The Rowan
Encyclopedia
The Rowan 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 solar system
s.
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.
s.
The central section of the book is based on McCaffrey's earlier short story "Lady in the Tower"
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 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.
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
. It is set in the universe of the "Pegasus" trilogy
To Ride Pegasus
To Ride Pegasus is a collection of four science fiction stories by Anne McCaffrey, published by Ballantine Books in 1973 and later under its Del Rey imprint....
, against a backdrop of a technologically advanced society in which telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, psychokinesis
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
and other psychic Talents
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
have become scientifically accepted and researched. Telekinetic and telepathic powers are used to communicate and teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
spaceships through space, thus avoiding the light barrier and allowing for the colonization of other solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
s.
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 in a far away star system being attacked by alienExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s.
The central section of the book is based on McCaffrey's earlier short story "Lady in the Tower"
The Rowan/ Angharad Gwyn
- Talent Level: T-1 telekinetic/telepath; Callisto Prime
- Physical Description: Silver-white hair, grey eyes (though stated to be brown on page 17 of the Ace/Putnam 1990 hardcover edition), and a petite figure.
- The Rowan was the only survivor of a freak landslide that destroyed the Rowan Mining Camp on Altair. The toddler Rowan had been trapped in a hopper (a kind of vehicle) and buried under the sludge for days. She mentally screamed for help and due to the strength of her young mind every receptive telepath on the planet could hear her. As she had no memory of her life before the landslide, she took her name from the mining camp.
Siglen
- Talent Level: T-1 telekinetic/telepath; Altair Prime
- Physical Description: "Siglen was a slab of a female, soft from a sedentary life and a disinclination to exercise of any kind."- The Rowan pg. 14
- Siglen proved to be more harm than good when it came to dealing with the Rowan. She wasn't empathic towards the child and instilled a neurosisNeurosisNeurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic...
(a form of agoraphobiaAgoraphobiaAgoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
that prevents interstellar teleports) in the three Primes that she trained.
- Siglen proved to be more harm than good when it came to dealing with the Rowan. She wasn't empathic towards the child and instilled a neurosis
Lusena
- Talent level: T-8 telepath; junior therapist
- Lusena took the young Rowan in as her own. She already had two older children, Bardy and Finnan. Lusena died in a crash when the Rowan was eighteen.
Goswina Lyon
- Talent Level: T-5 empath
- Goswina first met the Rowan when she, along with seven other young Talents, traveled to Altair for a course on Tower management and maintenance. She soon realized that she and the Rowan could not work efficiently together and so recommended her brother Afra, who at the time was six. The Rowan then promised to make sure Afra came to Altair for the course when he was old enough.
Afra Lyon
- Talent Level: T-4 (later T-3 then T-2) telekinetic/telepath
- Physical Description: blonde hair, slightly green skin, yellow eyes, tall/slender figure.
- The Lyon family is from Capella, a "Methody" planet known for its adherence to rules and manners (and its colonists' unusual pigmentation). Afra, however, was slightly different; life on Capella didn't appeal to him. So, at eighteen, Afra spent all his money to send a resume to the Rowan, the new Callisto Prime. The Prime sent for him the very next day. Afra was to the Rowan's liking and became second in command of the Tower.
Jeff Raven
- Talent Level: T-1 telekinetic/telepath
- Physical Description: black hair and piercing blue eyes.
- Jeff Raven was born on Deneb where a large population of "Wild Talents" resides. He first contacted the Rowan telepathically when he "heard" her getting ready to start her transportation work on Callisto. Jeff informed her that Deneb was under attack by hostile alien forces. The Rowan informed Earth Prime who refused to believe the words of an "unknown Talent"; Jeff quickly verified the attack was legitimate by telekinetically hurtling a missile towards Earth (which was quite an extraordinary feat considering how remote Deneb was and that the generator he tapped into for power was on the verge of collapse)
Isthia Raven
- Talent Level: never tested, but she has a "long ear" and "loud voice"
- Isthia is the mother of Jeff Raven. She gathered a team of other untrained Talents to help her contact the Rowan telepathically when Jeff was badly injured in an accident after the attacks.
Peter Reidinger IV
Talent Level: T-1 telekinetic/telepath; Earth PrimePhysical 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
Pegasus in Flight
Pegasus in Flight is a science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey set in her "Talents Universe". It is the sequel to a 1973 collection of short stories, To Ride Pegasus, and its 2000 sequel Pegasus in Space completed a trilogy....
and Pegasus in Space
Pegasus in Space
Pegasus in Space is a science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey, set in her "Talents Universe". It is the sequel to Pegasus in Flight and it completed a trilogy initiated in 1969....
.
- The Reidinger family is full of extremely high Talents, and Peter Reidinger IV is surely one of the most powerful. He runs FT&T.
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
Damia (novel)
Damia is a 1991 science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey; it is the sequel to The Rowan, and the second book of the Tower and Hive series.-Plot:...
's many children.
Primes
Primes of FT&T are T-1 telekinetic/telepaths. They are the rarest manifestation of Talent.- Earth Prime: Peter Reidinger IV
- Altair Prime: Siglen
- Capella Prime: Capella
- Betelguese Prime: David
- Callisto Prime: The Rowan
- Procyon Prime: Guzman