Lifehouse [Mass Market Paperback]

It presents stories of three couples: - "God-like" time travellers protecting their critical secret, - Con artists assortedly seeking "the new con," and then being pursued for stumbling onto "the secret," and - Secret Masters of Fandom, at first sucked into the "big con," but then showing their own initiative to hunt down the con artists. (I lived near the store at the location where they were described as having bought the pistol... The store primarily sells ugly Art Deco "antiques.")

As a "classic" Spider Robinson read, it presents the perhaps-too-clever in- jokes and terrifying puns for which he is famed. And comes up with some new twists on things, and ample "turnings of tables."

I would bet that this book is of special interest to SF fans in Victoria and Toronto; there are references to things that I almost recognize...

Lifehouse represents a return to Spider's normal outrageous situations and punning humor, couched in a tale of two con artists, Paul and June, SMOFs (Secret Masters of Fandom), and time travelers. Early in the story the SMOFs (in this case, a husband and wife, Wally and Moira, who have been fans and known each other so long they are almost telepathic with each other) are presented with a wild tale by a midnight visitor who arrives with a bang, minus clothing, and claims to be a time traveler who has unfortunately missed his target date by a few years. Naturally, the 'time traveler' would like Wally and Moira to help in changing history just a little bit - ensuring that John Lennon does not get assassinated. Of course, the Wally and Moira are also Beatles fans, and off we go on a pretty wild romp through the ins and outs of multiple con games, time and other paradoxes, manhunts, and puzzle solving the old fashioned way, by thinking.

Along the way, Spider maintains a humorous undertone, as noted by chapter titles like "Grok and Roll" and sentences like "They left and locked the car, and, since it was late at night, crossed Point Grey Road on foot without the customary side effect of dying." But much of the story is a serious investigation into ethics, morals (can con-men have morals? Can ethics impose absolute restrictions on the actions of time travelers?), and individuality versus the 'Group Mind' that true telepathy would make possible. The characters come across as highly intelligent, personable, and believable people caught in situations that are only partially due to their own actions, but must (and can) rely on their own wits to save the day.

Readers who have never attended a science fiction convention or been seriously involved in SF fandom may miss some of Spider's underhanded references, and some of the specified technology will seem absolutely ancient (which is merely an indication of how fast computing technology is changing). But these are fairly minor quibbles with what is generally a very readable story, one that occasionally made me laugh out loud, always kept me grinning, and provided some good food for thought when finished.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

(a) a character who likes to pun (and comes up with quick witty comebacks)

(b)a character who loves larger women

(c)at least one character who likes to smoke dope

(d) a character who plays guitar really well and

(e)at least 1 character who has a huge appreciation for a whole genre of music to which the author happens to especially like and

(f) characters who view sex as a very precise art form oh.. and

(g)at least one (in this book there were several) characters who are un-natturally attached to MacIntosh computers...

(not that any of these things are bad! in fact they're all good (except the mac part).. but after a while you hope he'll come up with something else)

This book has all that.... and I was pleased to see that he didn't manage to work in parts of the plots of other books he'd written into this one.. (eg: there was no reference to the inspirational guy who lies in a US hospital bed getting free care cause he's such a great guy)

It's kind of fun taking the "places Spider has lived" tour through his books. Starting out with New York//Long Island .. moving to Nova Scotia .. and then ending up in the vancouver/gulf island area. And I agree with other viewers that it's fun because there's lots of local references to places I've been.

It's definately worth buying, especially if you're a fan of reading Spider's quite distinctive vernacular/first person writing style.

If you're a big sf fan, or somebody who's seen a few SF con's in your life, you may actually understand what some of the conversations the characters are having mean. They talk in real native lingo about GoH's and Con Suites, SMOFs and a bunch of stuff I'd hoped I'd forgotton, but somehow found pleasently reminiscent of my ancient dabbeling in the con/filk scene.

If you're not hooked into that scene at all - some of the book will just go right over your head and you may not get many of the references or even understand why our first two victims are so devistated at the loss of their money/position/con/SF club etc.. etc..

That aside.. it's a quick read, an easy read, and an entertaining read. I enjoyed it. It was CLASSIC Spider Robinson. I may not read it again... but I'm glad I read it.

I hope I can meet the guy one day and buy him a coffee.. or a beer.. (a big rock if he's in Calgary some time) cheers.