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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Un "bear"ably good, April 27, 2001
This review is from: The Ship Who Searched (The Ship Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
As far as I'm concerned, Anne McCaffrey's heroines are the best in current fiction. From Restoree to Pern to the BB quasi-series, her heroines are intelligent, caring, and, yes, dangerous in one fashion or another. Tia may be her best. Stricken in childhood by a terrible nerve disease, Tia is on life support and deprived of human touch for life. Rather than be institutionalized, she chooses to become a Brainship. The hospital scene is everything you've heard. Get a hanky. Get two. She is tormented both by her inability to touch anyone, since she grew up in a loving family (not selected at birth like the other Brains) and the need to find the source of the virus that got her. Acquiring an unorthodox "brawn", off she goes on her career as a courier, with an unannounced agenda of her own. The book is episodic, but leads to a very nice conclusion that my wife predicted but I didn't. Oh, yes, the "bear" is Theodore Edward Bear, a childhood keepsake who is the center of a charming but strange "marriage" ritual. If you read only one BB book, make it this one.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hypatia's Search, September 29, 2002
This review is from: The Ship Who Searched (The Ship Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
'The Ship Who Searched' presents to the reader a flawless collaboration of eminent authors Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. Who joined their respective forces to write an excellent novel, which is characterized by very strong characters, a convincing, interesting sometimes deeply poignant story. Set in Ms. McCaffrey's universe of Brain and Brawn ships, the novel's premise is based on this: Hypatia Cade the highly precocious daughter of an archaeologist couple is bitten by a bug. This leaves Hypatia or Tia for short paralyzed and in dire straits indeed. An option for Tia might be the Shell person's program. Thus Tia goes on to train for the B & B ship program. After graduation she takes her chances with brawn Alexander Joli-Chanteau.
Tia and Alex are both excellently and eminently convincingly drawn characters, and I loved them from the very beginning. Tia highly intelligent, precocious and flexible [but not in a cloying way] is one of Anne McCaffrey's most interesting and appealing heroines. Strong and indomitable she's the driving force of her story. With Tia Anne McCaffrey presents strength, heartbreak and humour all combined in one package. Tia's scenes in the hospital are nothing but brilliant and heart wrenching, and certainly brought tears to my eyes. The sympathetic and quirky Alex is very well matched with this great heroine. Strong supporting characters are to be found here as well like Tia's friend Moira or Dr. Kenneth. Further should be mentioned Tia's indispensable companion on all her journeys through life the blue teddy bear: Theodore Edward Bear.
This is an utterly convincing universe with wonderful characters and a deeply satisfying story which I recommend very highly!
by stardustraven
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moved Me To Tears, January 15, 1999
This review is from: The Ship Who Searched (The Ship Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
In my entire life, I can count the number of books that have moved me to tears one the fingers of one hand. Those include luminaries such as Guy Gavriel Kay for his Lions of Al-Rassan and Fionavar Tapestry as well as Melanie Rawn for Skybowl. However, none of them had quite the impact of Hypatia's story. I am not ashamed to say that by the end of the first seventy three pages, I was in tears. The scenes, especially those in the hospital with her teddy bear were just so well written that I had to put down the book and wipe away the tears blurring my vision before I could continue. The sheer emotional impact of those scenes were so moving upon me. While I could have wished that the initial stages, especially those dealing with how Tia deals with the illness were a little more developed, this book is still certifiably Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey's best work to date.
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