Callahan's

I love these Callahan stories. It took me a while to realise why I love them. You see, Callahan's is the current reincarnation of the legendary Inn at the Crossroads. It is a place where travellers and strangers and seekers and lost souls can tell their stories. Nothing is a surprize at Callahans, for anything can happen there. For the price of a drink you can tell your story- and have it respectfully listened to by people who will try to help you if they can- or at least sincerely try to understand. Needless to say, this is not your modern sports bar....Did I mention that the clientel of Callahan's are not just your ordinary Outsiders? It is not at all uncommon for time travellers, aliens, mutants, to cross the threshold. As long as you don't pull any rough stuff there, all are welcome at Callahan's.The funny thing is, places like Callahan's do actually exist. You don't find them, or even here about them, unless you really need to find them. They are havens outside the world where good fellowship, respect, and empathy still maintain a toehold in this brave new world.If you'll excuse me, I feel a need to hurl yet another glass into the fireplace....

"Callahan's Crosstime Saloon," by Spider Robinson, is a collection of 9 linked short stories. All are set at the saloon of the title. Callahan's has a colorful collection of regulars and is often visited by aliens, time travelers, and humans with paranormal gifts. The book contains a fascinating introduction by Ben Bova entitled "Spider Robinson: The SF Writer as Empath."This book is a great blend of humor and science fiction. Robinson puts inventive spins on classic sci-fi themes. He also deals effectively with such down-to-earth issues as war, motherhood, and personal loss. The book is also full of puns--the Callahan's regulars observe a Punday contest.Along the way Robinson invokes Isaac Asimov and Charles Fort. The book as a whole is grounded by a real compassion for the human (and nonhuman!) condition--this is sci-fi with both brains and heart.

I first came across the stories of Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Saloon while on deployment in the navy. What an eye opener! Talk about something that will grab your imagination and happily drag you into its world. After I finished the first book, I had to find them all. Still can't find off the wall at Callahans but am perseveering. The first thing I thought when I read the time traveler and the descripions of the bar owner, Mike Callahan, and the patrons was that this was what would happen if Cheers did an outer limits type episode. ANd I was hooked!

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon is a compilation of many stories centered around a backwoods bar named Callahan's. It is here where old friends meet, new friends are made, puns are exchanged, glasses are shattered, healing begins, and the world is saved. Join Jake, Fast Eddie, the Doc, and a slew of other characters as they tell jokes, stories, and make the acquaintainces of some very odd aliens, with equally odd problems. No one just stumbles into Callahan's, you find it.

This collection of short stories remains one of my favorite books. Callahan's is the neighborhood bar that everyone secretly wants to find - regulars are truly family and the focus isn't really drinking. This collection revolves on the notion that people find Callahan's when they need to - when they have a problem and need help solving it. Of course, it's science fiction, so some of the problems are a little unusual. The characters are warm, funny, and very human. I should warn you though that the book is FULL OF PUNS. Overall, the book is well-written and I highly recommend that you buy it. Right now.