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John Grimes: Far Traveller Couriers #3
To Keep the Ship
Daw 1978 vg+ paperback 1st In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
175 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
1 person is currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
A. Bertram Chandler
358 books53 followersArthur Bertram Chandler (28 March 1912–6 June 1984) was an Australian science fiction author. He also wrote under the pseudonyms George Whitley, George Whitely, Paul T. Sherman, Andrew Dunstan, and S.H.M.
He was born in Aldershot, England. He was a merchant marine officer, sailing the world in everything from tramp steamers to troopships. He emigrated to Australia in 1956 and became an Australian citizen. He commanded various ships in the Australian and New Zealand merchant navies, and was the last master of the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne as the law required that it have an officer on board while it was laid up waiting to be towed to China to be broken up.
He was born in Aldershot, England. He was a merchant marine officer, sailing the world in everything from tramp steamers to troopships. He emigrated to Australia in 1956 and became an Australian citizen. He commanded various ships in the Australian and New Zealand merchant navies, and was the last master of the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne as the law required that it have an officer on board while it was laid up waiting to be towed to China to be broken up.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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August 16, 2014This dude is like oh, man, it's a bunch of tiny naked ladies.
June 12, 2024
Captain John Grimes, master of the Little Sister, has had a mishap carrying live lerrigans, which unfortunately ended up not live. While waiting at Bronsonia he takes a temporary job on the Bronson Queen while his legal woes are sorted out. Bad timing really, as a group of royalists from the planet Dunlevin hijack the ship and head off to start a revolution. After picking up loyalist troops on Porlock they land on Dunlevin to a very unsurprised local militia and Grimes and a woman called Susie (and her half-brother) escape just in time. Susie and her brother want off and Grimes gets their bodies reshaped by the flesh sculptors of Joognaanard. As a parting gift Susie gives Grimes a bottled homunculus of herself before alteration. An accident with the onboard Mannschenn Drive releases the tiny Susie, which starts reproducing in the yeast vats. Grimes now has a Tribble-like problem…dozens of carnivorous mini Susies. And they’re hungry for flesh. If you can overlook the uber-macho hypermasculinity and 1950s-style anti-feminism, you still just get a stock potboiler. If you throw enough things in the pot though some of it sticks. A fairly typical Grimes tale from A. Bertram Chandler.
September 22, 2021
A weird John Grimes story, one where he is down on his luck and not so smug. We see him almost lose his ship, get kidnapped and then almost eaten. There were a lot of plot points jammed into this little book and it was never boring. The only couple of things that bothered me about this book was that Grimes is ever the sexist and only ever thinks with a certain part of his anatomy. I thought the mini Susies running around eating everything was weird and Grimes was lucky that Maggie happened along to cover for him at the end. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
June 19, 2016
review of
A. Bertram Chandler's To Keep the Ship
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - June 18, 2016
I'm on a Chandler roll, enjoying the bks but groaning at my 'rule' that I must review them all. Chandler's recurring character is down on his famous luck again:
"There is a tide in the affairs of men that, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. But tides have a habit of ebbing—and Grimes's personal tide had ebbed. He wasn't quite on the rocks but he was most definitely stranded and would remain so until he could raise the wherewithal to pay his steadily mounting port dues and various fines and legal expenses. Meanwhile his beloved Little Sister was under arrest, with a writ firmly glued to her outer airlock door, and her owner-master had been obliged to seek paid employment." - p 5
He's dreaming the dream that warns of what's happening in the world surrounding his sleeping body:
"Her breath was intoxicatingly fragrant. He felt himself stiffening, knew in some remote corner of his mind that this was only a dream and that he would very soon be achieving a lonely climax. But it was a long time since he had had a woman and the dream was a good one. What if his bedsheet were semen-stained? The ship's laundry facilities were better than merely adequate.
"It was the knowledge that the lovemaking was only imaginary that saved him. He thrust upward into the dream Maggie's receptive body—and he felt teeth. He screamed, desperately rolled away from under the furry succubi. Scrabbling claws scored his back and the fangs that , had he not fully awoken in time, would have castrated him bit deeply into his right buttock." - p 8
Ya gotta watch out for those loveable manipulative telepathic animals. Interestingly, the word "succubi" is underlined in red by my computer showing me that it's not a very common word even tho I use it w/ the frequency of "y'know" (I exaggerate). So after being bit in the butt some complications ensue & Grimes has to get a job:
"So the Interstellar Shipping Corporation of Bronsonia swallowed its pride and decommissioned its pet white elephant, having placed her in parking orbit about the planet. There she would remain until such time as a purchaser was found for her. Nonetheless, she was too expensive a hunk of hardware to be left entirely unattended; apart from anything else, Lloyd's of London refused to insure her unless she were in the charge of a qualified ship-keeping officer." - p 14
Enter Grimes. A simple enuf job, right? But, remember, Grimes is 'down on his luck' (&, besides, this is an adventure novel) so, of course, things go dramatically wrong. While we wait for that, Chandler makes a commentary on alcoholism:
"Grimes considered making further modifications to the autochef so that it could supply him with liquor; even an old model such as this could have produced a passable vodka. Yet he held back. In the final analysis alcohol is no substitute for human company but makes the addict unfit for such." - p 16
I happen to love Flamenco music. From time-to-time this leads to my hearing about the related Fado wch I still know nothing about:
"In one of the desk drawers were a few tattered magazines; evidently the Third Mate of Bronson Star—whoever he was and whatever he was doing now—had been a devotee of Hard Downbeat. Grimes permitted himself a sneer; he had never understood how that derivation from the ancient Portuguese fado had achieved such popularity." - p 26
"Although the origins are difficult to trace, today fado is commonly regarded as simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain traditional structure. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia. This is loosely captured by the Portuguese word saudade, or "longing", symbolizing a feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent lifelong damage). This is similar to the character of the music genre Morna from Cape Verde, which may be historically linked to fado in its earlier form but has retained its rhythmic heritage. This connection to the music of a historic Portuguese urban and maritime proletariat (sailors, dock workers, port traders, etc.) can also be found in Brazilian Modinha and Indonesian Kroncong, although all these music genres subsequently developed their own independent traditions." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fado
Once again, Chandler brings up class issues that endear him to me.
"Grimes had known Highnesses and Excellencies and the like and was prepared to admit that Lania and Paul did have about them something of that aura that distinguishes members of hereditary aristocracy from the common herd. He knew what it was, of course. It was no more than plain arrogance; if you have it drummed into you from birth on that you are better than those in whose veins blue blood does not flow you will end up really believing it." - p 34
but he doesn't fall into the delusions of Socialism either:
"Grimes said, "I don't see how I can refuse to land on Dunlevin. But surely there will be some opposition. I can't imagine a convenient Aerospace Controller's strike, such as there was on Porlock; on highly regimented, socialist planets you just don't strike if you know what's good for your health. . . ."" - p 57
There you have it. That's all I'm going to write about this one. I didn't spoil it but I didn't tell you much either, did I? & I call this a 'review'?!
A. Bertram Chandler's To Keep the Ship
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - June 18, 2016
I'm on a Chandler roll, enjoying the bks but groaning at my 'rule' that I must review them all. Chandler's recurring character is down on his famous luck again:
"There is a tide in the affairs of men that, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. But tides have a habit of ebbing—and Grimes's personal tide had ebbed. He wasn't quite on the rocks but he was most definitely stranded and would remain so until he could raise the wherewithal to pay his steadily mounting port dues and various fines and legal expenses. Meanwhile his beloved Little Sister was under arrest, with a writ firmly glued to her outer airlock door, and her owner-master had been obliged to seek paid employment." - p 5
He's dreaming the dream that warns of what's happening in the world surrounding his sleeping body:
"Her breath was intoxicatingly fragrant. He felt himself stiffening, knew in some remote corner of his mind that this was only a dream and that he would very soon be achieving a lonely climax. But it was a long time since he had had a woman and the dream was a good one. What if his bedsheet were semen-stained? The ship's laundry facilities were better than merely adequate.
"It was the knowledge that the lovemaking was only imaginary that saved him. He thrust upward into the dream Maggie's receptive body—and he felt teeth. He screamed, desperately rolled away from under the furry succubi. Scrabbling claws scored his back and the fangs that , had he not fully awoken in time, would have castrated him bit deeply into his right buttock." - p 8
Ya gotta watch out for those loveable manipulative telepathic animals. Interestingly, the word "succubi" is underlined in red by my computer showing me that it's not a very common word even tho I use it w/ the frequency of "y'know" (I exaggerate). So after being bit in the butt some complications ensue & Grimes has to get a job:
"So the Interstellar Shipping Corporation of Bronsonia swallowed its pride and decommissioned its pet white elephant, having placed her in parking orbit about the planet. There she would remain until such time as a purchaser was found for her. Nonetheless, she was too expensive a hunk of hardware to be left entirely unattended; apart from anything else, Lloyd's of London refused to insure her unless she were in the charge of a qualified ship-keeping officer." - p 14
Enter Grimes. A simple enuf job, right? But, remember, Grimes is 'down on his luck' (&, besides, this is an adventure novel) so, of course, things go dramatically wrong. While we wait for that, Chandler makes a commentary on alcoholism:
"Grimes considered making further modifications to the autochef so that it could supply him with liquor; even an old model such as this could have produced a passable vodka. Yet he held back. In the final analysis alcohol is no substitute for human company but makes the addict unfit for such." - p 16
I happen to love Flamenco music. From time-to-time this leads to my hearing about the related Fado wch I still know nothing about:
"In one of the desk drawers were a few tattered magazines; evidently the Third Mate of Bronson Star—whoever he was and whatever he was doing now—had been a devotee of Hard Downbeat. Grimes permitted himself a sneer; he had never understood how that derivation from the ancient Portuguese fado had achieved such popularity." - p 26
"Although the origins are difficult to trace, today fado is commonly regarded as simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain traditional structure. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia. This is loosely captured by the Portuguese word saudade, or "longing", symbolizing a feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent lifelong damage). This is similar to the character of the music genre Morna from Cape Verde, which may be historically linked to fado in its earlier form but has retained its rhythmic heritage. This connection to the music of a historic Portuguese urban and maritime proletariat (sailors, dock workers, port traders, etc.) can also be found in Brazilian Modinha and Indonesian Kroncong, although all these music genres subsequently developed their own independent traditions." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fado
Once again, Chandler brings up class issues that endear him to me.
"Grimes had known Highnesses and Excellencies and the like and was prepared to admit that Lania and Paul did have about them something of that aura that distinguishes members of hereditary aristocracy from the common herd. He knew what it was, of course. It was no more than plain arrogance; if you have it drummed into you from birth on that you are better than those in whose veins blue blood does not flow you will end up really believing it." - p 34
but he doesn't fall into the delusions of Socialism either:
"Grimes said, "I don't see how I can refuse to land on Dunlevin. But surely there will be some opposition. I can't imagine a convenient Aerospace Controller's strike, such as there was on Porlock; on highly regimented, socialist planets you just don't strike if you know what's good for your health. . . ."" - p 57
There you have it. That's all I'm going to write about this one. I didn't spoil it but I didn't tell you much either, did I? & I call this a 'review'?!
January 5, 2019
A light but entertaining space adventure
This is the first of the John Grimes series I've read and picking it up at volume 10 may not be the best idea but I found it reasonably entertaining. There were a few references to character and events of past books but nothing very important. The main character is a philanderer and a bit sexist but I take it that's intentional and it's no worse than other books of the era. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to find this book but if you run across it and are looking for an entertaining read, it fits the bill.
The Van Dongen cover art is a bit deceptive, there are tiny nude females running amok on a spaceship at one point but that's only one small side-adventure. The majority of the plot concerns Grimes trying to survive a space hijacking by a group of political extremists who want to use his ship to transport their army so they can overthrow the ruling regime on their planet.
This is the first of the John Grimes series I've read and picking it up at volume 10 may not be the best idea but I found it reasonably entertaining. There were a few references to character and events of past books but nothing very important. The main character is a philanderer and a bit sexist but I take it that's intentional and it's no worse than other books of the era. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to find this book but if you run across it and are looking for an entertaining read, it fits the bill.
The Van Dongen cover art is a bit deceptive, there are tiny nude females running amok on a spaceship at one point but that's only one small side-adventure. The majority of the plot concerns Grimes trying to survive a space hijacking by a group of political extremists who want to use his ship to transport their army so they can overthrow the ruling regime on their planet.
March 10, 2020
Chandler was a writer whose stories about Captain Grimes I found entertaining when I occassionally encountered them as a teenager. Stumbled across this one at a convention last year. It's fun and entertaining although I was surprised at some of the sexual content which I hadn't recalled from other stories but this came out in 1978 so perhaps he felt he had to keep up with the times.
January 8, 2014
An interesting approach to the "little woman".
May 12, 2017
Only a man would be stupid enough to think flushing a alien goo in the toilet would be a good thing. Especially knowing that stuff would be recycled into his food... he's lucky that all he got was tiny cannibalistic clones.... this would be a 5 star rating if he had had some effects from eating that junk
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews