The Rowan
First book in The Tower and the Hive series.
The Rowan, published in 1990, is a science fiction novel by American author Anne McCaffrey. It is the first book in The Tower and the Hive series, also called The Rowan series. The story takes place in the same universe as the Pegasus trilogy, a technologically advanced society where telepathy, psychokinesis, and other psychic abilities are scientifically recognized and studied. These powers allow for communication and the teleportation of spaceships, bypassing the speed of light and enabling the colonization of other star systems.
In this series, psychic talents vary in strength, ranked from T12 (weakest) to T1 (strongest). The most powerful individuals, called T1 Primes, work for an independent company known as FT&T (Federated Telepaths and Teleporters), teleporting cargo and passengers between planets.
The plot follows the life of a young orphan with Prime Talent, from the moment her community is destroyed by a mudslide to her rise as a Prime. After a lonely life, she falls in love with a previously unknown Prime on Deneb, which is under attack by aliens. The central part of the book is based on McCaffrey’s earlier short story "Lady in the Tower."
Key characters include the Rowan, also known as Angharad Gwyn. She is a T-1 telekinetic/telepath and the Callisto Prime. She has silver-white hair and grey eyes (though described as brown on page 17 of the 1990 Ace/Putnam hardcover), a petite, bird-like figure. She is the sole survivor of a mudslide at the Rowan Mining Camp on Altair. Trapped in a hopper for days at age three, her mental cries were heard by every telepath on the planet. Rescued, she became a Ward of the Planet, with no memory of her past, and was known as "the Rowan child." Raised by therapist Lusena, she was moved to Altair’s Tower at age twelve to train under Prime Siglen. After a difficult adolescence, she achieved Prime status and was stationed on Callisto, a moon of Jupiter.
Siglen is a T-1 telekinetic/telepath and Altair Prime. She is described as a large, soft woman who avoids exercise. She was harmful to the Rowan, lacking empathy and instilling a form of agoraphobia in the three Primes she trained. She is difficult to deal with, a "mistress of the putdown," and generally unlikeable.
Lusena is a T-8 telepath and junior therapist. She took the young Rowan in as her own, already having two older children, Bardy and Finnan. She died in
- Title
- The Rowan
- Author
- Anne McCaffrey
- Published
- 1990
- Series
- The Tower and the Hive (also known as The Rowan series)
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Setting
- Universe of the Pegasus trilogy
- Central Character
- The Rowan/Angharad Gwyn
Lore & Background
The novel tells the life story of a young orphan of Prime Talent, from the moment her community is wiped out in a mudslide to the time she becomes a Prime and falls in love with a previously undiscovered Prime on Deneb under alien attack. The central section is based on McCaffrey's earlier short story 'Lady in the Tower'.
The Rowan, born Angharad Gwyn, is the only survivor of a freak mudslide that destroyed the Rowan Mining Camp on Altair. Trapped in a hopper for days, her mental cries reach every telepath on the planet. She becomes a Ward of the Planet and grows up under the care of Lusena, a child therapist. At age twelve she is moved to Altair's Tower to be trained by Prime Siglen, who proves harmful, instilling a neurosis that prevents interstellar teleports. The Rowan eventually reaches Prime status and is installed on Jupiter's moon, Callisto.
Key characters include Afra Lyon, a T-4 telekinetic/telepath from Capella who becomes second in command of Callisto Tower; Jeff Raven, a T-1 Prime from Deneb who first contacts the Rowan during an alien attack; and Earth Prime Peter Reidinger IV, who runs FT&T. The novel introduces the ranking system from T12 (weakest) to T1 (strongest), with Primes employed by FT&T for teleporting cargo and passengers between systems.
Reader's Guide
The Rowan establishes the foundational setting and ranking system for The Tower and the Hive series, introducing the concept of psionic powers ranked from T12 to T1 and the role of T1 Primes in interstellar teleportation. The novel explores themes of loneliness, trauma, and connection through the Rowan's journey from orphaned child to powerful Prime. Its significance lies in expanding McCaffrey's earlier Pegasus trilogy universe and launching a series that would continue to explore the societal and personal implications of accepted psychic talents. The work is notable for its detailed world-building of a future where telepathy and telekinesis are scientifically studied and commercially employed, and for its focus on the emotional development of a gifted individual within that framework.
Did You Know?
- The central section of the book is based on McCaffrey's earlier short story 'Lady in the Tower'.
- The Rowan is the only survivor of a mudslide that destroyed the Rowan Mining Camp on Altair.
- Psionic powers in the series are ranked from T12 (weakest) to T1 (strongest).
- The Rowan's physical description includes silver-white hair and grey eyes, though stated to be brown on page 17 of the Ace/Putnam 1990 hardcover edition.
More in Novels by Anne McCaffrey 1-24
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