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Brainship #4
The City Who Fought
Simeon was a shell-person - the brain who ran Space Station SSS-900, on the fringes of human space. But things hadn't been going too well lately, and he was more than a little discontented. Though normally he enjoyed his work, these days it seemed boring. To make matters worse, his long-time parner had just retired and he was having a hard time adjusting to his newly assigned brawn - a strong-willed woman named Channa Hap, who seemed to feel it her duty to keep him in line.
Simeon's love of wargaming would find unexpected uses when the brutal Kolnari attack the nearby colony planet, Bethel. Sheltering the colony's refugee's brought "the city" an invitation to serious trouble with Kolnari pirates.
Simeon's love of wargaming would find unexpected uses when the brutal Kolnari attack the nearby colony planet, Bethel. Sheltering the colony's refugee's brought "the city" an invitation to serious trouble with Kolnari pirates.
435 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
53 people are currently reading
1662 people want to read
About the author
Anne McCaffrey
478 books7,755 followersAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
September 9, 2016
Nearly everything about this book is insulting. The portrayal of women is insulting. The portrayal of men is insulting. The portrayal of gamers - particularly war-gamers is insulting. The portrayal of non-white characters is insulting. The portrayal of LGBT characters is insulting. Most of the characters have no redeeming qualities. The text itself is so casually insulting to the reader I wouldn't be surprised if the authors sat down and said "I've got an idea - let's write the most insulting piece of Sci-Fi we can!" at least that would explain some of the turns of phrase used even when the characters aren't openly "sparring" with each other.
So then, why am I reading it? Well, it is part of a series, and while each book in the series mostly stands alone, there is a follow up book, The Ship Avenged which follows the one sympathetic character from this story.
The worst part about this book is that it could have been so much better. It is the first in the series with a male shellperson. It is the first in the series to cover a sentient space station instead of a ship. It could have been awesome... a Sci-Fi thriller where the station is infiltrated and the characters have to work out their differences to work together to repel the invaders. Instead, the characters are so petty, the romantic subplots so tiresome, and the writing so filled with cliches, that it is hard to care about anyone when the station finally comes under attack.
So then, why am I reading it? Well, it is part of a series, and while each book in the series mostly stands alone, there is a follow up book, The Ship Avenged which follows the one sympathetic character from this story.
The worst part about this book is that it could have been so much better. It is the first in the series with a male shellperson. It is the first in the series to cover a sentient space station instead of a ship. It could have been awesome... a Sci-Fi thriller where the station is infiltrated and the characters have to work out their differences to work together to repel the invaders. Instead, the characters are so petty, the romantic subplots so tiresome, and the writing so filled with cliches, that it is hard to care about anyone when the station finally comes under attack.
July 28, 2022
Good addition to the Brainship series. The differences from the earlier Brainship tales make McCaffery's Core Worlds universe richer and more diverse than ever:
• Brain is male this time, brawn is female
• the pair run a sprawling mining outpost in a nebula, not orbiting any particular planet or even a particular star (they are off in the galactic boondocks) ...and it's definitely not a Brainship. It's a space station with 15,000 inhabitants!
• the early victims have plenty of flaws (the refugees from Bethel)
• the rescuers have plenty of idiosyncrasies and internal divisions (the miners etc. at SSS-900-C)
• the pirates have a rich and ancient culture, and intrigue among their leadership (the Kolnari)
•
• Brain is male this time, brawn is female
• the pair run a sprawling mining outpost in a nebula, not orbiting any particular planet or even a particular star (they are off in the galactic boondocks) ...and it's definitely not a Brainship. It's a space station with 15,000 inhabitants!
• the early victims have plenty of flaws (the refugees from Bethel)
• the rescuers have plenty of idiosyncrasies and internal divisions (the miners etc. at SSS-900-C)
• the pirates have a rich and ancient culture, and intrigue among their leadership (the Kolnari)
•
January 31, 2010
Nice change of pace setting, as the 'Brainship' in this book is actually a 'Brain Space station', and roles are reversed in that the 'brain' is a guy and the 'brawn' is a girl.
Unfortunately, the story was a bit too brutal and gritty for my tastes and it broke one of my rules for writing, in that I have no tolerance for rape being used as a plot device.
Liked the characters and ideas, but the efforts to do 'gritty, realistic' space opera meant it wasn't a fun book.
Unfortunately, the story was a bit too brutal and gritty for my tastes and it broke one of my rules for writing, in that I have no tolerance for rape being used as a plot device.
Liked the characters and ideas, but the efforts to do 'gritty, realistic' space opera meant it wasn't a fun book.
February 12, 2019
The fourth book in the Brain and Brawn series, The City Who Fought can be read without any reference to other books in the series as all necessary terminology is explained early on. The novel is fast paced and engaging. As I am not very familiar with either writer's literary style, I cannot say who wrote what. Stirling is known for his strong feminine characters, and the brawn in this novel, Channa Hap along with a twelve year old highly intelligent waif, Joat (for Jack Of All Trades) certainly fit the strong feminine character label. The brain, is Simeon, a shell person, essentially linked into a computer shortly after birth so that we have a being with all of the multiprocessing ability of the world's fastest machines coupled with the extraordinary intelligence of a near genius. Simeon runs a space station attacked by a ruthless and renegade band of pirates and must use all of his/its acumen to organize the station's thousands of people to fight off the plundering invaders. Except for a final "they lived happily ever after" wrap-up chapter, the novel is a real page turner written in an easily accessible style. Recommended for all who love syfy adventure. The american-literature shelf is a tad misleading in this case. McCaffrey, a native American, lived most of her life in Ireland; and Stirling, born in France, is a Canadian-American writer. Whatever. Enjoy the book.
March 18, 2011
A little dated but an interesting concept non the less. I enjoyed the strong female lead and the interplay between her and the males.
May 18, 2016
Rereading a favorite series. Comfort reading during a hectic time of the year.
November 30, 2017
this reads like YA fiction but I imagine that some of the themes rape/murder/incest/child abuse could be seen as too adult.....Yes it's old fashioned in parts but it was written over a quarter of a century ago
One reviewer found nothing to like but I loved the positive role models viz
Simeon - (literally the brains of the space station) disabled,romantic and self analysing though nerdy; Joat - a young girl who (despite horrific upbringing) is funny, independent and an IT/engineering whiz; Channa - tough, intelligent, challenging and very clear about her sexuality/libido; Patsy - post menopausal, "ballsy" and sexually active
Yes, the barbarian invaders were black but were also beautiful, strong and disease and radiation resistant - all because of their enviroment and culture. Their language and attitudes towards other less "pure" or weaker peoples was positively Aryan/Nazi.
Ultimately they were defeated by the co-operative stationers who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the ultimate good. Yay!
One reviewer found nothing to like but I loved the positive role models viz
Simeon - (literally the brains of the space station) disabled,romantic and self analysing though nerdy; Joat - a young girl who (despite horrific upbringing) is funny, independent and an IT/engineering whiz; Channa - tough, intelligent, challenging and very clear about her sexuality/libido; Patsy - post menopausal, "ballsy" and sexually active
Yes, the barbarian invaders were black but were also beautiful, strong and disease and radiation resistant - all because of their enviroment and culture. Their language and attitudes towards other less "pure" or weaker peoples was positively Aryan/Nazi.
Ultimately they were defeated by the co-operative stationers who were willing to sacrifice themselves for the ultimate good. Yay!
Read
March 13, 2011Stinks: One of the worst books I've ever read. I usually like both the authors individually, but they (a) don't mesh and (b) really need better editorial control. One example should suffice without giving much away - the baddies are black-skinned humans and the goodies white (and one of the baddies even turns out - shock, horror - to be gay). Really unnecessary and objectionable laziness.
October 30, 2017
This is an old favorite, but I just re-read it and entered it into Goodreads for the first time. It is definitely worth reading more than once. McCaffrey knocks scifi out of the park as usual in this excellent book!
August 24, 2018
This was ok, but not my cup of tea. I'm glad I read it and I'm glad I realized I have two copies of the book so I gain extra space. Simeon is a good character. I wasn't so wild about Channa. And Joat didn't do much for me at all. This is a war story, so if you are expecting dragons, forget this book. It is in the Helva universe. The baddies are really bad. The good guys are a bit too good. Even the "traitor" is given a decent excuse....she's mad and gets cured at just the right time. So if you want war stories, you will love this.
January 22, 2022
I wanted to give this more stars because it’s probably the most well-rounded story in the series so far… but it is dated and uncomfortable to read in several places. What was acceptable writing has evolved and this book did not age well. Also, the romantic storyline was contrived and hard to believe, and many of the characters are downright annoying. Overall one of my least favorite of Anne McCaffrey’s otherwise really fantastic works.
TW for uncomfortable sexual scenes.
TW for uncomfortable sexual scenes.
November 5, 2023
Fun read. Nervous cause it was the 4 th book in a series. Read like a stand alone.
Sci-fi stuff, Pirates, Revenge, Action, Intrigue.
Sci-fi stuff, Pirates, Revenge, Action, Intrigue.
June 2, 2020
This is the second book by McCaffrey I have read (first by co-author Stirling). I managed to finish this one but just barely made it through. 2 Stars The action doesn't really start until 300+ pages in. Just what is it that the author has to include such stereotypes (white, black, religious, female, male, southern, etc) and degrading behavior ? I have the next book in the series but think I'm going to make some room on the bookshelf and pass it on unread.
December 25, 2025
OMG. THE BEST ONE YET. I BINGE READ THE SECOND HALF BECAUSE IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD. AHHHHHH!!!!!!
July 12, 2021
This was a thoroughly enjoyable yarn, and was a change from the usual Brainship stories, much as I love them.
I loved Simeon, and the way that he, Channa, Amos, and Joat, helped the people on his space platform to fight the High Clan Kolnar - and weren't they the baddest of baddies?
I think that, what impressed me most about this story - apart from the sheer humanness of everyone - was the way in which war is portrayed. It's not all being superheroes, and fighting for honour and glory - this was all about doing what you must, with what you have, and despite being scared to death while doing so!
Despite it all happening on a space station, this story could be set anywhere in the Universe, where people might be. It's about people, and their actions, and how they proved to be the best, and the worst, of being human - though, where the Kolnar's are concerned, I'm not sure if they haven't gone a step too far in the wrong direction, there!
This was another book that I found hard to put down, and I'm just glad that there are many more McCaffrey books yet to be read.
I loved Simeon, and the way that he, Channa, Amos, and Joat, helped the people on his space platform to fight the High Clan Kolnar - and weren't they the baddest of baddies?
I think that, what impressed me most about this story - apart from the sheer humanness of everyone - was the way in which war is portrayed. It's not all being superheroes, and fighting for honour and glory - this was all about doing what you must, with what you have, and despite being scared to death while doing so!
Despite it all happening on a space station, this story could be set anywhere in the Universe, where people might be. It's about people, and their actions, and how they proved to be the best, and the worst, of being human - though, where the Kolnar's are concerned, I'm not sure if they haven't gone a step too far in the wrong direction, there!
This was another book that I found hard to put down, and I'm just glad that there are many more McCaffrey books yet to be read.
June 19, 2018
Not your usual McCaffrey fodder. Probably due to Mr. Stirling's influence. More violent conflict than Anne usually gives us.
Given that: it's still a good read with an unusual situation and a "shellperson", Simeon, as the main hero who's just got a new "brawn" that he's having trouble getting along with. But this "brain" runs an entire "city", a station that floats in space in the middle of nowhere. But really nasty invaders are on the way, so they have to prepare to deal with them -- without much in the way of weaponry.
The story kept me "on the edge of my seat" (okay; deep into my recliner, but fidgeting), especially after the bad people arrive. And yes, I'll be reading it again in the future.
Given that: it's still a good read with an unusual situation and a "shellperson", Simeon, as the main hero who's just got a new "brawn" that he's having trouble getting along with. But this "brain" runs an entire "city", a station that floats in space in the middle of nowhere. But really nasty invaders are on the way, so they have to prepare to deal with them -- without much in the way of weaponry.
The story kept me "on the edge of my seat" (okay; deep into my recliner, but fidgeting), especially after the bad people arrive. And yes, I'll be reading it again in the future.
June 17, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It is about a man taken as a young child and hooked to a machine that runs a city. He is called a shell person. He thinks he knows everything until he is given a new brawn. A women with a regular body whose job it is to help with the thing the things that a shell cannot do. They struggle at first but when the city is threatened, they must find a way to work together and protect their city.
March 19, 2022
Simeon is the brain of the space station. His new brawn is a woman, and they have some problems getting used to each other. When a battered jury-rigged ship appears to threaten the station, they rescue the people, who are fleeing from the vicious Kolnari. As the Kolnari take over the station, the stationers and the Bethelites from the rescued ship must work together to fight the invaders.
This is a reread, but it's been ages. Reading this before I start the sequel.
This is a reread, but it's been ages. Reading this before I start the sequel.
February 18, 2020
This imaginative extrapolation of the brain ship series is co-authored by Stirling and McCaffrey, and explore the immature social dynamics of brawn (living person) and brain (Shell-person trained you operate significant facilities. Space Opera of the best kind, a little loose, but the social dynamics are entertaining.
March 5, 2015
A wonderful bit of Sci Fi fluff. Dark adult themes, but not too graphic in the depiction of such.
It's been decades since I read the other books in the series and I had no problems falling into the world.
A bit of a cheesy ending, but it's ok. They deserve a happily ever after.
It's been decades since I read the other books in the series and I had no problems falling into the world.
A bit of a cheesy ending, but it's ok. They deserve a happily ever after.
July 9, 2018
I hadn't read the Brainship books in years so I decided it was time for a re-read and I happy to report that they stood up to the test of time. I really enjoyed the story and found myself very interested in the characters in these books. I am super glad I read them again.
March 30, 2021
Not my favorite of this series.
May 16, 2017
A fun romp, with entertaining characters as long as you don't require too much depth to them. Plot was fun too.
I liked it fine.
I liked it fine.
December 7, 2023
Throughout the “Brainship” series, I’ve found that the better books are the ones where the adventures depicted are more varied and moved around more, so I wasn’t sure that “The City Who Fought” was going to be one of the better ones. After all, in this instance, the “brain”, Simeon, doesn’t control a spaceship, but instead a massive space station.
A couple of the earlier books had passed through Simeon’s locality, but when we meet him this time around his long-term partner has recently retired and he is dealing with his new partner, Channa, by sulking and misogyny. Life takes an interesting turn when a ship from the Bethel colony appears in their orbit, followed by the warlike Kolnari, who had attacked and destroyed their world and who were not pleased than some of the colonists had escaped.
Like most of the books in the series, there are some good things about the book, but there are mostly bad ones and the different setting has allowed the authors to do the same bad things slightly differently this time around. The brainships up until now have generally been women and the relationships they have with their, usually male, partners are very creepy and uncomfortable. This time around, the brain is male, but the relationship between him and his female partner is often vicious and insulting and Simeon comes across as being an Incel, which is deeply worrying.
Whilst this is standard for the series, it wasn’t the only objectionable aspect of the book, as the sexism runs more deeply through this one than usual. Even the most talented of women on the ship are reduced to caricatures, whilst others are driven crazy in their desire for the men, becoming harpies only out for revenge and having no other role in the novel apart from this.
This time around, however, the authors weren’t prepared to stop there and decided that the plot required some lazy racist tropes to really flesh things out. The Kolnari were a dark-skinned, violent race hunting down the white, moral God-fearing people of Bethel. Indeed, under their body armour, they were virtually naked and that the novel stopped short of requiring them to oil up and dance around a fire was perhaps the only restraint that was in play here.
They were also not beyond using rape as a weapon of war and the slightest hint of any of the Kolnari exhibiting same-sex attraction has to be smothered, as it would be seen as a sign of weakness. The religious right are shocked at the depravity of the people they encounter, but also enjoy what is on offer whilst denying to everyone else that they have done so and this is before I explore the caricature of the ship’s doctor, who is the only person of Indian descent within millions of light years.
All of this means it’s a shame when something that could have been genuinely interesting comes along. Living in Simeon’s walls is Joat, a stowaway who Simeon attempts to adopt and there is very nearly an interesting discourse of disability discrimination in the fostering and adoption spaces, which are tossed aside when the action starts and is never mentioned again. Even here, there are lazy tropes of an abused child and the surprise that she should turn out to be a girl because she is so good at using the technology aboard Simeon, but she was the one bright part of the novel, even so.
I was expecting “The City Who Fought” to be a weaker novel than some as it couldn’t move, but I hadn’t expected the plot to be replaced with such lazy and discriminatory writing. Some parts of the earlier novels in the series have been uncomfortable, but most of the novels have been quite exciting and the focus being on the action rather than the characters has hidden some of this. With the action lessened here, the character writing must replace it and this novel highlights every possible discriminatory trope they could find.
A couple of the earlier books had passed through Simeon’s locality, but when we meet him this time around his long-term partner has recently retired and he is dealing with his new partner, Channa, by sulking and misogyny. Life takes an interesting turn when a ship from the Bethel colony appears in their orbit, followed by the warlike Kolnari, who had attacked and destroyed their world and who were not pleased than some of the colonists had escaped.
Like most of the books in the series, there are some good things about the book, but there are mostly bad ones and the different setting has allowed the authors to do the same bad things slightly differently this time around. The brainships up until now have generally been women and the relationships they have with their, usually male, partners are very creepy and uncomfortable. This time around, the brain is male, but the relationship between him and his female partner is often vicious and insulting and Simeon comes across as being an Incel, which is deeply worrying.
Whilst this is standard for the series, it wasn’t the only objectionable aspect of the book, as the sexism runs more deeply through this one than usual. Even the most talented of women on the ship are reduced to caricatures, whilst others are driven crazy in their desire for the men, becoming harpies only out for revenge and having no other role in the novel apart from this.
This time around, however, the authors weren’t prepared to stop there and decided that the plot required some lazy racist tropes to really flesh things out. The Kolnari were a dark-skinned, violent race hunting down the white, moral God-fearing people of Bethel. Indeed, under their body armour, they were virtually naked and that the novel stopped short of requiring them to oil up and dance around a fire was perhaps the only restraint that was in play here.
They were also not beyond using rape as a weapon of war and the slightest hint of any of the Kolnari exhibiting same-sex attraction has to be smothered, as it would be seen as a sign of weakness. The religious right are shocked at the depravity of the people they encounter, but also enjoy what is on offer whilst denying to everyone else that they have done so and this is before I explore the caricature of the ship’s doctor, who is the only person of Indian descent within millions of light years.
All of this means it’s a shame when something that could have been genuinely interesting comes along. Living in Simeon’s walls is Joat, a stowaway who Simeon attempts to adopt and there is very nearly an interesting discourse of disability discrimination in the fostering and adoption spaces, which are tossed aside when the action starts and is never mentioned again. Even here, there are lazy tropes of an abused child and the surprise that she should turn out to be a girl because she is so good at using the technology aboard Simeon, but she was the one bright part of the novel, even so.
I was expecting “The City Who Fought” to be a weaker novel than some as it couldn’t move, but I hadn’t expected the plot to be replaced with such lazy and discriminatory writing. Some parts of the earlier novels in the series have been uncomfortable, but most of the novels have been quite exciting and the focus being on the action rather than the characters has hidden some of this. With the action lessened here, the character writing must replace it and this novel highlights every possible discriminatory trope they could find.
November 7, 2018
I didn't care for it much.
I mostly didn't like Channa, the brawn. It's obvious the book is all about her and female wish-fulfillment. Setting her geeky little brother-ish shellperson to rights, check. The exotic incredibly handsome foreign boyfriend/lover? check. The feral kid Channa tames because the shellperson doesn't know how to raise a kid and lets them do whatever? Check. The southern belle bestie? Check. The issue for me is that the ship books tended to focus on the relationship between brawn and shellperson a lot more, but here there really isn't anything but a one-sided relationship. The wish fulfillment aspects would be ok if they weren't so blatant, and Channa without any real downsides; from the start, she's the suffering perfect woman who will clean everything up, by golly.
Oh, and you have mini mary-sue in Joad, the feral kid. Knows the station better than the shellperson, brilliant, incredibly good fighter, always shows initiative, etc.
Then you get the second half, where enemy pirates who are literal space nazis invade, in pursuit of the peaceful space jews. Seriously. The enemies are literally a mashup of the khmer rouge, neo-nazis, and every other nasty thing you can think of, exiled to a hellish planet and refried into super strong barbarians. The peaceful space jews are, of course, not really religious at heart and just need to be gently led into proper behavior. Well, except for the token traitor. They have a battle, but if you are expecting actual military SF, get lost. It's really boring. Oh, and rape, because McCaffrey's books are almost always historical scottish bodice rippers in disguise.
Worst thing was I was looking forwards to this book. The concept was really strong and the prior books were good, but this one was just junk. I can't give it one star because at least it was well written junk of its kind, but still junk anyways.
I mostly didn't like Channa, the brawn. It's obvious the book is all about her and female wish-fulfillment. Setting her geeky little brother-ish shellperson to rights, check. The exotic incredibly handsome foreign boyfriend/lover? check. The feral kid Channa tames because the shellperson doesn't know how to raise a kid and lets them do whatever? Check. The southern belle bestie? Check. The issue for me is that the ship books tended to focus on the relationship between brawn and shellperson a lot more, but here there really isn't anything but a one-sided relationship. The wish fulfillment aspects would be ok if they weren't so blatant, and Channa without any real downsides; from the start, she's the suffering perfect woman who will clean everything up, by golly.
Oh, and you have mini mary-sue in Joad, the feral kid. Knows the station better than the shellperson, brilliant, incredibly good fighter, always shows initiative, etc.
Then you get the second half, where enemy pirates who are literal space nazis invade, in pursuit of the peaceful space jews. Seriously. The enemies are literally a mashup of the khmer rouge, neo-nazis, and every other nasty thing you can think of, exiled to a hellish planet and refried into super strong barbarians. The peaceful space jews are, of course, not really religious at heart and just need to be gently led into proper behavior. Well, except for the token traitor. They have a battle, but if you are expecting actual military SF, get lost. It's really boring. Oh, and rape, because McCaffrey's books are almost always historical scottish bodice rippers in disguise.
Worst thing was I was looking forwards to this book. The concept was really strong and the prior books were good, but this one was just junk. I can't give it one star because at least it was well written junk of its kind, but still junk anyways.
January 30, 2021
Probably my least favourite brain-ship book, mostly because the characters are just... complete dicks to each other.
You have Simeon, the station-brain, who likes war-games of all sorts and starts off treating his new brawn Channa in the most misogynistic way possible, and then does an about face and starts trying to win her over as a different kind of war-game, only to fall in love with her by the end. Trope, much?
You have Channa, who treats Simeon like a child and who decides she's the one running the station instead of doing things as a team with her brain and who blames Simion for losing out on a different job somewhere else.
There's Amos, who starts off being a condescending, patronizing ass and who NEVER truly changes, just tones things down, to her... while in the next breath telling one of his people that she's meant for another man without asking her opinion and treating it like a done-deal...
There's Joat, the child... and I wanted to like Joat, because a lot of what she did and how she acted were byproducts of an unfortunately traumatic childhood, but I just found her .. unlikeable.
That said, there was some great parts of the book, and some spectacular writing. The side characters are the ones that are the most interesting, and who I'd have liked to have read more of. Seld, Dr. Chaundra, Joseph... Would read again, but probably not for some time.
You have Simeon, the station-brain, who likes war-games of all sorts and starts off treating his new brawn Channa in the most misogynistic way possible, and then does an about face and starts trying to win her over as a different kind of war-game, only to fall in love with her by the end. Trope, much?
You have Channa, who treats Simeon like a child and who decides she's the one running the station instead of doing things as a team with her brain and who blames Simion for losing out on a different job somewhere else.
There's Amos, who starts off being a condescending, patronizing ass and who NEVER truly changes, just tones things down, to her... while in the next breath telling one of his people that she's meant for another man without asking her opinion and treating it like a done-deal...
There's Joat, the child... and I wanted to like Joat, because a lot of what she did and how she acted were byproducts of an unfortunately traumatic childhood, but I just found her .. unlikeable.
That said, there was some great parts of the book, and some spectacular writing. The side characters are the ones that are the most interesting, and who I'd have liked to have read more of. Seld, Dr. Chaundra, Joseph... Would read again, but probably not for some time.
June 15, 2020
The fourth of McCaffrey's 'Brainship' books, but it works quite well as a stand alone novel. Much more military SF than most of her writing, but then it's written with S. M. Stirling, who's something of a specialist in this sub-genre. The collaboration seems to work well, with a smooth style and a good wordflow throughout.
I first read this quite a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed it again this time, but with a few more caveats. Perhaps I've become more discerning, or just more critical, but this time round a lot of the second-level characters seemed rather shallow and stereotyped. That particularly struck me in regard to Joat, who is actually quite a significant person in the story. She is a young girl who has had a terrible childhood, suffering abuse at all level, but quickly becomes relatively well adjusted when given some care and stability, though still very independent.
My problem is that since my first reading of this I've had some experience of children who have suffered from traumatic early lives - and the healing is neither as quick or as complete as is portrayed with Joat. Those scars are deep and terrible and show in lots of ways that aren't touched on her.
Of course, that's not the main focus of the story. But my thought now is that unless you're going to develop this sort of character properly, you shouldn't bring them in at all. Otherwise, it's going to seem shallow to anyone who knows anything about this - as it did to me.
But that aside, it was a well paced story with a fast, exciting climax and the possibility of a sequel left dangling.
Not the five stars I would have given it on my first reading, but four stars certainly.
I first read this quite a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed it again this time, but with a few more caveats. Perhaps I've become more discerning, or just more critical, but this time round a lot of the second-level characters seemed rather shallow and stereotyped. That particularly struck me in regard to Joat, who is actually quite a significant person in the story. She is a young girl who has had a terrible childhood, suffering abuse at all level, but quickly becomes relatively well adjusted when given some care and stability, though still very independent.
My problem is that since my first reading of this I've had some experience of children who have suffered from traumatic early lives - and the healing is neither as quick or as complete as is portrayed with Joat. Those scars are deep and terrible and show in lots of ways that aren't touched on her.
Of course, that's not the main focus of the story. But my thought now is that unless you're going to develop this sort of character properly, you shouldn't bring them in at all. Otherwise, it's going to seem shallow to anyone who knows anything about this - as it did to me.
But that aside, it was a well paced story with a fast, exciting climax and the possibility of a sequel left dangling.
Not the five stars I would have given it on my first reading, but four stars certainly.
November 12, 2019
It pains me to write a negative review of a collaborative work by Anne McCaffrey and S.M. Stirling. Yet, here I am. Rarely do I not finish a book, no matter how much drudgery is involved in the reading.
I am putting Simeon, his space station, and his foes down. I wish them well. They will need it. Maybe the ether will provide a decent editor. One can hope.
The Brain and Brawn aka the Brainship series was written from 1961 when the first short story appeared through 1997 when S.M. Stirling wrote a sequel to this novel. The first 3 novels written by Anne McCaffrey carry her themes through with her typical shining prose. I am not sure how she selected her co authors, I do regret the choice of S.M. Stirling. Lyrical writing has become ponderous.
Plot bulges with unnecessary minutiae. And finally the inclusion of sloppy pseudo southern dialect attached to a cardboard female character was too much for this reader. Patsy? really? Where was the brain when the brawn was churning out this dribble?
If you have a life time ahead and like to complete a series then read this one. Other wise consider it well skipped.
I am putting Simeon, his space station, and his foes down. I wish them well. They will need it. Maybe the ether will provide a decent editor. One can hope.
The Brain and Brawn aka the Brainship series was written from 1961 when the first short story appeared through 1997 when S.M. Stirling wrote a sequel to this novel. The first 3 novels written by Anne McCaffrey carry her themes through with her typical shining prose. I am not sure how she selected her co authors, I do regret the choice of S.M. Stirling. Lyrical writing has become ponderous.
Plot bulges with unnecessary minutiae. And finally the inclusion of sloppy pseudo southern dialect attached to a cardboard female character was too much for this reader. Patsy? really? Where was the brain when the brawn was churning out this dribble?
If you have a life time ahead and like to complete a series then read this one. Other wise consider it well skipped.
February 15, 2021
I wanted to enjoy this story for its effort to broaden the Brainship Universe but it is definitely a different beast. The writing style is distinctly cruder and although in my view the plot maintained some similar devices it was definitely out of place in the series.
This story seemed like it would be less of an expansion on what it's like to be the Brainship and more of an exploration of the tech in McCaffrey's Brainship Universe, however it ended up being not much of either. The premise does get you thinking about more Brain possibilities when you're not being distracted by poorly expressed sexuality and carelessly handled tragedy but after the introductory details this story did little to add to the series.
I'd have to agree with others that there were too many cringeworthy clichés in this one, it ruined the adventure for me at times... so much so that it got harder to persist the further I read.
This story still tried to approach ethical and philosophical issues head on even if it was not executed very well. I'm hoping the series gets back on track with the next one.
This story seemed like it would be less of an expansion on what it's like to be the Brainship and more of an exploration of the tech in McCaffrey's Brainship Universe, however it ended up being not much of either. The premise does get you thinking about more Brain possibilities when you're not being distracted by poorly expressed sexuality and carelessly handled tragedy but after the introductory details this story did little to add to the series.
I'd have to agree with others that there were too many cringeworthy clichés in this one, it ruined the adventure for me at times... so much so that it got harder to persist the further I read.
This story still tried to approach ethical and philosophical issues head on even if it was not executed very well. I'm hoping the series gets back on track with the next one.
November 27, 2025
This books is far different from the other books I've read in this series. I was looking forward to reading about a brainship who was a space station rather than a ship and breaking out of the typical female brain-male brawn dynamic. Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. I liked aspects of the book, like Channa and Simeon's evolving dynamic. What I disliked the most was all the sexual violence.
I didn't expect so much rape, given that the other books in the series don't have it (as far as I can remember). It makes sense that a space pirate force obsessed with survival of the fittest and power would be super into raping the people they conquer; I just don't want to read about it. Sexual violence is not what I look for in a novel. I hope that this isn't a recurring theme in the last three books in the series.
Also one little random thing: When Channa meets the Kolnari leader, she is surprised about how incredibly handsome he is. If he looks anything like the illustration of a Kolnari on the front cover, I question her standards.
I didn't expect so much rape, given that the other books in the series don't have it (as far as I can remember). It makes sense that a space pirate force obsessed with survival of the fittest and power would be super into raping the people they conquer; I just don't want to read about it. Sexual violence is not what I look for in a novel. I hope that this isn't a recurring theme in the last three books in the series.
Also one little random thing: When Channa meets the Kolnari leader, she is surprised about how incredibly handsome he is. If he looks anything like the illustration of a Kolnari on the front cover, I question her standards.
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