Spider Robinson

Tracking indicates otherwise, but this is my second time reading this book. I have two separate, both complimentary, ways of looking at this book. One more general, one more personal.
First, the Callahan's stories are some of Robinson's best known and loved works. A great humorist and writer, Robinson is perhaps at his best merging many of his personal loves and thoughts with this fun fictional universe. Scifi, fantasy, comedy, music, slice of life...Callahan's is a great pioneering example show more of what might be called 'slipstream' fiction today. Infallibly positive and heartwarming with thoroughly grounded caricatures, there's really little to dislike here.
Second...Callahan's were among some of my Aunt's favorite genre books. I have some theories as to why, but ultimately these were the only books as a kid she wouldn't just let me have from her collection. I suspect she may have had similar reasons me.
Its a less than closely guarded secret, but I've been to Callahan's. Oh, I never wrote to Robinson and got one of the chit's or a secret message bout the locale. But see, Callahan's used to be in a lot of places. Its become more and more difficult to find over the years as Mike has had to close down...too much influencer culture, too much lack of community, too much gentrification, you get the idea.
I shouldn't do this to myself, but maybe it will help...See, *my* Callahan's was just like described, save it was nestled in a neglected arts district, surrounded by less than ideal neighborhoods in a major city. But those of us, newcomers, old time hippies that never left, oddball immigrants from England to Vietnam, everyone nearby that was inclined, we had a Callahan's. In our bar, Mike went by Craig, and sure, he had gone grey (and pretended to just be a fan of Robinson's books rather than a star) but was otherwise the same guy. Oh, there were superficial differences, you gotta cater to the locals a little, one side of the bar was all cozy nooks, low tables, egyptian influenced hippy decorations, and the other side was a little more what one might expect...lots of wood, brass rails, etc. And yeah, Craig had partners (that brit and vietnamese immigrant I mentioned, we always celebrated Insurrection Day) and some old hippies he had known for decades. It was just like described though...we all helped clean up if we were still around at the end of the night, got people home safely, invited new folks who might need the community and kept an eye on newcomers who came in on their own and took care of trouble if it came up. We all helped each other, and the place, celebrating birthdays, holidays, weddings, and wakes, just like they talk about. Shared pain decreases, shared joy increases. 'Employees' (and realistically, most of the regulars) lived in walking distance or barely outside it and we took turns running the place for them so they could have some nights to enjoy the place themselves for free.
But then...Craig left us, pretty unexpectedly. Our Jake, that brit Tina, tried to keep it together but even with all our help it was tough. Then gentrification started pushing folks further and further out of the area. Once no one who worked there could afford to live there anymore, and a lot of the long timers who didn't rent got squeezed out, it moved in the small business area. We had one last night...regulars and employees stretching back decades packed the place wall to wall as they were let in through the back door instead of the carefully locked and barred front. It was glorious and sad. I carried a lot folks to and from cars, up stairs and to beds that night. As was not entirely unheard of, some of us slept in the bar. We had our final Free Lunches.
About a year later, I risked a drive through the old neighborhood...it had changed so much I had problems even looking at it. I peaked in at the old bar. It looked like a thousand other trendy places you can find on social media. It was cold and sterile. No one working there, none of the customers, knew each other. No one lived within 30 minutes. No more free lunches. no more blessings. no more toasts. no more Mike getting your problems out without prying. No more Callahan's. I think about that every time I read one of these books. show less

Warning: dude has rape issues and not much empathy with the ladies. After a couple of stories, in my horrified fascination I started to keep track, omitting essays and “raps.” First two stories: both have rape as plot point with bonus in one of them where the male protagonist achieves sexual success through confidence obtained by his violent retribution against the woman who surreptitiously recorded their sexual encounter (she's the rapist, see?). Next: rape threat as plot point. Next: show more no women involved, but offscreen rape of another character helps drive male protagonist’s damage. Next: planet where women must always agree to sex with anyone, including their fathers, as plot point which ends up being hi-larious reproductive coercion of man by woman per feminist conspiracy. Next: childless unfulfilled woman punished for being too good at her job/not good enough to be a mom, but no rape. Next: female protagonist, no rape (though she does it all for love). Next: rape for fun reference, no female characters. Next: no onscreen female characters, no rape, though you’ve got to love "You can't find out whether slapping a hysteric will calm him down by asking him: you have to try it and see what happens." Science: you’re doing it wrong. (Not unrelatedly: the movie Hysteria was in fact pretty funny even though it flirted with my embarrassment squick a number of times.) Next: female POV character authorizes her doppelganger to fuck her husband, then realizes it was rape, but it’s okay because he really loves her. Next: posthumans, no rape. Total: 7/11. Ugh. show less

Just to be clear - I feel that the first two books in this series warrant a minimum of 4 stars, for their creativity and thought-provoking stories.

What drags the series down to two stars is the third book, Starmind, which basically just erases the message of voluntary Symbiosis that was emphasized in the first two books, especially Starseed.

I really enjoyed Stardance and Starseed. Sure, the author and his wife have certain political inclinations - although they certainly are not the first, show more or only SF authors to let their beliefs bleed into their work - but in the first two books the narrative was more balanced and enjoyable.

However, in Starmind, everything just goes out the window, in some cases literally. It is hammered into the reader, especially with Starseed, that some people simply can not handle zero-gee. That was the point of Top Step, and its intensive program where many people failed out and returned to Earth and it was emphasized that there was no shame in that - some people are simply born/evolved to need gravity and that becoming a Stardancer was supposed to be entirely voluntary, a joyful experience for those who go through it.

Hell, even in this final step, there's a handful that can't make it through Symbiosis, as is explained to Morgan at Top Step while she is learning about Symbiosis and what it does to the human mind. but at the very least those unfortunate few people had volunteered to go through the experience, so no one could really be blamed for their 'deaths' - it was just bad luck. Some of those people were able to be 'revived' after a while but some of them remained dead. However, the total number was incredibly low because as I said, the whole preparation process already filters out/eliminates a lot of people before Symbiosis.

Point is, in Stardance and Starseed, willingness/openness is the vital element to Symbiosis, above everything else.

Apparently the authors decided 'fuck it' with the conclusion to this series and everyone has to become a Stardancer whether they like it or not. Not only that, but we have pretty much the same exact type of villains here that was present in the first two books -terrorists who are afraid/resentful of the Fireflies and want to kill them and the Stardancers (or weaponize them)

Why is it that so many third books in trilogies suck? Mockingjay, Allegiant, and now this. It would have been better if Stardance/Starseed had remained a duology, since the ending of Starseed was pretty satisfactory. show less

Um... what?

I really enjoyed Stardance and Starseed. Sure, the author and his wife have certain political inclinations - although they certainly are not the first, or only SF authors to let their beliefs bleed into their work - but in the first two books the narrative was more balanced and enjoyable.

Here, everything just goes out the window, in some cases literally. It is hammered into the reader, especially with Starseed, that some people simply can not handle zero-gee. That was the point of show more Top Step, and its intensive program where many people failed out and returned to Earth and it was emphasized that there was no shame in that - some people are simply born/evolved to need gravity and that becoming a Stardancer was supposed to be entirely voluntary, a joyful experience for those who go through it.

Hell, even in this final step, there's a handful that can't make it through Symbiosis, as is explained to Morgan at Top Step while she is learning about Symbiosis and what it does to the human mind.

Apparently the authors decided 'fuck it' with this book and everyone has to become a Stardancer whether they like it or not. Why is it that so many third books in trilogies suck? Mockingjay, Allegiant, and now this. It would have been better if Stardance/Starseed had remained a duology, since the ending of Starseed was pretty satisfactory. show less