Rating: 
Summary: The puns & corny jokes in this book really get repetitive.
Review: "The Callahan Chronicals" is a unique book, with a lot of fascinating characters. The problem with it is the way it will go on and on with pun after pun...and then throw in another one for good measure, even at times I feel would be more appropriate for seriousness. The book seems to swing back and forth between sob stories and corny jokes, like some sort of emotional yo-yo. If you are really into tons of puns and jokes mixed with tragic tales, then this is the book for you. Otherwise, try borrowing it from the library first, just in case.
Rating: 
Summary: Shared pain is lessened....
Review: ...shared joy increased. This is the simple yet ingenius philosophy of Callahan's Place, a bar one only seems to find if they need support and love. It is a place where anything can happen, and does. This book collects the short stories about Callahan's Place, which are arranged chronologically over the span of about fifteen years. By the end, you'll be laughing and crying right along with the regulars.
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Summary: Callahan's- Uniquely Wonderful Stuff
Review: All of Spider Robinson's books are a joy to read. This is a collection of his best. Robinson writes science fiction from an atypically humanistic standpoint- science is kept to a minimum, and characterization takes the fore. Twistedly humourous and still emotionally touching, each of these stories emphasizes the fallacies of the human race, and leaves you nonetheless proud to be a part of this motley gang of hairless apes. If everyone read the Callahan's stories, I have no doubt the world would be a better place. Except, of course, for all the horrific puns...
Rating:
Summary: Buy it, read it, love it!!!
Review: Buy this book! I am on my 4th copy. I keep "loaning" it to friends, and then I want to read it again. I keep it in my car and near my bed. If I can't decide what I want to read (I have more than 2,000 books), I know I will want to read this one!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful tale of the power of humanity
Review: Entropy is an omnipotent force. It erodes and degrades just about every facet of our lives. But not at Callahan's. Spider Robinson paints a picture of a place where people are genuinely interested in each other. It isn't a utopic scene where nothing ever goes wrong. In fact just the opposite, if it can go wrong, it will go wrong first at Callahan's. Fortunately, the patrons of this wonderful place are capable of dealing with these problems. The characters range from the (forgive me) mundane to the utterly outrageous. The puns are some of the best (worst?) ever put on paper. Spider's characters are real. Spider has a way of grasping someone out of every walk of life and putting them together in this place on Route 25a Long Island. The lively characters show the qualities that, over time, we may all learn to embrace. To quote a line from the book, only because it fits so well, "Shared joy is increased; shared pain is lessened."
Rating:
Summary: Bargains don't come any better than this
Review: I first read "The Guy with the Eyes" 25 years ago, when it came out in Analog. It is the definitive story to illustrate Survivor Guilt, and is well worth the price of the book alone. If you are trying to understand a friend suffering from PTSD, read this story. It will teach you more than a dozen textbooks on the subject...and that's just the first story. There's 20 or more stories in this book, each one is eminently enjoyable, and each one has a valuable point to teach you about life. I have passed the Callahan's books to all of my friends, and even people that don't like SF, will enjoy Callahan's. A friend of mine has only read five non-fiction books in the last 10 years - all of them were in the Callahan's Universe. Put it another way - I rarely buy hardcover books - they're too expensive and bulky. But if I see Spider Robinson as the author, I'll gladly fork over the cash, because I can't stand to wait the 6-8 months for it to come out in paperback. And I'll probably buy it in paperback, because when I'm on the road, re-reading a Spider Robinson story is often better than picking up some of the over-priced schlock populating Airport Bookshelves.
Rating:
Summary: Bargains don't come any better than this
Review: I first read "The Guy with the Eyes" 25 years ago, when it came out in Analog. It is the definitive story to illustrate Survivor Guilt, and is well worth the price of the book alone. If you are trying to understand a friend suffering from PTSD, read this story. It will teach you more than a dozen textbooks on the subject...and that's just the first story. There's 20 or more stories in this book, each one is eminently enjoyable, and each one has a valuable point to teach you about life. I have passed the Callahan's books to all of my friends, and even people that don't like SF, will enjoy Callahan's. A friend of mine has only read five non-fiction books in the last 10 years - all of them were in the Callahan's Universe. Put it another way - I rarely buy hardcover books - they're too expensive and bulky. But if I see Spider Robinson as the author, I'll gladly fork over the cash, because I can't stand to wait the 6-8 months for it to come out in paperback. And I'll probably buy it in paperback, because when I'm on the road, re-reading a Spider Robinson story is often better than picking up some of the over-priced schlock populating Airport Bookshelves.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Touching, emotional, and inexpensive!
Review: I have been a Callahan's fan since I checked out a copy of CALLAHAN'S CROSSTIME SALOON from the library years ago. Wow, good call! The premise was unusual, but the stories were engaging and I was profoundly moved by some of them. All the characters, even the occasional NORMAL one, are like dear friends because Robinson makes you CARE about them like they care about each other. Most outstanding!
Rating:
Summary: Some of us at Callahan's are pretty fair empaths....
Review: I love these Callahan stories. It took me a while to realize why I love them. You see, Callahan's is the current reincarnation of the legendary Inn at the Crossroads. It is a place where travelers and strangers and seekers and lost souls can tell their stories. Nothing is a surprise at Callahan's, 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 clientele of Callahan's are not just your ordinary Outsiders? It is not at all uncommon for time travelers, 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....
Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I read this book on the recommendation of a friend who is an incurable punster, and was expecting a light, fairly frivolous read: a break from some of the heavier SF I'd been plowing my way through. I'm not sure at what point I stopped looking at it as solely a light read, but I am sure that what begin as bedtime reading somehow turned into a night-long vigil that left me feeling more human than I had in a long time. My only regrets about this book hinge around the fact that I didn't take my friend's advice sooner.
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