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princessdonut's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I feel I missed out on some of the wordplay. I will read this one again in print at some point to appreciate it properly.
ashcomb's review against another edition
4.0
After reading this book, I almost wanted to find a pub to call home. That's coming from someone who doesn't drink or like crowded places, or bars and pubs for the matter. But somehow, Spider Robinson hid humanity in its best to Callahan's Crosstime Saloon; I was like, yes, that's humanity when they care, that's humanity surviving when they have been kicked into their nuts and rejected. The ones who never got on with the program. At Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, you are accepted as you are.
The book is a collection of short stories published previously in a magazine and three separate books. All the stories are independent as their own, but there's a continuity in time and plot as they unfold. It's a sci-fi book, but more interested in the psychological make-up of such a world where aliens and weirdness exist. All the stories are told from Jake's first-person point of view, but they mainly handle the stranger stepping into the saloon and what their story is and how it relates to what is going on currently. The strangers are often in their lowest hour as they step amid the regulars, who are astonishingly accepting, kind, and sympathetic. A place where you can seek solace. A place we all want to go, thus making me want to find a pub like Callahan's.
This is a highly male-centric story, where female visitors start to come more towards the middle of the book and take their place as regulars in a semi-meaningful way. But that's okay, or at least it was for me. The target audience is male readers, and all the female characters symbolize hope. They are less jaded and more willing to act. Spider Robinson even jokes about this unbalance, and he doesn't put a female character down. But, of course, there's an imbalance in how they are portrayed: more emphasis on the figure. None of that is the gist of the book. What matters is the story the characters tell, what the reader can learn from them, and how to become more open, caring, and willing to help. That's the message. We are in this shit together, and it's up to us to make this world, our and others' lives better.
The gender gap isn't the only hiccup the book has. I could say something about the Jake-Spider Robinson conundrum, who is who, but I don't care about that. Nor do I care about puns being an important feature. Or not all stories were equal. Or about the somewhat soppy and one-sided view of human issues and how they should be solved. You can disagree with them; I can semi-disagree with them and still enjoy the book because it's more about the hope of belonging and people willing to do good by others than about some political issue or another. Oh yes, some statements made me frown, like the one about dismissing adoption, but that was the character speaking on their behalf.
A heart-warming book, which gives you hope that humanity isn't all jaded. (A statement I disagree with in my darkest moments.)
Happy reading and have a lovely day <3 Again, if you come across an alien life form, please say hello on my behalf and wish them good luck.
The book is a collection of short stories published previously in a magazine and three separate books. All the stories are independent as their own, but there's a continuity in time and plot as they unfold. It's a sci-fi book, but more interested in the psychological make-up of such a world where aliens and weirdness exist. All the stories are told from Jake's first-person point of view, but they mainly handle the stranger stepping into the saloon and what their story is and how it relates to what is going on currently. The strangers are often in their lowest hour as they step amid the regulars, who are astonishingly accepting, kind, and sympathetic. A place where you can seek solace. A place we all want to go, thus making me want to find a pub like Callahan's.
This is a highly male-centric story, where female visitors start to come more towards the middle of the book and take their place as regulars in a semi-meaningful way. But that's okay, or at least it was for me. The target audience is male readers, and all the female characters symbolize hope. They are less jaded and more willing to act. Spider Robinson even jokes about this unbalance, and he doesn't put a female character down. But, of course, there's an imbalance in how they are portrayed: more emphasis on the figure. None of that is the gist of the book. What matters is the story the characters tell, what the reader can learn from them, and how to become more open, caring, and willing to help. That's the message. We are in this shit together, and it's up to us to make this world, our and others' lives better.
The gender gap isn't the only hiccup the book has. I could say something about the Jake-Spider Robinson conundrum, who is who, but I don't care about that. Nor do I care about puns being an important feature. Or not all stories were equal. Or about the somewhat soppy and one-sided view of human issues and how they should be solved. You can disagree with them; I can semi-disagree with them and still enjoy the book because it's more about the hope of belonging and people willing to do good by others than about some political issue or another. Oh yes, some statements made me frown, like the one about dismissing adoption, but that was the character speaking on their behalf.
A heart-warming book, which gives you hope that humanity isn't all jaded. (A statement I disagree with in my darkest moments.)
Happy reading and have a lovely day <3 Again, if you come across an alien life form, please say hello on my behalf and wish them good luck.
manda_ruthie's review
4.0
A clever book, full of endearing short stories. The sci-fi is rather dated at this point, but it's clever and interesting and gives you the good warm feelings.
telerit's review
4.0
I owned these books once a upon a time, but we got rid of them in a purge a decade or so ago. It was nice to revisit Callahan's Place again and find that they have aged well.
titusfortner's review against another edition
4.0
Spider Robinson was a guest of honor at the 2018 World Science Fiction Convention, the first one I attended. I'll admit that I'd never heard of him, but I added this collection of his apparently popular stories to my list of things to read. This quirky set of 17 stories and at least 4 separate author's notes is truly special. It's a little interesting bingeing them all at the same time; I actually think processing these in the serial manner in which they were originally written would provide more opportunity for each story to settle before the next one, as often the tone and direction taken were slightly changed. Overall it is a vivid imagination of acceptance and community with patrons that were not always normal (or human). It addresses a number of topical references that were large concerns in the 70's and 80's including the sexual revolution and drug culture to Vietnam and the looming nuclear threat. Not all of the content was specifically to my taste, but the world itself is enjoyable and well realized.
The food court area of WorldCon 76 was called Callahan's Place in honor of Spider's presence, and I'm both happy in retrospect to have consumed a beverage there, and sad that there wasn't a recycling bin inside a fake fire place for loudly toasting and cathartically throwing empty beer cans into it. A real missed opportunity in myself opinion. :)
The food court area of WorldCon 76 was called Callahan's Place in honor of Spider's presence, and I'm both happy in retrospect to have consumed a beverage there, and sad that there wasn't a recycling bin inside a fake fire place for loudly toasting and cathartically throwing empty beer cans into it. A real missed opportunity in myself opinion. :)
lorialdenholuta's review against another edition
5.0
Many years ago I read all of the Callahan's stories, and enjoyed the witty wordplay and deadly puns. Recently I purchased this collection, thinking a re-read might be fun. And it was. I enjoyed the stories the second time around, in fact, a lot more than I did the first time. I think I was too young and full of myself to really grasp some of the layers back then.
One complaint I've heard is that these stories feel dated. Well, of course they do. They were written long before pandemics, social media, sexual moderation, and politicians piping gaslight through the twitter tubes existed. The vibe is relaxed, half-drunk and touchy-feely hippy-ish. The characters are opinionated, smoke too much, have no concept of recycling glass, and for the most part, are unlucky in love.
But, they have each other. And a tighter, more respectful chosen-family has never existed. There are rules that must be followed in Callahan's Place, but they all exist for damn good reasons. The overall theme is 'how can we help you heal'. If a place like Callahan's existed for real, you'd know where to find me on any given night.
The stories told and adventures shared by the patrons of Callahan's are outrageous. Tall tales of the highest elevation. The puns are wicked good. The easy-going tone of the narrative lets you forget that there's an author behind these contrived stories and people, they just seem so real.
I highly recommend getting to know what's going on in Callahan's Place to those born after the Boomers and Generation Jones. You may not have heard this sort of mind-play in a novel before, and I think you'll find it worth exploring if you sincerely want to understand the generations that came before you.
One complaint I've heard is that these stories feel dated. Well, of course they do. They were written long before pandemics, social media, sexual moderation, and politicians piping gaslight through the twitter tubes existed. The vibe is relaxed, half-drunk and touchy-feely hippy-ish. The characters are opinionated, smoke too much, have no concept of recycling glass, and for the most part, are unlucky in love.
But, they have each other. And a tighter, more respectful chosen-family has never existed. There are rules that must be followed in Callahan's Place, but they all exist for damn good reasons. The overall theme is 'how can we help you heal'. If a place like Callahan's existed for real, you'd know where to find me on any given night.
The stories told and adventures shared by the patrons of Callahan's are outrageous. Tall tales of the highest elevation. The puns are wicked good. The easy-going tone of the narrative lets you forget that there's an author behind these contrived stories and people, they just seem so real.
I highly recommend getting to know what's going on in Callahan's Place to those born after the Boomers and Generation Jones. You may not have heard this sort of mind-play in a novel before, and I think you'll find it worth exploring if you sincerely want to understand the generations that came before you.
iffer's review against another edition
5.0
On my crotchety normal book rating scale, this would be 4.5 stars, but I loved listening to this book. Like the patrons of the fictional pub Callahan's Place, it seems like I found this book exactly when I needed it. At times the stories are sentimental, but the true stinker puns contained in them, oddly enough, give this collection the quirkiness and comic relief to temper the sentimentality and what might otherwise feel cliché. One of the reasons Spider Robinson's Callahan Chronicles have aged so well is that the stories are about humanity. Five stars, because the Callahan Chronicles left me with the feels wishing that every town has a Callahan's, where shared pain is lessened, joy multiplied, and empathy, compassion, and laughter can solve any problem, even impending armageddon.
wynwicket's review against another edition
5.0
The misadventures of the regulars (and irregulars) at Callahan's Place, a cross-time saloon, whose philosophy is "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased." A lot of fun, a lot of heart, and page after page of truly egregious puns. I love these characters, and I love this place, so much.
sigmamorrigan's review against another edition
5.0
If you love a good pun (or 500), then this book is for you. If you love compelling characters, then this book is for you. If you enjoy sci-fi... then this book might take you aback for a bit. If you enjoy a compilation of short stories about a remarkable collection of empathetic barflies, populating an establishment where the paranormal is normal, accepting anyone who comes along and committed to lessening the pain in the world, then this book is DEFINITELY for you.