Spider Robinson books

Spider Robinson is an author of non-fiction, known for the Author's Choice Monthly series, with 62 books published between 1974 and 2016.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, April 1974 1974 Buy
The Best From Galaxy, Volume IV 1976 Buy
Analog Annual 1976 Buy
Chrysalis 1 1977 Buy
Destinies: The Paperback Magazine of Science Fiction and Speculative Fact 1979 N/A
Chrysalis 4 1979 Buy
Nebula Awards 13 1980 Buy
The Best of All Possible Worlds 1980 Buy
The First Omni Book of Science Fiction 1983 Buy
Tesseracts 1985 Buy
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, May 1986 1986 Buy
Tales from the Planet Earth 1986 Buy
Analog Science Fiction and Fact, July 1993 1993 Buy
Northern Stars 1994 Buy
New Skies: An Anthology of Today’s Science Fiction 2003 Buy
Stars: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian 2003 Buy

Author’s Choice Monthly Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Old Funny Stuff 1989 Buy
Daily Voices 1989 N/A
Heroines 1990 Buy
Peripheral Vision 1990 Buy
Swatting at the Cosmos 1990 Buy
Neon Twilight 1990 Buy
Tales from a Vanished Country 1990 Buy
Hedgework & Guessery 1991 Buy
Unthreatened by the Morning Light 1991 Buy
Stories by Mama Lansdales Youngest Boy 1991 Buy
True Minds 1990 Buy
Nine Hard Questions About the Nature of the Universe 1991 Buy
It’s Been Fun 1991 Buy

Callahan’s Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon 1977 Buy
The Callahan Chronicals 1988 N/A
Time Travellers Strictly Cash 1981 Buy
Callahan’s Secret 1986 Buy
Callahan’s Crazy Crosstime Bar 1989 Buy
Callahan’s Lady 1989 Buy
Lady Slings the Booze 1992 Buy
The Callahan Touch 1993 Buy
Callahan’s Legacy 1996 Buy
Off the Wall at Callahan’s 1994 Buy
Callahan’s Key 2000 Buy
Callahan’s Con 2003 Buy

Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Antinomy 1980 Buy
Melancholy Elephants 1984 Buy
User Friendly 1998 Buy
By Any Other Name 2001 Buy
God is an Iron and Other Stories 2002 Buy
My Favorite Shorts 2016 Buy

Lady Sally’s Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Callahan’s Lady 1989 Buy
Lady Slings the Booze 1992 Buy

Lifehouse Trilogy Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Mindkiller 1982 Buy
Time Pressure 1987 Buy
Lifehouse 1997 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Crazy Years 2004 Buy

Russell Walker/Zandor Zudenigo/Nika Mandiç Mysteries Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Very Bad Deaths 2002 Buy
Very Hard Choices 2008 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Telempath 1976 Buy
Night of Power 1985 Buy
The Free Lunch 2001 Buy
Variable Star 2006 Buy

Stardance Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Stardance 1977 Buy
Starseed 1991 Buy
Starmind 1995 Buy

Spider Robinson’s work is probably best known for the Callahan’s series, a run of books set in a bar where time travelers, aliens, and assorted misfits swap puns and save the world. Starting with Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon in 1977, the series grew to include a dozen entries over more than 25 years, plus the Lady Sally’s spinoff. The books blend science fiction with warmth and an almost absurd amount of wordplay. If you like your sci-fi with heart and terrible jokes, this is your corner of the genre.

Beyond Callahan’s, Robinson wrote the Stardance trilogy (co-authored works about dance in zero gravity), the Lifehouse Trilogy, and the Russell Walker mysteries. He also appeared in dozens of anthologies through the late ’70s and ’80s, and his Author’s Choice Monthly entries from around 1989-1991 collected shorter fiction and essays. His standalone Variable Star, published in 2006, was based on an outline by Robert A. Heinlein. Across 62 books and over four decades, Robinson covered a lot of ground while keeping his voice distinctly his own.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Spider Robinson written?

Spider Robinson has written 62 books across ten series.

What was Spider Robinson's first book?

Spider Robinson’s first book is Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, April 1974, published in 1974.

What genres does Spider Robinson write in?

Spider Robinson writes non-fiction. Their best-known work includes the Author’s Choice Monthly series.

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