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A review by perilous1
The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
4.0
A fascinating exploration of ideas--a story well ahead of its time.
In the distant future, humans born with body-limiting or destroying defects--yet adequate neural activity--can enter a costly government program where they are reared to become the central and controlling intelligence of starships. These "Brains" are paired with an able-bodied companion of their choosing dubbed "Brawns," who essentially become their hands and feet, in a partnership that may be either temporary or something closer to a marriage--ending only with the death of the Brawn, who lack the (potentially) many hundreds of years of longevity allotted to these "Brains."
While being a Brain offers both a career and a huge measure of freedom, all is not utopian idealism. These subjects are responsible for paying off their medical/program debts at whatever rate they can manage based on the assignments they accept. And in this story, we follow the progress of one particular Brain Ship--Helva--as she copes with the premature loss of her first beloved Brawn, and works off her debt at an accelerated pace.
For a bit of much-needed context, please note that this book was released in 1969--the year man first walked on the moon. And for all the faults that could now be construed by far newer (and more chronologically snobbish) generations, McCaffrey was inarguably something of a visionary. She confronts subtle questions of ethics, eugenics, and quality of life in a way that invites empathic thought, but never tells readers WHAT to think. And for that simple invitation, I would stridently encourage people not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
All in all, this is a plausible sci-fi that feels a bit like a cobbled-together collection of believable scenarios. (I believe it began as a collection of Helva short stories for some serial publication, and was later compiled into a single book.) The pacing and formatting are a bit janky as a result, but not altogether disagreeable. My biggest criticism would be the distance readers are often held at with the third-person POV--not because of it being third-person, per se, but because McCaffry's prose is a bit cold and emotionally reserved.
I would happily read on in the series.
In the distant future, humans born with body-limiting or destroying defects--yet adequate neural activity--can enter a costly government program where they are reared to become the central and controlling intelligence of starships. These "Brains" are paired with an able-bodied companion of their choosing dubbed "Brawns," who essentially become their hands and feet, in a partnership that may be either temporary or something closer to a marriage--ending only with the death of the Brawn, who lack the (potentially) many hundreds of years of longevity allotted to these "Brains."
While being a Brain offers both a career and a huge measure of freedom, all is not utopian idealism. These subjects are responsible for paying off their medical/program debts at whatever rate they can manage based on the assignments they accept. And in this story, we follow the progress of one particular Brain Ship--Helva--as she copes with the premature loss of her first beloved Brawn, and works off her debt at an accelerated pace.
For a bit of much-needed context, please note that this book was released in 1969--the year man first walked on the moon. And for all the faults that could now be construed by far newer (and more chronologically snobbish) generations, McCaffrey was inarguably something of a visionary. She confronts subtle questions of ethics, eugenics, and quality of life in a way that invites empathic thought, but never tells readers WHAT to think. And for that simple invitation, I would stridently encourage people not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
All in all, this is a plausible sci-fi that feels a bit like a cobbled-together collection of believable scenarios. (I believe it began as a collection of Helva short stories for some serial publication, and was later compiled into a single book.) The pacing and formatting are a bit janky as a result, but not altogether disagreeable. My biggest criticism would be the distance readers are often held at with the third-person POV--not because of it being third-person, per se, but because McCaffry's prose is a bit cold and emotionally reserved.
I would happily read on in the series.