About Spider Robinson
Spider Robinson is a science fiction author best known for his stories of Callahan's saloon, its regular patrons, and the two bars that succeeded it. He also is known for the Stardance trilogy, novels of zero-gravity dance and alien contact, written with his wife Jeanne.
He was born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1948. He earned a BA in English from the State University of New York. His first sale in 1972 to Ben Bova at Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact was "The Guy with the Eyes," which began his Callahan's series. Shortly after that, he moved to Nova Scotia, where he met and married his wife Jeanne. In the late 1980s they moved to Vancouver, British Columbia and now live on an island north of the city. They have a daughter, Terri.
Spider's Latest: Very Hard Choices
Very Hard Choices
Amazon Price: $12.92 (as of 07/20/2008)
In Very Bad Deaths aging baby boomer Russell Walker had retreated to a British Columbia island following his wife's death and only wanted to be left alone. His solitude is interrupted by his old college roommate Zudie, aka Smelly, who is so telepathic he can't stand to be around many people, but he had heard the mind of a psychotic killer planning a gruesome crime and seeks out Russell for help. They contact Nika, a very straightlaced though unlucky Vancouver police officer, and the unlikely trio manage to defeat the psycho.
In Very Hard Choices the trio is reunited when Zudie needs protection from a CIA agent still on the trail decades after Zudie's escape from the top-secret MK Ultra project in the 1960s.
Spider on the Web
More links are listed toward the end of this lens.
- Spider Robinson - Callahan's Saloon
- My Spider Robinson page for his Callahan's Saloon books on Have Pun Will Travel.
- Spider Robinson - Others
- The Have Pun Will Travel page for Spider's books not associated with Callahan's (except for Time Travelers Strictly Cash, which contains four Cal's stories.)
- Welcome to Spider Robinson's Official Website
- Science fiction author Spider Robinson's official website. It's a good place to keep up with news of Spider and his comments on life, music, and writing. You can subscribe to Spider's mailing list on the Contacts page.
- Wikipedia's Spider Robinson Entry
- Contains a bio a bibliography, and many links.
Awards
Robinson won the John W. Campbell award in 1974 for best new writer. In 1977, he won a Hugo award for best novella with "By Any Other Name," later expanded into his first novel, Telempath. He won a Nebula award in 1977 and another Hugo in 1978, both for "Stardance," written with wife Jeanne. In 1983, Robinson won his third Hugo for the short story "Melancholy Elephants."In 2008, Spider received his first audiobook award, the "Audiofile Earphones Award for Excellence" for his Blackstone Audio recording of Variable Star. His recording of Callahan's Legacy was nominated for an Audie Award in 2007.
See Spider's website for national and regional awards he's won.
What's Callahan's?
In the great tradition of bars and pubs in science fiction, Callahan's Place is a little out-of-the-way bar somewhere off Route 25A in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. It's run by Mike Callahan, a big Irishman (think Brian Dennehy) with help from Fast Eddie Costigan, the piano player.
The Callahan's stories are told from the point of view of regular patron Jake Stonebender, who later opens Mary's Place and then The Place. Jake came to Callahan's on the recommendation of Doc Webster, surgeon and master punster. Callahan's is the kind of place you find if you need to, and Jake - who had just lost his wife and daughter in a car accident he blamed on a botched do-it-yourself brake job which saved him thirty dollars easy - needed to.
Mike Callahan believes in good fellowship and merriment. The place is about as bright as the average living room, with chairs instead of stools at the bar. Mike believes, as do his regulars, that shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased. People who have something to share, good or bad, are invited to step up to a chalk line in front of the big fireplace, make a toast, and hurl their glass into the fire. Others who agree with the toast follow with their glasses. Mike buys glasses in bulk. Drinks are half a buck (this series started back in 1973), but a patron starts out by putting a dollar bill on the bar. The patron may then make a toast and throw the glass. If no toast is made, the patron may, upon exiting, take a couple of quarters from the cigar box at the end of the bar.
A lot of problems get solved this way as people, having made their toast, share the story behind it, but only if they're willing. Caring and empathy run high in the place. Nosiness is not tolerated at Callahan's, and a prying question could end up with someone getting a crack on the back of the head from Fast Eddie's blackjack (seldom used, fortunately).
This being science fiction, it's no surprise that Callahan's manages to attract its share of unusual customers, like the one in the first story, "The Guy with the Eyes." A very tall humanoid alien is sent by his masters to scout out and destroy Earth, but he discovers he really doesn't want to destroy it in spite of his very rigid programming. The crew at Callahan's manage to find a way to keep him from carrying out his mission.
Doc Webster, by the way, isn't the only patron who likes puns. One of the traditions of Callahan's is Punday Night, in which patrons engage in round-robin punning. Doc is usually the winner, although Jake gives him a good run for his money and sometimes wins. (In spite of Spider's great love of puns, only one book title in the series, Lady Slings the Booze, is an obvious pun.)
The Callahan's stories are told from the point of view of regular patron Jake Stonebender, who later opens Mary's Place and then The Place. Jake came to Callahan's on the recommendation of Doc Webster, surgeon and master punster. Callahan's is the kind of place you find if you need to, and Jake - who had just lost his wife and daughter in a car accident he blamed on a botched do-it-yourself brake job which saved him thirty dollars easy - needed to.
Mike Callahan believes in good fellowship and merriment. The place is about as bright as the average living room, with chairs instead of stools at the bar. Mike believes, as do his regulars, that shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased. People who have something to share, good or bad, are invited to step up to a chalk line in front of the big fireplace, make a toast, and hurl their glass into the fire. Others who agree with the toast follow with their glasses. Mike buys glasses in bulk. Drinks are half a buck (this series started back in 1973), but a patron starts out by putting a dollar bill on the bar. The patron may then make a toast and throw the glass. If no toast is made, the patron may, upon exiting, take a couple of quarters from the cigar box at the end of the bar.
A lot of problems get solved this way as people, having made their toast, share the story behind it, but only if they're willing. Caring and empathy run high in the place. Nosiness is not tolerated at Callahan's, and a prying question could end up with someone getting a crack on the back of the head from Fast Eddie's blackjack (seldom used, fortunately).
This being science fiction, it's no surprise that Callahan's manages to attract its share of unusual customers, like the one in the first story, "The Guy with the Eyes." A very tall humanoid alien is sent by his masters to scout out and destroy Earth, but he discovers he really doesn't want to destroy it in spite of his very rigid programming. The crew at Callahan's manage to find a way to keep him from carrying out his mission.
Doc Webster, by the way, isn't the only patron who likes puns. One of the traditions of Callahan's is Punday Night, in which patrons engage in round-robin punning. Doc is usually the winner, although Jake gives him a good run for his money and sometimes wins. (In spite of Spider's great love of puns, only one book title in the series, Lady Slings the Booze, is an obvious pun.)
Callahan's Saloon Story Collections
The short stories of Callahan's were published in three collections, Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1977), Time Travelers Strictly Cash (1981) which includes some stories that are not about The Place, and Callahan's Secret (1986). Then in 1988 an omnibus edition, Callahan and Company was published and included the first three Callahan's books less the non-Callahan's stories from Time Travelers. The omnibus was published again in 1997 as The Callahan Chronicals. Spider admits that the spelling "Chronicals" is a weak pun.
Callahan and Company:
The Compleat Chronicles of the Crosstime Saloon
Lady Sally's and Mary's Place
After Callahan's Secret, Robinson switched to the novel form with two books about Mike Callahan's wife, Lady Sally McGee and her "house of good repute." These were Callahan's Lady in 1989 and Lady Slings the Booze in 1992. Kill the Editor was published in 1991 and is the first part of Lady Slings the Booze. He then returned to the Callahan's regulars with two books about Jake Stonebender's bar Mary's Place, named after Callahan's daughter. These were The Callahan Touch in 1993 and Callahan's Legacy in 1996.
The Place and Off the Wall at Callahan's
The problem with Mary's Place was that it was never licensed, so in Callahan's Key (2000) Jake and the gang left Long Island for a rollicking road trip in refitted school buses and settled in Key West, Florida where they were able to acquire the bar that became known simply as The Place, and this time it was legal. The latest installment in the Callahan's saga is Callahan's Con published in 2003.
Off the Wall at Callahan's (1994) is a collection of quotes from the series up through the book's publication.
Off the Wall at Callahan's (1994) is a collection of quotes from the series up through the book's publication.
The Stardance Trilogy by Spider and Jeanne Robinson
Spider collaborated with his wife Jeanne on the zero-gravity dance novella "Stardance." It won a Nebula award in 1977 and a Hugo award in 1978. It was expanded into the novel of the same name published in 1979, followed by the novels Starseed (1991) and Starmind (1995).
An omnibus of Stardance, Starseed, and Starmind. The trilogy combines the beauty of zero-gravity dance with contact with very alien beings. The result changes humanity forever. This omnibus edition was published in September 2006.Stardance
Shara Drummond combines the beauty of Venus de Milo with dance talent greater than Pavlova's. But she's too big, and will never be more than an understudy. So she goes into space and creates zero gravity dance. When the aliens, beings of pure light who dance between the stars, appear, Shara must prove that the human race is ... human with her new form of dance.Starseed
Rain McLeod danced on Earth for 32 years until she couldn't dance any more. She tried living without dance, and when that didn't work, she traveled to Top Step, the captive asteriod and home of the Stardance Foundation, to become a Stardancer, a human joined with the alien symbiote that allows humans to live in space.The Star Dancers
The Stardance Trilogy omnibus of Stardance, Starseed and Starmind
An omnibus of Stardance, Starseed, and Starmind. The trilogy combines the beauty of zero-gravity dance with contact with very alien beings. The result changes humanity forever. This omnibus edition was published in September 2006.Stardance
Shara Drummond combines the beauty of Venus de Milo with dance talent greater than Pavlova's. But she's too big, and will never be more than an understudy. So she goes into space and creates zero gravity dance. When the aliens, beings of pure light who dance between the stars, appear, Shara must prove that the human race is ... human with her new form of dance.Starseed
Rain McLeod danced on Earth for 32 years until she couldn't dance any more. She tried living without dance, and when that didn't work, she traveled to Top Step, the captive asteriod and home of the Stardance Foundation, to become a Stardancer, a human joined with the alien symbiote that allows humans to live in space.The Star Dancers
This includes Stardance, and Starmind, the first two books of the Stardance trilogy by Spider and Jeanne Robinson.
Starmind
The Starmind is the telepathic joining of all the Stardancers. In 2064, Earth is enjoying peace and prosperity thanks to the Starmind. Composer Rand Porter travels to High Orbit to become a Shaper of music and visual effects for the Stardance Company. While there, he finds himself caught up in a conspiracy to destroy the Starmind.
The Lifehouse Trilogy
The Lifehouse Trilogy
(Lifehouse)
The Lifehouse Trilogy combines Mindkiller, Time Pressure, and Lifehouse. It was released on December 4, 2007.
Mindkiller:
A Novel of the Near Future
Wireheading, a method of delivering a trickle of current to the brain's pleasure center, can be an addiction, a way to commit suicide, or a means of mind control. Part of this book appeared as the novella "God Is an Iron," now collected in a book of the same name.Time Pressure
Sam lives alone on Nova Scotia's Fundy Shore in the early 1970s (much like Spider himself at the time). In the middle of a storm, he witnesses the arrival of Rachel, a beautiful time traveler. She's arrived to collect data on the human race's past, but Sam fears she may end up destroying it.Deathkiller
Deathkiller is a combined edition of Mindkiller and Time Pressure.Lifehouse
Wally and Moira, two major science fiction fans, jump at the chance to help out a time traveler. Only he's not a time traveler. And then it gets weird.
Other Novels by Spider Robinson
Telempath
Spider's first novel from 1976. The first third of the book won a Hugo Award for best novella as "By Any Other Name." It's set in a world of survivors of a man-made plague that increased the sense of smell exponentially, and there are ghosts around. Isham Stone sets off on a mission to kill the man who made the plague.
Night of Power
One of Spider's most controversial novels, written in 1984, is set in Manhattan in 1996 when a race war breaks out. Fortunately, it's still fiction.The Free Lunch
Dreamworld is a litigation-free stand-in for Disneyland, which Spider visited with David Gerrold and John Varley. Mike, a 12-year-old, disappears into the theme park. He soon discovers there are some very strange things going on.Very Bad Deaths
Spider has created a "strange and twisted crime-fighting trio who can barely stand one another: the young cop, the old hippie, and the telepath" who must come together to apprehend a serial killer who is far more strange and twisted.Variable Star
This is based on a 1955 outline by Robert A. Heinlein and finished a half-century later by Spider Robinson. Young musician Joel Johnston discovers the love of his life isn't what she said she was. Faced with giving up everything he considers important to be part of her life, Joel opts instead to join a colony ship on an 85-light-year journey.
The trio of Russell, Zudie (aka Smelly, who is able to read minds), and Nika (a tough but unlucky Vancouver policewoman) are thrown together again. Their opponent this time isn't quite as evil as the last one; he's "only" a rogue CIA agent who's after Zudie. It seems that Zudie was part of the top-secret MK Ultra project back in the Sixties, until he escaped.
Spider's first novel from 1976. The first third of the book won a Hugo Award for best novella as "By Any Other Name." It's set in a world of survivors of a man-made plague that increased the sense of smell exponentially, and there are ghosts around. Isham Stone sets off on a mission to kill the man who made the plague.
Night of Power
One of Spider's most controversial novels, written in 1984, is set in Manhattan in 1996 when a race war breaks out. Fortunately, it's still fiction.The Free Lunch
Dreamworld is a litigation-free stand-in for Disneyland, which Spider visited with David Gerrold and John Varley. Mike, a 12-year-old, disappears into the theme park. He soon discovers there are some very strange things going on.Very Bad Deaths
Spider has created a "strange and twisted crime-fighting trio who can barely stand one another: the young cop, the old hippie, and the telepath" who must come together to apprehend a serial killer who is far more strange and twisted.Variable Star
This is based on a 1955 outline by Robert A. Heinlein and finished a half-century later by Spider Robinson. Young musician Joel Johnston discovers the love of his life isn't what she said she was. Faced with giving up everything he considers important to be part of her life, Joel opts instead to join a colony ship on an 85-light-year journey.
The trio of Russell, Zudie (aka Smelly, who is able to read minds), and Nika (a tough but unlucky Vancouver policewoman) are thrown together again. Their opponent this time isn't quite as evil as the last one; he's "only" a rogue CIA agent who's after Zudie. It seems that Zudie was part of the top-secret MK Ultra project back in the Sixties, until he escaped.
Spider Robinson and David Crosby
Interview about "Variable Star" with Expanded Books
Late Sci-Fi Legend Robert A. Heinlein's New Novel
With David Crosby, award-winning author Spider Robinson debuts VARIABLE STAR, a gripping space adventure written from the detailed outlines of the late Robert A. Heinlein -- hailed as the greatest science fiction writer of all time.
Runtime: 4:41
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Short Story Collections
The Best of All Possible Worlds
A collection of favorites, starting with Spider's favorite Larry Niven story. Niven then introduces his favorite Theodore Sturgeon story, Sturgeon then introduces his favorite by Terry Carr. Spider then introduces the duel scene from William Goldman's The Princess Bride (relatively unknown seven years before the movie), and Goldman introduces a story by Robert Sheckley. Other authors include Dean Ing, Anthony Boucher, and Robert A. Heinlein.Antinomy
Spider's first collection of his short stories not related to Callahan's Saloon. Not to be confused with the metallic element antimony, antinomy is defined as the contradiction between two equally valid principles. The stories were Spider's favorites that were not in print when the book was put together.
Melancholy Elephants
The second collection of Spider's short stories not related to Callahan's Saloon. The title story is an award winner. Four of the stories appeared in Antinomy because, as Spider explains, that book was remaindered during publication when the publisher decided to drop its science fiction line.True Minds
Part of Pulphouse Publishing's "Author's Choice Monthly" series, this limited edition (350 copies) includes six items that appeared in Melancholy Elephants along with a new introduction and lyrics to five of Spider's songs. All copies are signed by Spider.
More Story and Essay Collections
User Friendly
This collection has eleven stories, some of which appeared in Antinomy and Melancholy Elephants, three essays, two raps, and a speech. The collection brought the stories from the previous books back into print and represents the first collection for others.By Any Other Name
The title story won a Hugo and became the first part of Telempath. This collection brings into print all the short fiction not related to Callahan's that didn't appear in User Friendly. A few stories previously appeared in his by-then-out-of-print first two collections, including the award-winning "Melancholy Elephants" which leads off the collection.
This is a collection of his essays from The Globe and Mail a Canadian newspaper distributed nationwide. Covering the years from 1996 to 2004, the collection includes some essays from the now-defunct website Galaxy Online. The title comes from Robert A. Heinlein's Future History put together in the 1940s. With his usual humor and irreverence, Spider takes on the space program, airport smoking bans, bad computer design and more.
This collection has eleven stories, some of which appeared in Antinomy and Melancholy Elephants, three essays, two raps, and a speech. The collection brought the stories from the previous books back into print and represents the first collection for others.By Any Other Name
The title story won a Hugo and became the first part of Telempath. This collection brings into print all the short fiction not related to Callahan's that didn't appear in User Friendly. A few stories previously appeared in his by-then-out-of-print first two collections, including the award-winning "Melancholy Elephants" which leads off the collection.
The Crazy Years:
Reflections of a Science Fiction Original
This is a collection of his essays from The Globe and Mail a Canadian newspaper distributed nationwide. Covering the years from 1996 to 2004, the collection includes some essays from the now-defunct website Galaxy Online. The title comes from Robert A. Heinlein's Future History put together in the 1940s. With his usual humor and irreverence, Spider takes on the space program, airport smoking bans, bad computer design and more.
"Copyright Violation"
The short story "Copyright Violation" originally appeared in New Destinies 6, Winter 1988 and is included in User Friendly. In 1990, Pulphouse Publishing, Eugene, OR, released a bound edition of the story as part of its Convention Series. 26 leather slipcased copies were issued (I have "S"), 100 clothbound copies with dustjackets were issued (I have number 9), and some red leather copies without slipcases were issued (I have one designated "Red Staff"). All copies are signed by Spider and by Kelly Freas, whose caricature of the author appears opposite the title page. This edition was not listed on Amazon.
Spider's Audiobooks
Spider has been awarded the "Audiofile Earphones Award for Excellence" for his Blackstone Audio recording of Variable Star, his first audiobook award. In 2007, his Blackstone Audio recording of Callahan's Legacy was nominated for an Audie Award.
These MP3 CDs are from Blackstone Audio of Ashland, OR. Despite Amazon's listing of most of these as Library Editions, they are the MP3 CDs. Blackstone's Library Editions cost considerably more. Spider reads Callahan's Legacy, Very Bad Deaths, and Variable Star. The others are read by Audie Award winner Barrett Whitener. Spider also recorded Robert A. Heinlein's Rocketship Gallileo.
These MP3 CDs are from Blackstone Audio of Ashland, OR. Despite Amazon's listing of most of these as Library Editions, they are the MP3 CDs. Blackstone's Library Editions cost considerably more. Spider reads Callahan's Legacy, Very Bad Deaths, and Variable Star. The others are read by Audie Award winner Barrett Whitener. Spider also recorded Robert A. Heinlein's Rocketship Gallileo.
Spider Robinson Stuff on eBay
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Spider Robinson Link List
- Blackstone Audio's Spider Robinson audiobooks
- As of June 2008, there are nine books available, with six read by Spider, the others read by Audie Award winner Barry Whitener. If an audio book is not available on Amazon.com, you can find it here.
- Robinson's Place forum on Delphi Forums
- A forum for sharing and discussing info about Spider and life in general. Beware: here there be puns! The forum is hosted by your friendly neighborhood lensmaster. You'll need a free Delphi account (signup is very easy) to post to the forum.
- Fantastic Fiction (UK) Bibliography of Spider's Works
- A good bibliography that includes short stories, articles, and books Spider recommends.
- RAH! RAH! RAH! - Spider's Essay on Robert A. Heinlein
- Spider writes about Robert A. Heinlein and Heinlein's critics. This version appears on the website of the Heinlein Society.
- Profile and Interview in January Magazine
- This profile and interview with Spider appeared in September 2000.
- Locus Online: Spider Robinson interview excerpts
- Spider Robinson interview excerpts from February 2004.
- Official Variable Star Sci-Fi Book Site: New Reviews of The Lost Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson Science Fiction Book
- Variable Star is a new (2006) science fiction book by sci-fi authors Robert Heinlein and Spider Robinson. Read the online New York Times book review and other reviews of this scifi double feature.
- Spider Robinson on ISFDB
- The entry for Spider on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database contains extensive listings of everything published by Spider. If you want to know where a book, short story, novella, essay, or review has appeared in print, this is the place to look.
- Spider Robinson on LibraryThing | Catalog your books online
- LibraryThing catalogs yours books online, easily, quickly and for free. See who else has Spider's books in their collection. I have added a photo of Spider to the site.
- Interview: Spider Robinson
- An interview on the Scifi Dimensions website from 2006. It contains a good list of what Spider likes in music as well.
- Thehouseai's Weblog
- A blog about science fiction - just about anything SF-related that strikes this writer's fancy. Good stuff! The blogger was kind enough to link to this lens.
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