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Liminal Spaces
An engineer who frequently travels for her job, suddenly finds herself in airports other than the one she arrived in…At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
31 pages, ebook
First published January 17, 2024
About the author
Maureen F. McHugh
114 books264 followersMaureen F. McHugh (born 1959) is a science fiction and fantasy writer.
Her first published story appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1989. Since then, she has written four novels and over twenty short stories. Her first novel, China Mountain Zhang (1992), was nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula Award, and won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. In 1996 she won a Hugo Award for her short story "The Lincoln Train" (1995). McHugh's short story collection Mothers and Other Monsters was shortlisted as a finalist for the Story Prize in December, 2005.
Maureen is currently a partner at No Mimes Media, an Alternate Reality Game company which she co-founded with Steve Peters and Behnam Karbassi in March 2009. Prior to founding No Mimes, Maureen worked for 42 Entertainment, where she was a Writer and/or Managing Editor for numerous Alternate Reality Game projects, including Year Zero and I Love Bees.
Her first published story appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1989. Since then, she has written four novels and over twenty short stories. Her first novel, China Mountain Zhang (1992), was nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula Award, and won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. In 1996 she won a Hugo Award for her short story "The Lincoln Train" (1995). McHugh's short story collection Mothers and Other Monsters was shortlisted as a finalist for the Story Prize in December, 2005.
Maureen is currently a partner at No Mimes Media, an Alternate Reality Game company which she co-founded with Steve Peters and Behnam Karbassi in March 2009. Prior to founding No Mimes, Maureen worked for 42 Entertainment, where she was a Writer and/or Managing Editor for numerous Alternate Reality Game projects, including Year Zero and I Love Bees.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 7, 2024
good not great
January 26, 2024
A compulsively readable short story with an intriguing premise but not much of an ending.
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January 19, 2024I'm going to think about it a bit. I read it because Tor's email newsletter offered it to me and I've loved two novels by the author, well enough the name rang a bell.
But this novelette, well, it's got an ending that seems like a non-ending, until I think some more and realize that the story is speculative fiction more than science fiction. That is to say, there's something not ordinary going on, but it's the actual theme & characters that are the focus (not plot, nor What If, nor Sense of Wonder).
I'm leaning towards three stars, but I feel like I'm missing something, or I read too fast... it probably deserves four.
But this novelette, well, it's got an ending that seems like a non-ending, until I think some more and realize that the story is speculative fiction more than science fiction. That is to say, there's something not ordinary going on, but it's the actual theme & characters that are the focus (not plot, nor What If, nor Sense of Wonder).
I'm leaning towards three stars, but I feel like I'm missing something, or I read too fast... it probably deserves four.
January 21, 2024
Interesting exploration on liminal spaces at airports. Realistic and not too complicated. I wish there was an interaction between other mentioned characters and their own way of analyzing liminal spaces. However left open-ended for readers to decide (just as intended). 3.5 stars
January 19, 2024
Enjoyed this short story from Tor.com (soon to be Reactor): https://www.tor.com/2024/01/17/limina...
And now I'll be on the lookout for these corridors in airports. If I can get to where I'm going without taking hours, then I'm going for a walk. (But if I end up in Cleveland, I'm hightailing it back to where I started. There's no good reason why anyone should be in Cleveland.)
And now I'll be on the lookout for these corridors in airports. If I can get to where I'm going without taking hours, then I'm going for a walk. (But if I end up in Cleveland, I'm hightailing it back to where I started. There's no good reason why anyone should be in Cleveland.)
January 20, 2024
"Liminal Spaces," a captivating short story by Maureen Mc Hugh, opens with a powerful exploration of gate tourism, immediately pulling readers into a world where the boundaries between different dimensions are porous and intriguing. The narrative unfolds with a strong and enigmatic starting point, introducing readers to the concept of liminal spaces in a way that sparks curiosity and fascination.
Mc Hugh's ability to craft a narrative that leaves readers hungry for more is a sign for her storytelling powers. "Liminal Spaces" serves as a tantalizing glimpse into a world ripe for further exploration, beckoning for a novel that unravels the mysteries and intricacies of the captivating gate tourism concept.
Mc Hugh's ability to craft a narrative that leaves readers hungry for more is a sign for her storytelling powers. "Liminal Spaces" serves as a tantalizing glimpse into a world ripe for further exploration, beckoning for a novel that unravels the mysteries and intricacies of the captivating gate tourism concept.
January 25, 2024
No video review for this book. It's 31 pages long. The review would be longer than the story ;) Anyhow, I'm giving this a 3. This is a perfectly fine story, but nothing that makes me think of a reason to recommend it. Well, you can read it for free on TOR, so there is that. The story is interesting and I feel like it could be made into something much more impactful, but it cuts off before it gets there. And I just don't find myself caring about the characters. I feel like it needs more depth. That being said, she's got two other published books and I'm leaving reviews on Goodreads so opinions may vary :)
February 25, 2024
It was disappointing. The characters weren't deep. They seemed cold and superficial. I was waiting for her mental struggles and confusion more intensely. I wasn't very convinced with the way how she handled all.
I felt like there was an engineer stereotype, specifically with excel and mechanical act. It was annoying of her to keep mentioning it.
Moving the plot from one point to another wasn't done carefully and left some blank spaces.
I felt like there was an engineer stereotype, specifically with excel and mechanical act. It was annoying of her to keep mentioning it.
Moving the plot from one point to another wasn't done carefully and left some blank spaces.
May 7, 2024
3.5 stars. This is like the sci-fi version of magical realism-- actually, it may even be magical realism, though for some reason it feels like sci-fi, maybe because airports are inherently places of technology rather than magic. I liked the dichotomy of Amelia's boring relationship and mundane job woes contrasted with the big mystery of these portals between airports and the other people who experience them. I wouldn't have wanted to spend a whole book with Amelia but this was a fun read.
February 11, 2024
3.5 Stars.
This was pretty enjoyable. It explored an aspect of airports that I have always pondered about myself. Another interesting exploration would be about how time basically doesn't exist inside airports, either. I did find the whole "useless male" part of it to not necessarily be my thing, but it was otherwise an enjoyable read.
This was pretty enjoyable. It explored an aspect of airports that I have always pondered about myself. Another interesting exploration would be about how time basically doesn't exist inside airports, either. I did find the whole "useless male" part of it to not necessarily be my thing, but it was otherwise an enjoyable read.
May 28, 2024
The story of a person who, while walking through an airport terminal, suddenly discovers herself wandering in another airport terminal. Her attempts to figure out how it happened becomes an obsession when it happens several more times. Finally, as she gives up on finding an explanation, it happens once again, but this time, perhaps she can just accept it as a fact without explanation.
March 3, 2024
Due to an incredibly anticlimactic ending the whole story feels a bit cheap and pointless.
3 stars is more because it actually has potential and could probably be developed. Also it was slightly refreshing that someone believed the main character even though her story sounded impossible.
3 stars is more because it actually has potential and could probably be developed. Also it was slightly refreshing that someone believed the main character even though her story sounded impossible.
January 18, 2024
Vaguely creepy airport powers? Airports are extremely liminal spaces though.
January 20, 2024
Interesting concept but the execution felt underwhelming.
March 22, 2024
i felt there was supposed to be more
May 22, 2024
3.5 stars!
June 24, 2024
Every step in life is scary and into something that is unknown but it is less scary if you do it together.
July 23, 2024
A short story that does what it says on the tin. The concept was interesting but the characters, plot and prose came across somewhat flat.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews