A review by oleksandr
The Callahan Chronicals by Spider Robinson
3.0
This is a collection of short stories taking place in Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, a place where anything can (and eventually will) happen. The stories are full of puns and I guess are great for reading aloud in for a good audience. However, this play with the language makes it hard to follow for a non-native speaker like me, which I guess influenced the final rating.
There are stories inside stories. Almost every one starts with an evening in the Saloon where regulars play their games like a best pun or a toll story. Then someone new barges in and tells his/her/its story. It is an ultimate fandom fun with allusions to many SF classic works.
As an example of a good pun, but one you have to use Google, is the following:
"Say, Fogerty. I hear tell Stacy Keach was engaged to the same girl three times. Every time the Big Day come due, she decided she couldn't stand him."
"Do tell."
"Yup. Then the late Harry Truman hisself advised her, said, 'Gal, if you can't stand the Keach, get out of the hitchin.' "
I see that some proverb is punned, but it takes time and internet search to see that it is "If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen" which was popularized by Harry Truman.
There are stories inside stories. Almost every one starts with an evening in the Saloon where regulars play their games like a best pun or a toll story. Then someone new barges in and tells his/her/its story. It is an ultimate fandom fun with allusions to many SF classic works.
As an example of a good pun, but one you have to use Google, is the following:
"Say, Fogerty. I hear tell Stacy Keach was engaged to the same girl three times. Every time the Big Day come due, she decided she couldn't stand him."
"Do tell."
"Yup. Then the late Harry Truman hisself advised her, said, 'Gal, if you can't stand the Keach, get out of the hitchin.' "
I see that some proverb is punned, but it takes time and internet search to see that it is "If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen" which was popularized by Harry Truman.