Rating: 
Summary: We keep buyin' em, he keeps writin' em...
Review: ...and so it goes. I bought this book because a "Callahan's" novel can give me a few hours of pure fun reading. I didn't expect Great Literature or even Great Science Fiction, and boy, did I not get them. Let's not begrudge Robinson his success with these books. Many people enjoy them, and their purchases put money into his pocket and encourage him to write more of the same. If they become truly awful, enough people will stop buying them that they're no longer worth his effort, and he'll start writing something else. He hasn't hit that point yet. So let's take it for granted that this book is 1) aimed primarily, perhaps even exclusively, at existing fans of the "Callahan's" series, and 2) a whale of a lot of fun if you are a member of the target audience. Now, let's pick at some of the things that went wrong... First of all, this is more of a series episode than an actual story. The characters are already fully developed, none of them really change or learn anything. It's just "Callahan's Crew Takes a Road Trip". Sure, there's a feeble plot about Saving the Universe, but it fades into the background amidst the travelling adventures and fawning Key West travelogue. And let's face it, that plot device is getting old. I've honestly forgotten how many times the "Callahan's" characters have saved (pick one) the Human Race, the Earth, all of History, the Universe as We Know It, or the Entire Totality of All Creation. When the End of the World becomes banal, maybe it's time for something new?
Another thing that's become banal in the "Callahan's" series: super-powerful characters. Robinson has managed to write himself no less than three virtually omnipotent characters (Mike Callahan, Lady Sally, and Nikola Tesla). It's hard to bring any amount of tension to saving the world when you've got multiple people who can do pretty much _anything_. So in this book, he wisely places two of his heavyweights off-stage for valid plot reasons... and then introduces yet _another_ unreasonably powerful character in Jake's baby daughter. I found the character of Erin to be even more implausible than Tesla, and utterly annoying. It's possible to do a good job of writing a character who's much more intelligent and powerful than the humans around them. See Wylie's _Gladiator_, Weinbaum's _The New Adam_, Stapledon's _Odd John_, and even some of the better Superman comics. Robinson falls far short of this in his portrayal of Erin.
And speaking of badly portrayed characters: what's with Pixel? Unless I missed something, the cat serves no purpose to the story whatsoever. I like cats and I like Heinlein, but really, Robinson should know better than to throw in something that doesn't pass the "So What?" test. Well, no, I take that back. Robinson _always_ throws in stuff that fails the "So What?" test. But it's _interesting_ irrelevant material. Pixel is, well, just this cat who wanders in. From one of Robert Heinlein's worst books, even. So Callahan's crew moves to Florida, falls in love with Key West, and oh yeah, saves the world. Again. People who like this sort of thing will find this to be the sort of thing that they like. Otherwise, just go find the latest Discworld novel. At least Pratchett's characters haven't gotten stale.
Rating: 
Summary: Heir to Heinlein
Review: And I mean that review title for both good and ill. Like Heinlein's last few works (everything starting with _Number of the Beast_), the Callahan series has (d)evolved into tales of Extraordinarily Talented and Witty People, (over)laden with cultural in-jokes, references to earlier tales, and a twee jolliness that makes for light, breezy reading when it's not just irritating. Robinson has seemingly fallen into the "How do I trump what I did last time?" trap, and while it's nice to see the old gang again, hear the awful puns, and sit back for the ride, I look back on the much warmer, more *human* early Callahan tales (and even tales of Lady Sally's House) and miss them. I don't regret having bought the book, even at today's exorbitant paperback prices. I just wish I'd enjoyed it as much as his earlier ones.
Rating:
Summary: Heir to Heinlein
Review: And I mean that review title for both good and ill. Like Heinlein's last few works (everything starting with _Number of the Beast_), the Callahan series has (d)evolved into tales of Extraordinarily Talented and Witty People, (over)laden with cultural in-jokes, references to earlier tales, and a twee jolliness that makes for light, breezy reading when it's not just irritating. Robinson has seemingly fallen into the "How do I trump what I did last time?" trap, and while it's nice to see the old gang again, hear the awful puns, and sit back for the ride, I look back on the much warmer, more *human* early Callahan tales (and even tales of Lady Sally's House) and miss them. I don't regret having bought the book, even at today's exorbitant paperback prices. I just wish I'd enjoyed it as much as his earlier ones.
Rating:
Summary: The gang's mostly back
Review: And it turnd out that not only are they supposed to save the planet, but the whole darn universe as well. And tired of the whole Long Island rat race, they're moving to Key West. (circa 1989 before it got gentrified and duller). Fun stuff for the most part, and I liked the tale, but the pacing's a bit slower than the earlier Callahan books, which were pretty much short story compilations, and even the Lady Sally ones, which had at least a few seperate stories in each. It just seemed to take a long time for anything to happen, and Erin is just a bit too precocious.
Rating: 
Summary: Long awaited comfortable return
Review: Callahan's Key is a fantastic book. At the same time it is a bad entry point for the uninitiated. For those familiar with the Callahan's saga and the adventures of the barflies that surface there, this is a much welcome return to their lives. I often find myself wishing that this material was produced with soap opera like regularity and hope that Mr. Robinson writes and writes and writes until I personally ask him to stop. However, if this is the first Spider Robinson book your are thinking of reading - don't. Go and read Callahan's Chronicles first. This is for the dedicated fans only. Which is what you will become after you have read Chronicles! Now go, get the right book and have your life changed in nice ways!!
Rating: 
Summary: Wink Wink Nod Nod We Are So Clever
Review: Don't get me wrong Spider Robinson is my favorite author but not even the warmth of Key West where this novel is set could warm me up to it. This is a valuable lesson. Sometimes we must give up our fictional friends. Jake and his friends seem tired and need to rest. They have entertained us but now I feel like a guest at a party that has overstayed his welcome. Everbody is going through the motions but I just don't feel it. One of the things I really didn't like is Jake and his crew's attitude of: "We are so clever Nod-Nod Wink-Wink." Everybody has some sort of power incuding his kid. It seems they are running into the same wall that Superman in the comics did. You make a character or a group of them so powerful you really have to strain to come up with a problem worthy of them. In short this book seemed a bit to much by the numbers. As much as I love the characters I hope this is the last I see of them. I will remember them fondly from prior books.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy installment, but light on character
Review: Fans of Mike Callahan and Jake Stonebender and the rest of the crew will no doubt devour this latest installment, however new readers will be lost because of all of the in-jokes and references to past stories. All the more reason to buy ALL of the previous installments! Callahan's Key, while bringing back all of our dear and lovable friends, left this reader wanting more. While everpresent, much of the crew from Callahan's Place and Mary's Place had only cameos in this story. Quite understandable, since the cast grows with every new installment, but it made me yearn for more of the short, poignant stories that originally captured our attention and pulled on our heartstrings. This is not to say that this book is lacking in any respect. Spider Robinson is a genius and his works never never fail to entertain. You can't go wrong with this or any other of his stories.
Rating:
Summary: Conserve narratives: reuse, reduce, recycle
Review: First, there is nothing new in this book. Everything he says here he has said in the earlier books. Second, there is very little in the way of plot or character development. You are halfway through the book before the threat to the universe is even described. All the characters are almost cameo reprives of previous performances. Except the new characters who are introduced and then promptly droped from the narrative. Third,the few more or less new notes are nearly all obvious reworkings from other writers. The eighteen month old hyperprecocious girl who knows the size of her father's erect penis and has started a waiting list of partners for when she begins having sex just reeks of the Lazarus Long style of deliberately shocking sexuality. Based on this book I would say Spider Robinson has become a tired old man.
Rating:
Summary: Mature, Heinleinesque
Review: I admit being a Spider fan. Finally, the book arrived and was devoured on the same day. It's a good thing to have the charactes back that you know - but it lacked some of (dont laugh) the depth of some of the earlier books. Still - a very good read.
Rating: 
Summary: How are the mighty fallen....
Review: I am a HUGE fan of Spider Robinson, but this excursion strained my fanhood beyond belief. The first three Callahan's books (collections of short stories) were witty, compelling, and worth re-reading. The rest, such as The Callahan Touch and Callahan's Key (Callahan's Lady and Lady Slings the Booze are exempted) were masturbatory crap. Mr. Robinson has forgotten the lessons he learned at the master's knee (that would be Heinlein) and engaged in a witless journey to the Florida Keys (albeit a location that deserves attention) that promotes purposeless drug use and fornication with minors (granted, super-genius minors). Mr. Robinson, I loved both you and Heinlein. But Heinlein knew how far was too far. A man traveling 2000 years into the past to court his mother was plausible. A toddler propositioning her father is not. And frankly, people who smoke dope are just not that amusing, unless you are interested in debating the relative merits of various brands of potato chip. You are in a select in-group that is composed of intelligent people--don't make the rest of us feel stupid by peppering your books with references to other readers, writers, musicians, etc., without explaining them. Heinlein educated us, you just flaunt your "superior" knowledge. I have an IQ of 163, but your tangents left me clueless as Heinlein's never did. I think you need to go back to the rules you had to follow when writing the short stories. And guess what--you can't make the world more accepting of sex by creating a toddler with a foul mouth.
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