yearn for a lost time and place, and Jessica McHugh gets an award for the most disgusting description (something described as shredded deli meat soaked in Merlot). Rounding out the bunch of authors will have you filling out your "I need to read more by them" list: Joe Koch, Chad Lutzke, Robert Ford, Anthony Rapino, and Kelli Owen.

One other aspect I found interesting about this 2021 published antho was the fact that no less than three of the stories featured the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic as part of their settings. I'm not sure, but I think this might be It was no doubt fresh in the author's minds when they composed these tales, but as time goes on I wonder if such things will be used more frequently in fiction as a setting.

In the Afterword, editor Kevin Lucia hints that this might be the first volume in a series. Here's hoping for more!

[David Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was a treat. Its stories feature liminal spaces both metaphorical and literal, including a few that relate to the eerie, dreamlike manifestation of the term that has infiltrated popular horror and fantasy in recent years. While some of these tales did not quite resonate with me, the hits made everything worthwhile. My absolute favorite was "Midnight in the Southland" by Todd Keisling, which spoke to the modern folklore nerd in me in the same way those old "Haunted [State]" and "Mammoth Book of Ghost/Alien/Monster Stories" books did. The story is technically more of a throwback to the radio classic "Coast to Coast," but it hits a lot of the same spots.

Overall, I recommend this book to anybody enthralled with weird horror, liminal space imagery, and extradimensional oddities. My reading wishlist has grown considerably after finishing it. I look forward to reading the promised future installments of the series!

[Demi-Louise Blackburn]

An interesting and varied collection. Not quite what I was expecting, if I'm honest, but I can appreciate the need for a broader take on the theme and moving away from the more typical ideas of liminal spaces that are circulating online recently. Admittedly, the collection did feel a bit loose at the joints in terms of its story order and threads, I think, in part, because of this - leaving such broad ideas down to a variety of interpretations. But that's a me-problem and typical hiccup with housing so many voices in one volume, anyway - it gives and it takes, and it's really dependent on the individual reader whether it works. Regardless, I found quite a few tales I loved here. Thoroughly enjoyed 'O Adelin', 'Womb with a View', 'Midnight in the Southland', 'Back to One', and 'Cabinet People'.

[Alicia Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite stories: Robert Ford's "Written in Water," Michael Wehunt's "O Adelin," and Richard Thomas' "Rotten to the Core.”

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

WILDLY uneven. There's splendid stuff (Wehunt!, DeMeester, some others), there's good bits, and then there's semi-literate output dragging the entire enterprise down. Kinda shame.

[Edith Rubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not Disappointed at All!

I loved all of the stories in this anthology. Of course, I had favorites too. Maybe one or two I didn't really understand, but I liked them too.

[Sara Crocoll Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed "The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own," "Mirror, Mirror," and "Midnight in the Southland."

[Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have no idea what the fuck i just read

i love it.

[Nichol Riccardello · Rating 3 out of 5]

these are decent stories, but calling this a collection about liminal spaces is like saying a book with one scene where someone eats a tomato is about gardening.