There have always been stories of magical taverns and inns, of establishments that exist in all places or all times, that travel the multiverse, or appear at some mysterious crossroads or fantastical nexus.
The first such tavern to appear in speculative fiction is believed to be The Inn Outside the World (PDF link from SFaudio.com) from Edmond Hamilton, appearing in Weird Tales in July, 1945. Others followed, from diverse authors such as Michael Moorcock, Poul Anderson, Spider Robinson, Steven Brust, Larry Niven, and more.
In honor of the upcoming publication of our latest anthology, The Forever Inn, about an inn that appears in different places throughout the multiverse, here’s a list of some of the unusual and seemingly magical inns (and a few other oddities) that have been featured in books and stories across the field of speculative fiction over the years…
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