Callahan's Key

A continuation of Spider Robinson's marvelous "Callahan" science-fiction series (I've evidently missed one or two), in which Jake Stonebender, the new and struggling proprietor of Callahan's saloon, wife Zooey and genius baby daughter Erin gather the denizens of Callahan's and migrate from Long Island to the Florida Keys, in order to be situated to save the universe from an inadvertent Doomsday scenario. Much of the book consists of a zany and joyful travelogue from NYC to the Keys, with many stops along the way that must resonate with the author. Anyway, it stimulated me to duplicate the trek one day. The Callahan books have all been a happy and imaginative hoot so far, and this does not disappoint. However, maximum enjoyment will be show more derived from reading the books in sequence. And fair warning; atrocious puns abound. show less

Well, it's been a trek through the Callahan's series, and this is the eighth, and thus far, next to last novel in the series.

Part of me is happy for this volume because there's more fun puns and creative writing. But then part of me also feels like the series got played out. This book isn't quite as good as the first few, but it's still a pretty decent book that garners 4 stars.

Most of the story is about the usual cast of Callahan's/Mary's Place, with a few newcomers to this very extended family and their move down to the Florida Keys to set up a new Place. The actual world-saving bit is less spectacular than I expected, but as I said, it's still a good book. It's also nice to know Robinson is a Heinlein fan because I am one too, though show more I notice that just like with Heinlein, some of Robinson's later books could get weird and overly sexual sometimes.

Eh. I still recommend these authors on the whole as solid authors in the science fiction community, and this book was certainly fun. Now there's just one book left, so onwards I go! show less

Robinson's sixth book in the Callahan's Place universe (or eighth if you count the two "Lady Sally" books) moves the action from New York to Florida . . . specifically Key West. The plot (Jake Stonebender and the rest of the usual suspects save the universe against unimaginable odds) feels a little recycled, and the characterizations a little sketchy, but the book is still a delightful ride for dedicated fans of the series (like me).

Recommended by Lauri. The problem with jumping into a really long series in the middle (or at the end, as in this case) is that there are a host of established characters that you don't have any particular attachment to. It's a hard balancing act to introduce these characters in a way that doesn't bore your faithful long-time readers, but still forms a bond with the new ones. This book didn't really work for me as a member of the latter category.

The book starts with a long road-tripping sequence, which serves to establish the characters and provide some meaty character development. I'm sure this is appealing to old fans, but as a newcomer I was just waiting for them to get the setup over with and start on the adventure. I was fated to show more disappointment, since the road-tripping was a large part of the adventure. The more typical adventure material came and went in about the last third of the book. There wasn't much feeling of danger; most of the tension was between characters. Again, I'm sure this appeals to fans who've seen these characters grow and change, but it wasn't very exciting to me. show less

So I skipped some of the novels on the way to this one, but it was fun nonetheless. Nikki, my favorite character, shows up again, and ... well they save the world. again. with style. and o my word the puns.

A serious favorite, flaws and all.

Has some of my favorite Spider Robinson quotes in it.