DeCamp and Pratt were both excellent writers on their own, but somehow they were even better working together. The collaboration is best known for the "Incomplete Enchanter" stories, but they also produced these short stories which in many cases are even more amusing. They are set in a bar which seems to attract an unusual clientele (a theme later used by Robinson and others). It includes a woman writer of religious poetry whose prayers are answered with disturbing literalness, a man who looks perfect as an undertaker's model, a miniature elephant that lives on whiskey, a miniature dragon who lives on mice, and many more. ( )

A collection of mostly light-hearted stories, dealing with various fantasy tropes with wry humor. One of the better assortment of such tales. ( )

Not good. I like SF/fantasy bar stories - from Callahan's Bar to Tales from the White Hart. But this one (these ones).... Part of the problem is that the authors seem to think that any story about people drinking or told by people who are drinking is inherently funny. It's not, and most of these are seriously depressing. The were-dachshund - he's a bad husband, but she's a rotten wife too. And the loose ends - does he even know he's a shape-changer? Same for a lot of others. The most hopeful, enjoyable one I can recall is the one about the dryad - and there is absolutely no reason to believe she would come back to him if he found her, why wouldn't she just have to move on? Not to mention, why isn't he looking for the guy (who would be much harder to hide) and why did it take him so long to check out Gavagan's? Oh, and just where did the palm tree come from - it's not mentioned ever before or after this story. The elephants are cute but where did they come from? Selective breeding - who did it, and why? And why do they just happen to be in Gavagan's? The time-travel one isn't bad, though a) it's totally unexplained (just who was that cabby?) and b) it has a bad ending (what happened to the guy?). The other one, with the guy unstuck in time - why should sobering him up send him back where he belonged? Stop him slipping, I can see, but why should it send him back? All of them are like that - I think they're meant to be witty and/or funny, but they just totally miss the point and leave me either depressed or asking questions that undermine the putative point of the story. Just...bad. ( )

Fun and quirky stories loosely connected to a neighborhood bar. Interesting for awhile, but, about halfway through, the lack of real spark began to take it's toll, and I elected not to finish the book. Worth a read - some might find more in the stories, and they are fun stories.

Os. ( )

This is a nice little collection for alcoholics such as myself. I've not had a drink in several months now... anyhoo... Here are 29 Tales from Gavagan's. The notorious bung starter wielder, Aloysius P. Cohan will be serving (mind yourself, his brother Julius is a Police Officer). If you are not familiar with a Boilermaker, you soon will be, along with various other drinks. The story that I liked best here is "Beasts of Bourbon". I can quite relate with Campbell Van Nest's problem. It can be--for those who have had things stare at them while suffering d.t.'s--quite a disturbing story. Other shorts include: "The Stone of the Sages", "The Palimpsest of St. Augustine", "Gin Comes in Bottles", and "Elephas Frumenti". Lot's of alcohol, witches, magicians, devils, dryads, and demigods to keep you entertained. Cohan, a double Scotch please... ( )