Books are strange, aren't they?
They seem to have a way of finding you, and this book, in particular, is strange indeed. There are stories here, spun from the imaginations and visions of a great many authors, spanning wondrous and fantastical worlds and times. The tradition of storytelling is an ancient and proud one, and one which the writers at Caffeine & Ink embody with their own contributions to the rich tapestry of fantasy, science fiction, and horror literary genres.
The book that you hold is a curated selection of these authors' works, making both a perfect place to start if you're new to our offerings, and a welcome find for our returning readers, who want to explore some of our newest work.
Within these pages, you will find tales that will shed light upon unknown vistas on distant worlds. You will encounter monstrous beasts and slavering creatures that defy the imagination, terrible and ravenous. You will trudge down dusty old roads carved out by a people long forgotten. You will speak with mysterious powers in your attempts to unravel apocryphal mysteries and twisted prophecies.
There are great quests to be undertaken here. There are adventures to be found as well, stories of the intrepid and woe-begotten would-be heroes who discover, too late, that the whims of destiny have bleaker plans. There are whispered accounts of travelers who cross oceans of stars, tales of courage and perseverance against insurmountable odds, and stories of strange times and stranger fates.
You will do all these things, for a reader, too, is strange - a traveling mind, both disembodied and remote, and undeniably present, moving effortlessly through the times and places and lives of so many.
So welcome, traveler, whether you are a new initiate or a seasoned veteran of these curious and hidden places. No matter where you come from, or where you find yourself in life, this book will have something to offer you – and by the time you are done, you will, no doubt, be left all the stranger.