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The Talent #3
Pegasus in Space
For an overpopulated Earth, whose resources are strained to the breaking point, there is only one place to look for straight up. With the successful completion of the Padrugoi Space Station, humanity has at last achieved its first large-scale permanent presence in space. Additional bases are feverishly being built on the Moon and on Mars, stepping-stones to the greatest adventure in all the colonization of alien worlds. Already long-range telescopes have identified a number of habitable planets orbiting the stars and distant galaxies. Now it's just a question of getting there. But there are those who, for selfish motives of their own, want Padrugoi and the other outposts to fail. People who will stop at nothing to maintain their power or to avenge its loss. 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. There is Peter Reidinger, a teenage paraplegic who is the strongest telekinetic ever, his mind capable of teleporting objects and people thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. Yet all his power cannot repair his damaged spine or allow him to feel the gentle touch of a loved one...Rhyssa Owne, the powerful telepath and mother hen to Peter, and the rest of her "children"―and a fierce, unrelenting fighter against the prejudice that would deny the Talented the right to lead happy and productive lives…and Amariyah, an orphan girl who loves two things in the world above all gardening and Peter Reidinger. And woe to anyone who harms either one of them―for the young girl's talent may prove to be the most amazing of all. Now, as sabotage and attempted murder strike the Station, it's up to the Talented to save the day. Only, who's going to save the Talented?
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First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Anne McCaffrey
478 books7,763 followersAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
May 22, 2018
Another incredible feel good reread for me. This third book in the series is my favorite as it explains the origins of everything in the next series which starts with The Rowan.
This book also captures much of what I love about sci-fi as it's mostly set on a space station orbiting around Earth.
I'm loving my rereads of Anne McCaffrey and am continuing on with The Rowan.
This book also captures much of what I love about sci-fi as it's mostly set on a space station orbiting around Earth.
I'm loving my rereads of Anne McCaffrey and am continuing on with The Rowan.
August 13, 2011
To Ride Pegasus, Damia, The Rowan, Pegasus in Flight, and Pegasus in Space, Anne McCaffrey - I was lending a couple of these to a friend, and was struck by the urge to re-read them first. They have, as I'd expected, been visited by the Suck Fairy, but not as badly as some of her others; I still quite enjoyed them, despite everything. The series was written over quite a period of time; To Ride Pegasus was published in 1973, which is some level of excuse for the massive gender essentialism, astonishing normative heterocentrism, weird racist tendencies, and ableism (among other things). Unfortunately it's less of an excuse twenty years on when she's still writing new stories; some things improve a little, but she's still accidentally (I think!) promoting eugenics, and her attitude to disability is often quite odd.
Her fetish for older man / much younger woman relationships is a bit of a squick for me. I just can't deal with women marrying men who changed their nappies for them, what can I say. I'm not keen on age-gap relationships anyway (though I do accept that they can work in the real world!), but a) it all feels terribly Electra complex on her side, and b) when he's known her all her life it ends up having almost paedophilic vibes. Especially the scene where Damia insists that Afra admire her naked fourteen-year-old body, particularly when combined with the fact that he is later described as having been in love with her since she was that age. I just - squick. McCaffrey also has a thing about babies, and women having babies, and large families; again, it's almost fetishistic at times. The standalone Nimisha's Ship is particularly bad, but that sensitised me to how much she uses it elsewhere. The stuff on Peter's "sexual awakening" is pretty terrible, too. I do get the impression that she has some... issues surrounding sex, and that's not even getting into her attitude towards homosexuality.
The biggest problem I have with the series, though, is her bad habit of having her heroes (and they usually are heroes) be self-righteous; they're always right, and the people who oppose them are stupid, evil, or both, but they tend to get very high-handed and aggressive about pushing their inevitably-correct agenda, and not very good at considering the sometimes-valid criticisms they face. They're right structurally, because the author says so, rather than necessarily because their arguments are convincing, and they have a bad habit of keeping secrets in order to score points off their opponents. There's a recurring argument, for instance, about the space station being "too noisy" for Talents, and the "heroes" don't mention until really late on that they're talking about psychic noise, and not physical noise, which puts a very different complexion on the discussion, and the arguments over whether Talents need different treatment from non-psychic workers. There's a ton of stuff like this; they won't give their opposition all the information, or proper explanations, or anything, and then they get all snotty when they reveal their obvious rightness, which is reliant on stuff that nobody else knew, because they wouldn't tell them... It doesn't make me sympathise with her poor beleaguered protagonists, it makes me think they're jerks.
Having said all of that, I did just read, like, five of them (in a very random order!). So obviously it didn't bother me all that much. I find a lot of her worldbuilding interesting; I still don't really get why the universe ends up revolving around what are essentially transportation centres, even if they are doing it with their minds, when some of the other Talents - especially Finding - seem so much more intriguing. But life in the Linears is kind of fun to read about (if, er, unintentionally racist) and I like the first-steps-into-space arc in the Pegasus books. Space colonisation is cool. Flawed but still basically entertaining.
Her fetish for older man / much younger woman relationships is a bit of a squick for me. I just can't deal with women marrying men who changed their nappies for them, what can I say. I'm not keen on age-gap relationships anyway (though I do accept that they can work in the real world!), but a) it all feels terribly Electra complex on her side, and b) when he's known her all her life it ends up having almost paedophilic vibes. Especially the scene where Damia insists that Afra admire her naked fourteen-year-old body, particularly when combined with the fact that he is later described as having been in love with her since she was that age. I just - squick. McCaffrey also has a thing about babies, and women having babies, and large families; again, it's almost fetishistic at times. The standalone Nimisha's Ship is particularly bad, but that sensitised me to how much she uses it elsewhere. The stuff on Peter's "sexual awakening" is pretty terrible, too. I do get the impression that she has some... issues surrounding sex, and that's not even getting into her attitude towards homosexuality.
The biggest problem I have with the series, though, is her bad habit of having her heroes (and they usually are heroes) be self-righteous; they're always right, and the people who oppose them are stupid, evil, or both, but they tend to get very high-handed and aggressive about pushing their inevitably-correct agenda, and not very good at considering the sometimes-valid criticisms they face. They're right structurally, because the author says so, rather than necessarily because their arguments are convincing, and they have a bad habit of keeping secrets in order to score points off their opponents. There's a recurring argument, for instance, about the space station being "too noisy" for Talents, and the "heroes" don't mention until really late on that they're talking about psychic noise, and not physical noise, which puts a very different complexion on the discussion, and the arguments over whether Talents need different treatment from non-psychic workers. There's a ton of stuff like this; they won't give their opposition all the information, or proper explanations, or anything, and then they get all snotty when they reveal their obvious rightness, which is reliant on stuff that nobody else knew, because they wouldn't tell them... It doesn't make me sympathise with her poor beleaguered protagonists, it makes me think they're jerks.
Having said all of that, I did just read, like, five of them (in a very random order!). So obviously it didn't bother me all that much. I find a lot of her worldbuilding interesting; I still don't really get why the universe ends up revolving around what are essentially transportation centres, even if they are doing it with their minds, when some of the other Talents - especially Finding - seem so much more intriguing. But life in the Linears is kind of fun to read about (if, er, unintentionally racist) and I like the first-steps-into-space arc in the Pegasus books. Space colonisation is cool. Flawed but still basically entertaining.
December 14, 2017
This does feel very much like a book meant to connect two series: McCaffrey's Parapsychics and the Rowan family of Talents. Since there was a need to combine two series written at very different times, the story itself was rather neglected. Or rather, took secondary position instead of the usual primary position. Too much of the story either felt rushed or stretched way out.
The characters were not all that well formed. Amariyah was not a well formed character. It doesn't bother me that she had a crush on Peter, which other people have considered rather disgusting. Kids do have crushes on adults. In fact, crushes are usually on unavailable people, maybe so they can start understanding love, at least the mental aspect of love. After all, Peter married someone about his own age, not Amariyah, even though he was very fond of her, more as a sister than anything else. Amariyah just didn't seem like a rounded person. She absolutely LOVED her gardening. (OK, I seriously don't get that but I don't get gardening!) However, she doesn't seem to have many other interests. That is the part that is lacking.
It doesn't bother me that Peter's "appliance" (waste bag, eg catheter) is mentioned so often, which was another complaint I read. Having had surgeries and physical therapy, I am aware of how vital such equipment is. If you have to have a catheter, or the equivalent, well, yes, it comes to dominate a substantial amount of mental attention. The frequency of it being mentioned had a purpose in giving Peter the determination to do an extreme amount of physical therapy. I don't think you will find too many people that really enjoy therapy. You do it because it is needed. The amount of therapy Peter would have needed was enormous. He better have had motivation to surmount that disagreeable effort and, yes, losing that appliance would be sufficient motivation!
Anne McCaffrey seemed to be trying to make her fantasy books into science fiction towards the end of her career. In a way it is too bad she felt that just fantasy wasn't enough. On the other hand, I do appreciate the effort to include science and facts especially when the world seemed to be leaving the effort of scientific education behind and going more towards superstition. When I was a child, science was on a pedestal, and going to get us to the moon. It is good to take anything off a pedestal. Nothing should be without some questioning. However, we have gone so far into fantasy as to think that we can pick and choose which scientific facts we believe. We can't do that. We can be skeptical and want more evidence to support facts but we do not get to choose which scientific facts we believe. Belief has nothing to do with this. Either a scientific fact is correct, or it isn't a fact, by definition. Science is always adjusting information around the basic fact, but that doesn't negate the truth of the fact. Einstein made huge changes to Newton's basic fact of the force of gravity. However, it doesn't change the basic truth of the force. So if that is what McCaffrey was trying to do, then, more power to her!
However, the bottom line is that this book was contrived to connect up two separate series into one, and it was an awkward join. Having said this, I also kept reading this book and got it finished pretty quickly. Bottom line: while it is far from being one of McCaffrey's best books, it is certainly not a terrible book by any means. Anne McCaffrey was an excellent writer, even when trying to shoehorn two series into becoming one series.
The characters were not all that well formed. Amariyah was not a well formed character. It doesn't bother me that she had a crush on Peter, which other people have considered rather disgusting. Kids do have crushes on adults. In fact, crushes are usually on unavailable people, maybe so they can start understanding love, at least the mental aspect of love. After all, Peter married someone about his own age, not Amariyah, even though he was very fond of her, more as a sister than anything else. Amariyah just didn't seem like a rounded person. She absolutely LOVED her gardening. (OK, I seriously don't get that but I don't get gardening!) However, she doesn't seem to have many other interests. That is the part that is lacking.
It doesn't bother me that Peter's "appliance" (waste bag, eg catheter) is mentioned so often, which was another complaint I read. Having had surgeries and physical therapy, I am aware of how vital such equipment is. If you have to have a catheter, or the equivalent, well, yes, it comes to dominate a substantial amount of mental attention. The frequency of it being mentioned had a purpose in giving Peter the determination to do an extreme amount of physical therapy. I don't think you will find too many people that really enjoy therapy. You do it because it is needed. The amount of therapy Peter would have needed was enormous. He better have had motivation to surmount that disagreeable effort and, yes, losing that appliance would be sufficient motivation!
Anne McCaffrey seemed to be trying to make her fantasy books into science fiction towards the end of her career. In a way it is too bad she felt that just fantasy wasn't enough. On the other hand, I do appreciate the effort to include science and facts especially when the world seemed to be leaving the effort of scientific education behind and going more towards superstition. When I was a child, science was on a pedestal, and going to get us to the moon. It is good to take anything off a pedestal. Nothing should be without some questioning. However, we have gone so far into fantasy as to think that we can pick and choose which scientific facts we believe. We can't do that. We can be skeptical and want more evidence to support facts but we do not get to choose which scientific facts we believe. Belief has nothing to do with this. Either a scientific fact is correct, or it isn't a fact, by definition. Science is always adjusting information around the basic fact, but that doesn't negate the truth of the fact. Einstein made huge changes to Newton's basic fact of the force of gravity. However, it doesn't change the basic truth of the force. So if that is what McCaffrey was trying to do, then, more power to her!
However, the bottom line is that this book was contrived to connect up two separate series into one, and it was an awkward join. Having said this, I also kept reading this book and got it finished pretty quickly. Bottom line: while it is far from being one of McCaffrey's best books, it is certainly not a terrible book by any means. Anne McCaffrey was an excellent writer, even when trying to shoehorn two series into becoming one series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2010
Re-read. Lackluster sequel to To Ride Pegasus and Pegasus in Flight. Returns to the characters in the latter, and I feel like that's the book's main function: connect Peter Reidinger with future Primes and the Center for Parapsychic Talent with FT&T. This is a very straight, boring, and somewhat incomplete line between two interesting dots.
Scenes jump around jerkily: an event like a long-foretold marriage gets a couple of disconnected paragraphs, while kids are born and grow years between sightings.
If you're desperate to read more about Padrugoi Station and Peter, you might give this a try. Otherwise, you could happily skip this book and just move on to Rowan. Absolutely don't waste time on this as a standalone.
Scenes jump around jerkily: an event like a long-foretold marriage gets a couple of disconnected paragraphs, while kids are born and grow years between sightings.
If you're desperate to read more about Padrugoi Station and Peter, you might give this a try. Otherwise, you could happily skip this book and just move on to Rowan. Absolutely don't waste time on this as a standalone.
January 8, 2011
I enjoyed this book greatly. I love the whole world of the FT&T. There is something about the way Ms. McCaffrey writes which makes me yearn to be in her worlds. I must have read this book over 50 times. We get to meet the young Peter Reidinger. I great book for young adults without the crass teen angsty drama.
March 16, 2018
dnf this time, but I've read and enjoyed it before. I'll get back to it eventually.
January 25, 2012
(WARNING: SPOILERS)
There are some books you read because they whisk you away to another place. Or because they offer insight on the human condition. Or because you need the information they contain.
This is none of these. This is a book that you hold your nose and slog through because you are stubbornly bound and determined to find out what happened to the characters no matter how improbable.
Pegasus In Space exists solely to link McCaffrey's world of the Talents with her Rowan world. Ostensibly it is the story of how Peter Reidinger founds Federated Telepath and Teleport, but that would have required an actual plot. As it stands, the book is a bunch of characters who exist solely to provide exposition in between scenes that are told at a plodding pace at great emotional distance. Much of the book consists of being told that something happened, then pages of characters talking about it.
If you haven't read the first two Pegasus books, don't bother with this one. It has a cast of thousands - pretty much everyone you've ever met in previous books - who show up often no reason at all. If you're lucky, one of the expositional characters will fill you in on their backstory (which you already know if you've read the previous books) in gory detail. If you don't, you'll sit and scratch your head and wonder why this character is here.
Some of the new characters are familiar only because they're blatant rehashes of previous characters with new skins. Amariyah is Tirla with a new haircut and yet another never before seen Talent. She can mend nerves, and her only purpose in the book is to reverse Peter's paralysis. Ceara exists for scenery and to give Peter someone to have sex with once the reversal has happened. (The sex scene is mostly "fade to black", which is good, because for the life of me I can't figure out WHY these two people went to bed together. The author certainly doesn't show us. Or tell us even.)
The author makes every novice writer mistake in the book. Long pages of exposition about minor technical matters, action scenes that are one paragraph long using passive voice. We are told - the characters do talk a lot! - of events that take place, but we are not shown them. We are held 10 feet away from the characters' emotions. Characters are simply talking plot devices in most cases, especially all the background characters, every single one of which must be mentioned by first and last names. Character quirks which are mentioned ad nauseam but never have any further significance, either to plot or character development.
This is why I can't believe Ms. McCaffrey wrote this book, even though her name is the only one listed on it. The book was published in 2000, and that is about the time that her son began taking over the writing duties on her books. And it shows.
I originally purchased this book in 2000, but I hadn't gotten around to reading it until recently. I wish I'd waited at least another 12 years to discover how absolutely awful Pegasus In Space. This is easily one of the worst books I've read in the last 25 years, and the only reason I'd ever suggest that anyone else read it is if you absolutely must know what happened to Peter Reidinger.
There are some books you read because they whisk you away to another place. Or because they offer insight on the human condition. Or because you need the information they contain.
This is none of these. This is a book that you hold your nose and slog through because you are stubbornly bound and determined to find out what happened to the characters no matter how improbable.
Pegasus In Space exists solely to link McCaffrey's world of the Talents with her Rowan world. Ostensibly it is the story of how Peter Reidinger founds Federated Telepath and Teleport, but that would have required an actual plot. As it stands, the book is a bunch of characters who exist solely to provide exposition in between scenes that are told at a plodding pace at great emotional distance. Much of the book consists of being told that something happened, then pages of characters talking about it.
If you haven't read the first two Pegasus books, don't bother with this one. It has a cast of thousands - pretty much everyone you've ever met in previous books - who show up often no reason at all. If you're lucky, one of the expositional characters will fill you in on their backstory (which you already know if you've read the previous books) in gory detail. If you don't, you'll sit and scratch your head and wonder why this character is here.
Some of the new characters are familiar only because they're blatant rehashes of previous characters with new skins. Amariyah is Tirla with a new haircut and yet another never before seen Talent. She can mend nerves, and her only purpose in the book is to reverse Peter's paralysis. Ceara exists for scenery and to give Peter someone to have sex with once the reversal has happened. (The sex scene is mostly "fade to black", which is good, because for the life of me I can't figure out WHY these two people went to bed together. The author certainly doesn't show us. Or tell us even.)
The author makes every novice writer mistake in the book. Long pages of exposition about minor technical matters, action scenes that are one paragraph long using passive voice. We are told - the characters do talk a lot! - of events that take place, but we are not shown them. We are held 10 feet away from the characters' emotions. Characters are simply talking plot devices in most cases, especially all the background characters, every single one of which must be mentioned by first and last names. Character quirks which are mentioned ad nauseam but never have any further significance, either to plot or character development.
This is why I can't believe Ms. McCaffrey wrote this book, even though her name is the only one listed on it. The book was published in 2000, and that is about the time that her son began taking over the writing duties on her books. And it shows.
I originally purchased this book in 2000, but I hadn't gotten around to reading it until recently. I wish I'd waited at least another 12 years to discover how absolutely awful Pegasus In Space. This is easily one of the worst books I've read in the last 25 years, and the only reason I'd ever suggest that anyone else read it is if you absolutely must know what happened to Peter Reidinger.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2015
Padrugoi Space Station is complete and now attention has been turned to building Moon Base and Mars Base. Little do Peter Reidinger and Johnny Greene know they will be instrumental in making that happen at a much faster pace than anticipated.
In the meantime, an orphaned five-year-old girl named Amariyah, is found after the floods in Bangladesh. When it’s discovered she has a lot of as-yet-unknown Talent she is brought back to the Center and raised by Dorotea. There are sinister machinations going on and Peter is in danger when he turns 18 and takes up his official duties for the Center up on Padrugoi. After an accident involving Peter on his 19th birthday the true scope of Amariyah’s Talent becomes known and it’s a doozy. And when Johnny tricks Peter into teleporting a small package from Australia to Moon Base, after getting over his shock, Peter slowly begins to realize he truly can reach for the stars.
Even though this is the 3rd book in the Talents series it was the last to be written after the Tower and Hive series was complete. In my opinion, it makes a better bridge between the two series than Pegasus in Flight and I’m glad it was added since Peter’s story is as fascinating as it is heartwarming.
There is a lot going on in this book, but most of it revolves around Peter. Since Peter is the catalyst for all of the books that follow, it’s only right that we learn the history of how FT&T (Federated Telepath and Teleport) comes about. FT&T features heavily in the Tower and Hive series.
Once again the story flows smoothly and the plot proceeds quickly. My favorite characters are back, some with much larger roles and we pick up Amariyah as well as a few more. The story still fascinates me and makes me wonder how much faster we would be exploring space if we had people with Talents such as these. The mind boggles at the wonder of it all.
I’m looking forward to picking up The Rowan to continue with the series. As I’ve said before, it’s been a long time since I’ve read this series and I’m really enjoying my immersion back into the world of the Talents.
*Book source ~ My home library.
In the meantime, an orphaned five-year-old girl named Amariyah, is found after the floods in Bangladesh. When it’s discovered she has a lot of as-yet-unknown Talent she is brought back to the Center and raised by Dorotea. There are sinister machinations going on and Peter is in danger when he turns 18 and takes up his official duties for the Center up on Padrugoi. After an accident involving Peter on his 19th birthday the true scope of Amariyah’s Talent becomes known and it’s a doozy. And when Johnny tricks Peter into teleporting a small package from Australia to Moon Base, after getting over his shock, Peter slowly begins to realize he truly can reach for the stars.
Even though this is the 3rd book in the Talents series it was the last to be written after the Tower and Hive series was complete. In my opinion, it makes a better bridge between the two series than Pegasus in Flight and I’m glad it was added since Peter’s story is as fascinating as it is heartwarming.
There is a lot going on in this book, but most of it revolves around Peter. Since Peter is the catalyst for all of the books that follow, it’s only right that we learn the history of how FT&T (Federated Telepath and Teleport) comes about. FT&T features heavily in the Tower and Hive series.
Once again the story flows smoothly and the plot proceeds quickly. My favorite characters are back, some with much larger roles and we pick up Amariyah as well as a few more. The story still fascinates me and makes me wonder how much faster we would be exploring space if we had people with Talents such as these. The mind boggles at the wonder of it all.
I’m looking forward to picking up The Rowan to continue with the series. As I’ve said before, it’s been a long time since I’ve read this series and I’m really enjoying my immersion back into the world of the Talents.
*Book source ~ My home library.
November 22, 2017
This stands the test of time.
I have read this book more times than I can count.
It is the perfect distraction from the harsh realities of the "real world".
If you haven't already read it read it.
I have read this book more times than I can count.
It is the perfect distraction from the harsh realities of the "real world".
If you haven't already read it read it.
September 19, 2012
Meh. It's like comfort food -- perfectly edible but not exciting.
December 20, 2021
Reread Sept 2016
May 6, 2020
I don't know how to feel about this book.
On the one hand, it's a nice 'bridge' novel between the "Pegasus" novels of the Talent Saga and "The Rowan" portion of the Talent Saga.
On the other hand, it's a bridge novel.
I mean, I get it. You want to be a completist and make one long saga of the Talents- but at the same time, this feels like a novel that was written to be completist and make one long saga of the Talents. There's not much in the way of surprises to be found here-- and any surprises you do find are telegraphed and you can see 'em coming from a mile and a half away.
But at the same time, you love the characters, you love the universe- so you're willing to let McCaffery get away with some laziness here, because it's like Mac N'Cheese or a really good sandwich. Comfort reading at it's finest.
Pegasus In Space continues the story of Peter Reidinger, who continues to teach his mind-machine gestalt to other Talents while keeping humanity's push to the stars on track. He helped ensure the completion of Padrugoi Space Station in the last book and now he's helping to assemble the colony ships heading out to colonize the habitable planets humanity has discovered. But there are those that want to get in the way and take him out- so he's got to evade some enemies (old, predictable enemies) and take a trip to the Moon Base where he scopes out a telescope that finds him advancing images of places he needs to see to 'port as well as an asteroid which is going to turn out to be quite important by the end of the book.
Eventually of course, Peter overcomes his paralysis. (Another plot device you can see coming a mile a way.) He figures out how to merge minds (something I think they should have made a bigger deal than it was in this book) and manages to 'port something all the way to Mars and forms a new organization FT & T which becomes the key organization for the future books. It finishes fourteen years later when they 'port a colony ship to it's destination at Capella and demonstrate that they can port through time as well as space, eliminating the time lag between future colonies and ensuring humanity's future in the stars.
All in all, it's... okay. There are better books in this series- but if you're a completist and you've gotta read ALL the books then just be aware: this one is just okay.
On the one hand, it's a nice 'bridge' novel between the "Pegasus" novels of the Talent Saga and "The Rowan" portion of the Talent Saga.
On the other hand, it's a bridge novel.
I mean, I get it. You want to be a completist and make one long saga of the Talents- but at the same time, this feels like a novel that was written to be completist and make one long saga of the Talents. There's not much in the way of surprises to be found here-- and any surprises you do find are telegraphed and you can see 'em coming from a mile and a half away.
But at the same time, you love the characters, you love the universe- so you're willing to let McCaffery get away with some laziness here, because it's like Mac N'Cheese or a really good sandwich. Comfort reading at it's finest.
Pegasus In Space continues the story of Peter Reidinger, who continues to teach his mind-machine gestalt to other Talents while keeping humanity's push to the stars on track. He helped ensure the completion of Padrugoi Space Station in the last book and now he's helping to assemble the colony ships heading out to colonize the habitable planets humanity has discovered. But there are those that want to get in the way and take him out- so he's got to evade some enemies (old, predictable enemies) and take a trip to the Moon Base where he scopes out a telescope that finds him advancing images of places he needs to see to 'port as well as an asteroid which is going to turn out to be quite important by the end of the book.
Eventually of course, Peter overcomes his paralysis. (Another plot device you can see coming a mile a way.) He figures out how to merge minds (something I think they should have made a bigger deal than it was in this book) and manages to 'port something all the way to Mars and forms a new organization FT & T which becomes the key organization for the future books. It finishes fourteen years later when they 'port a colony ship to it's destination at Capella and demonstrate that they can port through time as well as space, eliminating the time lag between future colonies and ensuring humanity's future in the stars.
All in all, it's... okay. There are better books in this series- but if you're a completist and you've gotta read ALL the books then just be aware: this one is just okay.
March 6, 2018
Pegasus in Space (2001) by Anne McCaffrey feels like one of those superfluous books that didn't need to get written, and only got written to milk an existing property. This book in particular links together her Talents series with the future Damia books, in a story which didn't need to get written, which shines no light onto history, nor provides any additional insights into the world.
I found the work astonishingly dull.
As usual, the heroes of McCaffrey's world are competent to a fault, everyone else is incompetent, if not stupid, and the villains are just competent enough to be bad, but are otherwise stupid. There's little duller and less compelling than a McCaffrey villain.
What's at stake? I really don't know. The story seems to drive itself in circles until it finally reaches and end. Peter learns to turn his power to awesome, mostly because everyone downstream of him seems incompetent, while the financial and tactical awesomeness of his power gets short shrift.
As for the characters, I found them lackluster to a fault. Even the romance subplot fell flat for me.
Cut down to novella length, this might have been a good story for me, but as a novel, I found it too full of fluff, tediously paced, and unengaging from beginning to end.
I found the work astonishingly dull.
As usual, the heroes of McCaffrey's world are competent to a fault, everyone else is incompetent, if not stupid, and the villains are just competent enough to be bad, but are otherwise stupid. There's little duller and less compelling than a McCaffrey villain.
What's at stake? I really don't know. The story seems to drive itself in circles until it finally reaches and end. Peter learns to turn his power to awesome, mostly because everyone downstream of him seems incompetent, while the financial and tactical awesomeness of his power gets short shrift.
As for the characters, I found them lackluster to a fault. Even the romance subplot fell flat for me.
Cut down to novella length, this might have been a good story for me, but as a novel, I found it too full of fluff, tediously paced, and unengaging from beginning to end.
June 17, 2019
Pegasus in Space is the last of the Saga of the Talents series and is the last book before the next series starts with the Rowen. The main focus on the book is a character from the last book Peter Reidinger. He is the bridge to the next series and his explorations and experiments open up a lot of what we see in the future.
You'll see hints about how they are able to 'port vast ships from place to place, basically opening the universe to mankind and relieving a serious population problem on Earth. How they figured out that talents could merge minds for greater power, and how the FT&T got started. There are a lot of exciting twists and turns and the introduction of a character, a child with an amazing new talent.
We do get occasionally reappearances of characters from the last book, like Tirla (now married with twins), Rhyssa, and Dorotea; also some of the villains of the last book are back to cause trouble-- but the book is mainly Peter's story and it's a good one. The blurb of the book introduces him as the first Towered Prime so you can see where the future is heading. Like a lot of people I read the other series first so for me there was a lot of 'Oooh! so that's why!' type moments.
You'll see hints about how they are able to 'port vast ships from place to place, basically opening the universe to mankind and relieving a serious population problem on Earth. How they figured out that talents could merge minds for greater power, and how the FT&T got started. There are a lot of exciting twists and turns and the introduction of a character, a child with an amazing new talent.
We do get occasionally reappearances of characters from the last book, like Tirla (now married with twins), Rhyssa, and Dorotea; also some of the villains of the last book are back to cause trouble-- but the book is mainly Peter's story and it's a good one. The blurb of the book introduces him as the first Towered Prime so you can see where the future is heading. Like a lot of people I read the other series first so for me there was a lot of 'Oooh! so that's why!' type moments.
July 16, 2020
Although I became an Anne McCaffrey fan long ago through the Pern novels, there came a point late in her career in which she resolved an impasse in one of her lesser novels by having a stray space rock bonk a villain in the head so that the good guys could claim victory over his smooshed corpse. “She’s lost it,” I told myself, and ceased reading her new works.
Pegasus in Space must’ve been written after the asteroid ex machina, because I have zero recollection of reading it before. As a bridge book between the first two of her Talents Saga and the Tower and Hive series that follows, it succeeds. While I was never disappointed in the volume, neither was I ever truly captivated. There’s just so little actual conflict in the story that it’s less a novel and more a procession of space dioramas. Although a confrontation in an early chapter foreshadows a revenge plot later in the book, not much comes of it...and then the characters dutifully assume the poses required for their historic significance in the continuity of the Tower and Hive volumes.
McCaffrey has managed a brilliant retcon of her mythology before, with Dragonsdawn. Pegasus in Space, I’m afraid, is no Dragonsdawn.
Pegasus in Space must’ve been written after the asteroid ex machina, because I have zero recollection of reading it before. As a bridge book between the first two of her Talents Saga and the Tower and Hive series that follows, it succeeds. While I was never disappointed in the volume, neither was I ever truly captivated. There’s just so little actual conflict in the story that it’s less a novel and more a procession of space dioramas. Although a confrontation in an early chapter foreshadows a revenge plot later in the book, not much comes of it...and then the characters dutifully assume the poses required for their historic significance in the continuity of the Tower and Hive volumes.
McCaffrey has managed a brilliant retcon of her mythology before, with Dragonsdawn. Pegasus in Space, I’m afraid, is no Dragonsdawn.
September 8, 2017
Such a disappointment. As other readers have written, wildly disjointed, and we get mere glimpses of the non-Peter Reidinger characters met in the earlier books. The various plotlines are zoomed through hastily, and the introduction of a new Talent appears to be done solely to I mean, every single character's life gets wrapped up in a few lines with a neat little bow, but I almost wish I hadn't read it, actually; it was just too disappointing after my preadolescent delight in its predecessor.
March 13, 2018
I love the classics and they don't get much more classic than Anne McCaffrey.
Her works are always something else. Strange in the way that they don't have one major conflict but actually a lot of little ones that are not little at all. You almost forget what the start was by the time you get to the end there have been so many individual situations.
The Pegasus series starts out with a boy that gets paralyzed by a wall and by the end of the series that boy has made history.
Some of it is a really dry read, but if you push through the story is engaging.
It's a strange blend or world, character and story motivation that a lot of the other stories I read tend to lack.
If I can find the other Pegasus books I'll snap them up so my boyfriend can read them. I've read the other 2 and the Rowan series but they were so far apart that they didn't make much of a whole picture. I'll reread them again some time if I get the chance.
Her works are always something else. Strange in the way that they don't have one major conflict but actually a lot of little ones that are not little at all. You almost forget what the start was by the time you get to the end there have been so many individual situations.
The Pegasus series starts out with a boy that gets paralyzed by a wall and by the end of the series that boy has made history.
Some of it is a really dry read, but if you push through the story is engaging.
It's a strange blend or world, character and story motivation that a lot of the other stories I read tend to lack.
If I can find the other Pegasus books I'll snap them up so my boyfriend can read them. I've read the other 2 and the Rowan series but they were so far apart that they didn't make much of a whole picture. I'll reread them again some time if I get the chance.
July 19, 2021
This was so good, I've been up all night reading, yet again!
This third story of the Pegasus series describes how Peter Reidinger, the young skeleteam telepath and teleporter, sets out to find that place where he could stand, in order to help humankind reach for, and find, the stars.
As a paraplegic, he has much to overcome but, with the help of his friends, he slowly, but surely, expands both his talents, and his outlook until, with the micro-talents of his adopted sister, Amariya, he finds that he can even overcome the spinal injury caused when he was young.
With that, and a new outlook on life, he can reach for those same stars that he had gazed at so much when a child in his hospital bed and, with that goal, he and his fellow psychics do what they do best, and look forever outwards, to find humankind new homes.
I loved this so much, I'm just glad that I have the Tower and the Hive sequence to look forwards to - starting with The Rowan!
This third story of the Pegasus series describes how Peter Reidinger, the young skeleteam telepath and teleporter, sets out to find that place where he could stand, in order to help humankind reach for, and find, the stars.
As a paraplegic, he has much to overcome but, with the help of his friends, he slowly, but surely, expands both his talents, and his outlook until, with the micro-talents of his adopted sister, Amariya, he finds that he can even overcome the spinal injury caused when he was young.
With that, and a new outlook on life, he can reach for those same stars that he had gazed at so much when a child in his hospital bed and, with that goal, he and his fellow psychics do what they do best, and look forever outwards, to find humankind new homes.
I loved this so much, I'm just glad that I have the Tower and the Hive sequence to look forwards to - starting with The Rowan!
July 9, 2017
I got access to this audiobook this weekend and although I did want to get the rest of them I wasn't able to so listened to it anyways. The narrator has some extra stunts to represent the mindspeaking to each other, the intercom etc and it about drove me batty but it was to a fair degree understandable but just barely as there was a couple of times I wasn't sure what was said. Anne McCaffrey is one of my ultimate favourite writers and I was not let down in the slightest even with the displeasing narration of her fantastic book. I was even forcing myself to stay awake longer just to be able to attempt to finish it but had to give up and shut it off as there was too much to listen to and I did need to sleep desperately. I finished it off today and wanting more but it was a good ending and wrapped it up nicely.
April 19, 2022
Book 1 - To Ride Pegasus was disjointed.
Book 2 - Pegasus in Flight was better.
Book 3 - Pegasus in Space.....
... started well enough with an exciting wrap-up of a plot thread hanging over from the previous book. I liked the way this was done as the previous book had enough of a climax and this worked quite well as a start to book 3.
.....and then, not much else happens.... Peter grows up and realises his true abilities - which had been hinted at enough in the previous book that we all knew it was coming.
A bit of sabotage that feels like it could at least turn into a bit of a whodunnit, but again sort of fizzles out without an exciting resolution.
Minor villains, love-interests, etc are all very predictable from first sighting, and just takes forever to reach the end of this book and the happily ever after.
Oh well. Another series completed.
Book 2 - Pegasus in Flight was better.
Book 3 - Pegasus in Space.....
... started well enough with an exciting wrap-up of a plot thread hanging over from the previous book. I liked the way this was done as the previous book had enough of a climax and this worked quite well as a start to book 3.
.....and then, not much else happens.... Peter grows up and realises his true abilities - which had been hinted at enough in the previous book that we all knew it was coming.
A bit of sabotage that feels like it could at least turn into a bit of a whodunnit, but again sort of fizzles out without an exciting resolution.
Minor villains, love-interests, etc are all very predictable from first sighting, and just takes forever to reach the end of this book and the happily ever after.
Oh well. Another series completed.
March 14, 2023
One of the recurrent questions that I find myself pondering often lately is the issue of space and how space travel, living in space, etc. will - maybe - might - just work. Anne McCaffrey brings her vast experience in the writing science fiction to bear here with an interesting solution. This novel from 2000 is one of a series of books about the "Talents" - individuals with psionic/psychic/telekenitic powers. These powers provide a new and different capability for space travel and communications. The many novels are actually grouped collectively as the Talents series of trilogies. I found this entry into the series well-written, mildly interesting and entertaining - perhaps a bit long - but I confess that it's not enough to persuade me to run out and hunt down the other books. Your mileage may vary.
September 11, 2019
I found this book in a box that I packed 20 years ago. I had packed it without reading it preparing for a move. What a wonderful find.
Anne McCaffrey was always a favorite of my youth.
I devoured the Pern books in a series of reading-through-the-night sessions. This book in the Pegasus series is strong SF. I am filled with admiration for Ms McCaffrey again. She knew how to tell a story and her explanation of the science of parapsychic Talents actually made sense to me.
The characters were richly relatable and their passions and problems were drawn in beautiful detail.
I have discovered this book is the 3rd in a series but it stands so well on its own.
I’ll go look for the others. 😍
Anne McCaffrey was always a favorite of my youth.
I devoured the Pern books in a series of reading-through-the-night sessions. This book in the Pegasus series is strong SF. I am filled with admiration for Ms McCaffrey again. She knew how to tell a story and her explanation of the science of parapsychic Talents actually made sense to me.
The characters were richly relatable and their passions and problems were drawn in beautiful detail.
I have discovered this book is the 3rd in a series but it stands so well on its own.
I’ll go look for the others. 😍
March 26, 2018
One of my all-time favorite series. I've loved Anne McCaffrey since her Dragonriders of Pern days, and I also adore anything ESP/extrasensory-related. And its not always easy finding books in that subgenre! While I think McCaffrey did a better job with the Tower and Hive series, to which this is the prequel series, I still completely enjoyed this one. It is a complex and fascinating alternate Earth she has created. Well well worth a read!
(will transfer this over to book 1 when I get it added)
(will transfer this over to book 1 when I get it added)
April 18, 2023
I haven’t read McCaffrey’s books for some time but picked this one up recently. The Talent series is much more than a space opera series. It’s about the people, not only their psychic talents, but also how they react to challenges. Peter Reidinger has already mastered so much after he became a paraplegic, using his psychokinetic talent to compensate, but now he’s reaching for the stars. Although there are threats to Peter, Johnnie and the others, including new characters, action and tension are less important than Peter’s journey and the ending is very satisfying.
November 26, 2021
Peter Reidinger has mastered his talent of telekinesis in gestalt and of telepathy. He desperately wants to be part of the space programme and helping to build the space platform Padrugoi but is too young. When much needed supplies are grounded because of the weather Peter gets his wish. But he learns that sometimes getting what you want isn't all it's cracked up to be. Now Padrugoi is finished so what challenge is there for Peter now?
Read
June 28, 2022DNF
I struggled with the age gap in some of the relationships even though I know things were different at the time of writing. I was surprised at how strongly I reacted to it.
Also, I never really felt any peril. Everything was so neat and I wasn’t drawn in like in the other two books.
This was a pleasure read rather than a review book, so I will put it aside for now and maybe come back to it the next time I’m on holiday and deliberately not reading review books.
I struggled with the age gap in some of the relationships even though I know things were different at the time of writing. I was surprised at how strongly I reacted to it.
Also, I never really felt any peril. Everything was so neat and I wasn’t drawn in like in the other two books.
This was a pleasure read rather than a review book, so I will put it aside for now and maybe come back to it the next time I’m on holiday and deliberately not reading review books.
March 20, 2024
Final book in the Talent series re-read. Directly follows the second book. This book focuses on Peter who has developed his telekinetic ability such that he has been able to realize his dream of going into space to help with building spaceships and other facilities in space. Things are complicated by lingering issues from the previous book and more personal issues, both good and bad, that come up. I enjoyed seeing how this book set the stage for the next series that begins with The Rowan.
October 15, 2017
I just read Pegasus in Flight, and this is a wonderful sequel! It flows as though this was the next book McCaffrey wrote, instead of coming back to the story 10 years later! Learning about the origins of the Talents was so rewarding. I would love for McCaffrey to write more adventures with Peter Remlinger..
October 20, 2017
This book was always a link to the Tower and the Hive series and it feels constrained by that. It's a reasonable story though and wraps up the character arcs fairly nicely. I am glad I went back and read this but I don't think my understanding of the Tower and the Hive was suffering from not having read the prequels.
January 10, 2020
This was a fun re-read as well and perfectly timed as I had ordered the Rowan over Christmas (because my copies of these books went on walk-about some move or another), but the first order was lost. Re-order arrived today!
Anyway, it’s a pretty fun read, especially when the events take place only 60 years in the future. We’ve got a long way to go!
Anyway, it’s a pretty fun read, especially when the events take place only 60 years in the future. We’ve got a long way to go!
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