The Ship Who Sang

ANNE MCCAFFREY

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Del Rey Books, 1985.

How acquired: Through Book Mooch.

First lines: She was born a thing and as such would be condemned if she failed to pass the encephalograph test required of all newborn babies. 

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: I debated between three and four stars for so long that I finally decided the fact of my indecision merited the book four stars. The book has only six chapters, and each chapter is almost like reading a short story, but continuing on from where the previous story ended. Helva is a brain ship. When a child is born with a deformed or disabled body but a sound mind, the child's parents are given two choices - the child can be euthanized, or turned over to Central Worlds to 'become an encapsulated "brain", a guiding mechanism in any one of a number of curious professions.' Helva is raised to become a brain ship, meaning her body is encased in an indestructible titanium shell while her brain is basically hooked up as a computer. In Helva's case, she is now a spaceship, with her brain running literally everything on board. Brain ships are partnered with a "brawn", a man or a woman of their choice who handles all the things that the brain half of the ship cannot.

The first chapter, "The Ship Who Sang", where Helva is ready to go into service and chooses her first brawn, Jennan, is the best chapter of the book, and the ending of that chapter was very unexpected. Of the other five chapters, some were better than others. "Dramatic Mission", the fourth chapter, was my least favorite, with Helva and a temporary brawn transporting an acting troupe to a planet where the inhabitants appear to be bundles of emotions contained in shells...I don’t even know how to explain it but I just found most of that chapter confusing.

This book was first published in 1969, and yet it does not feel dated at all. Ms. McCaffrey had a rich imagination. I read most of her Pern books when I was in my teens/early twenties, but none of her other books. After rereading a couple of Pern books, I felt I should explore more of her writing, and decided to start with her very first published book, after which I decided to read all of her work in publication order. This is only her fourth book (one of which was the first Pern book), and it’s already been quite an adventure!

Goodreads synopsis: Helva had been born human, but only her brain had been saved—saved to be schooled, programmed, and implanted into the sleek titanium body of an intergalactic scout ship. But first she had to choose a human partner—male or female—to share her exhilarating escapades in space!

Her life was to be rich and rewarding . . . resplendent with daring adventures and endless excitement, beyond the wildest dreams of mere mortals.

Gifted with the voice of an angel and being virtually indestructible, Helva XH-834 anticipated a sublime immortality.

Then one day she fell in love!