Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

Callahan's #1

by Spider Robinson

Alternate Cover Edition for B004IK94VY


A one-of-a-kind bar with a colorful batch of regulars who tell stories, exchange terrible puns, and meet strangers—human and alien alike—who are drawn to this 'saloon' where "shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased."

"If one were given the task of creating Spider Robinson from scratch, the best way to do it would be to snatch James Joyce from history, force-feed him Marx Brothers films and good jazz for the better part of a decade, then turn him loose on a world badly in need of a look at itself."
- The Vancouver Sun

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy, Time Travel

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Spider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author. He was born in the USA, but chose to live in Canada, and gained citizenship in his adopted country in 2002.

Robinson's writing career began in 1972 with a sale to Analog Science Fiction magazine of a story entitled, The Guy With The Eyes. His writing proved popular, and his first novel saw print in 1976, Telempath. Since then he has averaged a novel (or collection) a year. His most well known stories are the Callahan saloon series.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable short stories, but not quite riveting or deeply involving. Robinson originally wrote these stories as a sort of serial for Analog magazine, and as a group, they show that heritage. Part of what works for them is the mood, a positive, friendly, "we welcome all" vibe with a little bit of accommodating wierdness. However, story to story becomes repetitive if attempted in one sitting.

Where Callahan's stands apart is it's focus on struggling with the problems of existence and meaning, and humanity, and the great focus the bar clientele have on empathizing with each other. This is Cheers with puns instead of sarcastic put-downs. Be warned, Callahan's clientele truly love puns, and they will edge into the most serious of stories. Xanth ain't got nothing on Callahan's.

Mostly stories aren't explicitly sci-fi, being set in an modern anytime New York bar but instead play with sci-fi concepts like time travel, lurking aliens, and humans with extra abilities. Never fear, all problems can be solved with some creativity and thought. And most likely, bad puns.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars. I think the above describes the essence of the book much better than I can, but I will go ahead and ramble for a few paragraphs anyway. However, before I begin PLEASE BE AWARE that this review contains some overt sentimentality and just plain sappiness. If it gets to be too much, you might want to have a salty snack standing by to help take the edge off...
...of course then you might need a

to wash it down, which is actually a nice lead in to a review about a book that takes place entirely in a bar.

This is the quintessential “feel good” book and one that literally kept me smiling (and probably looking goofy) while I was reading it. Now this book will not knock your hair back with its brilliant, elegant prose and you won’t find any original or groundbreaking SF concepts or ideas. In fact, while there are SF elements in most of the stories, these elements are, for the most part, simply background material.

What this book will do is hopefully make you smile and feel better about the world around you, even if only while you are reading it. It is like a warm blanket for the soul or a call from an old friend that you haven’t spoken to in ages. It may not change your life, but it will certainly brighten your day.

The Callahan Chronicles, of which this is the first book, take place entirely in a bar called…you guessed it…Callahan’s Place. The owner is Mike Callahan and his tavern is not on any map but is where people just find themselves when they are in pain or have lost their way in the world. It is a place where everyone genuinely cares about one another and where anyone who has something they want to get off their chest can find an audience willing to listen. There are no moral judgments made and nothing is off limits. As shown above, it is a place built around the concept that shared pain is lessened and shared joy is increased.

The book itself is a collection of short stories that deal with a variety of personal and societal issues. There is some politics, some religion, some economics and some discussions of war and drug addiction. However, despite the seriousness of the topics discussed, the stories and dialogue have a very down home, pastoral feel to it and there is nothing that could be called preaching or lecturing in the conversations.

To sum up, Callahan’s Place is a wonderful place to go and listen to good people help other good people through difficult times. It might even make you feel better about humanity in general…if only for a little while. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read five of the nine stories contained herein. Not my bag. I found it overly chummy, more maudlin and less humorous than I was expecting.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you say only one thing about this book, I believe that thing would be "fun".

Spider Robinson's collection of bar stories are barely science fiction but as Ben Bova points out in his introduction, does that really matter? These anecdotes are all about encouaging growth as people and a species and taking an attitude of emapthy towads your fellow man, and they're great fun too.

I have no idea why it is a "Crosstime Saloon," I'd assumed it was a bar in some kind of time & space vortex outside the normal boundaries of our world but that doesn't really apply as far as I could tell. Callahan is a a great Irish bear of a man of encourages his regulars to have pun. Sorry, fun. Their favourite game is playing with words, especially on Punday nights (Tuesdays) and they exist as a sounding board for those in despair to share their tales of woe.

The stories are peopled with a selection of wonderful characters with improbable names (much like Spider Robinson infact) and a wicked sense of fun; if you come for the science fiction in the first story you'll stick around for the puns and the characters through eight more and won't be disappointed in the slightest.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's very, very, VERY hard to describe this book. It's actually more important to understand Callahan's.

Callahan's is a bar on Long Island that is, essentially, group therapy. The regulars help each other (and strangers) out with their problems. They make toasts by paying double for their drink and throwing the glass into the fireplace, and the toasts are often the opening to a whole new discussion about morality, politics, and empathy. Also drinking. And puns. LOTS of puns.

Is this sci-fi? Many people say no, I say sure, why not. It does fit more into "weird fiction" than any other sci-fi genre, but if you can have aliens and time-travelers in a story, I say it's good enough to be called sci-fi.

This isn't a space opera, or a heroic journey to the stars. It's a book about people, their problems, and how the understanding and empathy of fellow human beings (even if they're drunk) can fix a lot of things. This book will at times challenge you, and make you think about how your own brain and emotions work, yet still is an uplifting collection as a whole. I recommend this to any sci-fi fan who is willing to go off the beaten path, and experience a whole new way of looking at the genre.


(Also, if you're a serious sci-fi fan and have never even heard of these? C'mon...)

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in what became a series of stories and novels originally set in a magical/metaphysical Long Island bar called Callahan's. Most of the nine stories collected in this volume first appeared in the early 1970's in Analog magazine, where they were either very much loved or hated. (Many old-time readers didn't think that they were really science fiction at all and didn't believe the hippie love, drugs, & peace philosophy had a place in the legacy of John W. Campbell, Jr. Many other readers embraced the stories as a character-driven breath of fresh air for the field, with a feel-good positive spin and smiles on every page. I was in the latter group.) The stories-told-in-a-bar framing has a very long and successful history in fantastic literature, from Lord Dunsany to Stephen King to L. Sprague de Camp & Fletcher Pratt's Gavagan's and Arthur C. Clarke's White Hart and Allen Steele's Diamondback Jack's. Callahan's may be the best of them all. Yes, the stories were written forty-some years ago and show their age in places, but people still listen to classic rock and don't complain. Callahan's will always be a friendly place with a lot of love and a lot of puns.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5112335569789 stars

James Joyce meets the Marx Brothers, the blurb says.



I thought the book would be funny. It wasn't. (Spoiler alert: it's packed with bad puns.)

I thought the stories would be on the upbeat side. They weren't. (Spoiler alert: they are maudlin as fish.)

I thought the characters would be quirky and likable. They weren't. (Spoiler alert: they are bland and uninteresting.)

I thought the book would be a fun, quick read. It wasn't. (Spoiler alert: it's boring as fish, and feels like it's 600 pages long when it's only 155 pages.)

And now excuse me while I go rererererewatch a 100% guaranteed-rampageous-humor-filled-no-sentimental-nonsense-included Marx Brothers movie.

[Newly Wardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books make you long for indescribable things. I've never been in a bar without a tv. I cant imagine a group of people going to a bar to enjoy themselves with other patrons. I'm not a fan of bars but Callahan's is a spot for and unlikely spot for soothing what ails. This book was written over 40 years ago and yet its tales of loneliness and pain could be told today without changing a word. It's a collection of short stories and they all sort of build off each other while having legs of their own. The Time Traveler tore my cynical heart in twain. Few stories have such fully formed characters. The stories made me laugh, think and cry. (Not in that order!) People find themselves in Callahan's because they need to be there, I feel like this story finds readers in much the same way. Someone on goodreads suggested Spider Robinson and I am forever grateful. He is a darn good writer. His way of telling a story just floors me. I wanna say he's a lyrical storyteller, if there is such a thing. I mean he's all over the place. I cried because of bad brakes and I cant even drive. This book has aliens, 2 time travelers and Adolph Hitler but these arent the things that stick out the most. The part that stays with you is the spectrum of humanity and why its important to preserve it. They will never make this into a movie but I really want to. It's that good!

[Христо Блажев · Rating 5 out of 5]

Спайдър Робинсън описва най-якото място на планетата – “Кръчмата на Калахан: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...

Рядко казвам, че една книга ми е “отвъртяла главата”. “Кръчмата на Калахан” не просто направи това, а я хвана с неспасяема хартиена хватка, засили се със страхотната си корица и запрати мозъкосъдът ми далеееч, далеееч отвъд планините на читателското наслаждение. Разбит от съвършеното оргазмично удоволствие от шедьовъра. Като оставянето на празната чаша след съвършената последна последна глътка амброзия с неопределен градус.

Скъпи дами, “Кръчмата на Калахан” е съвършената селф хелп книга, единствената по рода си, която съм срещал и която практически и немагически боготворя. Скъпи господа, в тази кръчма се гово��и за пиячка, извънземни и спасяване на света. Скъпи пришълци, харесвате ни сред тези страници, дори и в края. Дори и в него.

Дамян Яков
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/k...

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good coffee break book--you really wouldn't want to read more than a chapter at a time. Although I can appreciate puns, I guess I'm not as into that as most Spider Robinson fans.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come for the review, stay for the pun.


(Fans of Spider Robinson will, I hope, get it.)

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheers meets the twilight zone

I read a couple of Spider Robinson’s books way, way back after seeing him on prisoners of gravity(a great, old Canadian show that interviewed SF authors)
I finally found a vintage copy of arguably his most famous work: Callaghan’s cross-time saloon. This is a collection of short stories that take place in a bar that offers empathy and absolution for people in emotional distress. not all of the stories are as sci-fi as you would expect.
Overall a decent collection, but not what I was expecting. I thought this would be a bunch of rum soaked, humorous, time travel stories.
What it actually was, was maudlin.
Most of the stories were really good just not played for outright laughs. When he did play for laughs it was with a bunch of fucking horrible puns, just horrible. Although the concept of “punday” where the bar patrons have a pun competition where the winner gets their drinks free is cool.

Reading a collection like this is like is like binge watching an old tv show, it tends to get repetitive. It’s probably best to read one or two between other books.

[boxer_dogs_dance · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I am rereading this after many years. I remembered it as cozy for back in the day. I was wrong but not entirely.

I'm experiencing it now like good blues but with happy endings. Callahans joint is a healing place in a harsh world.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anyone ever suggests that SF has nothing to say about the human condition, you could do a lot worse than point them towards Spider Robinson.

Callaghan's Crosstime Saloon (1977) - the first of many collections of stories he's produced about a very special Long Island Bar - is by some lights barely in the genre at all. The tropes it does employ - little green men, time travel, telepathy - seem in most of the tales to be window dressing for solving a patron's problems.

Taking the first story as an example: In The Guy With The Eyes, the very first Callaghan story, the bar has to help an alien scout avoid a compulsion to report back to their superiors, thus triggering the destruction of the Earth. But the first half of the tale is taken up with the story of a recovering heroin addict seeking an audience and some kind of absolution.

And here's the kicker: both parts are complimentary reflections on the absolute value of agape - the ability of mankind to offer unconditional, fraternal love.

With a quiet mistrust of authority, an emphasis on the personal rather than the political, and the sense of a people licking its wounds, it's also hard not to read the Callaghan stories as group therapy for the counter-culture in the After The Goldrush 1970's.

So in the second piece, The Time Traveller, there is actually no time travel as such - 'only' the experience of one who has for tragic but mundane reasons missed the political, social and sexual explosion of the late sixties, and feels radically alienated from the current era.

With subject matter like this, the risk is that one loses the effervescence of much SF. Robinson's achievement is to cloak this depth in descriptions of what sounds like the best boy's club in existence. Come to Callaghans, and you'll get yarn spinning, punning contests, musical entertainment and endless repartee.

This could have all been a whimsy too far in the wrong hands, but the tales rattle on, never quite leaving the rails, like a chance meeting of Ray Bradbury, John Barth and Douglas Adams in a Norman Rockwell painting. Glibness is largely avoided.

Callaghan's Crosstime Saloon might defy categorisation under Asimov's three types of SF - gadget SF, adventure SF and social SF - but it's undeniably part of the genre. It forms part of a long-standing fourth pillar of science fiction which is mainly interested in providing new ways of looking at how we live now. And it has as much to say about that as anything from within the mainstream.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A glorious book of short stories all set in one fictional bar. They are a mix of both supernatural and just plain super stories. And for anyone curious "The Farm" highlighted in the last story "The Wonderful Conspiracy" is still alive and thriving in Summertown TN.

[Pseudonymous d'Elder · Rating 2 out of 5]

__________________________
The saloon is a liar. It promises good cheer and sends sorrow.––Billy Sunday

I don’t like every genre of fiction. I don’t enjoy romance novels because I have a hormonal problem––I don’t have enough of the specific variety that appreciates such literature. I don’t like horror, because that is what the nightly news is for. I avoid epistolary novels because I became disenchanted in them when I was forced to read author Samuel Richardson's Pamela as a tender, young English major in college. And I don’t read books about talking rodents, because my wife won’t let politicians into our house.

★ But I love science fiction. Over 25% of the 1800 books I’ve listed on Goodreads over the last 15 years are sci-fi, so I expected to like Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon. I was surprised. Apparently the only refreshments they serve at the Crosstime Saloon are watered down, soap-scummy, bathtub gin and skunky recycled beer. There were absolutely no stories in the book that quenched my thirst for a good laugh or my desire for a chronotiguous buzz.

[Ginger Vampyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. I absolutely love this book and this author and of course, this place. Callahan's is a bar where anything can happen and they mean anything. And some of the most unbelievable things do. What I really love is the people in the stories, the feelings. At Callahan's there is no judgement, no recriminations, just people who genuinely care for one another, care about the problems everyone faces, the pain they have to go through, and the process of recovery. My two favorite stories from this book are The Time-Traveler and The Law of Conservation of Pain. They are stories about the depravity of man and the ability to overcome it. I cried through every story, Spider Robinson has the ability to make you feel everything the characters are going through and I thank him for that.

[Heather Fidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I am a total nerd girl, I rarely get into science fiction novels. While my old friend Richard Dansky might consider dropping me as a friend over this, he should also remember he was the first person to put this Spider Robinson book in my hand.

Originally, this was a collection of short stories published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact. What it became was an introduction to one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasure series. This is my kind of sci-fi! It's a delicious reality martini, but with a twist. The premise is that anything is possible at this particular bar because every regular there is completely empathic and open to weirdness. Aliens? Why not? Time travel? Obviously not a patented device, but we'll go with it. Telepaths? Sure, that's empathy turned up a notch.

I want to hang out with Callahan and the folks at his bar. They have really great coffee with Bushmills, and would know to hold the damn whipped cream. That's how real and familiar I have become with this particular book. Opening the pages is slipping into a seat and knowing I don't even need to place my order; it's already being poured.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1999 it says here-but these are short stories for a magazine so probably written over a number of years. Some are a bit dated and many have a mix of feminism and progressive views, other with a few homophobic or misogynist comments. Overall a theme if sharing difficult feelings and situations in a (mostly) judgement free bar. With aliens and time travels.

[Соня Ангелова · Rating 1 out of 5]

Офффф,мъка ,меко казано

[Marichee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection of short stories with a scifi twist, but the twist might not be quite what you expect it to be.

An easy read that will take you some place, make you think and set your giggles off.

I recommend it. Once you start on Spider Robinson, you'll be hooked.

Oh, one disclaimer:

If you don't like puns, avoid Spider Robinson's books like the plague!

[Peter Tillman]

I remember reading these, but not well enough to rate them. Likely not worth rereading, and my copy is long gone, anyway. Date read is a guess.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reread for me of an old SF classic which I probably enjoyed more this time then when I first read it when it came out. But I still feel that if there is only one SF bar it's the White Hart.

[Fantasy boy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson is a comical science fiction for adults. Callaham’s bar is at the end of time and space where his customers are from everywhere in the galaxy. Time travelers, aliens, murders etc. The story is light on tone but heavy on the themes; those characters who told their stories that have burdens or regrets in their life. They wanted to share their stories with others in order to get secrets or stories out of their chest. Callahan the bartender always play a role of a listener and advisor to his customers who want to tell their stories. I wanted a light read and found the book is a short story collection with humors; although I didn’t expect that the themes are quite heavy such as the two time travelers’s stories. The one who is from the future and he lost everything in his life. He was exiled from the future and went to the saloon, the ending is quite fun to see the time traveler’s gun isn’t loaded but he didn’t know. Another one who is from the past is inherited the telepathic power from his family with his brother. They both have been dealing with the hereditary aptitude when their power appeared in life. After Callahan gave him the advise of contacting with his brother and learn how to coexist the powers together. Both the stories have heavy themes and the characters has been dealing with their own issues as their fights with enemies.

I like how the stories were being told and the funny dialogues in each stories. Each stories has different themes that characters introduce stories within. Most stories have merry ending, except Unnatural Causes that is one of my favorite stories in the book. The character who was convicted the crime then later he served in the military service in Vietnam, after what he has witnessed what was the war in Vietnam, he was changed and after he came back to life he was hard to fit in the society; so that he went to Callahan’s bar to consult a cure to his PTSD.

Raksha the green fur alien who revealed the most hideous truth about how Krundai has been manipulating humans by propagandas, technology developments etc. Raksha think Krundai don’t like violences instead training the animals which were going to be butchered by themself. It reminded me of Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy book 2, in the end of universe’s restaurant, the cow introduced its body to the consumers. When I knew Raksha is Adolf Hitler, I was laughing. Because numerous science fictions have used Hitler as a character for satire. I think if Hitler knew he would be used as a character in many science fictions, he might be aghast about that. The Iron Dream also uses Hitler as a representation of satire of the history. It is quite funny that Hitler is a prominent figure in Science fictions.

Unnatural Courses is the most darkest story in the book, but From Callaghan’s POV most people or aliens have their chances to be saved or redeemed. The bar is like a self- half group for those traumatized customers to telling their stories to others and finding the solutions to the problems.

it is an unexpectedly fun read that mixing social issues and political satire in an extremely fun and dismal world. There in Callahan’s bar is always a place to rest and replenish energy to face next day.

6.5 out of 10.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my most-read books, and obviously an old favorite. It has informed huge parts of my personal philosophy, and has provided comfort in hard times. It also has some of the most gods-awful puns you will ever read, as well as some spectacular shaggy-dog stories. Sadly, on this reading, many of the flaws stood out to me.
The stories have not aged too badly, but there is a post-hippie, middle-class smugness that settles upon the whole. It's a little tough to deal with a self-satisfied sense of "look how open-minded we are" when there are few recurring minority characters (this gets better in the sequels, but is never entirely resolved). There is also a casual, semi-unaware chauvinism that firmly places these tales in the mid-1970's. The tendency to side-step the perils of alcoholism is here, as well. Add to this the fact that the majority of the stories are structurally identical and you have a deeply flawed set of stories.
On the other hand, the overweening humanism and humanitarianism is still refreshing some forty years later (though some of the puns may qualify as human rights violations, if not war crimes). The recurring characters are fantastic, illustrated more through their dialog than any exposition, making it feel like you are getting to know these guys night by night over beer and whiskey. This is a series that lives and dies on the strength of its people. However, most of these people are middle-aged Irish-American men, which gives the message of pan-humanism a kick in the dick.
I still love this book, and always will, but can no longer recommend it without reservation. If you can come to these stories looking for a good time with a cheerful tolerance for it's flawws, you'll love it, but I can now understand how alienating this book may be.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short stories were published in the first wave of character-centric science fiction, following the Golden Age focus of Asimov and Clarke on plot and science. I can see why they would have felt like a breath of fresh air at the time. I'm not entirely sure how well they aged, decades after the wash of disillusionment that accompanied Vietnam, Nixon, and early drug rampages. If you pay enough attention to history, then the attitude of "society is falling apart because it doesn't conform to my nostalgic vision of my childhood" gets pretty repetitive.

There are some clever concepts here, from redefining time travel to a novel way of dealing with a living time bomb. There are a lot of bad puns, which should please some. There's also a very...masculine feel, that makes me feel very much like these stories are not for me, just as Callahan's bar itself is apparently entirely uncongenial to my gender. Because they're manly men, you see, and while they're progressive enough to let each other cry out their heartbreak, they're not progressive enough to do so if women are around. Or to allow that perhaps women are also in need of the miraculous redemptive services that Callahan's offers, which are apparently enough to save the world. Unless you're female.

One of the last stories also reveals something of the nature of Callahan himself that I think undercuts quite a lot of Robinson's own argument.

So. They're very much a product of their time. They were probably pretty thoughtful and touchy-feely for the time. They're well written and contain some very clever little thought experiments. But I did not feel particularly welcome in this particular bar.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Callahann's Crosstime Saloon grabbed hold as soon as I found out that a common practice was breaking glasses in the fireplace after a toast, that is something that appeals to me on a spiritual level.

Callahann's Crosstime Saloon is a collection of short science fiction stories that follow a weird bar, its weird patrons, and the weird events that happened there. Some are relatively straightforward, others leave you scratching your head, and still others make you sit there going, "this is good, but is it really sci-fi?" until the book gently explains that yes, it is in fact sci-fi.

Robinson's prose is delightful, his characters are incredibly likable (well and also kind of not, but I think that lends to their charm,) and his wit is on par with Douglas Adams. I was also struck with how similar our world looks to that of the seventies. I think that is one of the ways that sci-fi stands out so much as a genre, it puts our society under a microscope, makes you really think about it, and makes you realize how far we've come and yet how far we have to go. A delightful diversion that I would recommend if you need a strange bar where everybody knows you name. (Sorry, Cheers)

[♥Xeni♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those really tricky books. The kind that really don't suit a 'review' or even any ratings. I feel it's one of those "you get as much as you put in" type stories. That on the one hand.

On the other hand, this book is acclaimed for being hilarious and wonderful and I really didn't feel much of either. Yeah, the puns were pretty punny in a few cases, and the stories (since this is really a bunch of short stories strung together about the Saloon) were pretty interesting, but I didn't feel that there was much else to it.

So why do I rate this book 4 stars, if at all? Well, the last two stories really moved me. Most notably the second-to-last one. I won't give any more details, except that it really resonated. And hell, what else is a book supposed to do?

So, while I may have missed the gist of the hilarity, I did find a few lovely bits that I'll take on with me.

[Papa Fargo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spider Robinson is the king of the pun; The Callahan Series is his crowning achievement. Each chapter is a quick read so you can keep this near the porcelain throne or run through the book in a day or two reading in bed before your significant other jesters to you to turn off the light.

I regally loved this book and suggest you pick it up some knight soon.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this was better in its time. Supposed to be on par with Douglas Adams. Nope. Semi-connected short stories about weird patrons at a bar at an unknown location. Several of the stories hinged around a battle of puns and overall they just weren’t that interesting or funny. Just a marginal set of stories and not one of them was really good.