callahan's con [Paperback]

Spider Robinson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: easton press (2003)
• ASIN: B000NCZWM6
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of a classic series., September 13, 2004

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Callahan's Con (Callahan's Crosstime Saloon Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

The last few of the books derived from the old "Callhan's" series had seemed somewhat of a letdown from the older books; not that they were bad, but I didn't enjoy them nearly as much as I had the originals. I was beginning to wonder if it was me, not them; if I had changed sufficiently as I aged from my twenties into my forties that I could no longer appreciate the kind of story I'd enjoyed then.

I'm still not sure, but this book was definitely back on a par with the older entries in the series; it was flawed (so were they, if you looked hard enough) but it was good enough to overcome its flaws. More, it was good enough to overcome one of the flaws that really bothered me about the previous entry, "Callahan's Key"; I can't say too much without giving a spoiler, but suffice it to say that I don't expect Jake and the other Callahan's regulars to be insensitive jerks; they don't prejudge people simply because they're alien cyborgs, or sentient computer networks; it seemed wrong that they would prejudge someone just because she was (A) ugly and (B) had a silly name. The fact that they did made it pretty clear that Spider was, and that bothered me; in this book, we get his apology (via Jake).

If you've tried the Callahan's books before and found them pointless and silly, your opinion of this one will be the same. If you loved them all, you'll certainly love this one. If you've felt that they'd been slipping for a while, give this one a try; you may enjoy it. If you've NEVER tried the Callahan's books before, then if you like your science fiction WEIRD, well-written and moving in spite of being silly, you will probably enjoy this book, but you might want to read some of the earlier entries in the series first.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spider at his best!, July 19, 2003

By 

J. M. Schroeder (Clermont, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Callahan's Con (Hardcover)

The best books are the ones that make you feel deeply and this one does. Naturally, I laughed a lot, that's the nature of Callahan's in any of it's incarnations. But I cried, too, and that reminded me of the roots of what the Callahan stories were about.

Now that the regulars have all settled down in Key West, enjoy this story of just a few days in the life of the denizens of "The Place". There are sprinklings of literary references throughout that are a lot of fun, too. Enjoy!

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Are you people nuts ?, November 20, 2003

By 

"wvrevy" (Cross Lanes, WV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Callahan's Con (Hardcover)

(Minor spoiler ahead, but nothing that you can't get from the dust jacket...naming no names :-) )

Ok, I gotta admit. I just don't get the majority of these reviews. I am a HUGE fan of all of Spider's work...I own most of his books in their originally published form, have ALL his published work in some form or another...and this book is easily his worst effort.

Yes, most of your favorite characters are there...Doc, Long Drink, Eddie, Jake, Ralph...nearly the whole gang (though a couple notable exceptions are missing, such as the Lucky Duck). But more time is spent on an inane plot revolving around Tony Donuts Jr. than on the interaction of these characters. The whole thing just reads like he threw it together in a couple days with as little thought towards the plotline as possible.

As for the "sad" ending...I was probably more angry than sad. Why on EARTH would you kill off a major character -- one of the most well-developed, well-loved, and interesting in the entire series -- for no real reason, other than perhaps exercising your talent as a writer ? It was just a waste.

I cannot recommend Spider's other works highly enough...not just the Calahan's series, but his work with Jeanne and everything else. But this book just is NOT worth the effort. In fact, if you love the series as much as I do, my recommendation would be to consider the series ENDED after the wonderful Calahan's Key.

And Spider...if this is the best you can do in your "first effort since kicking the nicotine habit"....can I offer you a Marlboro ?