Pegasus in Space [Hardcover]

Anne McCaffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2000

In a triumphant career spanning more than thirty years, Anne McCaffrey has won the acclaim of critics, the devotion of millions of fans, and awards too numerous to mention. Her bestselling Dragonriders of Pern® series is counted among the masterpieces of modern science fiction, a work whose popularity continues to grow as new generations of readers discover the literary magic only Anne McCaffrey can provide. Now that magic is back, displayed as breathtakingly as ever in the exciting and long-awaited addition to McCaffrey's classic Pegasus series—and the perfect link to her bestselling Tower and Hive saga . . .

PEGASUS IN SPACE

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. Additional bases are feverishly being built on the Moon and on Mars, stepping stones to the greatest adventure in all history: the colonization of alien worlds. Already long-range telescopes have identified a number of habitable planets orbiting the stars of 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 revenge 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 happens to be 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 Owen, 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 others: 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?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anne McCaffrey is best known for The Dragonriders of Pern, but her loose Talents series about superpsychics has been running almost as long. It began with the near-future To Ride Pegasus, continuing a couple of generations later in Pegasus in Flight. Book 2 introduced a crowd of new characters, notably the paralyzed boy Peter whose telekinetic talent can move not only his body without help from his ruined nervous system, but--with practice--even lift payloads into orbit.

Pegasus in Space follows directly, with mayhem and mutiny, at the opening of a manned space station, which Peter and talented friends helped build. Further hassles ensue during his training for space haulage work: obstructive bureaucrats, crooked suppliers, murder attempts, and skillful sabotage. McCaffrey specializes in feel-good adventure SF, full of romance, warm friendships, and hearty meals. Somehow her villains never quite convince, though, and their evil deeds are so rapidly annulled that the story rarely builds up much suspense. Meanwhile, the orphan girl Amiriyah who's adopted into Peter's family has a mysterious, subtle talent of her own, one that we soon guess will change his life. Our young hero's ambitions foreshadow later far-future books in the series (beginning with The Rowan) in which "kinetics" hurl cargo across huge interstellar gulfs. While most people think his talent needs careful conservation, Peter has already teleported supplies to the moon and has secret plans for Mars, the asteroids, and the moons of Jupiter. It all makes for an agreeable, lightweight read. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly

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 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (April 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345434668
• ISBN-13: 978-0345434661
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #552,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne McCaffrey, the Hugo Award-winning author of the bestselling Dragonriders of Pern® novels, is one of science fiction's most popular authors. With Elizabeth Ann Scarborough she co-authored Changelings and Maelstrom, Books One and Two of The Twins of Petaybee. McCaffrey lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "Pegasus in Space" - adequate end to a great series, April 18, 2000

By 

M. Allegra (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pegasus in Space (Hardcover)

First off, let me say that this is not a bad book, even at hard-bound prices. The problem is that it would have been a better book if it had been twice as long. Let me explain. The plot is a series of snapshots of exciting or emotional episodes with very thin connecting material. The "connecting material" in SciFi or any speculative fiction usually describes how the people live and relate to each other when they are not under stress. It's often a better and more rewarding read than the action sequences. The connecting material wasn't used effectively in "Pegasus in Space" and that's a shame because Ms. McCaffrey is one of the best at creating a society and having her characters really live in it.

On the other hand, Ms. McCaffrey seems to be concluding her extended plot lines in all her series and "Pegasus in Space" is worth reading just for that. The characters we met in "Pegasus in Flight" return and grow up. The real character problem here is the villains. I just can't buy good ole FlimFlam managing to have the freedom of the space station and arranging the big accident. He's not that smart - all the characters agree. And while our "darling" Ludmilla, Queen of the Space Station would be smart enough to pull off a small coup - no one's stupid enough to believe they could pull off a large coup in a telepathic environment. Space stations don't get "taken over" I don't care how many "top" people are attending the opening and available as hostages. "Top" people don't arrive without their own body guards. And if the body guards can't come, the celebrity doesn't arrive, either. Further, conspiracies that large fall apart under their own weight. Honestly now, Ludmilla is NOT a subtle kind of gal.

Finally, though, Peter Reidinger is a wonderful character. McCaffrey matures him beautifully in the course of this book. I was disappointed in his relationship with the whimpy MD. I preferred Amariyah - she had much more personality but that's a quibble on my part. One final point, was Major Johnnie Green always so conniving? I don't recall this from the prior book. Oh yes... and how come we never see his wife?

Unlike "Pegasus in Flight" which could have been read separately from "To Ride Pegasus," "Pegasus in Space" is a close sequel to 'Flight.' It must be read first for the new book to make sense. Both prior books are superior, especially 'Flight,' but "Pegasus in Space" is certainly acceptable entry and closure from an extraordinary talent.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pegasus in Space Soars! A must read!, April 8, 2000

By 

Joseph Wagner (Gregory, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pegasus in Space (Hardcover)

Altogether this one great piece of prose and should definitely be crowed as the best possible bridge between the Pegasus and Rowan/Tower and the Hive series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and consider it to be one of the top ten Anne McCaffrey novels ever written.

For this installment of the Talent series, McCaffrey thrilled us with a much longer look into the heart of the parapsychics of the late 21st Century then we got in the first two books. Peter Reidinger's character develops in the ever-expanding psychic realm. From the first scenes in Bangladesh to the heart-stopping last `port, Pegasus in Space keeps you on the edge of your seat. Rhyssa Owen-Lehardt, General Johnny Greene, Boris and Sascha Roznine, Tirla, Madlyn, Dorotea and the rest of the gang make excellent returning roles. Amariyah very much fills a gap that was left open at the end of Pegasus in Flight. Perhaps nothing was more shocking and awe-inspiring then the lasting effect she has on Peter. Great writing all around.

Now for the positive technical stuff. I loved the opening "rescue" scene in Bangladesh and the edge-of-your-seat Padrugoi Mutiny. Beautifully written. Also, wonderful "scheming" on the part of Reidinger throughout. Nothing is funnier than watching General Greene jump from his chair in astonishment at something he himself did. Almost as if he sat on a whoopee-cushion. At 16/17 chapters it has a great length and every chapter blurs into the next, I couldn't put it down. I especially liked the scenes where Cass Cutler and Ranjit are scrounging the underbelly of Padrugoi and the Flimflam "chase scenes." (reminds you of any scenes in Pegasus in Flight? Hmm...). Wonderful use of character mapping. Very "tidy." You can almost see the situations as though you were there. Imagery is excellent. Great dramatic irony... We all knew Amariyah would save those torn plants... Love the Reidinger "pondering" scenes where Peter conceives of FT&T and Callisto Tower. Johnny Greene is wonderful comic relief, as he seems to take on the roll of the older Peter Reidinger IV from the Rowan series. Oh yeah, and great ship names for the colony ships (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Though I must admit to not catching on to the whole First Base thing until later in the book. My favorite scene is where Peter shows off "oh so timidly" to the Secretary of Space and his bean counters, perfect. All in all, a very well composed story on the part of McCaffrey. Kudos.

Now for the unfortunate, negative technical stuff. As much as we all love a good McCaffrey Sci-Fi/Romance, this book tends to take after Nimisha's ship in its lack of. I particularly found myself missing the Sascha/Tirla scenes (or for that matter their character really at all...). A strange composition in that she keeps the reader thinking that Peter will go for Amariyah the entire time (or at least that's what I pulled out even though the age difference). Sort of a bait and switch, if you will. Not bad character development wise of Peter, but the time changes are frequent and can possibly confuse the reader if not taken in as a McCaffrey Original. For lack of a better word, the plot "simmered" but never really came to a boil (after Flimflam was out of the picture). It also took after most of the later Tower and the Hive books in the militaristic, "young resident Prime, older Admiral and commanders" look on Padrugoi. Good use of Amariyah as a micro-surgeon (if subconscious) instead of a more supporting kinetic roll which would favor Peter/Amariyah relationship. Nice use of science with Gadriel, but it was a tad "Hawkingish."

However, all around the book was marvelous. A must read for every Talent fan, or even for simply any McCaffrey fan. This was definitely a page-turned and an instant classic. Coming from myself (whom loved Pegasus in Flight and To Ride Pegasus and has all the Rowan books and has been patiently awaiting Pegasus in Space for a long time), I must say it was one heck of fine ride. Write on McCaffrey, write on!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Talent Triumphs Again!, April 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pegasus in Space (Hardcover)

Pegasus in Space provides the perfect link between Anne McCaffrey's Pegasus Series (To Ride Pegasus and Pegasus in Flight) and her Talent Series (The Rowan, Damia, Damia's Children, Lyon's Pride, and The Tower and the Hive) by showing the events that took place between Pegasus in Flight and The Rowan. The book blends the elements of both science fiction and fantasy well, describing the technology that allows expansion into new worlds while also giving the Talents powers that the reader can only dream of having. This novel also shows some of McCaffrey's strongest characterization in the past few years-- Peter Reidinger and Johnny Green are especially vivid and likable. Readers can not help but sympathize with Peter through his internal struggles and cheer at the points in the book where he succeeds. Perhaps Pegasus in Space's only flaw lies in the ease with which the enemy is repeatedly subverted. Still, Pegasus in Space is a must-read for all fans of the Talent books and McCaffrey's work.