And of course, Jennan’s appreciation for her as an equal partner with a brilliant mind-rather than a piece of machinery- resonates. It is hard not to feel for Helva and her deep connection to Jennan. This story hits all the right notes (no pun intended). Together they set off to rescue defiant religious zealots from a colony in range of a supernova. She discovers that she possesses an incredible voice-and the man who appreciates her for who she is, Jennan, becomes her “brawn” (the ship operator). Indentured and cybernetically integrated into the ship, she must repay her debt (which wasn’t her choice) to the Central Worlds but undertaking dangerous rescue missions. “The Ship Who Sang” (1961), 4.5/5 (Very Good): Helva, born with a serious physical disabilities, is given over by her parents to the Central Worlds (think a capitalist version of Star Trek’s Federation) where she is trained to be the “brain half of a scout ship” (2).

Note: Check out Admiral.Ironbombs’ review for more analysis! That said, I was pulled into the individual adventures and felt deeply for Helva. I am not convinced by McCaffrey’s discussion of the moral implications of the world she’s created. Each story has an narrative arc and a climax that, taken together, chart Helva’s growth. If you think of the volume as a short story collection rather than novel, this isn’t a problem. I’m going to rate each section separately as the “novel” feels more like a series of connected vignettes than a cohesive vision. The stories follow the space opera adventures and emotional development of the cyborg Helva, a “shell-person” implanted into a scout ship, and her various operators.

as “Dramatic Mission” (1969), was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Award (1970) for best novella. The fourth section, published in Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact (June 1969) ed. Anne McCaffrey’s fix-up novel The Ship Who Sang (1969) is comprised of four previously published short fictions and one specially written for the volume (listed below). (The Brothers Hildebrandt’s cover for the 1976 edition)Ĭyborgs.

The Ship Who Searched by Anne McCaffrey