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Liked It “Any of the works by Spider Robinson are worth the effort of reading. Careful though his stories are highly addictive and hilarious!” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Any of the works by Spider Robinson are worth the effort of reading. Careful though his stories are highly addictive and hilarious!”
ona b wrote this review Thursday, October 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“All I can say is, I want to go make a toast at Callahan's Place, and become a regular at this bar where the patrons are lifelong friends and "family" first, rotten punsters second, and drinking buddies last.
swankivy wrote this review Tuesday, May 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This is a collection of short stories about Callahan's Place, a rather odd bar in which patrons come to have a drink, see friends, play games, and--more often than not--spill their guts (no, not literally). This saloon has more than its fair share of alien, non-human, and otherwise weird clientele, which is odd considering it's not in space or in the future or at any point where it should experience such a thing.
This is indisputably science fiction, but if you're not a person who's historically liked science fiction, you'll probably still really enjoy it. (That is, if you can stomach the characters' propensity for puns.)
"Shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased. Thus we refute entropy."”“The bar is run by Mike Callahan. The regulars are welcoming and willing to listen to any visitor's problems, no matter how strange, but do not snoop if a visitor is unwilling to share. Strange and unusual events and visitors turn up with frequency in the stories. Regulars at Callahan's include a talking dog, several extraterrestrials and time-travelers, an ethical vampire, a couple of Irish mythological beings, and an obscenity-spewing parrot. The stories make heavy use of puns. Irish whiskeys are the preferred beverage, with Tullamore Dew and Bushmills mentioned in nearly every collection of shorts or novel that references the saloon. The stories are seen by some as an hommage to L.Sprague De Camp's "Tales from Gavagan's Bar" , and Arthur C. Clarke's "Tales from the White Hart"
Wendy B wrote this review Thursday, April 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Lady Sally McGee, the madam of a house of excellent repute (and Mike Callahan's wife), stars in Robinson's Callahan's Lady and Lady Slings The Booze. The regulars at Lady Sally's brothel (where the employees are "artists" and the patrons are "clients") insist on the same empathy and humor as those at Callahan's, and they are just as likely to have fantastic backgrounds.
(Lady Sally's last name is almost certainly a tribute to the fictional character Travis McGee, who appeared in a number of novels by John D. MacDonald, whose works are referenced throughout the Callahan novels.)
This is the source of Callahan's Law (also known as the Law of Conservation of Pain and Joy): "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased—thus do we refute entropy." Stated another way: "Just as there are Laws of Conservation of Matter and Energy, so there are in fact Laws of Conservation of Pain and Joy. Neither can ever be created or destroyed. But one can be converted into the other."
[edit] Characters
Jake Stonebender: The narrator of the Callahan stories; he tried to commit suicide after losing his wife and daughter to a car accident, but Doc Webster saved him and sent him to Callahan's. He's a master with his guitar, whom he calls "Lady Macbeth". In the last chapter of the audio-book for "The Callahan Chronicals" it is revealed that Jake is actually the writer, Spider Robinson, in another dimension.
Mike Callahan: The owner of the bar, he is always ready with a drink and a friendly word.
Doc Webster: M.D.; one of the oldest regulars and a master of puns. He works shifts at Smithtown General.
Fast Eddie: The bar's piano player; he jams with Jake and is equipped with a blackjack to discourage nosy questions.
Long Drink McGonnigle: one of the oldest regulars; a night watchman and also skilled at puns.
Tom Hauptman: an ex-minister and widower, who was locked away for ten years with his wife in a Latin American banana republic. Callahan offers him the job of assistant bartender after he tells his story.
Noah Gonzalez: A sergeant in the police force, he works on the bomb squad.
Michael "Mickey" Finn: He is a humanoid alien who was sent to destroy Earth. Coming to Callahan's makes him want to reconsider; and, with the bar patrons' collective efforts, he does not and instead joins them.
Tommy Janssen: A teenager who comes to Callahan's and gives up his heroin addiction.
Tom Flannery: One of the former regulars who has eight months to live at the start of the series.
"Slippery" Joe Maser: he is bigamous; both wives are aware of one another.
Marty Matthias: had a gambling issue, but got it fixed after he came to Callahan's.
Rachel: A woman, which is a rarity in itself at Callahan's. She also may be immortal, but is long-lived at the very least.
Shorty Steinitz: had his appendix removed by Doc Webster on Callahan’s bar; world's worst driver; makes a living restoring antique vehicles.
Big Beef McCaffrey: was kicked out of the bar in 1947 by Mike Callahan, without opening the solid oak door first. The door has been since mended, but poorly.
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“Just sorry I couldn't find more of these books in the series. All are very funny!”
Richard J wrote this review Wednesday, July 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is an excellent book on three counts. First it has a fantastic premiss, amazing writing, and fantastic characters. Second it is a collection of short stories that have the cohesiveness of a novel. I think robinson can do that better than anyone else. Third, it is just one of a series of books set at Callahan"s. Robinson didn't make a jewel just once, he did it over and over and over...!”
Mincartaugh wrote this review Friday, May 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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