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bperl's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable sci-fi, and much better than McCaffrey’s Pern series.
timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
For a set of stories starting in 1961, this is good stuff. Same year as Stranger in a Strange Land.
Were these this the first mindship stories, and did they lead to Ann Leckie's Breq?
McCaffrey doesn't get in the way of the story at all, except in a few places, and does a nifty job of leaving out a lot of details while making us not notice that she did.
It's all about Helva, and the relationships she can form in her limited state. We somehow get right away that those people who can bond with her may be capable of a very special bond. This is perhaps a card that is played too quickly, although conversations with other ships indicate that Helva was very much first-time-lucky.
Her first partner is well portrayed, and the end of that relationship is deftly handled. After some placeholder partners, McCaffrey leads us unsubtly to the next, and I can just picture her laughing as we yell at the book, "Dammit, Helva, open your eyes, Niall in The One!" and of course, as we knew all along, she finally gets it.
There are a few cringey moments, but as someone who was THERE in 1961, the man-woman relationships drawn here were not out of place then. 1961 is when the Berlin Wall was BUILT, and the year Yuri Gagarin did the first orbit. Similarly, given the state of disability rights then, it was OK in its time.
Given that, this book stands up very well, and deserves a place among the classics.
Were these this the first mindship stories, and did they lead to Ann Leckie's Breq?
McCaffrey doesn't get in the way of the story at all, except in a few places, and does a nifty job of leaving out a lot of details while making us not notice that she did.
It's all about Helva, and the relationships she can form in her limited state. We somehow get right away that those people who can bond with her may be capable of a very special bond. This is perhaps a card that is played too quickly, although conversations with other ships indicate that Helva was very much first-time-lucky.
Her first partner is well portrayed, and the end of that relationship is deftly handled. After some placeholder partners, McCaffrey leads us unsubtly to the next, and I can just picture her laughing as we yell at the book, "Dammit, Helva, open your eyes, Niall in The One!" and of course, as we knew all along, she finally gets it.
There are a few cringey moments, but as someone who was THERE in 1961, the man-woman relationships drawn here were not out of place then. 1961 is when the Berlin Wall was BUILT, and the year Yuri Gagarin did the first orbit. Similarly, given the state of disability rights then, it was OK in its time.
Given that, this book stands up very well, and deserves a place among the classics.
kmhst25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
2.75
Womanhood as defined by female authors in the 1960s was bleak. Weakness and accepted inferiority; desire to be sexually and socially dominated; desperation for a husband and children; crushing depression after the husband and children were obtained. I have never read a book written by a woman in the 1960s that didn't paint some part of that picture.
You'd think a book about a sentient space ship wouldn't fall into that trap, but you'd be wrong. Gender perceptions in this book are rough. In fact, the whole book is basically a sci-fi version of a Bridget Jones-esque attempt to find a man. And, as another reviewer pointed out, three women in this book become suicidal over the loss of a man. Layer on some stereotypes and uncomfortable relationships, and it's a lot.
Gender issues aside, there are some entertaining stories in here. Multiple of the storylines were unique and inventive, and I was generally having an okay time when I wasn't wondering what was in the water in the 60s. But the characters are pretty meh, either lacking in characterization or so over the top that they don't feel real, and there was a lot of drawn out conversation that got pretty tedious.
You'd think a book about a sentient space ship wouldn't fall into that trap, but you'd be wrong. Gender perceptions in this book are rough. In fact, the whole book is basically a sci-fi version of a Bridget Jones-esque attempt to find a man. And, as another reviewer pointed out, three women in this book become suicidal over the loss of a man. Layer on some stereotypes and uncomfortable relationships, and it's a lot.
Gender issues aside, there are some entertaining stories in here. Multiple of the storylines were unique and inventive, and I was generally having an okay time when I wasn't wondering what was in the water in the 60s. But the characters are pretty meh, either lacking in characterization or so over the top that they don't feel real, and there was a lot of drawn out conversation that got pretty tedious.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Misogyny
stillthinking72's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
hsumanityreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my first Anne McCaffery book, and an excellent example of why I love some old school sci-fi. Helva is a ship, but she has the brain of a human. She pairs with a “brawn” who pilots with her and is the “face” of their missions. She’s trained and conditioned to enjoy what she does and not need anything else out of life - but she also teaches herself to sing, and learns Shakespeare with a troupe of actors. She is a gentle soul, highly intelligent (because they made her so), and fully sentient and sensitive to the whims of mere mortals.
I just loved the way Anne infused humor into every situation, and had believable relationships between the characters. It’s hard to believe this was written so long ago (1969) in some ways, because the writing is very, well, readable?? It’s just so easy, whereas much sci-fi can drag you down into a pit of worldbuilding and scientific terms that either aren’t well known or don’t exist yet.
Highly recommend picking this up for a jaunt through space with Helva!
I just loved the way Anne infused humor into every situation, and had believable relationships between the characters. It’s hard to believe this was written so long ago (1969) in some ways, because the writing is very, well, readable?? It’s just so easy, whereas much sci-fi can drag you down into a pit of worldbuilding and scientific terms that either aren’t well known or don’t exist yet.
Highly recommend picking this up for a jaunt through space with Helva!
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
This is really a series of shorter works tied together by Helva, the ship who sang. There are references to the earlier stories, so it all ties together into a more cohesive single work.
I really liked this one, and will probably continue on with the series. It's a classic that I had never read before, and I'm glad I took the journey.
I really liked this one, and will probably continue on with the series. It's a classic that I had never read before, and I'm glad I took the journey.
han_hug's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
karinlib's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, pretty good. I loved Helva the ship's brain, so I liked the premise of the book, but I felt like McCaffrey could have developed this a bit more.
nonlocalflow's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Originally a series of short stories, the book manages to keep flow between chapters while lacking any consistent narrative beyond the titular character being a shell-person, a tank-dwelling "brain" employed by the Central Worlds to conduct missions. The brain's quest to find an ideal, ambulatory "brawn" dominates as the prevailing theme, but was the least interesting aspect of the book by far, but even the more interesting narratives such as the play being performed for an alien species to facilitate some kind of energy transfer felt somehow rushed and overlong. Character development was not a highlight of this book as the author's voice so often resonated in any given character that they were inseparable from her, all the way down to her preferred "fardling" curses. I bought the book along with several of its sequels but felt so uninspired to continue after this that I might donate the rest.
serru's review against another edition
Sentient ships who have to be courted by their captains /o