I've already tried livejournal's what was that book community and they couldn't find it, either. But I have faith that you'll be able to help me identify this long-lost sci-fi novel.
I read it sometime in my early teens (I'd say between '94 and '99), though the book itself--a mass market paperback from the library--seemed a bit older. As far as I can recall, the cover featured a large, pink, jelly-fish like spaceship.
The ship, which was a sentient alien a la
Farscape or
Lexx, was one of the primary characters. It was definitely female, and she may have appeared at the end of the novel in a bipedal form, perhaps in a vision of the main character.
The main character, a male, was her pilot. He may- or may not have been telepathically/psychically bonded to the ship. In this novel, those who piloted these kinds of ships would enter some sort of cryosleep during travel. They were very long lived--I think the main character was in his seventies, but (perhaps due to drugs they took to prolong their lives?) had the stunted height of children. However, they were unable to stop aging completely, so their noses and ears would continue growing. I remember the pilot (and, I think another female pilot?) being described as pretty grotesque looking.
. . . aaand, that's about all I remember. I know that it was
not Anne McCaffrey's
Ship Who . . . series. This living ship was definitely alien, and the ship itself was definitely her body. Oh, and I've checked
the wikipedia entry on bioships and
tvtropes entry on living ships, and, as far as I can tell, it's not listed there.
If you have any idea, let me know!
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posted by nooneyouknow at 5:25 PM on November 15, 2008