Steiner@RUTGERS.ARPA (11/02/83)
From: Dave <Steiner@RUTGERS.ARPA> Mindkiller is out in paperback (Berkley, $2.95). They're going fast as they were only to be found in one out of three bookstores in the area. Antimony is now out of print (unfortunately!). I wish I could find a copy. ds -------
tpchmara@wateng.UUCP (Tom Chmara) (04/17/84)
[] Spider Robinson has published two books about a wonderful bar called "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon", also the title of the first. (Its sequel is called "Time Travellers Strictly Cash", but I haven't got that one yet). This was my first exposure to Spider Robinson, and won't be my last. It's not a new book: published 1977, but most of the shorts were run in Analog. It's not REALLY a book of short stories; more like an ongoing series with "guest appearances" by people who are the sort who need to find Callahan's. (I'm definitely NOT a fan of short stories.) I'd consider this a fine read for anyone who likes humour in their SF...(I'll e-mail the blurb off the back of the book, which does a good job of summarizing what to expect, to anyone who wants it...) Off in search of Callahan's... ---tpc--- (Tom Chmara EE @ University of Waterloo)
Shiffman%SCH-GODZILLA@MIT-MC.ARPA (04/19/84)
From: Harris Shiffman <Shiffman%SCH-GODZILLA@MIT-MC.ARPA> Robinson has the following books to his credit: Callahan's Crosstime Saloon - a collection of short stories about a most unusual Long Island bar. Time Travelers Strictly Cash - a few more Callahan's stories, along with various miscellaneous short stories. The Callahan stories are not nearly as good as in the first collection. Telempath - a rather bizarre post-collapse novel. In my view, not as good as Mindkiller. Stardance - written with his wife (I haven't read this one yet). Hank Shiffman
jeanne@ucla-cs.UUCP (12/20/84)
This is going to be a rapturous rave for Robinson's work. I've loved it for several years, but that was mostly based on the Callahan Crosstime Salooon stories--I have a weakness for puns and Spider has some really "vile" ones in his stories. However, in the last couple of months I have read a couple of his more serious works and have been unbelievably impressed. The man writes beautifully. I am normally the type who tears through books as fast as I can because there is just so much to read and so little time to read it all. When I notice the writing (as opposed to the story itself) on the first read through a book, there has to be something very special about it. I've never read descriptive passages in anything to compare with those in Spider's works; I've actually stopped to savor the descriptions and my reactions to them--it takes something special to stop my headlong flight through my reading. I finished reading "Mindkiller" last night. Needless to say, I recommend it extremely highly. It has two parallel plots (alternating chapters), both of which involve people you care about, in situations that challenge their minds, emotions, and lives. Some of the things that happen can be anticipated (or at least speculated about as possible), but there are some real surprises. (Chapter 2 appeared in Omni as a story called "God Is An Iron.) The other book I read (a couple of months ago) was a collection of Spider's short stories, called "Melancholy Elephants" (the title story won the Hugo Award for short story in 1983). Unfortunately, the book is only available in Canada at the moment. If you live there, get the book as quickly as possible. If you are here in the States, you either have to wait until the book comes out late in 1985 here, or get hold of friends or relatives in Canada and get them to send it to you. The book is worth the trouble to find it. The depth of human feeling in the stories is I met Spider and his wife, Jeanne, at Worldcon, and fell instantly in love with both of them. For those of you who are caught up on Spider's work, here's the word on what he has coming up. There is going to be a third Callahan book (in March) (hooray!). He is also finishing up his new novel (working title is "Time Pressure). He read the first chapter at the convention and it is an awesome beginning. So, for those of you who have yet to discover Spider Robinson, find his books wherever you can. It will be well worth the effort.
godwin@uci-icse (06/13/85)
From: Dave Godwin <godwin@uci-icse> Somebody out there asked about the book 'Night of Power' that is listed in the front of Melancholy Elephants. This book is an example of changing the name of a book between production and publication, something that happens now and again. 'Night of Power' was originally to be called 'Race War', and Spider read the first chapter or so to a bunch of folks (me, for one) at the last WorldCon. It sounds really good. The reason the book is listed as if it were in print is because the publisher is going to have it on the shelves Real Soon Now. We've just gotta be patient. Even if it is new Robinson. Dave
wjr@utai.UUCP (William Rucklidge) (06/19/85)
In article <2277@topaz.ARPA> godwin@uci-icse writes: > From: Dave Godwin <godwin@uci-icse> > > > Somebody out there asked about the book 'Night of Power' that > is listed in the front of Melancholy Elephants. This book is an example > of changing the name of a book between production and publication, something > that happens now and again. 'Night of Power' was originally to be called > 'Race War', and Spider read the first chapter or so to a bunch of folks > (me, for one) at the last WorldCon. It sounds really good. The reason > the book is listed as if it were in print is because the publisher is > going to have it on the shelves Real Soon Now. We've just gotta be patient. > Even if it is new Robinson. > > Dave Well, _Night_of_Power_ has been out for a fair time here in Canada. It is a good story, well told. I picked my copy up near the end of May, at Torque, at the Bakka table. (For those of you who have never heard of Torque, it is Toronto's semi-occasional 'alternate' con. Attendance this year was about 90. Bakka is (I believe) the oldest science fiction bookstore in North America (their 13th birthday was last month).) -- William Rucklidge University of Toronto UUCP {ihnp4 utzoo decwrl uw-beaver}!utcsri!utai!wjr CSNet wjr@toronto BITNET wjr at utoronto This message brought to you with the aid of the Poslfit Committee.
FIRTH@TL-20B.ARPA (08/18/85)
From: FIRTH@TL-20B.ARPA Mr Robinson's longer and more discursive reviews can be found in back numbers (there are no other numbers) of Destinies magazine, under the title "Spider vs. the hax of Sol III". One word of authentic text is worth a pile of commentary, but at least let me impose upon your patience to say that, for me, one of Spider's more endearing qualities is that he doesn't tell me what I ought to like. -------
peter@baylor.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (08/21/85)
The only thing I don't like about Spider Robinson is that he doesn't realise
he's a better writer than Heinlein. Probably better than RAH ever was,
certainly better than what Heinlein's putting out now.
--
Peter (Made in Australia) da Silva
UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter
MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076nathan@orstcs.UUCP (nathan) (01/26/86)
Does anyone remember the posting some weeks/months back about Spider Robinson and his wife asking for donations for her dance troupe? I sent them a money order, and got a couple of very nice letters and some very interesting stories. To the person who posted the note, thank you. About Spider Robinson's writing: I've been following him since the early Callahan days. It's very heartening to have seen him improving steadily -- first, he mastered short stories (cf. "Overdose"); then novelettes and novellas (cf. the stories Stardance, Telempath and Mindkiller came from). He's still working on novels, and hasn't *quite* worked out endings yet, but he manages more depth with each new work. My personal opinion is that he won't achieve Greatness (whatever that is) until he gets out from of Bob Heinlein's shadow. "Night of Power" isn't perfect, but any flaws it has lie in its overall organization. The writing is vivid, gripping, and imaginative. This is not a trivial book. Nathan C. Myers orstcs!nathan, nathan@oregon-state