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7th out of 50 books
—
10 voters
The City Who Fought (Brainship #4)
Simeon was the "brain" running a peaceful space station--but when the invaders arrived, his only hope of protecting his crew was to become "the city who fought." Previous titles in this bestselling series include The Ship Who Sang, The Ship Who Searched, The Ship Who Won, and PartnerShip.
Paperback, 435 pages
Published
1993
by Baen
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This space adventure further develops McCaffrey's vivid future universe of diversified cultures, technological wonders and twisted, sometimes corrupt, politics. Space Station SSS-900C, a profitable but out-of-the-way trading and mining center, is attacked by Kolnari, pirates from a planet of sociopathic exiles. While awaiting the arrival of the Central Worlds' Navy, the inhabitants play for time with a major deception planned by Simeon, the shellperson operating the stati
Mar 13, 2011
Peter
added it
Stinks: 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.
This collaboration between Stirling and McCaffrey takes place in the Brain & Brawn Ship universe
It is vaguely better than McCaffrey’s own efforts. The characters are more solid and there is at least some excitement. Still, I don’t feel that I can really recommend this to anyone.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1403
It is vaguely better than McCaffrey’s own efforts. The characters are more solid and there is at least some excitement. Still, I don’t feel that I can really recommend this to anyone.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1403
A fun book that takes place in a universe where those whose normally would die or be unable to function due to birth defects or paralysis can have their bodies hooked up to a machine, such as a space ship, and then their brains use that machine as if it were an extension of their bodies. And they go on exciting adventures!
Sad, its been twenty some years since reading of Pern and have forgotten the pleasure of McCaffrey's work, should have realized that I needed to make time for the worlds of discovery found in her works that continue to tickle the imagination and wonder of other worlds. Who knows maybe its all a shell game?
Aug 14, 2009
Jan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Ship who sang fans
Shelves:
sci-fi
Think I read this in the past but enjoyed it once more. Probably second favorite to the ship who searched
Simon is the city shell person who has to hold off pirates until the calvary (space Navy) can come to the rescue. Another premise of knowing strategy and tactics from history can pay off.
Simon is the city shell person who has to hold off pirates until the calvary (space Navy) can come to the rescue. Another premise of knowing strategy and tactics from history can pay off.
First read this such a long time ago - either in college or before and i still read it often. Its action packed and full of humour. For me, it doesn't feel like its dragging like other McCaffrey books do (though i will admit i have not READ alot of her books)
Simeon is infuriatingly funny, ridiculously juvenile and next to Hypatia is easily one of my favorite brains in this universe.
To this day I can't hear the phrase Jack of all Trades without remembering Joat and wonder just what on earth happened to her.
To this day I can't hear the phrase Jack of all Trades without remembering Joat and wonder just what on earth happened to her.
My least favourite book of the series. :/
Another reviewer summed it up nicely. The good guys are white, the bad guys are black (literally black, even. Not just dark.) and oh no, one of the bad guys likes to rape other dudes.
Another reviewer summed it up nicely. The good guys are white, the bad guys are black (literally black, even. Not just dark.) and oh no, one of the bad guys likes to rape other dudes.
Read skimmed to evaluate for weeding. It's dated and uninteresting, the way that scifi gets when it slips behind the times. Verdict: adios.
A brain city. Well as always i like McCaffrey's universe, and the references of the other heroes of her other books.
A good book to read, it changes from the Brainship's stories.
A good book to read, it changes from the Brainship's stories.
This series is totally my current guilty pleasure.
I enjoyed at well enough. I still think I would enjoy being a "shell person"… This was just not the best of the series.
A bad matching of authors.
Good fun. Over too soon.
Awesome
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.
A little dated but an interesting concept non the less. I enjoyed the strong female lead and the interplay between her and the males.
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I read this book quite a few years ago and now re-read it to my great enjoyment.
Ms McCaffrey's talent in creating characters that are interesting, compelling, and real was incredible. One cannot help but wish to meet so many of then again, and again, particularly Joat, and Patsy.
The story was fast paced, with parallel lines and a continuation of the Ship who Sang series, but is very much able to stand alone.
Ms McCaffrey's talent in creating characters that are interesting, compelling, and real was incredible. One cannot help but wish to meet so many of then again, and again, particularly Joat, and Patsy.
The story was fast paced, with parallel lines and a continuation of the Ship who Sang series, but is very much able to stand alone.
The most action-packed and probably the most fun portion of the Brainships series. Unlike the heroines of the previous books, shellperson Simeon isn't pining after a brawn or being horrendously boring. He's running an entire space station, getting in trouble, becoming a father (sort of), and best of all, kicking serious pirate ass. Thank you S.M. Stirling for livening up this series considerably.
Simon thought he was going to have the best carrier in the universe until the pirates came and he learned to fight with all his intellegence and all his connections to save the people he was intrusted to care for.
Even though this book was well written, it does get a bit too brutal. There is no doubt that there is truth in that such brutality would probably happen in the situation depicted in the story, but it is a work of fiction and should have been downplayed instead of emphasized.
This is one of my favorites in the Brainship series. In general, these books are more technical than many of her others. This one involves the "Brain" to a space station holding off pirates, so there are a lot of battle scenes and guerilla tactics.
May 10, 2010
Bryan457
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
military,
science-fiction,
action-adventure,
fights-n-fighters,
pirates,
own-it,
cyborgs
A great read. Much more brutal and gritty than previous Brainship books. Essentially it as about a space station that is taken over by brutal pirates. The people fight back in clever guerrilla warfare to take back the station.
I could not connect with this book -- the science fiction part was so apart from my experience I could not visualize anything going on in the book. I was disappointed.
Another in the shell people series. This involves brutal invaders who systematically rape an entire city.
Jan 08, 2011
♆ BookAddict ~ La Crimson Femme
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi,
alt-reality-futuristic
Simon continues the good story line of the brain ships. An entire city run by a one brain, fascinating.
A much more engrossing and well-wroght story than I expected given the author and title!
In this story it's a ship/station and a male shellperson who drives the plot.
Awesome!!!
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Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st, 1926, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 1:30 p.m., in the hour of the Sheep, year of the Fire Tiger, sun sign Aries with Taurus rising and Leo mid-heaven (which seems to suggest an early interest in the stars).
Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD (Harvard), Colonel USA Army (retired), and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent. She had two...more
More about Anne McCaffrey...
Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD (Harvard), Colonel USA Army (retired), and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent. She had two...more
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