The Ship Who Won

A new entry in McCaffrey's Brain/Brawn series begun with The Ship Who Sang (1969) and continued by McCaffrey with various collaborators. The Brain here is Carialle, a bodiless human wired into spaceship SSS-900; the Brawn is supplied by Carialle's human partner, Keff. Explorers Carialle and Kerf hope to achieve alien contact. Unfortunately, they also need to make discoveries that generate money and kudos: Cencom might not renew their contract, since a prior unpleasant experience has left Carialle psychologically vulnerable to bureaucratic shutdown. On the chilly planet Ozran they discover a population of furry humanoids ruled by irascible and arrogant "wizards" wielding what apparently are magic powers. The wizards take Kerf captive but do not immediately learn of Carialle's existence. Keff is aided by Plennafrey, a young, beautiful, and rebellious wizard, and the more powerful Chaumel, who is at least willing to listen. Carialle, you see, has discovered that the source of the wizards' power is a projector called the core of Ozran, set up ages ago by one of two long-vanished, advanced alien races. The Core was designed to function as a weather control device, and in using it to power their magic, the wizards have doomed the planet to a slow, cold extinction. Only after Carialle reveals that the ubiquitous globe-frogs are actually the previous masters of Ozran, and that they are willing to help once the wizards cease their bickering, are the wizards persuaded to mend their ways. Bright and bubbly entertainment, though, despite the adult content, decidedly juvenile in style and tone; therefore more likely to appeal to the younger sections of McCaffrey's audience. (Kirkus Reviews)