Book Review - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne  Somehow in all the years of science fiction reading I've done I have somehow managed to never read this classic by Verne.  It is a classic story of a man who turns his back on civilization after his family is presumably killed.  But rather than disappear into the wilderness of the land Captain Nemo chooses the ocean as his refuge.  He builds the greatest ship of the age, the Nautilus, and wanders the oceans free from the constraints of anyone's wish except his own.  The seafaring nations of the world believe the Nautilus to be some vicious animal of the deeps and attempt to kill it.  In once such attempt three men, Professor Aronnax, his servant Conseil and Canadian whaler Ned Land are rescued after their ship is severely damaged.  Nemo chooses to rescue them but his condition is severe.  They are never to leave the Nautilus again.

Verne does a stellar job of weaving the complicated character of Nemo and the individual personalities of the other three into an engaging story.  In film versions Nemo is often left as a one dimensional martinet which is a terrible disservice to Verne's creation.  The author isn't afraid to play with ambiguity either.  We're never really clear what happened to Verne's wife and daughter and you can draw your own conclusions about what happens to the Nautilus at the end.  For a book written over 140 years ago it's predictions on technology are pretty good.  The story telling is even better.

I read this as a Nook book and found the footnotes and additional information links to be much better laid out and useful than some.  It really added to my enjoyment of the book and made great use of the special "talents" of an e-book reader.

For science fiction fans this is a 5 star must own.  For everyone else it should be on your lifetime reading list somewhere.

Rating - **** Recommended 

Book Review - Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, Time Travelers Strictly Cash and Callahan's Secret

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1977), Time Travelers Strictly Cash (1981), Callahan's Secret (1986) by Spider Robinson - There isn't a bar like Mike Callahan's place.  But there ought to be.  And if there is I would politely request directions.

In the tradition of Arthur C. Clarke's "Tales From the White Hart" and L. Sprague DeCamp and Fletcher Pratt's "Tales From Gavagan's Bar" Spider Robinson (wait, you don't know Spider Robinson?  I'm astounded how often I get that reaction.  You must go immediately to where ever it is that you get books and check out all the Spider Robinson you can find.  He is a writer of great thought and skill.  Come back when you're done).

Where was I?

Ah yes, Spider Robinson creates a wonderful bar where just about any thing can, has and does happen.  From Punday to talking dogs to aliens and time travel and the end of the world.  In between Mike runs a merry place guided by Callahan's Law (also known as the Law of Conservation of Pain and Joy): "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased....".  Like any great bar it has its own set of rules and its own way of doing things.  Robinson does a fabulous job of weaving science fiction, humor and humanity into the stories.  The books have gained a dedicated following over the years.

There are a total of 10 books that are part of the canon for Callahan's.  These three lead off and in my opinion are the best of the bunch.  Robinson makes it clear in "Callahan's Secret" that he doesn't want to write any more Callahan stories.  He goes on at great length in the Foreward about it being the last of the Callahan's books.  In fact he goes so far as to invoke the name of Reichenbach Falls.  And then at the end makes sure that there can't be any more stories from Callahan's.  Except there are.  Three years after Secret comes the next one "Callahan's Lady".  He cranks out several more books through 2003 when it looks like he's done again only to jump back with a book of the collected writings from the wall at Callahan's.  He should have known when the Falls were conjured that this wasn't going to go away.

In the end these three should be on your list of books to be read.  Even if you're not a science fiction fan I think you'll enjoy these.  Spider is quick to note that he's never been a hard science fiction author and that makes his work much more accessible to the general audience.

Pull up a seat, drop a dollar on the bar and offer a toast.  Stop by Callahan's.

Rating *****  Put It In Your Library