I first read the collection of stories that is "Callahan's Crosstime
Saloon" in 1992, about 15 years after Spider Robinson wrote them, and
was drawn to the magic of Callahan's Place immediately.
"Callahan's Crosstime Saloon," and the books that follow it in
the series are much more than science fiction although time travel, alien
visitors and telepathy are commonplace in Callahan's Place. Much more
importantly, it, and they, expound a philosophy of giving.. sharing.. and
loving.
The notion that "Shared Pain is Lessened, Shared Joy is
Increased" works not only in Spider Robinson's mind, but in both cyber
and non-cyber life, as well. We've all seen examples of it, and probably
know someone who tends to live it.
The first of the stories in "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon" is
"The Guy With The Eyes." You'll find a good introduction to
what, exactly, Callahan's Place is all about - and to about a dozen
characters that you'll meet often in subsequent stories. Jake Stonebender,
a regular patron of the place narrates nearly all of the Callahan's
stories.
Jake explains some of the magic of the place as he tells us about the
tradition of toasting in Callahan's; and of Tommy Janssen, a recovered
heroin addict, and Mickey Finn - an alien with a distressing mission - and
how the patrons of Callahan's Place help him.
In the next story, we learn about the tradition of Punday Night on Tuesday,
and of "The Time Traveler," Tom Hauptman, who narrates the tale
of how he came to spend 10 years in a Central American prison. We
understand that when a person is isolated as Tom was, he faces a few
dilemmas when freed - it's as if he became a time traveler, all of society
having slowly evolved while he was sitting in a prison cell.
"The Centipede's Dilemma" is a story about Dink Fogerty, a
telekinetic who can make a dart board "want" darts but who isn't
quite sure how he does it.
In "Two Heads Are Better Than One" we learn of more Callahan's
Place traditions. Fireside Fill-More Night and Tall Tales Night are added
to our knowledge of the goings-on. Jake also tells us that "No one
ignores pain in Callahan's Place" and the magic of the place is
enhanced. Oh - and there's also a fine story about telepaths.
In "The Law of Conservation of Pain," a story of time travel that
left me with a question or two about paradox, Spider comes close to
developing Mike Callahan's famous philosophy about pain and joy. Close..:)
"Just Dessert" is a short tale of practical jokesters - best
remembered for an Irish legend described therein - and this wonderful
quote, "It was a Friday night, and the place was more crowded than
Dollar Day at a cathouse."
"A Voice is Heard in Ramah" is the story of Rachel, a 232 year
old woman who becomes the rare female regular at Callahan's Place. Being
232 years old has its downside and Spider explores this a bit...
"Unnatural Causes" consists of two stories, one of the
rehabilitation of a Vietnam veteran, the other a rare case of someone NOT
receiving help and sustenance from Mike Callahan or his patrons..
And finally, "The Wonderful Conspiracy" tells us more about Mike
Callahan, the proprietor of Callahan's Place - and suggests why he runs
an out of the way place in Suffolk County, New York.
The "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon" series has become legendary -
this, the first of the series is fun to read, holds up well over time and
may well have changed many people's lives. It has mine.
Tor Books has published (September, 1997) "The Callahan Chronicals,
" (ISBN 0-812-53937-0) an omnibus collection which includes the full
text of "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon."
