Murphy's Lore: Tales From Bulfinche's Pub

I own the original paperback edition of this book, along with several others in the Murphy's Lore universe. It is a collection of short stories that tell of how Murphy came to know the owner and patron of Bulfinche's Pub, a magical bar in Manhatten owned by a leprechaun. Gods, spirits, angels and demons all come to Bulfinche's for drink, companionship and to help those in need. Patrick Thomas draws from many diverse mythologies to populate this universe, and brings his own unique spin to these creatures and deities. The stories are enjoyable, and the collected short stories format allows many characters to be fleshed out in short order without the book feeling "crowded". I recommend this and all the Murphy's Lore books to fantasy lovers of all ages.

the author obviously liked robinson's callahan stories unfortunately he's not robinson. for that matter for bar stories I like arthur clarke's tales of the white hart more.

My son met the author at BaltiCon in 2012. He talked his way into the books as the Mr Thomas explained they were a bit more mature for an 11 year old As soon as he turned 13 the boy devoured the books. He has reread them several times and now has gotten me to open them as well.Really fun stories with lots of twists to try to figure out or Ohhh moments of recognition. Thank you for sharing your world with us Mr Thomas, we really like it!

Oh, this is so much fun. Dive in for a treat. Mr. Thomas has created a fantastic world!

Murphy's Lore is a blast. Another great read from Patrick Thomas, who's whacked-out imagination -- and I mean that in the best way possible -- shines throughout. Grab yourself pint at Bulfinche's Pub and settle in for a great night.

A great fantasy short story collection set in a magical bar in New York. This one has a lot-drama, humor, magic, gods, angels, demons, vampires, leprechauns, rainbows and a wise cracking bartender/narator. The reader really cares about the characters by the end of the book. The individual stories weave together to form a rich universe. I recommend it.

Did you hear the one about the bar in New York where all kinds of weird non-human characters hang out? You know the one: the patrons tell horrid puns, help others resolve their problems, and secretly saved the Earth from total destruction? One of the regulars, a widower, narrates the stories.No, this is not Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, though it feels awfully familiar. But where Spider Robinson wrote science fiction, Bulfinche's is pure fantasy -- the bar is owned by a leprechaun and inhabited by various characters from mythology.The chapters are written like separate short stories, with brief re-introductions of the characters and setting in each. The early Callahan books actually were short story compilations, but I've found no evidence that these were ever published separately, so it may just be for effect.The book isn't as good or as memorable as Callahan's. It also suffers from a desperate need for editing. Misspellings such as a Passover "Sater" or a fragrance "ode de __" are not typos, and display a sloppiness that detracted from the stories.Even though the tales don't quite measure up to Spider Robinson's, they are still quite enjoyable. So if you have a hankering to revisit familiar turf, I do recommend it.