The Alternate Reality Narrative
LIMINAL STATES spans 132 years of history, from the grim borderlands of the New Mexico Territory of 1874 to postwar Los Angeles to a recognizably modern 2006, with stops in between. The supplementary multimedia material of LIMINAL STATES incorporates glimpses of the reality in which the novel takes place and suggests the ways in which it has been altered by the events of the novel and the actions of the characters.
A major component of this non-linear narrative was available to readers before the book was even announced. A series of seemingly innocuous websites was revealed, some of which contained hidden messages. Characters mentioned on these websites communicated by twitter and email directly with readers.
The book-related websites are collected in chronological order.
You Will Become Us - Seemingly a warning, the original website offered a single mysterious teaser video and a connection to a twitter account of @Reificant, a cryptic character with an insect icon. Two more videos were later added.
Lewis Foods - Makers of America's most popular confection, Licorice Dandies. Lewis also manufactures survivalist food supplies and provides institutional food services.
Mastiff Logistics - A major logistics firm, providing energy, supply-chain and transportation needs for corporate and government clients. Notable for its associations with Bishop Unlimited and an organization known as the Gardeners.
Bishop Unlimited - This enormous conglomerate seemingly began with the 19th Century acquisition of the Long Foundry. In the 21st Century of LIMINAL STATES, Bishop Unlimited is a dominating force in the private and public sectors. The website contains more truth than was probably intended by the corporation.
These websites may continue to be updated with information related to the setting.
The websites collected here lay the groundwork for a serial fiction appearing on liminalstates.com and elsewhere. This will be an unconventional narrative in the tradition of Zack's past works, and will expand upon the material to provide further introduction to the alternate reality of LIMINAL STATES.
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