Worlds between Worlds?

[Ned Marcus]

Can anyone recommend any fantasy containing worlds between worlds?

I fell in love with this idea as a child when I encountered the forest between worlds in Magician's Nephew where each pond led to another world. And I liked Raymond Feist’s pub between worlds. But I can’t think of any others.

I've asked this question before (not here) and received good recommendations of portal fantasy, which I love, but no one could answer my question directly. This type of story may not really exist.

But I'll ask anyway.

 

[Insolent Lad]

I have used that concept in some of my novels, with the 'world between' manifesting as a cavern with a labyrinth of tunnels leading out of it. The divine guide makes the point that said cavern is only a construct of the mind, allowing the travelers to visualize something they can't truly understand (implying that they are really sort of 'nowhere').

 

[Ned Marcus]

I think any place like this would only be a construct of the mind, but it's still fun playing with them. Does yours have any underlying truth? I like the idea that people can only see according to their level of consciousness, and have used this in some of my stories.

Which of your stories has labyrinth of tunnels?

 

[Insolent Lad]

One basic underlying 'fact' of all my fantasy fiction is that there are infinite worlds and therefor anything we can imagine (and much we can not) not only can but must exist 'out there' somewhere. This allows me to get away with much! So it follows that such a cavern world would actually exist, however it is perceived. My gods and a few other travelers between worlds know of it and use it mostly when they want to guide mortals from one world to another (they don't need that themselves, being able to pop in and out of anywhere).

I think I might have introduced the idea of the cavern in 'The Crocodile's Son,' and it also appeared in 'The Ways of Wizardry' and its shortly to be published sequel, 'City of Wizardry.' That might be all but I'd have to look it up to be sure...

 

[Meep]

Off the top of my head, the Neitherlands in The Magicians is this. The Dark Tower in The Dark Tower is between worlds, and so is Cittàgazze in His Dark Materials, while also being a world of its own.

It doesn't have a world between worlds, but you might be interested in the Wayward Children series. They're all deconstructions of various portal fantasy tropes.

 

[ThinkerX]

I wrote a story - 'Strange Exit' - that has the Lovecraftian version of this.