Starship Death

Cute, and (for its time) very non-sexist story. Of course the two classically-beautiful characters end up together, but while it's their looks that start the connection (or hers, at least), that's not why they end up together - they actually talk, and like the way each other thinks. The mystery is interesting, if somewhat telegraphed. Snookums is interesting too - Garrett (or his characters, at least) missed some factors that would have caught my attention (he/it identifies with the mobile, rather than the brain?), but the concept is neat. I enjoyed it and am glad I read it, but think it unlikely I'll bother to reread.

This book was weird. I tried very hard to enjoy it, but it just kept letting me down. It was almost like the author tried to jam as many sci fi tropes into one novella as he could. There was crime, a murder mystery, urban sci fi, space travel, a mad robot, sabotage, theology, and even a stilted romance. The characters were flat, and while the plot kept a good pace for most of the story, it just wasn't very interesting. And who names a robot Snookums? Seriously odd.

For 60s science fiction this is fairly good. Good plot. There is even a female main character. One, and very beautiful. But she is a main character, and is important to the story besides acting as love interest. She is as well characterized as anyone.

What I found very off-putting was how often everyone smoked. My rating reflects that.

This is a short book, available at Gutenberg, and certainly worth reading once.

This book is available free from Amazon and from Project Gutenberg.

Title: Unwise Child
Author: Randall Garrett
Publisher: Doubleday and Company, Inc., Copyright 1962
Genre: Science Fiction

M. R. Gabriel (Mike the Angel) is the tall and wealthy head of a power generation company. He is also a reserve officer in the Space Patrol, and he is recalled to duty as to serve as chief engineer of the space vessel Branchell, which carries engines his company designed and built. It also carries a unique cargo, or perhaps it should be called a passenger, a computer/database/robot known as Snookums, which they are taking to a distant planet and a base that is being specially constructed to house it. It cannot be left on Earth. It is potentially far too show more dangerous. It knows much and has an insatiable curiosity to know more.
This novel deals with crime, revenge, religion, and the nature of knowledge. At the core, the plot is a whodunit. Mysterious things are happening aboard the Branchell, and a man is attacked. Another is murdered. Suspicion falls on Snookums, which has been behaving even more curious (in both senses of the word) than usual.
It is clear from the beginning that this is not a modern work of science fiction. It was written before modern computers or microchips, so the ‘brain’ of the device is far more massive than one might imagine today and requires cooling to near absolute zero. Most of the characters are male and everyone smokes. The only female character is a child psychologist (responsible for nurturing Snookums) who serves double duty as Gabriel’s love interest.
Despite the archaic sexist undertones, over respect for cultural sensitivities, and clunky technology, I found this to be a very enjoyable book. The characters are not deeply developed, but they are believable extrapolations from a mid Twentieth Century template.
The story unfolds well and provides a satisfying conclusion. I would recommend it to those who enjoyed Asimov’s Robot books and all fans of space opera. You can’t beat it for the price. show less

Randall Garrett is a good writer who learned his skills writing for the 1950s pulp SF magazines. Starting at the age of 17 he sold dozens of SF stories under at least 17 pseudonyms. He also co-wrote many stories with Robert Silverberg. His specialty seems to be future detective mysteries with lots of science.

This story also fits that style. It's a pretty good story and I will likely read more Garrett books as I come across them.