In a triumphant career spanning more than thirty years, Anne McCaffrey has won the devotion of millions of fans. Now she has written the exciting and long-awaited addition to her classic Pegasus series--and the perfect link to her bestselling Rowan saga . . .
For an overpopulated Earth whose resources are strained to the breaking point, there is only one place to look for relief: straight up. With the successful completion of the Padrugoi Space Station, humanity has at last achieved its first large-scale permanent presence in space. But there are those who, for motives of their own, want Padrugoi to fail. Standing in their way are the Talented, men and women gifted with extraordinary mental powers that have made them as feared as they are respected--and utterly indispensable to the colonization effort. Now, as sabotage and attempted murder strike the Station, it's up to the Talented to save the day. Only who is going to save the Talented?
Pegasus in Space is the tale of Peter Reidinger, first Tower Prime!

Reviews

YA-This series chronicles the emergence of a semi-secret society of psychically gifted humans in the late 21st century and is set in the same universe as the author's "Rowan Saga" (Ace). Based on premises and characters first introduced in McCaffrey's stories published some 30 or 40 years ago, Pegasus in Space brings the science up-to-date, and though it doesn't reach the literary standard of the originals, the wider audience it targets will enjoy it. Peter Reidinger, a young paraplegic with a strong telekinetic talent, becomes a key player in the space program of the time, working in connection with space stations in orbit and on the Moon, the establishment of the first colony on Mars, and eventually the transport of the first space pioneers to new planets. His adoptive family is warm and supportive of one another. Despite its scientific underpinnings, this is basically a "cozy" read, and will not appeal to most "hard" sci-fi readers. Those accustomed to the genre will have no difficulty starting in the middle of the saga with this novel, but mainstream readers might want to start with To Ride Pegasus (1986) and Pegasus in Flight (1991, both Del Rey), which establish the universe and introduce many of the characters.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Rescued from a devastating flood in Bangladesh, young Amariyah Bantam discovers her uncanny ability to make plants grow and repair themselves. Brought to the attention of the Eastern Parapsychic Center, the child bonds with Peter Reidinger, a powerful psychic who uses his mental gifts to compensate for his total body paralysis. As a new generation of psychically talented young people learn to control their unique gifts for possible applications in the space program, other forces seek to sabotage the most gifted individuals for their own purposes. Set in the same world as her "Rowan" saga, this latest installment in McCaffrey's "Pegasus" series (e.g., Pegasus in Flight) brings together familiar series characters with an engaging cast of newcomers in a tale of sf drama and adventure that should appeal to fans of the series. For most sf collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/99.] Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

The next in McCaffrey's popular Saga of the Talents series (Pegasus in Flight, To Ride Pegasus), this novel follows the adventures of a group of psychically gifted scientists who nobly improve Earth's future by making space exploration and colonization possible. Paralyzed adolescent Peter Reidinger has learned how to move himself and some amazingly heavy objects psychokinetically through space. Peter lives with the grandmotherly Rhyssa, who protects him and nurtures the growth of his psychic talents. Rhyssa also takes in prepubescent Amariyah, an orphaned girl who has a talent for plants and healing. When a group of psychically gifted people sneak onto the corruptly run Padrugoi Space Station during its inauguration, it is young Peter who saves the day by using his burgeoning psychic abilities to vanquish the comically evil Space Station Construction Manager Ludmilla Barchenka as she attempts a coup. This impresses Admiral Dirk Coetzer, whose life is saved by Peter's quick thinking. The admiral encourages Peter to consider a career in space, and he happily complies. Treachery, assassination attempts and medical disasters ensue, but the novel's primary focus is on McCaffrey's vision of science and psychic abilities meshing so that humanity can inherit the stars. Cheerful, upbeat and chock-full of fun facts on space stations and space exploration, the novel features cartoon villains and nobly one-dimensional protagonists, making the space station and colonies McCaffrey's real heroes--for they show actual growth and development as her vision of the future progresses. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

"Few are better at mixing elements of high fantasy and hard science fiction."
--The New York Times Book Review