After Hours- Tales from Ur-Bar

SEVEN authors walk into a bar. . . .
No, seriously. This entire anthology began when seven authors—a group that calls itself the Magnificent Seven, for obvious reasons—got together at a bar after a multi-author signing. Drinks were had, alcohol was consumed, and at some point during the conversation someone brought up anthologies, bars, and . . . well, there you have it.
We really didn’t think the anthology idea would amount to anything. Thousands of ideas are thought up at the bar by authors; some of them are even good. But the idea was written up as a proposal (a crucial first step that is generally never taken; we were drinking after all) and within the space of five months or so it was pitched and sold.
It’s the perfect idea for an anthology: nearly every fantasy novel has a scene in a bar or tavern or inn. It’s often where the storyline either starts, takes a major turn (usually for the worse), or where it ends. So why not have a bar as the central theme of the anthology? A bar that’s magical in nature, that travels through time. A bar that is the quintessential representation of everything that makes a bar great. The Ur-Bar.
And who better to watch over the Ur-Bar than the immortal Gilgamesh?
So here you have fifteen stories spread throughout time, from the moment that Gilgamesh took over the Ur-Bar into one possible future. All of the stories are set on Earth—perhaps an alternate Earth—and in each, the Ur-Bar is key to how the story unfolds. Pour yourself a drink—or let Gil pour one for you—sit back, relax, and enjoy.
The first round’s on us.