Customer Reviews

Nimisha's Ship

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I disagreed with many of the reviews already on this site; first of all, it would be nice to see a review from someone who could spell the name of the book/the main character correctly. In this recent novel by Anne McCaffrey,the main character is a lady of high birth, Nimisha. She is different from her peers in that she loves mechanical things and spends more time working with her father on ship design than with her mother and fashion. Of course, this is not an unusual premise for McCaffrey, however in this story she creates a new twist. After Nimisha's noted father passes away, she inherits his company to the anger of his son, who thought that he should have gotten it. She continues in his tradition, testing and creating ships, and eventually conceives a daughter. Soon after this, she gets stranded alone after an experimental flight goes wrong, and she must survive and try to get back home. Being Nimisha, she can't help exploring the planets around her while waiting to be rescued, and what she finds is truly terrific. Meanwhile, while Nimisha battles hostile planetary creatures and makes friends with some aliens, attempts are being made on her daughter's life in order to regain the company.
This complicated story definitely makes for an enjoyable read. Nimisha is a very complex and endearing character, easy to relate to. I never found this book boring or devoid of action, and the characters were all extremely believable. I highly recommend it, however some of the more hard-core science fiction fans may not be as interested in it as I was.

I put off buying this book based on all the negative reviews and picked up a hardcover at less than paperback prices just a few weeks ago... read it in one sitting which I hadn't expected after all the comments about no conflict/suspense....and found it very enjoyable although not my favorite book by Anne - and I've read most of them.

I enjoyed reading all the background provided in the first part of the book and getting the feel of a new SF society - these were up to Anne's usual high standard in my opinion. I also did not think the characters are one dimensional or flat as some other reviewers have mentioned, maybe more subtle. Perhaps it is because this book is meant to be the first in a series - and more development will occur later. Regardless, I enjoyed meeting all these new people although I'd have like more on the Sh'im individuals.

This book is not for someone who likes SF books with lots of violence, running battles and other ACTION to make it move along, but it should satisfy otherwise.

First off, this book is not to be compared with books in which every ten pages someone is off in a bedroom somewhere, or battling the evil forces and putting themselves in extreme danger only to be saved with 30 seconds to spare. It is a story about family. It is a simply written, gentle story involving social-ranks, family ties, survival and love. Unfortunately, the cover-art on my library's hardcover version is selling the book to the wrong people; it depicts an action scene which never occurs in the book. 'Nimisha's Ship' is a easy-to read story which is aimed at the gentler side of readers, not always Anne McCaffrey's style. However, it IS very nice to read.

I am a long time McCaffrey fan and was disappointed with the Rowan series after about the 2nd book - didn't hold my attention and I just can't get into. The Dragonriders have a special place in my heart and am a solid fan of the Planet Pirates/Generations, Crystal Singer Freedom and Ship Who Sang series as well. So I was looking forward to something in new and uncharted territory. My problem with Nimishia's Ship was that it didn't do anything new and I found myself jumping over parts to get to some action. While a pleasant read with potentially fascinating characters, I found I could put the book down (this has hardly happened to me with McCaffrey except for the listed disappointments above). I am hoping that it is just the foundation (a well-laid out foundation and guide to a new "universe" if that is the case) and that subsequent books will have more action/drama. However, I do encourage folks to read it - especially if they have been turned off by her more hardcore stuff - its a decent introduction to this versatile and award winning writer.

I haven't been reading much of Anne McCaffrey lately. I didn't like "The Rowen," so I didn't read the series, and it was a long series. This is the start of a new series and a good novel in itself. Its set in an interesting society where no one seems to be married. At some time in your extended lifespan, you contract with someone of the opposite sex to produce an heir. All other liaisons are purely for sexual gratification. Seems more like what a man would think of as a perfect society. There's some pretty good action and adventure on a dangerous planet on the far side of the galaxy. The characters are well developed and likeable. The technology is plausible but really not part of the story. It did seem odd that there had been no advances in genetic engineering or nano-technology (unless the food production machinery in the space ships was nano-technology based).

I am always on the look-out for new planets, new charachters and new stories from Anne McCaffrey. I enjoyed this book very much. It must be difficult to create new worlds when you have lived so long on another; in Ms. McCaffrey's case, it must be hard to leave Pern. She is one of my favorite fansasy writters, and this book is one of the reasons why: all her characters are not the same. These are different and fresh. Good book.

Maroon Killashandra on Doona, have her meet an even more empathic and supportive Sean Shongili, extract all suspense and danger, and you'll have _Nimisha's Ship_. Unlike memorable McCaffrey heroines of yore, Nimisha has no need to grow and change, as she's brilliant, beautiful, poised, and powerful from the early pages. Even being marooned on a planet with defeated exploratory teams barely ruffles her hair or mars her manicure. It's a good thing the early settlers of Pern did not have Nimisha's ship-design skills, as they would have developed a high technological civilization in approximately 25 minutes, and we would have been denied some of McCaffrey's best books.

I read for relaxation and escape and this story is both. The plot is fairly uncomplicated and has more of a romance twist than technological. Nimesha and the other females of her family are shown as strong, business-wise and responsible in a society where many of it's "elite" are irresponsible and uncaring. When Nimesha becomes "stranded" in an unknown sector of the galaxy, she joins other survivors of the wormhole in building a society on a reasonably hospitable planet. There are exploration trips to nearby planets and plans to return for more indepth analysis that are in the future plans. Not all the beasties on Erehwon are friendly! This book has opened a whole new area of endeavor for Ms. McCaffrey now that she has concluded her Rowan series, and I hope that she visits Nimesha again and lets us know how she prospers.

_Nimsha's Ship is a VERY standard "lost in space" plot and if she'd bothered to put any *people* it, it would be ok reading. She's populated it, however, with tissue-thin paper puppets without even the advantages of the Balinese or Japanese prototypes which have at least some historical personality. Oh, it's not going to be any trouble to finish it. The actual order of words is professional -- and it certainly isn't burdened with anything new or different to cause indigestion. My greatest regret is that I paid book club prices for it. This is strictly a UBS item.* To top it off, the cover art is awful.

I really enjoyed the book even though it was not full of suspense and intrigue. I do feel that she could have gone into greater detail over the corrupt Lady and Lord Vs and their attempts on Cuivia (it did seem a bit too sugary how every thing was easily solved). But I still enjoyed the book and it helped me recover from studying.