When people embark on blind dates, they never quite know what they will find-and the dates in these mostly modern- day urban tales go far beyond the usual expectations.

Here, these 17 romantic hopefuls encounter surprise first dates with the likes of Zeus and William Shakespeare; Medusa wreaks havoc upon Internet predators; a woman is cursed to see the truth about her dates after drinking a little wine; and more.

Bars and taverns are a time-honored human tradition--the perfect gathering places to trade news and gossip, to hang out, to complain, to celebrate, or just somewhere travelers can pass the time. Each has its own special and loyal clientele, though some welcome all comers.

But what will such watering holes be like in the future? What form might they take on distant worlds--some human-run, some not--and on space stations? Who would be likely to frequent such places, and what tales would they have to tell?

Here are fifteen original yarns that take you bar-hopping around the galaxy to places where you'll encounter: An alien life-form that needs to be drunk to get drunk. . . .A reporter on the trail of the true story about a legendary space pilot. . . .A couple of spacers who'd been led to a bar they might never blast out of again. . . .A saloon where time travelers might run out of time. . . .And more interstellar adventures that will have you wishing you could belly up to the bar-or its alien equivalent-and spend and evening taking in these tales beyond your wildest imagining. . .