Tales From The Spaceport Bar

I purchased this book back in high school in the late 80's/ early 90's after being 'raised' on my older brothers left-over book collection - lots of Asimov, Pohl, Bradbury, Tolkien, etc. with several short story anthologies. 'Tales from the Spaceport Bar' was literally the first sci-fi book I purchased with my own money, and while I can't say that all the stories are the absolute best in the genre, a few of them remain etched in my memory and I smile a bit every time I think of them. The Unicorn Variation by Zelazny in particular just tickled my funny bone then, and still does today. I've lost or worn out a couple copies of this book over the years... next time I get an order together or find a copy on the shelves, I'll probably snag it. I guess thats about as good of a recommendation as I can give!

An anthology of stories based around the tall tale or bar joke, but of the science fictional or comic fantasy variety, in general. As such, I think it succeeds pretty well in geral. It is short, 20 odd stories in 240 pages means each story is pretty short, as you would expect, being light humour. The very last tale is clever, and will perhaps clue the more familiar in, with plenty of Silverlocke style easter eggs to be found. Tales From the Spaceport Bar : The Green Marauder - Larry Niven Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Don't Look Now - Henry Kuttner Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Getting Even - Isaac Asimov Tales From the Spaceport Bar : What Goes Up - Arthur C. Clarke Tales From the Spaceport Bar : One for the Road - Gardner R. Dozois Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Elephas Frumenti - L. Sprague deCamp and Fletcher Pratt Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Unicorn Variation - Roger Zelazny Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Strategy at the Billiards Club - Lord Dunsany Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Through Time and Space with Ferdinand Feghoot! - Grendel Briarton Tales From the Spaceport Bar : On the Rocks at Slab's - John Gregory Betancourt Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Hands of the Man - R. A. Lafferty Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Endurance Vile - Steven Barnes Tales From the Spaceport Bar : The Centipede's Dilemma - Spider Robinson Tales From the Spaceport Bar : The Causes - Margaret St.Clair Tales From the Spaceport Bar : For a Foggy Night - Larry Niven Tales From the Spaceport Bar : They Loved Me in Utica - Avram Davidson Tales From the Spaceport Bar : A Pestilence of Psychoanalysts - Janet O. Jeppson Tales From the Spaceport Bar : The Regulars - Robert Silverberg Tales From the Spaceport Bar : The Man Who Always Knew - Algis Budrys Tales From the Spaceport Bar : Infinite Resources - Randall Garrett Tales From the Spaceport Bar : What's Wrong with This Picture? - Barry B. Longyear and John M. Ford and George H. Scithers Old tourist fancies a drink. 3 out of 5 Invisible Martian paranoia. 4 out of 5 Supernatural signature stealing. 3.5 out of 5 Antigravity flameout. 3 out of 5 End of the world choices. 3.5 out of 5 Heffascotchaminilump. 3.5 out of 5 Mythological species replacement with sasquatch chess master. 4 out of 5 Atomic bomb story. 3 out of 5 Fan club groaner. 3 out of 5 "well, I figured, at least I could get drunk and ease the pain of my own death.--that was the only advantage left in owning a haunted tavern." 3 out of 5 Comic appendages. 3 out of 5 Out of body running experience can take way too long. 3 out of 5 Telekinetic yearnings shouldn't be employed in a darts game. 3.5 out of 5 Greek deities like kiwiland just like hobbits do. 3 out of 5 Vaguely lost. 3 out of 5 Homer is definitely past it. 2.5 out of 5 Don't p here. 3.5 out of 5 Bar stories, once only, new ones will get you booze. 3.5 out of 5 Secondhand luck sales. 3.5 out of 5 Two of me is too horrible to contempla