The Rowan

The Rowan
Author Anne McCaffrey
Cover artist Romas Kukalis
Country US
Series Tower and the Hive
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Ace Books
Publication date
1990
Pages 328
Followed by Damia

The Rowan (1990) is the first book in "The Tower and the Hive" series (also known as "The Rowan" series) by Anne McCaffrey. It is set in the universe of the "Pegasus" trilogy, against a backdrop of a technologically advanced society in which telepathy, psychokinesis and other psychic Talents have become scientifically accepted and researched. Telekinetic and telepathic powers are used to communicate and teleport spaceships through space, thus avoiding the light barrier and allowing for the colonization of other planetary systems.

In the series, psionic powers occur of varying strength, the possessors being ranked from T12 (the weakest) to T1 (the strongest). The very strongest are employed as "T1 Primes" by an independent company, FT&T, (Federated Telepaths and Teleporters) for teleporting cargo and passengers between the systems.

Plot summary

The Rowan tells the life story of a young orphan, of Prime Talent, from the moment the child's community is wiped out in a mudslide to the time when she becomes a Prime and after a life of loneliness falls in love with a previously undiscovered Prime on Deneb which was being attacked by aliens.

The central section of the book is based on McCaffrey's earlier short story "Lady in the Tower"

Characters

The Rowan/ Angharad Gwyn

Siglen

Lusena

Goswina Lyon

Afra Lyon

Jeff Raven

Isthia Raven

Peter Reidinger IV

Talent Level: T-1 telekinetic/telepath; Earth Prime
Physical Description: Black hair, close trimmed red beard and moustache. He is the descendant of the same Peter Reidinger who is featured in Pegasus in Flight and Pegasus in Space.

Elizara Matheson

Talent Level: T-1 Medic/Ob. Deft, compassionate, sensible and reassuring, Elizara is Prime Reidinger's great-granddaughter. She became a close friend and confidant of the Gwyn-Raven families, and later the Lyons, when she was assigned by Reidinger to assist the Rowan during her first pregnancy.

Elizara is extremely skilled in metamorphic healing as well as physical. She is later re-introduced into the series as the very talented teacher of her gifted namesake, Zara Raven-Lyon, one of Damia's many children.

Brian Ackerman

Talent Level: T-9; Callisto Stationmaster

Primes

Primes of FT&T are T-1 telekinetic/telepaths. They are the rarest manifestation of Talent.

References

    External links

    The Talents Universe series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

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