I hadn't read the Brainship books in years so I decided it was time for a re-read and I happy to report that they stood up to the test of time. I really enjoyed the story and found myself very interested in the characters in these books. I am super glad I read them again. ( )

In McCaffrey's Brainships universe, children who are born with an immobilizing or other severe disability are raised and educated to be the 'brains' that steer Starships, as well as other large-scale establishments. They are also assigned a "Brawn" to be their companion and assist with activities that can only be done by a person with a functional body.
This is the first book in the series that focuses around the "brain" that runs a space station instead of a ship. Since Simeon is stationary, his adventures are not as wide ranging as previous protagonists in the series, but no less fascinating.
In addition to an engaging and suspenseful storyline involving a invasion of Simeon's city by some evil alien pirates, the book also deals with some fascinating philosophical and psychological themes. Simeon was quite comfortable with his previous Brawn and resents having been assigned a new one, particularly a female. I was not a fan of him at first due to his chauvinistic and patronizing treatment of Channa. She teaches him a lesson, though, and proves herself a formidable foe to the Kolnari. ( )

This series was my guilty pleasure for a while. It's extra weird, but kept me going back for the next in the series. It's been about 7 years since I've read this, and I'm kind of tempted to reread these as a winter break treat. ( )

I enjoyed at well enough. I still think I would enjoy being a "shell person"… This was just not the best of the series. ( )

What can I say, I just love brainships! This book consists of two halves: in the first half brainship Simeon gets to know his new brawn Channa. In the second half, the space station needs to defend itself from atrocious pirates. I liked the characters and their interactions, and this book was quite relaxing to read. ( )