I picked up this book for two reasons: First, one of the stories is by Barbara Ashford who will be one of the guest lecturers at Odyssey and I’ve been trying to get at least a taste of the writing of each guest lecturer who will be there, and secondly, because I’m still desperately searching for a ‘favorite short story’ which is one of the things I’m required to bring to Odyssey (I always have “Sand Kings” as a fall back, but I’d like to come up with something a little more obscure.)

After Hours is a collection of short stories with a common element–they all include a bar which mystically appears in various settings throughout time (from ancient Rome or viking ruled Scandinavia to a near-future zombie infested post-apocalypse) run by an immortal bar-keep (as long as he stays in the bar). So as far as setting goes, there’s a little something for everyone. The bar is not always the centerpiece of the stories, in some it only appears in passing, but it is present in every story.

There wasn’t any story that I will be taking to Odyssey with me, but I enjoyed them all. My favorites were “Sake and other Spirits” by Maria V. Snyder set in feudal Japan, “The Alchemy of Alcohol” by Seanan McGuire set in San Francisco in the early 1900s, “Steady Hands and a Heart of Oak” by Ian Tregillis set in London during WW2, and “Where We Are Is Hell” by Jackie Kessler which takes place entirely in the bar.

My main take away from this book was an idea, or really, an exercise. It was apparent from how certain aspects (Gil, the bartender and the circumstances of the bar) stayed completely consistent from story to story that these ‘rules’ were set in stone for the authors. It’s not hard to pick them out as they are present in every story (Gil always had dark hair and a beard and a faint accent that you can’t quite place). So, taking those and imagining that I was asked to write a story for this anthology that ‘follows the rules’ what would I write? Where, and when, would it be set? My first thoughts were South America, perhaps Chile which I know best, during or just after the Pinochet coup, or maybe the early, ‘wild’ days of Australia.

I think I might give it a try sometime.

Next up: I’m halfway through “Catching Fire”, i.e. Hunger Games 2.

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