# Help identify this scifi novel...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identify-this-scifi-novel/338605>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 5, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identify-this-scifi-novel/338605 "2006-01-05T18:41:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identify-this-scifi-novel/338605/1 "2006-01-05T18:41:13Z")

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Does anybody know the name of this novel? I read it a few years ago. It was set on a space station in the distant future. The main character was a man encased in a shell since birth to serve as a human computer to run the station. He was assigned a new “brawn” a woman. There was also an orphan tomboy named JOAT (Jack/Jill of all trades). They were attacked by space pirates and had to pretent he didn’t exist.

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**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identify-this-scifi-novel/338605/2 "2006-01-05T18:54:45Z")

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Could it be this?

**The City and the Ship**

Sample chapters on-line:

[http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200403/074347189X\_toc.htm](http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200403/074347189X_toc.htm)

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identify-this-scifi-novel/338605/3 "2006-01-05T21:07:48Z")

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> [@Aeschines](#):
>
> Could it be this?
> 
> **The City and the Ship**
> 
> Sample chapters on-line:
> 
> [The City and the Ship](http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200403/074347189X_toc.htm)

Thanks, that’s it. I had no idea there was a sequel.

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-identify-this-scifi-novel/338605/4 "2006-01-05T21:18:51Z")

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There’s a whole series of Ship novels by Anne McCaffrey. Those are just the two most recent.