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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 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 pwerful 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?
Anger at the "authorities" consumed Zahid Idris Miah and sustained him as he slogged at the head of the group from his bari, flashing the long-life light ahead of him. In the gloom of this monsoon, the tool at least kept them from slithering into places where the Jamuna had chewed ravines into the levee bank in its rush to the sea. He devoutly mumbled prayers to Iswah that this tool was truly a "long-life" torch. He half expected it to fade out now, when it was most needed, like so many other items that came to his small bari south of Sir?ajganj as Rajshahi Division tried to--what was the ingraji word?--"upgrade" him and the other jute farmers.
They should have kept a close watch on the levees in this storm. They should have worked more diligently to reinforce the collecting lakes along the Jamuna River. They had promised to do so, to keep more of Bangladesh from sliding beneath the Bay. He vaguely knew that a great new engineering process that had kept some city in Italia from drowning had been adapted to keep the Bay of Bengal from inundating the coastal regions near the mouth of the Padma. Much land had been lost along the seacoast in spite of the efforts of many, very gifted engineers. The once inland city of Khulna was now protected by the great Dike, which had been erected three decades ago. Barisal City was also ringed south and east by the Ocean Dikes, invented by yet other westerners who had been determined to keep their land from drowning. Those islands that had once dotted the Bay of Bengal: Bhola, Hatiya, and Sondwip--where the Meghna River flowed into the Bay--had been inundated and the people saved only by the massive efforts of the World Relief Organization.
He had heard that the islands of Kutubdia and Maheskhali, near Cox's Bazar were also gone, and the tip of Chittagong. As Zahid had never been farther from his bari than Sir?ajganj, these places might as well have been in Great India or Meriki. What had happened to those who had helped before? Had they, like so many others, deserted the Bangla in their hours of need? He wiped the sudden spurt of wind-driven rain from his face. Were they tired of rescuing poor Bangladeshi? He wasn't surprised; who cared, but Iswah, what happened to the poor? The wind smacked at his lean, work-honed frame again and he slid on the mud, the light briefly aimed to his right.
Was that debris now bobbing along on the swift flowing current the plants he had struggled so to keep watered during the dry season? There was always too much of everything--Iswah be praised, he added quickly--when it wasn't needed. The Jamuna had irrigated his fields but this was overdoing it.
"Where be those who aid? Curses be on their names and every generation of them!" Zahid roared above the wind, waving about both hands, making the torchlight stab about the darkness.
Behind him, Jamila wailed, berating her husband. "Do not wave our light about so! How am I seeing where to put my feet? If it falls from your hand, how will we be seeing where dry land is?" She had hiked up her sari, its sodden, muddy hem banging against her thin calves. He had already reprimanded her several times for her immodesty.
"Hush, woman. Rafiq and Rahim have torches. Watch your sari that you do not tempt Ayud Bondha." To emphasize his displeasure in her demeanor, he lengthened his stride, sweeping the ray of light in front of him to see where he was going. This disgruntled him more, for it might appear to her that he was heeding her complaint.
"How far to go now, Zahid?" Salma, Ayud Bondha's young wife, cried in ragged gasps. She had to shout above the wind noise. She was many months pregnant with her firstborn, and clumsy. Ayud was half carrying her, both of them slipping about in the thick mud.
Zahid didn't like Salma. As a young girl, she had been chosen from her village to go to the school to learn to read and write and do sums. Because of that, she did not efface herself, as a proper woman should, speaking out often in the shomiti with unseemly disregard of custom. Ayud Bondha always indulged her, smiling and doing nothing to discipline her, as a husband should.
"We will be seeing shomiti lights soon," Zahid said and sent his beam ahead of them, squinting to see any glimmer from their destination. Shomiti were still built on heavy concrete pillars, thanks be to Iswah, so their shelter remained above the flooded lands. There would be light cylinders--also of the long-life variety--hung on the corners of the covered veranda to show refugees their way through the day's darkness, wind, and rain.
Anonymous
Posted December 15, 2011
Anne McCaffrey wrote wonderful science fiction. The Talent series is about the acceptance of psychic powers in a modern world. The three books cover nearly 100 years with characters being added and being remembered. Read the series in order to fully enjoy the development of the stories. Great for teen readers and adults.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In the not so distant future, Earth has become so overcrowded that its people are forced to search outer space for planets to inhabit just so they can survive. A space station is erected so ships can be built and launched to other galaxies. Passengers will be in suspended animation until the crew finds a world they can colonize. The Talents, people with scientifically proven psychic powers play a pivotal role in the new world order. They teleport heavy items from earth to the space station, saving a fortune in fuel and transportation costs.
The most powerful teleporter is Peter Reidenger, a paralyzed individual who remains mobile because of his psychic powers. The people running the space station eagerly accept Peter as a full team member even though some fear his power. On a space shuttle journey to the moon, someone sabotages the ship computers, forcing Peter to use his powers in ways he never knew he could in order to keep everyone alive. A full-scale investigation occurs to uncover the traitors who would rather destroy Peter for reasons of revenge rather than allow the people of earth to have a future in space.
Although PEGASUS IN SPACE can stand alone as a superb work of science fiction, the novel is part of a trilogy (see PEGASUS IN FLIGHT and TO RIDE PEGASUS). This book links this saga with the Rowen collection as it shows the beginnings of a space-based society. Although the story line is classic space opera filled with action, there is great characterization in this work as well. The great Anne McCaffrey makes the people populating her novel feel complete, real and very much alive. The hero is not a marvelous rendition of Professor Xavior though some similar traits exist. Instead, he is a unique and special person who will not allow his true physical condition to stop him from enjoying life to the fullest. The talented Ms. McCaffrey, one of the top authors of the twentieth century, demonstrates she will also become one of the most beloved writers of the new millennium.
Harriet Klausner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 24, 2011
Truly a must read for Anne McCaffrey fans.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BookAddictSY
Posted August 17, 2009
The "Pegasus" series by Ann McCaffrey is excellent if you enjoy fantasy. You should read the first two before this one.
She also wrote the "Dragonrider" series which is one of the best I have ever read. It is comparable to Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series, which is basic reading for fantasy addicts.
I do not enjoy many of the books she has cowritten, though I have read most of them. The "Landing" series is exceptional.
Anonymous
Posted June 13, 2006
Nice end to the trilogy but left you hanging when the story gose into the Rowen and Darmia series. Still a really good story
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Posted September 6, 2000
While it was interesting to see how the caracters lives developed through the passage of time, I thought parts of the story have been left unfinished.
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Posted May 22, 2000
This is a great book. I absolutely loved it! I really liked Pegusus in Flight, and To Ride Pegusus, and for the past 6 months i've been waiting for this book to come out. i can tell you , this book was worth the wait.
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Posted May 7, 2000
As we have come to expect from Anne, another great book. The way that she weaves together the plot, and makes the characters come alive. You never know what to expect next in this book.
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Posted April 17, 2000
I just finished this book and I couldn't put it down. Ms McCaffrey has done it again. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read. I do suggest that if you haven't already done so, you must read the previous books in this series.
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Posted April 11, 2000
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
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Overview
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 and distant galaxies. Now it's just a question of getting there.
But there are those who, for selfish motives of their own, ...