4.0 stars. I think the above describes the essence of the book much better than I can, but I will go ahead and ramble for a few paragraphs anyway. However, before I begin PLEASE BE AWARE that this review contains some overt sentimentality and just plain sappiness. If it gets to be too much, you might want to have a salty snack standing by to help take the edge off... ...of course then you might need a to wash it down, which is actually a nice lead in to a review about a book that takes place entirely in a bar.This is the quintessential “feel good” book and one that literally kept me smiling (and probably looking goofy) while I was reading it. Now this book will not knock your hair back with its brilliant, elegant prose and you won’t find any original or groundbreaking SF concepts or ideas. In fact, while there are SF elements in most of the stories, these elements are, for the most part, simply background material. What this book will do is hopefully make you smile and feel better about the world around you, even if only while you are reading it. It is like a warm blanket for the soul or a call from an old friend that you haven’t spoken to in ages. It may not change your life, but it will certainly brighten your day. The Callahan Chronicles, of which this is the first book, take place entirely in a bar called…you guessed it…Callahan’s Place. The owner is Mike Callahan and his tavern is not on any map but is where people just find themselves when they are in pain or have lost their way in the world. It is a place where everyone genuinely cares about one another and where anyone who has something they want to get off their chest can find an audience willing to listen. There are no moral judgments made and nothing is off limits. As shown above, it is a place built around the concept that shared pain is lessened and shared joy is increased. The book itself is a collection of short stories that deal with a variety of personal and societal issues. There is some politics, some religion, some economics and some discussions of war and drug addiction. However, despite the seriousness of the topics discussed, the stories and dialogue have a very down home, pastoral feel to it and there is nothing that could be called preaching or lecturing in the conversations. To sum up, Callahan’s Place is a wonderful place to go and listen to good people help other good people through difficult times. It might even make you feel better about humanity in general…if only for a little while. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
These short stories were published in the first wave of character-centric science fiction, following the Golden Age focus of Asimov and Clarke on plot and science. I can see why they would have felt like a breath of fresh air at the time. I'm not entirely sure how well they aged, decades after the wash of disillusionment that accompanied Vietnam, Nixon, and early drug rampages. If you pay enough attention to history, then the attitude of "society is falling apart because it doesn't conform to my nostalgic vision of my childhood" gets pretty repetitive. There are some clever concepts here, from redefining time travel to a novel way of dealing with a living time bomb. There are a lot of bad puns, which should please some. There's also a very...masculine feel, that makes me feel very much like these stories are not for me, just as Callahan's bar itself is apparently entirely uncongenial to my gender. Because they're manly men, you see, and while they're progressive enough to let each other cry out their heartbreak, they're not progressive enough to do so if women are around. Or to allow that perhaps women are also in need of the miraculous redemptive services that Callahan's offers, which are apparently enough to save the world. Unless you're female. One of the last stories also reveals something of the nature of Callahan himself that I think undercuts quite a lot of Robinson's own argument.So. They're very much a product of their time. They were probably pretty thoughtful and touchy-feely for the time. They're well written and contain some very clever little thought experiments. But I did not feel particularly welcome in this particular bar.
What do You think about Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1999)?
Спайдър Робинсън описва най-якото място на планетата – “Кръчмата на Калахан: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...Рядко казвам, че една книга ми е “отвъртяла главата”. “Кръчмата на Калахан” не просто направи това, а я хвана с неспасяема хартиена хватка, засили се със страхотната си корица и запрати мозъкосъдът ми далеееч, далеееч отвъд планините на читателското наслаждение. Разбит от съвършеното оргазмично удоволствие от шедьовъра. Като оставянето на празната чаша след съвършената последна последна глътка амброзия с неопределен градус. Скъпи дами, “Кръчмата на Калахан” е съвършената селф хелп книга, единствената по рода си, която съм срещал и която практически и немагически боготворя. Скъпи господа, в тази кръчма се говори за пиячка, извънземни и спасяване на света. Скъпи пришълци, харесвате ни сред тези страници, дори и в края. Дори и в него.Дамян Яковhttp://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...
—Христо Блажев
Enjoyable short stories, but not quite riveting or deeply involving. Robinson originally wrote these stories as a sort of serial for Analog magazine, and as a group, they show that heritage. Part of what works for them is the mood, a positive, friendly, "we welcome all" vibe with a little bit of accommodating wierdness. However, story to story becomes repetitive if attempted in one sitting.Where Callahan's stands apart is it's focus on struggling with the problems of existence and meaning, and humanity, and the great focus the bar clientele have on empathizing with each other. This is Cheers with puns instead of sarcastic put-downs. Be warned, Callahan's clientele truly love puns, and they will edge into the most serious of stories. Xanth ain't got nothing on Callahan's.Mostly stories aren't explicitly sci-fi, being set in an modern anytime New York bar but instead play with sci-fi concepts like time travel, lurking aliens, and humans with extra abilities. Never fear, all problems can be solved with some creativity and thought. And most likely, bad puns.
—Carol.
I first visited Callahan's Saloon well over 30 years ago and have never really left. Spider's cast of characters and oddball stories have stayed with me far longer than many of the other books I've read over the years. Re-reading this collection was like coming home. I was also surprised as to how pertinent the stories still are. Perhaps we are not at war in Vietnam any longer, but the stories from our veterans in the Middle east sound hauntingly similar. South American countries are still dicey territory for Americans, especially reporters or clerics. And of course everyone knows there's aliens among us :)
—Donna
