Conference noted::sf

    Spider Robinson's next book, _Callahan's Lady_ will be out in hc
    in March of '89.  It looks pretty good.  I have a 3500 word extract
    of it here, and if this is any indication, it will pun you to death.

    
    
    	Neat, I wasn't fond of the Third Callahan book at all,
    	but in general he's very good.
    
    	

    Almost everything by Spider Robinson has been wonderful, but he's
    definately different.  The only ones that were marginal were:
    
    1)	Night Of Power	-	something just didn't click here, too
    				much goodness and light, required far
    				too much suspension of disbelief.
    
    2)	Time Pressure	-	We take this moral, you see and we jam
    				it down your throats for the better
    				part of the book, and make sure you
    				wallow in it but good.
    
    Other than that, the Callahan's books, Mindkiller, Telempath, and
    most especially Star Dancer (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) were great!  Buy them
    and read them all.
    
    Willie

    
    
    		The best was Mindkiller.
                        
    		No Telempath...
    
    		But ...er Callahans at least the first two
    		were best great also!
    
    		Ok I have all his books. And even the Marginal ones
    		will be saved for a lonng time.
    	

    I always had a fondness for the Callahan's stories.
    
    Then again, I'm from that part of Long Island... (secretive grin
    here :-] )
    
    		Merryl

    Can't say I'm a fan, though; have always found him too heavily 
    moralistic.  It's like the last five minutes of a MASH episode, 
    where they insert a little dramatic moment in the midst of the 
    one liners.  Gosh, we'll go on laughing through our tears in this 
    crazy mixed-up war, er world.  If you're a fan of bar stories, let
    me recommend Clarke's "Tales of the White Hart" instead.
    /jlr

    ...or the Gavagan's Bar stories (Fletcher and Pratt?)
    
    					andrew

       STAR DANCER stands as one of the best, most involving, most
       touching SF books I've ever read.  It's not easy to communicate
       a full transformation of a person (or six, or six-as-one), and
       STAR DANCER did a fine job.
       
       I heard of Spider Robinson a bit before I read my first S.R.
       short story ("God is an Iron")...from my mother's aunt, of all
       people.  Seems she knew a woman whose son (do I have this
       right?) was hospitalized for a time -- several months, I assume
       -- and to keep himself busy he wrote science fiction stories.
       "His name is Spider Robinson," my aunt wrote.  "Ever heard
       of him?"
       
       
       "God is an Iron" is also a stunning story.  I don't think I had
       ever been so convinced by a character in a story before.  And
       what a harsh title...
       
       					Tom
       

    
    
    
      God is an Iron is the best chapter in the whole book "MindKiller".
      Infact, alone it beats out the entire book.
    
    

      >God is an Iron is the best chapter in the whole book "MindKiller".
      >Infact, alone it beats out the entire book.
       
    Not surprising -- it was written and published separately.
    
    					andrew

Just saw this note --

STARDANCE is still IMO the best he's ever done...

MINDKILLER was ok, but "God Is An Iron" part was the peak

TIME PRESSURE a good read

and the Callahan books were the best set of short-stories
I've encountered -- even the latest bunch ("Lady") kept
me interested...

I also liked his ode to Heinlein (which I saw him 
"perform" years back at a Boskone) -- esp. the line:

	"... Myself, I'm a serf!"

(responding to the charge that, "Heinlin is a 
libertarian...")

QUESTION:  ANything new coming down the pike??

    Just finished the new hardback from Spider and Jeanne - "Starseed", the
    sequel to "Stardance".
    
    This is an Excellent Book!!!! 
    
    The book reminded me of the best of Heinlein.  It's got action,
    wonderful emotional moments, and some great characters!  It stands
    quite well on it's own, not just as a sequel.  
    
    Highly recommended to you who love Spider's work, and a must for lovers
    of "Stardance"!  
    
    4 ****'s.
    
    - Russ (A Heinlein fan from way back).
    

    re:  .12
    
        > The book reminded me of the best of Heinlein.
    
    Early Heinlien or the later stuff (after Moon is Harsh Mistress, say)?
    

    re:.13
    
    Well, he *did* say the "best" of Heinlein, by which one might assume
    he means the earlier, better work (in a relative sense; I like very
    little of Heinlein's work).
    
    --- jerry

    Re: last 2,
    
    I guess I meant the early Heinlein - 1950's works like "The Moon is a
    Harsh Mistress", etc.  Very realistic slightly technical space scenes,
    but mixed in with good action and characters.  Not wordy or preachy at
    all. 
    
    For the record, I love _all_ of Heinlein's works.  :-)  The man had
    courage to be different and write what he felt, instead of what
    everybody else was doing.  Robinson reads the same way.  Why read an
    author who writes exactly how you want him to?  T'would be boring! 
    Difference is fun!
    
    - Russ.
    
    
    
     
    
    

    	I thought MOON was published in 1966?
    

    It was.  I suppose you could say it has a "50s" flavor, as opposed
    to the "60s" flavor of "Stranger" et seq.
                  
    					andrew

    
    
    I picked up a new Spider Robinson book today.  It's in the Callahan's
    series, based on Lady Sally Calahan -
    
    
    		Lady Slings the Booze.
    
    with a picture of her (nice!) standing beside the bar.   
    
    I almost ran screaming from the book store, that was such a bad pun. 
    I'm sure it'll get worse as I read it. 
    
    Should be in bookstores everywhere  ~ $20.00.
    
    I'll let you know how it is when I get it read. 
    
    - Russ
    
    

    Well, it's a year later, and I forgot to tell you how the last book
    was. 
    
    Twas good. 
    
    Now there's a new one - "The Callahan Touch". I'm almost through with
    it. So far it's up to the standard of all the Callahan/Lady Sally
    books, which is great. 
    
    Look for it in Hardback, priced appropriately.
    
    -Russ