- Paperback
- Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group (July 1986)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0425090825
- ISBN-13: 978-0425090824
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.2 x 1.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,310,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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4 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
The Last Days of the Tavern
13 Dec 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
_Callahan's Secret_ (1986) is the third collection of stories about Callahan's crosstime saloon. In an introduction, Robinson stated that this would probably be the last of the Callahan books. It wasn't. But I think that it is fair to say that the later stories were "second cycle Callahan tales." A number of things come to and end in this collection.
There are four stories in the collection, all novelettes from _Analog_: "The Blacksmith's Tale," "Pyotyr's Story," "Involuntary Man's Laughter," and "The Mick of Time." A comparison between these tales and the stories in the first collection, _Callahan's Crosstime Salooon_ (1977), shows a marked difference. The later stories are more skillfully plotted, more smoothly written, and a bit more bawdy. Also, the jokes, tall tales, and puns are-- if you can believe it-- more clever and outrageous.
We sometimes have a tendency to underrate humorous fiction. Great fiction must be serious and solemn. Humerous fiction can be _good_, you understand. But not great. We forget that doing humor really well can be deucedly hard. In any event, I am giving top rating for these stories. They are some of the best of the Callahan's Place stories. They are great fun and great writing.
There are four stories in the collection, all novelettes from _Analog_: "The Blacksmith's Tale," "Pyotyr's Story," "Involuntary Man's Laughter," and "The Mick of Time." A comparison between these tales and the stories in the first collection, _Callahan's Crosstime Salooon_ (1977), shows a marked difference. The later stories are more skillfully plotted, more smoothly written, and a bit more bawdy. Also, the jokes, tall tales, and puns are-- if you can believe it-- more clever and outrageous.
We sometimes have a tendency to underrate humorous fiction. Great fiction must be serious and solemn. Humerous fiction can be _good_, you understand. But not great. We forget that doing humor really well can be deucedly hard. In any event, I am giving top rating for these stories. They are some of the best of the Callahan's Place stories. They are great fun and great writing.
Not, in my opinion, as good as its predecessors.
23 Feb 2009
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Admittedly, that's praising with faint damns, and for that reason, I still rate it at five stars; it is still delightful, but I was ever so slightly disappointed by it based on what I'd come to expect from "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon" and "Time Travelers Strictly Cash". Granted, the first two stories were as good as any in the previous books, and the third was, in some ways, even better. But the last one, in addition to being a downer that I just don't expect when reading "Callahan's" stories, was just flat-out implausible. I mean, I can accept the incredibly powerful alien out to destroy the earth. I can accept the fact that he looks like a slightly oversized cockroach. I can accept the fact that he is defeated and destroyed by a bunch of wisecracking, punning barflies, two of whom happen to be telepathic and three or four of whom happen to be time travelers.
But the idea that Finn would have failed to protect Jake's guitar in the same way that he protected his clothes? Preposterous. Given that in a previous story, we'd seen how important "Lady MacBeth" was to Jake, and how traumatized he was by her apparent demise, it cannot be suggested that it never occurred to Finn to protect her. Just ridiculous. Nor is it possible that he DID protect her, that she is lying out somewhere in the woods, and neither Finn nor Mary thought to mention that little detail to Jake.
Come on, now, Spider, I challenge you to fix this oversight somehow in a future story.
But the idea that Finn would have failed to protect Jake's guitar in the same way that he protected his clothes? Preposterous. Given that in a previous story, we'd seen how important "Lady MacBeth" was to Jake, and how traumatized he was by her apparent demise, it cannot be suggested that it never occurred to Finn to protect her. Just ridiculous. Nor is it possible that he DID protect her, that she is lying out somewhere in the woods, and neither Finn nor Mary thought to mention that little detail to Jake.
Come on, now, Spider, I challenge you to fix this oversight somehow in a future story.
Classic Spider Robinson
18 Sep 2008
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I love Spider Robinson's work. This story is a great part of the Callahan saga and leads to 'the next thing', with more fantastic, yet believable characters banding together to save the world. We also learn more about Callahan and why he has wanted to run his place the way he has. Depending on which version you read this story from, you may also learn a bit more about Spider and his connection with Callahan...
This might be better for older teens, at least, as there is more than one love scene and perhaps some language from time to time that they may be ready for at that age.
This might be better for older teens, at least, as there is more than one love scene and perhaps some language from time to time that they may be ready for at that age.
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